On a patch of grassland two kilometers away from the dense forest where it all started, Carl finally caught up to Haku, who was still carrying Zabuza.
Haku's speed wasn't slow, but carrying someone made him slower than Carl—who specialized in taijutsu and was unburdened.
Carl had deliberately waited until they had left the vicinity of Kakashi and the others before intercepting them.
"Kakashi didn't follow… Looks like he's not as fine as he pretended to be. Haku, kill this little monk, then double back and finish off Kakashi and Tazuna."
At that moment, Zabuza, who had already removed the senbon from his neck, opened his eyes.
After Haku quickly explained the situation, Zabuza immediately judged that Kakashi must have been seriously injured. Otherwise, with his skill level, he would have either caught up to stop them or at least sent someone stronger than just the monk.
"If you leave now and don't interfere with my mission, I don't have to kill you."
Haku, speaking softly and without Zabuza's harshness, removed his hunter-nin mask, revealing his delicate and almost ethereal face—one that could easily be mistaken for a beautiful girl's.
He didn't like hurting others, but he couldn't disobey Zabuza. The man had saved him, taken him in, and given him purpose. To Haku, Zabuza was everything.
"No need to talk about killing right away," Carl said with a calm smile, sheathing the long sword back into his mission space. "I didn't chase you two down just to fight. I want to make a deal."
"Haku, quit wasting time! Get rid of him now and then finish off Kakashi!"
Zabuza wasn't interested in Carl's offer. He knew time was running short, and if Kakashi recovered even slightly, they'd lose their only chance.
"I'm sorry… If you won't walk away, I'll have to kill you."
Haku gave Carl an apologetic look before forming hand seals with dazzling speed.
"Ice Release: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"
In an instant, hexagonal ice mirrors formed around Carl in a perfect circle, trapping him within.
"I know your taijutsu is powerful, but inside this jutsu—even the strongest physical attacks won't matter."
As the mirrors materialized, Haku's body phased into one of them. Moments later, identical versions of him appeared in every mirror, completely encircling Carl.
"Looks like I'll have to fight before we can talk further."
Carl exhaled slowly and shifted into a strange yet focused combat stance.
Haku, a member of the Yuki Clan, possessed the rare Ice Release kekkei genkai, had special Jōnin-level strength, could perform one-handed seals, and was hailed as a rare genius. His self-developed techniques using Ice Release were formidable.
Carl knew all of this before giving chase—and had still chosen to come alone. That meant he was more than ready.
"Come then… and welcome the Thousand Hand Killer!"
He shouted loudly, and the chakra—bestowed by the fire temple mixed with sage chakra —within his body radiated golden light. Then, a three-to-four-meter-high golden Thousand-Handed Avalokitesvara burst forth from his body, enveloping him completely.
This was the most powerful ninjutsu from the Temple of Fire, taught to him by Chiriku before he left on his journey.
Although he still couldn't match the level Chiriku displayed when using it, Carl was confident that it was enough to shatter Haku's Ice Mirror Technique.
Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals allowed him to move freely between the mirrors at incredible speed—so fast that even a Jōnin couldn't keep up once surrounded.
The mirrors surrounded the target from every angle, leaving no blind spots and no room for defense. Normally, Carl would've had no good counter, unless he summoned a full set of armor from his mission space and tanked through it until he found an opening.
But by chance—or fate—Haku's secret technique was restrained by the ninjutsu of the Temple of Fire.
Because the technique of The Thousand Hand Killer could provide 360-degree defense with no blind spots. It not only defended but actively attacked, tracked, and countered.
"It's pointless. Against this level of speed, any resistance is meaningless."
Haku shot out from one of the ice mirrors, too fast for the naked eye to follow, and hurled an ice senbon at Carl.
"You'll need more than speed to defeat me," Carl said calmly.
The moment the ice senbon touched the golden Thousand-Handed Avalokitesvara surrounding him, a golden palm shot out, perfectly intercepting the attack and punching Haku straight back into the mirror he emerged from.
"What?!"
Clutching his stomach inside the mirror, Haku stared at the shimmering statue cloaking Carl with shock in his eyes.
This was the first time anyone had blocked his attack from within the mirrors, let alone repelled it with such precision.
"Your speed is impressive," Carl said, still in the pose for the Thousand Hand Killer, his tone steady and confident. "But can you be faster than my thousand hands?"
In combat, strength alone didn't guarantee victory. Intelligence and psychological warfare were equally important—as shown in the earlier clash between Kakashi and Zabuza.
Zabuza had lost, in part, because he didn't fully understand Kakashi's Sharingan—and the moment his mind wavered, he fell.
Carl was playing the same card now. He knew Haku's abilities inside and out, while Haku only thought Carl was a skilled taijutsu user.
These words weren't just taunts—they were deliberate pressure meant to shake Haku mentally, creating an opening Carl could exploit.
Because the Thousand Hand Killer had its limits: it consumed an enormous amount of chakra and immobilized the user. The longer the fight dragged on, the more vulnerable Carl would become.
If Haku realized this, Carl would have no choice but to retreat.
"Then try it!"
Haku darted out from one of the ice mirrors again, then began rapidly moving through the rest of the mirrors, launching attacks at Carl from every direction—above, below, left, right—but every strike was effortlessly deflected by the golden palms of the Thousand-Handed Avalokitesvara.
"Water Style: Secret Technique – A Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
Realizing he couldn't get close to Carl, Haku quickly formed seals from within the ice mirror. Countless water droplets in the air condensed into razor-sharp ice senbon, raining down toward Carl in a full 360-degree barrage.
But not a single needle made it through—the glowing Avalokitesvara statue blocked everything, leaving Carl completely unscathed.
"Now's my chance!"
Seeing Haku freeze for a moment in shock that even his secret technique failed, Carl seized the opportunity to strike back.
"Wrathful Vajra!"
This was the second stage of the Thousand Hands Killer technique—Wrathful Vajra mode.
The golden Avalokitesvara suddenly transformed into a fiery red Vajra with furious eyes, and from its many arms, crimson chakra fists launched in rapid succession. One by one, they smashed the surrounding ice mirrors, shattering the formation completely. Caught off guard, Haku was also flung out of one of the collapsing mirrors.
Carl dismissed the Wrathful Vajra and redirected his remaining chakra throughout his entire body. With explosive power from his legs, he shot forward, closing the gap on the airborne Haku.
"Ice Style: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness!"
In mid-air, Haku quickly recovered and formed seals, summoning a semi-circular wall of ice around him as a shield.
"Xingyi—Beng Fist!"
Without hesitation, Carl launched his strongest technique—Beng Fist. Combining the force of his entire body—hips, waist, legs—and the enhanced durability of his physique granted by his fire temple unique chakra, he delivered a punch like an avalanche.
The punch smashed straight through the ice wall and came to a sudden stop just inches from Haku's face.
"This monk truly doesn't mean any harm. Can we talk now?"