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"The Gate of Dea-"
"Seal!"
Kakashi suddenly appeared behind Guy, pressing a talisman marked with "Seal" onto his back.
The chakra raging around Guy abruptly paused, then slowly calmed.
"Phew…" Kakashi let out a sigh of relief. "Glad I made it in time!"
"Kakashi!" Guy turned around. "What did you do?"
"Guy, don't be so impulsive!" Kakashi looked up at the retreating Susanoo. "Let's end it here."
He then met Guy's gaze. "It's still far too soon for you to make a sacrifice."
"Neji… I thought I could at least protect him." Guy seemed despondent. "I didn't expect he didn't believe in me."
Kakashi patted him on the shoulder.
"If you had gone all out, you could have protected him. But doing so would mean making the Hyuga clan your enemies. You're Neji's teacher, yes, but he wouldn't want to drag you into the family's disputes. Besides, if you sacrificed yourself, there'd be no one left to protect Neji."
"I see!" Guy's eyes filled with tears. "So he didn't want to burden his teacher… My beloved student…"
'That's not the point!' Kakashi was exasperated.
"Guy-sensei!" Lee hugged Guy, sobbing loudly.
"I… I thought…" He turned to Kakashi. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei…"
Kakashi, avoiding Lee's tear-streaked face, looked away.
And noticed Tenten's hesitant expression.
Following Tenten's gaze, he saw the "Seal" talisman on Guy's back and understood.
"Tenten? You want to know how I did that?" he asked.
"Yes! Kakashi-sensei, you're amazing!" Tenten looked at him with shining eyes, nodding enthusiastically. "Guy-sensei was just about to fully open the Eight Gates!"
"Well, it's thanks to the talisman." Kakashi replied modestly.
After all, it was the same one that had helped prevent Naruto from losing control as a Jinchuriki.
"Excuse me!" Tenten gripped Kakashi's right hand tightly, her eyes sparkling even more. "Where can I get a talisman like that?"
"You want one?" Kakashi felt a sweat drop on his forehead.
"Of course!" She glanced at Lee and Guy still crying, then looked seriously at Kakashi. "Those two are always so reckless; I want to have the strength to pull them back."
"That's… tricky." Kakashi scratched his head. "Jiraiya-sama gave me these talismans. I'll ask if I can get more for you."
"Thank you, thank you, Kakashi-sensei!" Tenten quickly released his hand and bowed deeply.
"Ahaha…" Kakashi laughed awkwardly, waving his hand. "It's not certain…"
It's not certain I can get them for you…
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Naruto's voice called out, as he and Sakura arrived hurriedly, led by Pakkun.
"Oh, you're here."
Kakashi waved.
"Kakashi-sensei, what happened?" Naruto looked around. "Where are Sasuke and Neji?"
"They escaped completely." Shino, who had been silent, stepped forward.
"Huh? You're here too, Shino?" Naruto turned to him in surprise.
"How rude, Naruto!"
Black aura emerged behind Shino as he pushed up his sunglasses.
But Naruto's attention had already shifted.
"Oh, what's with Lee and Bushy Brows-sensei?"
He squinted at Guy and Lee, still holding each other and crying.
"Probably regretful for not stopping their companions…"
Kakashi also looked uncomfortably at the pair.
"It's hopeless, isn't it…" Naruto muttered. "Even I've heard things; there's no way Neji would come back now."
Everyone looked at him in shock.
"Naruto…"
Sakura was stunned. She couldn't believe Naruto was saying this…
"But hey!" Naruto grinned. "No problem! When I become Hokage, whether it's Uchiha or Hyuga, any issue, leave it to me!"
"Big words, huh!" Kakashi chuckled, flicking his forehead.
"Hmph! Not possible!" Shino cut in. "If you ask why, Naruto, it's because your chances of becoming Hokage are slim."
"Lies!" Naruto shouted angrily. "I WILL become Hokage!"
Sakura laughed; now "that" was Naruto.
---
The Laboratory.
Kaito stood by a glowing magic array, quickly jotting down experimental data on paper.
Suddenly, he paused.
"Neji and Sasuke, they've fully left the Land of Fire," he informed Hizashi, lying within the magic array.
Hizashi's eyes sparkled with joy as he nodded slightly.
Kaito resumed his work.
After a while, he set down his pen and formed seals with his hands.
The glowing magic array gradually faded, and Hizashi floated free.
Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Did they really escape? Kaito-sama, can you sense their exact situation?"
"The person supporting Sasuke is similar to you."
Kaito sat at his desk, flipping through his records.
"Right now, he's like my shikigami, so I can roughly sense his location."
"Then… there's no way to know their exact situation?" Hizashi floated closer, looking at Kaito hopefully.
"My goodness." Kaito shook his head.
"You're too persistent."
He raised his hand, and a communication paper figure emerged from his sleeve, activating and standing on the desk.
Casually, Kaito spoke, "Sasuke, are you all okay?"
"Uncle, we're all fine," Sasuke's voice replied.
Kaito heard Hizashi let out a big sigh of relief.
"Only Neji got a bit hurt," Sasuke continued.
Hizashi tensed up again.
"It's not serious. I'll recover soon!" Neji's voice chimed in.
"Neji!" Hizashi couldn't hold back anymore, peeking from behind Kaito. "How are you, really? Are your injuries bad?"
"Father?" Neji sounded surprised. "I'm fine; just a few broken ribs."
That's fine?!
Hizashi almost turned into a demon. "Who did this?!"
"It's okay, I foolishly tried challenging Guy-sensei." Neji calmly explained, "Sasuke treated me, and his medicine works well, so don't worry."
"That's right," Kaito added. "The medicine Sasuke has was specially made by me."
"As long as you're okay…" Hizashi retracted, "Thank you, Kaito-sama, for your patience."
"It's fine; you're worried about your child. And lastly, Madara-sama, thank you for your guidance. Take care, Sasuke."
Kaito ended the communication.