The old man's blood and entrails splattered across the ground. He was deader than dead.
Zabuza glanced at Uchiha Nagi, who was still casually cracking sunflower seeds, was silent for a moment, and then slowly began to back away. The moment he left, the Water Prison jutsu, no longer maintained by its caster's chakra, dissipated, and Kakashi broke free.
But Kakashi, seeing Zabuza's clear intention to withdraw, chose not to pursue or attack.
Just as Uchiha Nagi had said, the mission client was dead. They no longer had a reason to fight to the death. Their mission was a failure.
It was an unspoken rule of the shinobi world: once a mission is abandoned or the client is killed, the winning side automatically forgoes a pursuit of the losing side. Otherwise, with the small population of shinobi constantly killing each other, they would never be able to replenish their numbers. Besides, even high-ranking shinobi weren't completely inflexible. Otherwise, Kakashi wouldn't have survived so many missions without so much as a scratch.
After retreating a safe distance, Zabuza used a Body Flicker and vanished, leaving Kakashi's team behind.
While the three genin were dejected over the mission's failure, Kakashi was on high alert, as if facing a mortal enemy. Compared to Zabuza, Uchiha Nagi was far more trouble.
Kunai in hand, Kakashi had already lifted his forehead protector at some point, revealing his three-tomoe Sharingan as he stared intently at Nagi.
"What are you doing here, Uchiha Nagi?"
"Kakashi, don't be so tense. We were classmates, after all. Remember our school days?" Nagi said, a nostalgic look on his face. "Back then, at twelve years old, you were a jonin, and I was just a fresh-faced genin."
"I never thought that after more than a decade, you'd still be a jonin. And look at me. I'm the Kage of a village now. I've fought the Fourth Mizukage and killed the Fourth Raikage, A. And you? You're still stuck in the same place."
Nagi shook his head, expressing his disappointment at Kakashi's lack of progress.
"I don't recall you being one for nostalgia. You killed Asuma right in front of me. If that's what you call camaraderie..."
While Kakashi and Nagi were reminiscing, Sasuke kicked Naruto and shouted at Sakura, "Sakura, stay on your guard! That guy is an enemy! Naruto, how long are you going to stand there in a daze? The battle isn't over! If you're going to fall apart over one failed mission, then don't even talk about becoming Hokage. Just crawl back to the village."
The kick snapped Naruto out of it. Seeing Kakashi facing the man as if he were a great enemy, he realized the fight wasn't over.
"But... but isn't he Kakashi-sensei's classmate? Why is he an enemy? Is he going to kill us?"
"He's a missing-nin," Sakura said.
Missing-nin. Those two words alone were reason enough.
"Hey, little girl, don't speak if you don't know what you're talking about. I'm the Kage of a village now. Are you trying to start a war between two nations?" Nagi said, turning to Sakura with a smile that left her speechless. He then went back to his conversation with Kakashi.
"Kakashi, as an old classmate, I really can't bear to see you waste away like this. Let me help you," Nagi said with a grin.
"There's no need. I'm quite satisfied with my own strength. I don't need your help." Nagi's words sent Kakashi's wariness skyrocketing.
"That's not for you to decide. As the son of the White Fang of Konoha, I'd hate to see Sakumo Hatake's sword style be lost to the world." As soon as Nagi finished speaking, he threw a kunai.
"Everyone, watch out!" Kakashi had barely gotten the words out before his hands blurred through a dozen seals a second, casting an Earth Style jutsu. Before he could even call out its name, the kunai was upon them.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Hundreds of kunai clones blanketed the entire area in a storm of metal. Against a Gatling-gun-like assault, a substitution jutsu was useless, and it was impossible for the kids to dodge.
Kakashi could only use his meager chakra reserves to quickly cast an A-rank Earth Style jutsu, blocking the attack and saving his three students from being turned into pincushions.
"Be careful! That guy knows the Flying Thunder God technique! Keep an eye on the kunai on the ground!" Kakashi shouted.
"Huh? What's the Flying Thunder God technique? Why do we have to watch the kunai?" Naruto asked, scratching his head in confusion.
