"Eight places: throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid and subclavian veins, kidneys, heart."
"So which one do you want me to attack? Heh." Zabuza deliberately uttered cruel words in a gloomy tone, releasing an overwhelming killing intent to crush everyone's morale. It worked—Naruto and Sasuke would've collapsed under the pressure if Kakashi hadn't been by their side. But Haruto…
"Is it funny, Zabuza?"
That kind of murderous aura is so blatant, it's like the sun at night. Haruto found this version of Zabuza easier to handle than the one in the dungeon. It wasn't Zabuza's fault—Haruto knew everything about him, but Zabuza knew nothing about Haruto. He didn't know Haruto was about to lose grip just earlier. He didn't know Murasame could sense killing intent. The fog didn't affect Haruto's vision much—it only forced him to rely on sound to pinpoint positions.
"Haruto, come back quickly!" Kakashi shouted anxiously. If anything happened to Haruto, he wouldn't be able to explain it to the Third Hokage. But with the dense fog, there was nothing he could do. He wanted to rush forward but couldn't leave Naruto and Sasuke exposed to an ambush. Kakashi was stuck.
Haruto ignored Kakashi's voice. He silently prepared his ultimate move, opened the first Gate, and let chakra burst visibly from his body. Without the fog, the abnormality would've been obvious.
Though others had never heard of the Eight Gates, Mist Village had gathered info ever since Guy's father opened all Eight Gates to defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Zabuza could only rely on sound to sense Haruto's approach. He couldn't see a thing.
With chakra surging from opening the Gate of Life, Murasame's blade glowed more intensely and gave off a faint hum.
Suddenly, Haruto appeared in front of Zabuza. With a killing aura, he approached and instantly realized the target ahead had no murderous intent—it was a water clone. Calmly, Haruto changed his attack.
Halfway through the slash, he pulled back and swung in reverse. "Saw Strike." This was one of the top techniques in White Fang sword technique. The vibrating blade increased damage but took long preparation time and could injure the user—usually for assassination.
Zabuza was ready to attack, but Haruto turned mid-strike. Zabuza had to quickly raise his blade to block. Due to lacking chakra reinforcement, the Executioner's Blade cracked—Haruto cut halfway through.
Murasame paused briefly, then kept slashing. Zabuza, being a seasoned Jonin, used that brief pause to evade a fatal hit, but still took a heavy slash to the chest. The wound was deep, down to the bone.
As the dense fog cleared, the scene shocked everyone. Zabuza was still standing, but he had multiple injuries, especially the deep chest wound.
Both Sasuke and Naruto gulped—Haruto was strong, far stronger than expected. Even a Jonin like Zabuza couldn't defeat him.
Even Kakashi couldn't keep a straight face. His eyes were filled with disbelief. Even he didn't expect this outcome.
"What a scary kid... How did you find my position? Never mind—you won't tell me. I lost today, but I'll be back." Zabuza retreated.
Haruto immediately gave chase. Before going far, Zabuza turned and formed hand signs:
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" Zabuza countered.
Haruto raised an Earth Flow Wall—not strong enough to stop the dragon, but enough to escape its range.
Kakashi was about to pursue again, but then saw Haruto collapse. Concerned for his students' safety, he gave up the chase.
"Haruto, are you okay?" Kakashi helped him up.
Naruto and Sasuke ran over. "Boss—are you alright?"
Haruto chuckled and said, "How about that? Pretty cool, right?"He hadn't expected to win without having to kill Zabuza—was reality supposed to be this easy?
Naruto and Sasuke, though silently impressed, refused to show it. "Cheh." They both turned away at the same time. Still, Haruto's strength lit a fire in them, and deep down, they each made up their minds:We'll catch up to him—no matter what.
Because of the side effects of the Eight Gates, Haruto could only lie in bed to recover for a few days.
Lying lazily with Murasame across his chest, he chuckled, "Now you're satisfied, huh? I almost broke myself in half for you."
Murasame trembled slightly. Haruto could feel the faint warmth—the concern—from the blade.
"Hehe, it's not that bad." He grinned, brushing the hilt affectionately.
Just then, Kakashi walked in with a serious face. "You're lucky you only opened the first gate—and not for long. Any longer, and things could've gone very wrong."
Haruto blinked, listening.
