The Blue Beast of Konoha—Might Guy, now renowned throughout the Five Great Nations, stood before him.
An elite jōnin with extraordinary taijutsu prowess. Even shinobi from the Land of Lightning, famous for their taijutsu traditions, acknowledged his strength with reluctant respect.
However, based on intelligence gathered by Momochi Zabuza earlier—
Might Guy wasn't exactly known for his stealth or reconnaissance skills.
Could it be… that 12-year-old kid next to him?
For a brief moment, Zabuza entertained the thought.
But then he scoffed inwardly. Ridiculous. That boy isn't even wearing a forehead protector—clearly not a genin. How could someone like that be responsible for detecting his presence?
Unable to unravel the source of the early detection, Zabuza decided to discard the question.
"Hand over the old man, and the rest of you can walk away unharmed," Zabuza declared coldly, his blade pointing straight at Tazuna.
"YOSH! Another chance to fight!"
Excitement flared in Might Guy's eyes. He didn't even bother acknowledging Zabuza's threat.
In a burst of green, he dashed forward at high speed, blurring through the mist.
"Konoha Senpū!" (Leaf Whirlwind!)
Might Guy's silhouette appeared overhead, above Zabuza's left side.
His right leg, infused with explosive strength, came crashing down in a blinding arc.
Zabuza's eyes narrowed as he raised his massive blade—the Kubikiribōchō—just in time to block the descending kick with the thick flat of the blade.
CLANG!
Zabuza's feet scraped the dirt as he was forced back several paces.
"So you are the Blue Beast of Konoha. I'll admit... that strength is real," Zabuza growled. "But it's your bad luck that you ran into me."
With that, Zabuza's body melted into a puddle of water—Mizu Bunshin.
Reappearing several meters away, the real Zabuza formed a rapid series of hand seals, molding his chakra.
"Kirigakure no Jutsu!" (Hidden Mist Technique!)
A thick, unnatural fog erupted and quickly enveloped the entire area.
What was previously just a cloudy day now became a suffocating white-out. Visibility dropped to zero.
"Tian Yu! Be careful! His real target is Tazuna-san!" Might Guy called out sharply.
Tian Yu had already unsheathed the saber at his waist. His eyes glinted with focus as he spoke calmly.
"Don't worry... He came just in time."
Kacha—!
The crisp ring of his sword being drawn cut through the silence.
Moments later, the sound of clashing metal echoed faintly from within the mist.
Tian Yu stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of Tazuna. With only the Sun Blade in hand, he deflected several swift strikes from Zabuza's assault.
"This brat… he's holding his own?"
Zabuza's eyes narrowed.
Despite lacking a forehead protector, this boy's skill was real. He parried multiple blows without injury, and Zabuza's signature mist technique didn't seem to hinder him in the slightest.
Could this kid have sensory abilities after all?
But even more puzzling was the weapon in his hand—dark as obsidian, radiating a strange aura.
"What kind of sword is that?" Zabuza demanded, eyes narrowing. "I've never seen anything like it."
Tian Yu raised the black-bladed katana slightly.
"This is the Sun Blade."
A fire lit in his eyes. The will to fight surged within him.
"I'll show you what it can really do."
Forged four years ago, the Sun Blade was the culmination of his early forging talent and inspiration drawn from the Breath of Water sword style.
Though only ranked as a three-star weapon, its power had long since rivaled that of higher-grade blades—its lethality refined through years of combat and training.
Tian Yu had finally mastered the full sequence of Breath of Water techniques.
"Breath of Water—Sixth Form: Whirlpool Flow Slash!"
He launched forward, blade raised high, his toes tapping lightly off the damp earth.
Then—he slashed downward.
Shhhhk!
The blade gleamed white-blue as it carved through the mist.
A crescent-shaped surge of sword energy erupted forward, glowing with rippling water aura.
The slash, three to four meters in length, churned forward like a collapsing wave.
Its form shimmered, part water, part chakra.
It surged toward Zabuza, each pulse like the roar of a rising tide.
Chapter 46: Sun Blade vs Beheading Sword
"What the hell—this is swordsmanship!?" Zabuza's face twisted in disbelief.
He hastily raised the Kubikiribōchō to block.
The first water-infused strike slammed into his blade.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Each wave of sword aura cracked against the massive weapon.
Zabuza gritted his teeth, blood seeping from a tear in his palm where the sword's hilt split open his flesh.
His hands trembled under the pressure.
Then came the fourth wave.
The final strike exploded with force—Zabuza's body was blasted backward through the mist.
CRASH!
He shattered through a thick tree trunk before crashing into the muddy earth, skidding back several meters before the blue energy dissipated.
A deep gash was carved into the ground—seventeen or eighteen meters long.
Four consecutive strikes, each one stronger than the last.
By the final slash, the force behind the sword aura rivaled even a high-level A-rank ninjutsu.
The destruction left behind made that perfectly clear.
"Every time I witness his swordsmanship, it shocks me again…" Might Guy muttered as the fog began to clear.
He had seen it all—the mist parting before the violent wave of blade energy.
Guy's heart surged with pride and awe.
"His control over that Sun Blade is exceptional, but what's truly terrifying is his comprehension of sword techniques. This isn't just natural talent. It's the result of relentless self-training.
Even Konoha's White Fang—Hatake Sakumo—might nod in approval."
Tian Yu stood still.
He didn't rush forward, but instead glanced down at his blade.
The Sun Blade, despite being a three-star weapon, had been tempered through combat until it held power even elite jōnin feared.
In this clash with one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, his blade had held firm.
Technique, refinement, understanding—
These mattered.
But the blade itself—its quality and potential—was no less important.
Tian Yu tightened his grip and murmured with admiration,
"If a three-star Sun Blade can reach this level…
What kind of power would I wield… if I created a true Zanpakutō?"
The thought ignited anticipation in his chest.
His gaze shifted toward Zabuza's discarded beheading blade.
Then—with a flick of chakra into his lightstep boots—his speed doubled.
In a flash, he closed the distance, blade raised.
Zabuza, still catching his breath, had no illusions. He couldn't win in close combat.
He threw aside the Kubikiribōchō and began forming seals rapidly, despite the blood in his mouth and the pain in his ribs.
His injuries were severe—but his will held.
Even badly wounded, his elite jōnin reflexes took over.
In just three seconds, he completed a complex series of twenty-plus hand seals.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!)
A whirlpool burst into life behind him.
From it, a massive dragon-shaped torrent of water surged forth, roaring toward Tian Yu with feral strength.