"Hm?"
"Kakashi?"
Akihara Kagura raised an eyebrow and glanced at his old friend in front of him, looking at his Mangekyō Sharingan: "Do you want to stop me from seeing Naruto?"
"There's no need to say more... Huh..."
Hatake Kakashi took a deep breath, a kunai appearing in his hand. He knew that Uzumaki Naruto was undoubtedly one of Akihara Kagura's targets.
This time...
He must stop Akihara Kagura!
"Give it up, will you?" Akihara Kagura gazed at Hatake Kakashi, chuckling lightly: "If it were in the past, I might have put aside important matters to play with you for a while..."
Akihara Kagura slowly shook his head, showing no interest in fighting Hatake Kakashi: "I don't have time to mess around with you now. Someone has already gone ahead of me..."
Yes.
Someone had gone ahead.
Uchiha Madara had already taken Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Obito to the place where the Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails were hiding because he knew where the priorities lay.
"Do you take me for a child?"
Hatake Kakashi's forehead twitches, but he couldn't help recalling the times they had spent together in the past. This old friend, who now sought to destroy the world, had always been very tolerant of him.
Emotionally...
Akihara Kagura's presence was as significant as that of Might Guy.
From the age of ten, Akihara Kagura had been transferred under Hatake Kakashi's command, and from then on, they started pursuing Uchiha Obito together.
The experiences Hatake Kakashi went through during that period were more exciting than many events in his life. Along with taking care of Uzumaki Naruto and Karin, there was also Mitarashi Anko, who played a supporting role.
Even after Akihara Kagura left the Anbu, became Jiraiya's student, and at thirteen became the leader of Root, rising to the top echelons of Konoha, he and Hatake Kakashi remained old friends, often seeking each other's help.
Just like Uzumaki Naruto's attitude, over the years, they formed a family of sorts, seemingly targeted by the world's malice...
Hatake Kakashi was a down-and-out head of the family, Akihara Kagura was the successful elder brother, Mitarashi Anko was the fiery-tempered big sister, and Karin and Uzumaki Naruto were the children they raised together.
These people...
Had no special blood relations.
However, both Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto believed that if they encountered trouble and sought help from any one of them, the other would extend a hand like family; if they faced any pain, the other would comfort them like family.
In fact...
Akihara Kagura was the one who always took care of them the most.
If it weren't for Akihara Kagura, Hatake Kakashi knew he might still be living a lonely life like a scarecrow, always thinking he couldn't keep those important to him, whether it was his dependable father, his trustworthy companions, or his teacher Minato, who was like a parent.
All the important people...
Had already left Hatake Kakashi.
The one who made Hatake Kakashi willing to face the world again and have important people in his life was precisely Akihara Kagura in front of him.
Hatake Kakashi felt a bit nostalgic. This troublesome subordinate who insisted on helping to find tutors for Karin and Naruto on that day made him feel less lonely.
"Naruto..."
"You raised him..."
"And now you want to kill Naruto?"
Hatake Kakashi took a deep breath, looking at Akihara Kagura before him, his feelings mixed with bitterness and suppressed anger.
Akihara Kagura wanted to take the Nine-Tails from Uzumaki Naruto, which would undoubtedly lead to Naruto's death. He wanted to kill Naruto...
"Something like that!"
Akihara Kagura patted his forehead, seemingly understanding Hatake Kakashi's feelings, and suddenly smiled: "I probably understand what you mean..."
"But..."
Akihara Kagura smiled gently, as if anticipating Hatake Kakashi's question: "Because of me, his life wasn't so hard. He didn't have to struggle to become strong and survive in this world. That is the compensation for his sacrifice..."
"You always intended to kill him..."
Hatake Kakashi's face turned extremely ugly as he recalled something Uchiha Obito mentioned: "That night we unmasked Obito..."
"Something like that!"
Akihara Kagura was still smiling, showing no intention of avoiding the topic: "Anyway, for me, making a big scene that night was enough..."
