Truth-Seeking Orbs, formed through Yin-Yang Release, possess the ability to nullify all ninjutsu in existence!
Even Kakashi Hatake, renowned as the Copy Ninja and the Leaf's foremost technician, widened his eyes in shock. The techniques Kai wielded were beyond anything he'd ever witnessed.
But then again, considering it was Kai, it made perfect sense. Kai had always defied conventional understanding.
Tenseigan: Repulsive Force - Shinra Tensei!
A tremendous force erupted toward Zabuza and Raiga, so devastating that Kakashi could hear their bones shattering from the impact. Both men were launched through the air like broken dolls, their survival now a matter of pure chance—something Kai couldn't care less about.
Turning his attention to the disheveled Kakashi, Kai spoke with cool indifference. "A two-tomoe Sharingan already grants incredible perception. Three tomoe, combined with the speed from Lightning Body Technique—and you still got caught by a Water Prison? Kakashi, you've truly outdone yourself."
Promoted to jōnin at twelve, yet after fourteen years, Kakashi had only reached elite jōnin level. It was a tragic waste of extraordinary potential.
Without those wasted years, Kakashi's natural talent would have easily carried him to Kage-level strength.
A flicker of pain crossed Kakashi's eyes before he masked it with his usual lazy demeanor. "Thanks to you, Kai. Sasuke and the others are safe."
Nearby, Naruto had been staring at Kai in stunned silence.
Suddenly, he pointed with explosive excitement. "You're... you're the uncle who bought me barbecue when I was little!"
"I'm surprised you remember me, Naruto," Kai said with genuine warmth.
"Of course I do! Of course!" Naruto nodded frantically, then burst out, "Uncle, you can't forget your promise! You said once I became a genin, you'd tell me who my father is!"
He jabbed at his forehead protector. "Look! I'm a genin now! So tell me!"
Kai was about to respond when several shuriken suddenly whistled toward him.
With the slightest shift, he effortlessly evaded the projectiles.
"You... you're that man's teacher! I'll kill you!" Sasuke charged forward, face contorted with rage, kunai gleaming in his grip. Kakashi intercepted him before he could reach Kai.
Kakashi knew Kai's temperament intimately. While Kai wouldn't kill Sasuke outright, he'd certainly leave the boy hospitalized for weeks.
Kai gestured for Kakashi to release his hold on Sasuke.
Kunai raised, Sasuke launched himself at Kai again.
Kai's right eye—the golden Tenseigan—flashed ominously.
Tenseigan: Attractive and Repulsive Force - Universal Pull!
Sasuke's body froze mid-charge, suspended exactly one meter from Kai. Calmly approaching, Kai flicked the boy's forehead with a finger infused with repulsive force, sending him flying backward.
Sasuke crashed to the ground over ten meters away. Instead of attacking again, he glared at Kai with raw anguish. "You were his teacher! Why didn't you stop him?! Why didn't you kill him?! WHY?!"
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly, deciding not to press about his father for now.
A cocky voice suddenly cut through the tension. "Where are those two morons, Zabuza and Raiga? Why haven't they finished you off yet? Typical—all ninjas are worthless trash."
A short, sunglasses-wearing middle-aged man strutted forward, flanked by a group of black-clad thugs.
Kai's expression darkened. He despised parasites like Gatō with every fiber of his being.
Yang Release: Great Eruption!
Molten lava erupted toward Gatō and his men, consuming them entirely. Not even a scream escaped before they were reduced to nothing but ash and memory.
"That's... that's incredible!" Naruto gasped, eyes wide as he swallowed hard.
"Two elite jōnin couldn't even resist you. Kai, you've grown even stronger," Kakashi observed with genuine awe. They'd graduated from the academy in the same year, yet the gap between their abilities had become a chasm.
Suddenly, Sasuke rushed over, fixing Kai with desperate intensity. "I want to become your student." His fists trembled with barely contained emotion—equal parts hatred and desperate hope.
As a Leaf Village ninja, Sasuke knew Kai Mitarashi's reputation: the strongest in the ninja world, his power unmatched across all nations. With Kai as his mentor, surely he could kill that man.
Kai's lips curved in a slight smile. "Is that how you ask someone for a favor?"
Sasuke's expression crumbled. Images of Itachi flashed through his mind. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed deeply. "Please... please let me be your student! I'm begging you!"
"I refuse," Kai replied without hesitation.
Kai felt no fondness for Sasuke whatsoever. The boy was nothing more than an angsty teenager drowning in his own drama. His talent was laughable compared to Itachi's—at thirteen, Itachi had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and achieved genuine Kage-level strength. Sasuke, at roughly the same age, barely qualified as a genin.
Beyond talent, Sasuke's character was fundamentally flawed. Without Itachi's constant, hidden protection, the boy would have died a dozen times over.
"You—!" Sasuke's face flushed with humiliation and rage.
Ignoring the boy's outburst, Kai turned to Kakashi. "Let's head back to the village."
"Right..." Kakashi hesitated briefly before nodding.
With Gatō's organization obliterated and Zabuza and Raiga unlikely to survive their injuries, the mission was effectively complete. He addressed Tazuna, who'd been cowering nearby. "The mission's finished. We're returning to the village."
Tazuna nodded rapidly, his heart still pounding with terror at witnessing Kai effortlessly annihilate Gatō's entire group without so much as blinking.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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