A hand landed on Naruto's shoulder, followed by a cheerful voice.
"The Flying Thunder God technique is your dad's signature jutsu."
Huh?!
The three kids watched in horror as Uchiha Nagi, who had been hundreds of meters away just a second ago, now stood behind Naruto with a hand on his shoulder.
Kakashi wasted no time on explanations. Assuming Nagi was after the Nine-Tails, he used a Body Flicker to appear in front of Naruto, stabbing at Nagi with a kunai while pulling Naruto behind him with his other hand.
"Kakashi, your taijutsu hasn't improved at all over the years. You should really start practicing your father's sword style again. Otherwise, I'm afraid I might accidentally kill you."
[Sun Breathing, Thirteenth Form]
Nagi quickly drew his Nichirin Blade and unleashed his Sun Breathing. In four years, he might not have trained his body to the monstrous level of Guy, but he had perfectly adapted to the technique. He no longer needed to rest for ten days to half a month after using it. As long as it wasn't an excessively intense battle, he could recover to his normal state after a single night's rest.
After a single exchange, Kakashi was on his knees, covered in bloody cuts. Nagi had held back.
"Heh heh. Kakashi, you lose."
Nagi walked forward with a smile, about to take Kakashi's Sharingan, when something unexpected happened. The heavily injured Kakashi's eyes narrowed, and his body suddenly erupted in a powerful electric arc.
BOOM!
A Lightning Clone.
The Lightning Clone was the most unique of all clone techniques. It could both fight as a clone and be used as a trap. When struck with a heavy blow, it wouldn't dissipate into smoke like a Shadow Clone, but would instead explode into an electric trap, capable of paralyzing an enemy, or in severe cases, killing them.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
After the electric explosion, a pair of hands shot out from the ground, pulling Nagi under. Then, a figure leaped out from the earth, hand crackling with lightning. It was Kakashi's signature jutsu, the Chidori, also known as the Raikiri.
Kakashi mercilessly plunged the Raikiri into Uchiha Nagi's body. The moment it hit, he knew the feeling was wrong.
Poof!
The Nagi he struck turned into a log with a smile. From a distance, applause rang out.
Clap, clap, clap.
"As expected of Kakashi. To set up so many traps while just blocking my shuriken storm. Before your students even realized what was happening, you had already placed a Lightning Clone on the ground as a decoy, then used a Shadow Clone to cast the Headhunter Jutsu, while your real body hid and prepared the Raikiri."
"A pity..." Nagi shook his head. "I'm the type who learns from his mistakes. You got me once before, so this time I used a Wood Clone to approach you. How about it? A Wood Clone packs a real punch, doesn't it? It's pretty durable too. It even withstood your Lightning Clone trap. Heh heh."
Nagi's hands began to fly through a series of hand seals, the speed and complexity increasing as the water vapor in the air began to boil.
"Damn it, that jutsu is—" Kakashi's pupils contracted. Having copied over a thousand jutsu, he recognized it at a glance.
Kakashi began forming his own seals, turning to his three students. "You three, run! Now! Don't worry about me! I'll hold him off!"
"But—" "Kakashi-sensei—" "We can't just abandon you and run!"
Kakashi smiled gently. "It's alright. I'll hold him off. You go. This jutsu is too powerful. I can't guarantee I can protect you."
"Let's go, Naruto! We can't be a burden to Sensei here!"
Just as the three kids were leaping away, Nagi's jutsu was complete.
"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
With his pitifully low chakra, Kakashi, who had already used his Sharingan, a Lightning Clone, and a Raikiri, on top of his earlier fight with Zabuza, could only manage a tiny water dragon.
Nagi's Great Waterfall Technique crashed down like a flood. Kakashi's small dragon was instantly swallowed up. The flood then became a map-clearing attack, covering a ten-kilometer radius.
The magnificent deluge left the three genin, on their first mission, completely stunned. They had managed to escape by leaping onto a giant, ancient tree. They had never imagined that someone could use a ninjutsu with the power to reshape the landscape.
