-Near Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves) -

He couldn't understand at what point everything had gone to hell. Just moments ago, his team was calmly walking along the path to reach the Land of Waves. Now, they were all in a defensive circle, protecting the terrified, drunken bridge builder who was shaking with fear. But that was the least of his concerns. Because of their client, their sensei was now trapped in a water prison, unable to move. The team was facing a clone of the ninja who had them cornered. That ninja turned out to be a rogue from Mizu no Kuni (Land of Water) and one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist: Zabuza Momochi.

Their chances of getting out of this alive had plummeted due to the formidable opponent in front of them—a highly experienced ninja, reducing their survival odds even further. Without the help of their sensei, who was still trapped in that water prison held by the real Zabuza, he was at a loss. If asked what he wanted to do, he'd say he wanted to get out of there, although he knew that wasn't an option. Doing so would mean stepping back from finding his older brother.

He was sure his sister shared his thoughts on the dire situation they were facing. His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the sound of something traveling at high speed caught everyone's attention. Out of nowhere, something—or someone—burst from the forest, crashing into a tree in an attempt to stop their momentum. After several failed attempts, they managed to halt, leaving a trail of destruction marked by several broken trees.

As the figure slowly rose from their hard landing, the observers could finally see the person responsible for the chaos. He was a tall young man with wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, and long eyelashes. He wore a silver armor adorned with floral motifs over his dark blue and black chainmail.

As the others observed the newcomer, they were puzzled about which side he was on. But what caught their attention the most was his attire. It wasn't something commonly seen in the Land of Fire unless one was a samurai from the Land of Iron. Even then, his outfit was unusual, not typical of samurai gear. Their speculations were shattered when the stranger spoke for the first time to someone unseen.

"Gawain: YOU CHEATER! WE AGREED NOT TO USE WEAPONS!"

In response to his outburst, the culprit responsible for his current predicament made herself known by dropping from the sky. The newcomer was a girl, possibly a year or two younger than the one who had just spoken. The most striking feature about her was the gigantic weapon she wielded effortlessly, despite its size suggesting significant weight. It resembled a spear, though its design was quite unorthodox.

"Gareth: Hmm, I don't recall such an agreement."

"Gawain: I KNEW YOU'D CHEAT, YOU TOMBOY!"

"Gareth: WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, DUMBASS?!"

"Gawain: YOU HEARD ME, TOMBOY!"

"Gareth: I'LL TELL MORDRED YOU CALLED ME THAT AGAIN, DUMBASS!"

"Gawain: AS IF SHE'D TAKE YOUR SIDE, TOMBOY!"

Their argument was heard by the ninjas, most of whom had sweat drops running down their necks at seeing these two idiots unaware they were in the middle of a life-and-death battle. Zabuza and his clone lost patience at this point. They moved towards the two blondes, intending to eliminate them quickly and return to their current objective.

Raising his sword high, the water clone launched itself at the arguing pair, who continued their spat without paying attention. A trapped Kakashi, witnessing this, tried to warn them to move, knowing few could survive an attack from someone like Zabuza, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

But the warning never left his mouth. He watched in amazement as the older blonde reacted swiftly. Gawain summoned a peculiar sword, generating a wave of fire in an instant. He swung the sword towards the water clone, releasing a high-speed flame that vaporized the clone instantly. The fire wave didn't stop there, heading straight for the original Zabuza. Seeing the attack, Zabuza didn't think twice and moved out of its path, releasing the water prison in the process. Kakashi quickly leaped aside as the wave of heat passed dangerously close to him.

The fire traveled several meters across the water before stopping, creating a large steam cloud from its intensity. Kakashi, now free, looked at the attacker responsible for such a devastating assault. Gawain stood with his sword pointed at Zabuza, his eyes narrowed. Beside him, Gareth held her weapon, matching Gawain's intense glare towards the rogue ninja.

"Gawain: I don't know who you are, but don't interfere in our arguments again, understand?"

Sweat dripping down his neck, Zabuza glared at the blonde who had obliterated his water clone with a single attack. If he hadn't dodged, he would have ended up worse than the clone. He wasn't a reckless fool and knew whom not to mess with. This guy was entering that category with just one attack. Not wanting to find out what else he was capable of, especially with the intense look from the girl beside him, Zabuza chose the smart option.

"Zabuza: Kakashi, even if I don't want to leave it here, I guess we'll call it a draw for now. But don't get comfortable; I still plan to finish off that bridge builder and you."

Retreating into the trees, Zabuza chose not to push his luck. He didn't know what these two new individuals were capable of, so he would wait until they left to finish his objective. For now, he'd recover fully to face Kakashi again without any interruptions.

The remaining members of Team 7 stood in silence, stunned by the display of power from the blonde who single-handedly forced their enemy to flee. An enemy even their sensei couldn't overcome had fallen into his trap, leaving them in a deathly situation if these newcomers hadn't appeared. They snapped out of their shock when they heard something hit the ground, seeing their sensei collapse from overusing his Sharingan. They rushed to his aid.

Amidst the chaos, another figure arrived, recognized immediately by Gawain and Gareth. Sweat drops ran down their heads as they saw Kay, their mission leader, who was supposed to retrieve his younger brother and return to the Land of Demons. But now, Kay's expression was anything but pleasant. As the mission leader, he was supposed to avoid drawing too much attention.

What he didn't anticipate, knowing the behavior of the two siblings, was that their brief physical training had escalated into a Noble Phantasm attack, spiraling out of control before he could stop them. Now, they were in the situation they found themselves in.

And that's the end of the chapter.