Chapter 70: Ancient Civilization.

The female who was fighting Momochi Zabuza was fast and agile, making it difficult for him to gain the upper hand. Yagura and Mei Terumi watched from the sidelines, which added immense psychological pressure on the female werewolf. Without their presence, Zabuza's situation might have become even more dangerous. "Damn you, kid!" "If your companions hadn't interfered, I would've ripped you apart already." "A freak with no eyebrows, always protecting his teammates." The female growled in a deep, masculine tone. "You have the nerve to call me a freak,when you're a werewolf?" Zabuza snorted, quickly forming hand seals and releasing the Kirigakure no Jutsu. Thick mist poured from his mouth, cloaking the battlefield. "Werewolf freak, want to experience Kirigakure Village's silent killing technique?" "How will you fight when you can't even see me?" His cold voice echoed through the mist, coming from every direction, obscuring his presence entirely. While Zabuza battled the werewolf, Hōzuki Mangetsu was locked in a fierce clash of his own. His opponent was a strange woman resembling an ape, with flashes of lightning sparking across her body. As thin ice needles shot from the surrounding ice mirrors, they shattered instantly on contact with her lightning-infused shield. Mangetsu avoided close combat, instead surrounding the ape-like monster with mirrors of ice, launching waves of freezing needles like a relentless storm. "Useless little girl!" "With a weak ninja like you, I could finish you with one hand!" The ape-like woman snarled arrogantly. Elsewhere, Hoshigaki Kisame was also engaged in battle. His opponent was a bat-like monster—a female vampire flapping her wings as she fought him from the air. Kisame, holding a standard ninja blade, kept his guard up. Hovering in midair, the vampire gave him a charming smile. "Shark-faced cutie!" "You're no match for me. Why not surrender, hmm?" "You're kind of adorable. Want to be my boyfriend?" She giggled with flirtatious intent, but Kisame remained stone-faced, his shark-like features cold and emotionless. With dead-fish eyes, he replied in silence: Who in their right mind would want to be with someone like you? --- "Lord Zenkichi!" Just as Zabuza and the others were struggling, Zenkichi and Pakura appeared beside Terumi Mei and the others. Terumi Mei, Yagura, Mangetsu, and Ao had yet to engage in battle. Instead, like the men accompanying the three female monsters, they stood back, monitoring the fight. The men didn't act—not because they couldn't, but because doing so recklessly might get them killed. Yagura and the others also chose not to interfere. This was a training opportunity for Zabuza and the others. Using the three monsters to sharpen their skills was the goal. With the four watching over them, the monsters wouldn't dare kill—otherwise, they'd face swift and deadly retaliation. Of course, those three female monsters weren't weaklings either. Even if they fought together, it would be difficult to defeat them quickly. It was also clear they weren't trained in traditional shinobi arts, which made Yagura and the others cautious. "Zenkichi, you're finally back!" Mei exclaimed, immediately leaping into his arms. Zenkichi gently patted her head and smiled. "Looks like you've made some progress." Mangetsu nodded. "There are strong fighters here, but we're not pushovers either." "This arena is brutal, but it helps bring out our true potential." Zenkichi turned his gaze toward the three female monsters and the man accompanying them. "What's with those four?" Yagura replied, "We had a brief conflict. They're arrogant—but to be fair, they've got power to back it up. Not shinobi, but they fight like they are." Zenkichi's brow furrowed. He raised a hand and fired a beam of golden light. A piercing laser shot through the mist. The werewolf let out a cry, leaping from the fog in a panicked retreat. As the fog lifted, Zabuza looked at Zenkichi, clearly disappointed. "Teacher Zenkichi, why did you interfere? I almost had her!" Zenkichi shook his head. "You weren't about to beat her—she was about to kill you. Your mist may block vision, but it doesn't block scent." With his Observation Haki, Zenkichi had tracked the werewolf's movements. She'd been sniffing constantly, homing in on Zabuza's position. If Zenkichi hadn't stepped in, Zabuza's story might have ended then and there. "Your Kirigakure no Jutsu didn't just cut off her sight—it cut off Mei and the others' sight too." "You lasted this long only because she was under pressure from their watchful eyes." "If they hadn't been watching her so closely, she would've torn you to shreds already." "In this case, using the Hidden Mist Technique was foolish." Zenkichi commented calmly. Meanwhile, the two female monsters battling Mangetsu and Kisame backed off. They regrouped with the werewolf and the man behind them, wary of Zenkichi's power and unwilling to act rashly again. "Who are you?" Zenkichi asked, watching them with interest. "We are heirs of an ancient civilization. My name is Hyde. Sir, there's no need for us to be enemies," the only man among them said with a polite smile. He wore a monocle and carried himself with the air of a refined scholar. "Ancient civilization? What's next, are you gonna say you're a Giant of Light too?" Zenkichi replied lazily, eyes full of disdain. But in truth, They still had value. Which is exactly why Zenkichi decided to take them alive. --- To those that sent powerstones, thank you༼⁠ ⁠つ⁠ ⁠◕⁠‿⁠◕⁠ ⁠༽⁠つ