CHAPTER 40

The Executioner's Blade, one of Kirigakure's Seven Legendary Ninja Swords, was a monstrous weapon—massive, razor-sharp, and possessing a terrifying ability: it could regenerate itself by absorbing the blood of its victims.

"Without your signature weapon, this should be a bit easier,"

Carl said calmly.

He dislodged the massive blade from his monk staff, pulled out a sealing scroll, and with practiced ease, sealed the Executioner's Blade inside.

The sealing scroll, a high-grade ninja tool, functioned similarly to a space-time storage item. By channeling chakra, one could store objects within and retrieve them at any time.

Although Carl had his own mission space, it only stored specific items obtained from side missions. It couldn't be used freely in the real world.

That's why, before leaving for his journey, he had asked Jinai to purchase a sealing scroll and prepare it for him—just in case.

Now, it had served its purpose: the Executioner's Blade was locked away, far from its master's reach.

Carl wasn't particularly interested in wielding the weapon himself. The blade was so uniquely balanced and oversized that using it effectively required years of practice.

But denying Zabuza access to it? That alone would weaken the enemy significantly.

Besides its self-healing blood-drinking trait, the Executioner's Blade wasn't especially outstanding compared to the other six legendary swords of the Hidden Mist.

From atop the tree, Zabuza Momochi stared down at the sight of his blade being sealed. The bandages over his mouth twitched with barely restrained rage.

He'd hoped to make a grand psychological entrance and probe his enemies, but instead, he'd just been humiliated by a random monk he hadn't even considered a threat.

"Well, well… if it isn't the rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist—Momochi Zabuza,"

Kakashi said coolly, giving Carl a subtle thumbs-up before stepping forward to face the Ghost of the Hidden Mist directly.

Zabuza had once attempted a coup in the Mist Village, trying to assassinate the Mizukage with a band of followers. After the attempt failed, he became a fugitive, hunted across nations. Since then, he'd been gathering funds, hoping for another chance to return and overthrow Kirigakure's bloody regime.

He was not someone to underestimate—even Kakashi knew to approach with caution.

"Heh… the Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake. The man said to have copied over a thousand jutsu. What an honor to meet you here,"

Zabuza smirked, arms folded across his chest, exuding raw pressure.

"But let me give you a piece of advice—turn around and take your little team with you. If you get in the way of my target, your journey as a ninja ends here."

His weapon was gone, but his killer intent and commanding aura still surged. He locked eyes with the group below like a predator staking his claim.

Naruto started to step forward, puffed up and ready to fight—until Kakashi's hand stopped him.

"This is not someone you can handle. Stay back and protect Mr. Tazuna,"

he said calmly.

Then Kakashi reached up and lifted his forehead protector, revealing the three-tomoe Sharingan hidden beneath.

" The Sharingan !"

The moment Kakashi revealed his eye, not just Zabuza, but even Carl turned his head slightly to glance at it.

Sharingan, one of the three great dōjutsu in this world, is a bloodline passed down from Indra, the elder son of the Sage of the Six Paths, and the inherited power of the Uchiha clan.

Its abilities include enhanced perception, copying ninjutsu, and powerful genjutsu techniques. The user gains heightened insight, can observe chakra flow, see through illusions, and replicate both taijutsu and ninjutsu—though only for ninjutsu that match their own elemental affinities.

To copy a jutsu, one must possess the necessary chakra nature. If the user only has one or two chakra elements, Sharingan won't help with techniques from other natures.

Kakashi earned his title as the Copy Ninja, said to have copied over a thousand techniques, because—like Carl—he is a rare ninja who possesses all five chakra attributes.

"It's a powerful ability, no doubt," Carl muttered, eyes locked on Kakashi's Sharingan, "but it's a pity it wasn't inherited naturally. A transplanted eye like that can be more of a burden."

The Sharingan was undoubtedly valuable, but when implanted in a non-Uchiha, it consumed chakra at a massive rate and placed heavy strain on the user's body.

And to awaken the ultimate evolution, the Mangekyō Sharingan, one must endure the trauma of losing someone close. A bitter and difficult price to pay.

Carl had no interest in chasing after such power—at least not right now.

"Enough talk. Time for you to die."

Zabuza vanished with a flicker and reappeared atop a shallow river in the distance, forming a quick sequence of hand seals.

"Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist Technique."

A thick fog rolled in immediately, chakra-laced mist blanketing the entire area and concealing all movement.

Seeing this, Kakashi drew a kunai and stepped forward cautiously. As he sensed Zabuza's chakra signature disappear into the mist, he turned to warn the others.

"This is a signature technique from the Hidden Mist Village—Zabuza's specialty. He uses this fog to erase visual contact, then approaches his target in absolute silence. It's a deadly assassination method. Stay alert."

Then, he turned to Carl.

"Carl, I'm counting on you to protect the others."

From Kakashi's perspective, Carl was the only one among them with solid close-combat ability.

"Don't worry," Carl said with a calm grin. "I might be a monk , but this staff definitely isn't."

With a loud thud, he slammed his monk's staff into the ground, his expression serious and composed.

He didn't expect to win a one-on-one fight with Zabuza, but holding him off long enough? That was doable.

Behind him, Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna were overwhelmed by the sheer pressure in the air. The murderous intent radiating from both Zabuza and Kakashi was so intense that it felt suffocating—like even breathing could draw a fatal strike.

They couldn't even move.

And yet Carl stood firm, cracking a joke and showing zero fear under that crushing pressure. It was impressive.

Zabuza was a product of Kirigakure's brutal Bloody Mist policy, where academy graduation required killing your fellow classmates. His hands had long been stained with countless lives.

Kakashi, too, had once been cold and ruthless. Though now he smiled behind his book, he was a veteran of the Third Great Ninja War, and the lives he'd taken were no fewer than Zabuza's.

The killing intent now colliding between them was so intense it made even the air feel heavy.

But Carl—he had been a black-market fighter in his past life, and in recent years, his hands had spilled even more blood in Sokovia than back in the ring.

So to him, this kind of pressure was just another day.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Zabuza's voice suddenly echoed from the fog, low and sinister. Then in the blink of an eye, he emerged from the mist, a kunai thrust directly toward Tazuna.

The genin—Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—couldn't even react. Their instincts screamed danger, but their bodies froze.

"Taste this monk's staff!"

But Carl reacted instantly.

Without turning, he raised his leg and kicked the Zen staff horizontally, intercepting Zabuza's sneak attack like he had eyes on the back of his head.

The heavy wood slammed forward with incredible force toward Zabuza's position.

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