"If I were that strong, then Itachi..." Sasuke muttered to himself.
"Damn it, a jutsu on that scale..." Naruto cursed his own lack of chakra.
"That wasn't like Water Style at all... it was more like Sea Style..." Sakura said, staring in a daze at the vast ocean that had appeared beneath her feet.
Of course, Kakashi wasn't dead. While the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave was a map-clearing attack, its primary purpose was to disperse enemies or create favorable terrain for a water-style user. Its killing power wasn't particularly high. As long as you weren't unlucky enough to be smashed against a rock by the tsunami, you wouldn't die.
After the "Sea Release," Kakashi stood on the surface of the water, panting, one eye closed. He no longer had the chakra to maintain his Sharingan.
"Hey, Kakashi—"
"Hm?"
The moment Kakashi turned, he saw a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan. The world spun, and then a sharp pain shot through his eye. He clutched at his face and dodged away, only to realize that the treasured Sharingan of his dear friend was gone.
Nagi slowly placed Obito's Sharingan in a test tube. "Kakashi, that eye has been a burden to you for so many years. I've removed it for you."
Kakashi's remaining eye turned bloodshot. Disregarding his depleted chakra, he used his last bit of energy to form a Raikiri. "Give me back Obito's eye!"
However, without the dynamic vision of the three-tomoe Sharingan, Kakashi didn't hit anything. Instead, he was sent flying by a kick from Nagi, crashing into a large tree and breaking several ribs.
Nagi smiled. "Look at you, Kakashi, completely lost your cool. Where's your composure? Alright, if your skills improve in the future, I welcome you to challenge me and take back the eye."
"Kakashi-sensei, are you okay?" +3
Three small figures quickly rushed to Kakashi's side. It was the trio, who had returned.
"You three—didn't I tell you to run? Why are you still here?" Kakashi said, finally regaining his senses as he looked at his students.
"If we go, we go together!" "That's right! I don't have a habit of abandoning my comrades!"
Only Sasuke was silent, staring at the man before them. Uchiha Nagi. He was also an Uchiha, a member of his clan. According to the Third Hokage's official announcement, he was one of the masterminds behind the massacre, a co-conspirator with Itachi.
"Uchiha Nagi, I have a question for you! The night of the massacre, was it really you? Did you and Itachi do it together?" Sasuke roared, his face contorted in a snarl.
Nagi looked at Sasuke, and the killing intent that filled the area intensified, pressing down on the four of them until they could barely breathe. He had no plans to kill Kakashi, but he genuinely intended to kill Sasuke.
"You want the truth? Heh heh. Then I'll tell you, so you can die with your eyes open. The Uchiha clan... was wiped out by you two brothers."
"Us... us?" Sasuke was stunned.
"Itachi Uchiha traded the lives of the entire clan, including your parents, for the Third Hokage to spare the two of you. Do you understand now? To save his own skin, Itachi made a deal with the Third using the lives of his entire family."
Nagi smiled. "As for the details, there's an afterlife in this world. After I send you there, you can ask your parents yourself."
"So, please, go to hell."
Nagi's eyes narrowed. The strongest explosive technique of Thunder Breathing—Honoikazuchi no Kami.
Combined with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode that appeared on his feet, he shot toward Sasuke at an incredible speed. By the time they realized he was upon them, the Nichirin Blade was about to strike.
Kakashi, his chakra depleted, could only watch in horror as his student was about to be killed, powerless to do anything.
At that moment, under some unknown stimulus, Sasuke awakened a single-tomoe Sharingan. Unfortunately, that level of dynamic vision couldn't track Nagi's technique. And even if it could, he was too weak to dodge.
Just as Nagi's blade was about to slice through Sasuke's neck, a golden figure flashed past, pulling him out from under the sure-kill strike.
"Hm? The Yellow Flash—"
Nagi's eyes widened. How is this possible??
The person was disguised, but that damnable speed... the only person who could move that fast was A, and... that blondie.
And the person before him, though completely disguised, had failed to hide his yellow hair. It was a pathetic attempt at a disguise.