Who—?!
Daishi's heart skipped a beat.
He had just scouted the area. There shouldn't be any other Konoha shinobi nearby.Unless someone had already been lying in wait before his search.
Only a sensor-type ninja could pull that off…
"A sensory ninja, huh…"
His eyes swept across Kiyohara, Kurenai, and Genma, assessing which one it might be.
"Kiyohara…"
Kakashi turned back and, seeing his comrade arrive, finally felt a bit more at ease.
Compared to dead-last Obito, Kiyohara was clearly much more reliable.
"So, just two Chūnin and one Genin, huh?"
Daishi muttered as he formed a one-handed seal, refining chakra to maintain his invisibility—
Ninjutsu: Camouflage Concealment!
His figure, briefly revealed by the wind earlier, shimmered once more and vanished from view.
The jutsu concealed not only his body and clothing but also any dust or dirt clinging to him.
"Not good," Kakashi muttered, gripping his short blade.
"Kiyohara, your chakra reserves aren't as high as his."
Even if Kiyohara forced Daishi out of hiding with Wind Style: Great Breakthrough,he wouldn't be able to keep him exposed for long.Daishi could simply re-cast his jutsu more times than Kiyohara could keep countering.
"Hmph. So you're the son of the White Fang.But you're not him, are you?"
Daishi's expression twisted into a cruel smile as he looked at Kakashi.
The White Fang had killed many of his comrades—slaying his son would be a fine act of revenge.
But first… his attention turned to Kiyohara.
This kid was the bigger threat.
From how Kurenai and Genma stood half a step behind him, Daishi judged Kiyohara to be the squad leader.
That, combined with his earlier performance, all but confirmed it:Kiyohara was the sensory ninja.
The faintest rustle of air.
Daishi moved!
"He's erased all scent…Only way to track him now is by sound and subtle air currents."
Kakashi's expression darkened.
"Behind you, Kiyohara!!" he shouted.
Clang!
Metal struck metal—two kunai clashed in the dark.
"Oh?" Daishi raised an eyebrow.
Most sensor-nin were support types, yet this one blocked his ambush head-on?
Not bad.
He retreated, melting back into the shadows.
"Go save Rin. Don't worry about me,"Kiyohara said calmly.
In some ways, Daishi was even more manageable than the other Iwa jōnin, Hikaru.
Invisibility was tricky—but it also made Daishi predictable.
"Kiyohara…"
Kurenai wanted to say something but paused when Kiyohara shook his head.
'I'll be fine.'
"Alright. Be careful," she finally nodded with worry.
She and Genma moved toward the rear of the cave.Kakashi and Obito followed.
At this point, the battle would come down to who could eliminate an enemy first.
"Oh? You let them go ahead?"
Daishi acknowledged Kiyohara's choice with a trace of respect.
'A true shinobi… even if he's the enemy.'
But he wasn't worried.
Hikaru was a powerhouse in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu—a top-tier jōnin.
A few snot-nosed brats wouldn't stand a chance.
"Lightning Style: Ground Walk!"
Kiyohara formed a series of hand seals—blue arcs of electricity crackled along the ground.
Daishi leapt upward, flipping to cling to the cave ceiling.
"This brat's ninjutsu… isn't simple."
Despite his Genin gear, Kiyohara's technique was smooth and potent—nothing like a rookie.
Daishi began to focus.
No more underestimating this one.
"So you dodged.That invisibility is annoying…"
Kiyohara pulled a handful of white powder from his tool pouch.
"Ninja Art…!"
He shouted loudly, as if preparing to unleash something massive.
Daishi's eyes narrowed.
The kid's Wind Style and Lightning Style were both solid.If he was about to show something new—it might be dangerous.
He focused on Kiyohara's hand seals, trying to analyze the jutsu.
It was the "Monkey" hand seal.
Water Style? Evil Water Fang? Or something else?
Too many jutsu started with "Monkey."He'd need more hand seals to make a full prediction.
He squinted harder…
"Lime Powder Scatter Technique!"
Kiyohara suddenly flung the white powder into the air—then immediately followed up with Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
"AGHH!"
The powerful gust swept the lime straight into Daishi's face.
Even with his quick reflexes, he couldn't block all of it.
His vision burned—eyes stinging, vision blurred.
'He never expected Kiyohara to fight this dirty.'
Just seconds ago, this kid had looked like the self-sacrificing type—willing to face an elite jōnin alone.
And now?He'd just sandblasted Daishi's face with quicklime.
"You damn brat—!"
Daishi roared, preparing to launch a jutsu.
But Kiyohara threw another handful of lime—
Straight into Daishi's open mouth.
"COUGH! COUGH!"
He sputtered violently.His eyes burned. His throat was on fire.
"Do you even have a ninja's spirit?!"
Daishi rasped, furious.
"I'm sorry," Kiyohara smiled."I'm a traditional ninja."
Daishi was furious.This kid used stealth, trickery, deception—wasn't that his shtick?
The hypocrisy burned worse than the lime.
"Now," Kiyohara said lightly,"I'm invisible too."
After all… if Daishi couldn't see him—
Wasn't that basically the same thing?