"Haruto, you must understand," Kakashi said sternly, "the Eight Gates Technique isn't a tool for normal combat. Even someone like Guy can't use it casually. With your current physical state, using it recklessly is the same as throwing your life away."
"Yeah, I get it, Kakashi-sensei." Haruto replied with a smile, but in truth—he knew better than anyone.
Others could only open the gates a few desperate times in their whole life. But he could do it multiple times a day.
He had already begun to master the timing, control the flow of chakra, and calculate exactly how long he could safely sustain each gate.
After Kakashi left, Haruto sank back into the dungeon system. With his current mastery of Eight Gates, he could already solo most Jonin-level dungeons, earning him one clear per day.
But instead of rushing, Haruto chose to grind Naruto and Sasuke's dungeons again.Why? Because he knew a key rule:
"Once you max out a stat or obtain a unique skill, it won't drop again." That meant guaranteed progress.
In Sasuke's dungeon, his Chunin-level spirit stat had taken two years to max in canon, due to random skill drops:
Uchiha Shuriken Throw
Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu
Lion's Barrage
…and of course, Sharingan
So Haruto decided to farm Sasuke's dungeon until he slowly upgraded Sharingan step-by-step—unlocking even a single tomoe would be a massive boost.
In Naruto's dungeon, likewise, he aimed to harvest Naruto's:
Uzumaki physique
Shadow Clone Jutsu
That way, grinding future Naruto/Sasuke dungeons at Genin/Ninja level would go much faster.
Thus, Haruto split his four daily dungeon entries evenly: Different eras of Naruto and Sasuke, Max efficiency, Zero waste.
As for the Eight Gates?
He soon realized: "No need to grind it. It's tied to pure physical stats, and I train enough already."
He could already open up to Four Gates, but his body only allowed safe use of one.Two gates? He'd be crippled—or dead.
Later that day, Team 7 gathered for a strategy meeting. Kakashi looked around seriously.
"Although Haruto defeated Zabuza… he clearly hasn't given up. And next time—he probably won't come alone."
He glanced toward Haruto. "Even if it looked like Haruto had the upper hand, the reality is—his wounds are superficial, but the meridians are burned. He can't fight at that level again anytime soon."
Silence fell across the group.
That was the reality of the ninja world.
Ninjas never boasted about winning with sheer strength——but also never believed victory would come just from trying hard.
"Then… what should we do, Sensei?" Even Naruto, usually bursting with optimism, looked uncertain at the thought of Zabuza's murderous aura.
Sasuke clenched his fists. "Why... why am I still this weak?" He silently scolded himself, frustration boiling inside.
Kakashi looked at the three of them, his single eye calm but determined. "Don't worry too much. Your sensei isn't just here for decoration."
He stood confidently. "This is the worst-case assumption. But I'm here to protect you. Still, you all need to step up your training. Special training starts tomorrow."
He didn't mention the secret in his heart—The reinforcements he requested from the village were already on their way.
"Special training? What kind?" Naruto's eyes lit up, curiosity overtaking his fear.
Sasuke glanced at Kakashi silently, but his eyes showed eagerness.
Kakashi looked at Haruto on purpose, smirking. "A kind that will let you two catch up to Haruto. You'll find out tomorrow."
"Oh yeah? Boss, just you wait—I will catch up to you!" Naruto yelled, fired up.
Sasuke didn't say a word, but his competitive spirit flared quietly.
Just then, a small voice broke the moment.
"That's so lame." A child walked in—scowling and angry. It was Inari.
"Inari, behave." Tsunami sighed, trying to keep the peace.
"Mom, stop. They're all going to die. No one who stands against Gato ends well."
"You little brat—!" Naruto couldn't hold back his temper, but others quickly restrained him.
"I'm going to be Hokage someday! And Gato is nothing!"
"A hero is just a fool in a costume. They don't exist."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"If you want to live, leave while you still can."
Haruto watched everything in silence. He wasn't moved—just thoughtful.
Then slowly, he stood up. "Boss? Where are you going?" Naruto turned.
"Out. I want to see the country myself."
"But you're still hurt! I'll come with you!"
Then Naruto spun around to Sasuke: "Sasuke, you coming?"
Sasuke hesitated, then looked down at his own hands. "…No. I'm going to train."