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"Let's test him a little," Kakashi thought silently.
This person was neither from their country nor their village, yet he had appeared in the village so powerfully and silently—his intentions were undoubtedly malicious.
Kakashi completed five hand seals in less than a second.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The next moment, Kakashi lifted his mask and unleashed a massive, roaring fireball—a C-rank ninjutsu that could kill ordinary people but was non-lethal to skilled opponents.
Facing the scorching flames that could easily kill an average person, Ye Wen remained calm and even began to admire the technique.
"The temperature of this fireball is around 400 degrees Celsius, but the chakra energy isn't condensed enough. Ordinary people might be burned to death, but for extraordinary beings, even a genin with decent physical conditioning could withstand it head-on. At worst, they'd suffer severe burns.
This level of power wouldn't kill an enemy outright.
So there's only one purpose."
A sharp crackling sound echoed from behind him.
Kakashi had already used the Body Flicker Technique to swiftly circle behind Ye Wen. Beneath his mask, Kakashi's gaze turned cold as his right hand unleashed his signature technique—Lightning Style: Chidori, which he had developed since childhood.
But when Kakashi appeared behind Ye Wen, he hesitated for a moment, not attacking immediately.
Ye Wen hadn't even bothered to block the incoming fireball, acting as though he were an ordinary person frozen in fear.
"Could I have made a mistake? Even a Kage would dodge such a technique," Kakashi subconsciously doubted himself.
After all, the ninja world's training system ensured that most ninjas had high offensive power but low defense—they were fragile unless they specifically trained their bodies. Even a simple explosion could severely injure them.
But in the next instant, Kakashi realized how absurd his thoughts had been.
The fiery, roaring fireball dissipated into scattered chakra particles just before reaching Ye Wen, vanishing without a trace.
"What?!"
Though he couldn't comprehend what had just happened, Kakashi decisively chose to attack.
He had no other choice.
From the moment he decided to test Ye Wen with force, their relationship had shifted from a simple inquiry to outright hostility.
Faced with Ye Wen's mysterious abilities, Kakashi no longer hoped to subdue him easily. Now, he could only give it his all to see if he could restrain him.
But the next moment, something even more incomprehensible occurred.
"Why?! I can't move forward?!"
The terrifying lightning on Kakashi's hand dispersed the moment it approached Ye Wen, and no matter how hard he tried, his palm couldn't close the remaining distance—it was as if the mere foot of space between them had become infinite.
Seeing this, the other ANBU members nearby also sprang into action against Ye Wen.
There was a classic saying about ninja battles: "A ninja's battle is a battle of information."
This principle applied universally across countless worlds.
Having witnessed the ineffectiveness of Kakashi's Great Fireball, the elite ANBU present unanimously concluded that ninjutsu-based attacks were useless against Ye Wen. They opted for close-quarters combat instead.
Though they weren't sure if it would work.
After all, Kakashi couldn't even get close to him.
Another strange scene unfolded. The kunai knives and katana blades wielded by the ANBU froze just a palm's distance away from Ye Wen.
At this moment, Ye Wen suddenly raised a hand.
This small gesture caused the ANBU members' hairs to stand on end, and they quickly retreated.
But Ye Wen didn't intend to do anything—he simply scratched his head in frustration.
"Sigh… I really didn't want to fight, since making too much noise would be hard to clean up.
But now, it seems I have no choice but to act."
Kakashi clearly realized something and shouted directly,
"I'll hold him off! You all go back and report this to Lord Hokage.
We absolutely cannot let him—"
Before Kakashi could finish uttering the words "cause chaos," a massive barrier had already trapped everyone present inside.
One ANBU member stared in disbelief at the transparent, reflective barrier above them.
"It's impossible! Such a large barrier was erected in an instant?!"
"Calm down, everyone. I bear no ill will toward your Konoha," Ye Wen said softly.
But none of the ANBU believed him. After all, Konoha had long been coveted by other nations in the ninja world—it would be strange if someone didn't have ulterior motives.
Almost all ANBU members were top-tier talents, and among them were those proficient in sealing techniques. Thus, Kakashi calmly analyzed the situation and gave orders.
"You all focus on breaking this barrier. I'll hold him off. Remember, hurry."
Ye Wen rubbed his temples in exasperation. Why couldn't these people just listen? Why did they always resort to brute force?
The roaring Chidori surged forward once again, but as usual, it couldn't get close to Ye Wen.
"It's useless."
Ye Wen sighed. To be honest, he really didn't want to fight during this rare outing. He had no desire to engage with these weaklings who hadn't even reached the threshold of godhood. But now, it seemed unavoidable.
However, Hatake Kakashi—the famous "50/50 Ninja"—though criticized for his short stamina and average combat power, was undeniably one of the best when it came to dealing with diverse enemies.
In an instant, Kakashi completed his hand seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall Barrier!!!"
Four walls engraved with intricate dog heads rose abruptly from the ground, trapping Ye Wen within a confined space.
"Oh!" Ye Wen looked at the scene with delight. After all, Kakashi's dog-headed Earth Wall Barrier was one of the highlights of Naruto.
Still, Ye Wen couldn't help but comment, "You've got so little chakra, yet you waste your efforts on dog heads—what a perfectionist."
For Ye Wen, this battle was nothing more than a playful scuffle with children, but Kakashi was genuinely fighting for his life.
"Lightning Style: Chidori!!!"
The piercing sound of thunder rang out again as Kakashi leapt high into the air, bringing his devastating Chidori crashing down toward Ye Wen.
But—
"It's still ineffective!" Kakashi's eyes turned crimson as he watched in disbelief.
Though Kakashi didn't consider himself capable of facing a Kage-level opponent, he also hadn't expected to be reduced to such a helpless state.
When was the last time he felt this sense of helplessness? Kakashi couldn't help but ask himself.
Though Kakashi was known as the Copy Ninja who had mastered over a thousand techniques, much like how Hiruzen Sarutobi held the title of "Professor of Ninjutsu," such titles were ultimately meaningless.
Being broadly knowledgeable was inferior to mastering a single path.
After all, the elemental ninjutsu of ordinary ninjas was essentially just variations of five elements—the only difference lay in their power.
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