"Kakashi..."
"I've told you before."
"The me you know has never been the real me…"
Akihara Kagura raised his palm, his eyes flashing slightly. The air remained undisturbed, and the space-limiting seal silently opened.
"Enough..."
"The game of playing house with you should have ended long ago..."
In an instant, Akihara Kagura turned into a golden light and appeared behind Hatake Kakashi. His hand abruptly grasped Kakashi's neck!
"!!!"
Kakashi had no time to resist. His body instinctively tried to enter the Kamui phase through the Mangekyo Sharingan, but he suddenly realized something was wrong!
His body...
It wasn't entering the Kamui space!
He couldn't enter the Kamui phase at all!
What was happening?
Was it because Akihara Kagura used the Flying Thunder God's space-time technique at this moment?
Kakashi couldn't imagine that Akihara Kagura had silently used the Rinnegan's ocular jutsu. His limited thinking led him to believe that the opponent had used some forbidden technique!
Kakashi tried to activate the Flying Thunder God instantly. He had left marks of the Flying Thunder God array in safe places everywhere he went, but he hadn't expected that his body wouldn't move at all!
Even the Flying Thunder God...
Failed at this moment!
Akihara Kagura ruthlessly dragged Kakashi to the edge of the high tower. The weightlessness of his feet leaving the ground filled Kakashi's eyes with unease and terror. All his escape methods were invalid at this moment!
"How could this be..."
Kakashi's heart trembled.
"Space-time techniques are not everything..."
Akihara Kagura looked at Kakashi indifferently and warned, "Even with space-time techniques, you might not be able to resist fate..."
With that, Akihara Kagura's hand released Kakashi's neck, as if letting go of an object he intended to discard. Kakashi's body plummeted freely from the sky!
"This guy!"
Kakashi desperately tried to use Kamui in mid-air but to no avail. He could only watch as his body accelerated towards the ground!
A kunai wrapped in wire flew out, lodging into the high tower. Kakashi grabbed the wire tightly, narrowly avoiding a fatal fall!
Although he survived...
The fright was enough to terrify him!
Originally, he thought that obtaining the Mangekyo Sharingan's ocular jutsu, Kamui, would allow him to stop Akihara Kagura. But he couldn't use it in time, and before he could do anything, Akihara Kagura subdued him and threw him off the tower!
When Kakashi no longer dared to rely on Kamui and climbed the tower step by step, grasping the wire tightly, the place was already deserted.
Akihara Kagura...
Had vanished.
This calamity finally ended.
The entire assembly area of the ninja coalition was in ruins.
What was once a desert had turned into a forest.
Firstly, the worst news was that the supreme commander of the ninja coalition, Hanzo of the Salamander, was a puppet of the enemy. This revelation meant that the enemy had access to all their intelligence before the battle even began, shattering the morale from the highest ranks to the ordinary ninjas;
Secondly, the 100,000-strong ninja coalition was defeated single-handedly by Akihara Kagura. Even the performance of the Five Kage in this battle was lackluster, appearing no different from ordinary ninjas. For instance, the Fourth Raikage, A, was directly captured by vines...
Of course.
There were some luckier ninjas.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru managed to evade the vine attacks. Both possessed considerable strength, enough to dodge the attacks of the Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
Orochimaru wielded the Kusanagi sword, cutting through a vine to rescue Tsunade who was tied to a tree: "Tsunade, you should have summoned Katsuyu..."
"No time..."
Tsunade shook her head helplessly.
Moreover...
Even Katsuyu would be useless.
Because Akihara Kagura's main targets were the Five Kage. She, along with the Fourth Raikage A, Gaara, and Mei Terumi, all faced attacks from the Wooden Dragons within the Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
"I always have this inexplicable feeling..."
Tsunade looked at her two old friends who came to rescue her, her expression serious: "To understand Akihara Kagura's strength, I reviewed all the village's information on Wood Release. Akihara Kagura's abilities seem excessively powerful..."
"Isn't that always how he's been?"
Jiraiya frowned, deep in thought: "That guy has never lost, always performing exceptionally, hasn't he?"
"But…"
Orochimaru looked at the dense forest, where numerous ninjas were darting about, rescuing their trapped comrades. "No matter what happens, no matter how many enemies there are, no matter how strong they are, he can always defeat them..."
"This can only mean one thing..."
Orochimaru had to reveal the truth: "Everything we do is under his control. This world has never been out of control..."
"!!!"
Tsunade, who had been pondering Akihara Kagura's strength, was forced to reconsider another issue by Orochimaru's words.
When...
When will they be able to escape Akihara Kagura's manipulation?
Tsunade now doubted her life, not knowing what she should do or could do.
Because...
As long as she did anything...
That action might be a trap.
Who could have thought!
She just wanted to uphold the will of the previous Hokages and protect Konoha with her life, yet even becoming Hokage turned out to be a trap!
Who would have expected it!
Facing an enemy that a single village couldn't handle, wasn't it natural to form an alliance of ninjas to fight against the strong enemy? To ensure the proper operation of the alliance, wasn't it right to promote the most suitable and prestigious man as the commander?
But...
It turned out to be another of Akihara Kagura's traps!
Tsunade felt as if she was walking on a beach full of traps, afraid to take a step forward, suspecting any move she made was within Akihara Kagura's control!
"Lady Tsunade!"
Hatake Kakashi rushed over with several ninjas, reporting urgently: "Akihara Kagura and Hanzō of the Salamander are heading to where Naruto and Killer Bee are hiding..."
"We must hurry..."
Tsunade abruptly stopped midway through her sentence, her mind instinctively considering: "If we rush over now... could this also be within Akihara Kagura's control?"
"..."
Others frowned as well.
This doubt began to spread among the Allied Ninja Forces.
"Hey, Tsunade!"
The Fourth Raikage, with a displeased expression, approached, having been rescued by his bodyguards. His face looked grim: "What should we do now?"
"I... don't know anymore..."
Tsunade looked up at the sky.
"Stop overthinking..."
Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, descended. This elder's heart was the first to calm down, his mindset gradually regaining stability, though his voice remained heavy: "Even if we know it's a trap, we have to jump, right?"
Even knowing it's a trap...
For the sake of the ninja world, they had to jump in!
When Ōnoki heard that Akihara Kagura had used a scheme to make Hanzō of the Salamander, a puppet, the commander of the alliance, he had also despaired...
But...
Ōnoki recalled the teachings of the First Tsuchikage...
The Will of Stone in Rock Village made this stubborn old man in the ninja world resilient once more!
"Better to try and fail than to do nothing at all..."
Ōnoki rose again, teaching firmly: "No matter what that kid says, no matter what his schemes are, we must believe one thing..."
"We are doing what we believe is right!"
"The formation of the Allied Ninja Forces is right..."
"One village cannot stand against a powerful enemy, one village cannot stop the enemy from destroying everything, so five villages should unite to fight the enemy!"
"This is fundamentally right!"
"Even if Hanzō is a puppet of Akihara Kagura, our initial intention to support him was right because the disguised Hanzō was a trustworthy man!"
"This is also right!"
"Fighting to protect the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is right. We strive to protect this world, to ensure its continuity, to prevent that kid from destroying the ninja world, all of this is right!"
"No matter what that kid says, no matter what schemes he has, no matter what he tries to convince us to give up, we must stand firm like a rock, unyielding like a mountain by the sea..."
Ōnoki looked down at everyone present, his elderly voice firm and resonant: "Don't worry about the outcome; the only thing we must keep in mind is to always believe that we are doing the right thing!"
~~~
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— Ending + Extra Chapters (Completed)
Read upto Chapter 348: End! + Extra Chapters of Sasuke's Rebirth where the world Akihara Kagura is not around. Thank you!