[Deidara didn't actually die from the explosion. The one that blew up was just a clone. His real body escaped using the Earth Dragon Hiding Technique.]
[After this battle, Kakashi was so exhausted he nearly collapsed. He ended up getting a seven-day vacation at the hospital. Honestly, with a nickname like "Kaka-weak," it's like the hospital is his second home.]
[During this time, Team 7 was temporarily led by our trusty Konoha construction contractor, Yamato.]
"This damn screen is slandering me! It's slandering me!"
Fifth Hokage Timeline.
Kakashi, with dual Mangekyō Sharingan, was visibly upset.
"Bullcrap. Just admit it—you're totally weak."
Obito let out a disdainful snort.
He knew better than anyone—Kakashi's chakra reserves had always been average for a jōnin.
Add in the constant drain from the Sharingan, and during battle, it was like he had to split his chakra in half to get anything done.
Over time, of course he'd end up this weak.
Wait a second... did I actually hurt him by giving him the Sharingan?
Obito suddenly shook his head hard at the thought.
Kakashi was his dearest friend. There's no way he could've harmed him.
It must've just been a coincidence!
Elsewhere, Tsunade from the Fifth Hokage Timeline quietly approached Orochimaru and whispered, "Orochimaru, something seems off about Kakashi's condition. Do you know what's going on with him?"
"Based on my years of research, the Sharingan is awakened and evolves through emotional stimulation. Prolonged exposure to negative emotions can lead to drastic personality changes. That was the main reason the Second Hokage was so wary of the Uchiha clan."
"So you're saying Kakashi's emotions were affected by Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Right after saying that, Tsunade quickly denied it and continued, "But that doesn't make sense. Kakashi's Sharingan was given to him by Obito. The negative emotions during the awakening and evolution were Obito's, not Kakashi's. What does that have to do with him?"
With a sly smile, Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue, glanced at Kakashi with interest, and replied to Tsunade, "That part... I'm not entirely sure."
"I want you to figure it out as soon as possible. I don't want the Sixth Hokage of Konoha to turn out to be a 'madman.'"
"Mm. But to do that, Kakashi will have to cooperate fully with my research."
"That's your problem. Talk to him yourself. I'm not getting involved."
"No problem."
[After recovering, Kakashi didn't return to Team 7 right away, because he heard devastating news—Asuma had been killed in action.]
[When he learned that Shikamaru's squad was going to avenge Asuma, Kakashi volunteered to join. He promised Tsunade, "With me, the top technician of Konoha, watching over them, you can rest easy."]
[Kakashi understood very well what Shikamaru was going through after losing Asuma, so he solemnly told him, "If you're going for revenge, count me in."]
[This revenge mission turned out to be much harder than expected. They only had intel that Hidan was immortal, so Kakuzu naturally became the priority target. Kakashi hid in the shadows to observe first.]
[With Kakashi overseeing the mission, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino were full of confidence.]
[Shikamaru tried to restrain the enemy with his Shadow Imitation Technique, but the control was broken by one of Kakuzu's detached arms.]
[Right after that, Shikamaru used his Shadow Possession Jutsu to fake an attack with Hidan. Then, Choji came crashing down from the sky with his Human Boulder, forcing Kakuzu into a corner. At that moment, a new kind of absolute defense appeared.]
[Kakuzu used Earth Style to harden his body, making himself immune to physical damage. Kakashi caught sight of this just in time.]
[As Kakuzu boasted about his defense, a Chidori pierced straight through his heart from behind.]
[Kakashi: Sorry 'bout that~ My Lightning Style just happens to be your natural counter.]
Fourth Hokage's timeline.
Minato Namikaze was fully focused on the light screen.
This battle happening on screen gave him the perfect chance to study the strength of the other members of the Akatsuki.
When he learned that the guy named Hidan had an immortal body, Minato instinctively furrowed his brows.
Deep down, he didn't want to believe that there could be such a thing as true immortality in the ninja world.
But when Asuma died in the video, there was a scene that clearly showed Hidan's head getting cut off—yet the guy was still very much alive.
That made it impossible for him to keep denying it. There really was some unreasonable thing called "immortality" out there.
"From this, it's clear that the Akatsuki is no ordinary group."
From the video, he had already figured out the known members so far: Uchiha Itachi, a rogue ninja from Konoha; Kisame, one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist; Deidara, who could fly, along with his partner; Hidan, the immortal guy; and now Kakuzu, who had just been stabbed in the heart by Kakashi.
"Good thing Kakashi managed to take down this Kakuzu guy. Otherwise, this fight would've been a nightmare."
With someone like Hidan around—who couldn't die—even if his actual combat power was average, he could still be used as the perfect meat shield.
Now that Kakashi had taken out his partner, chances were high that Hidan would be slowly worn down and finished off by Kakashi's team.
So what if you have an immortal body that can't be killed even by beheading?
At worst, they could just chop Hidan into pieces and bury each part deep underground.
Even if Hidan couldn't die, they could still drive him insane.
"The battle in the video is going smoothly, but why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
Weren't the members of the Akatsuki supposed to be no joke?
But Kakuzu got taken out instantly by Kakashi. That really doesn't match the deadly image the Akatsuki gave off.
"Don't tell me… Kakuzu, who had his heart pierced by Kakashi, still isn't dead?"
As soon as that thought appeared, in the very next second, Kakuzu in the video screen kicked Kakashi flying.
"As expected, the Akatsuki members are total monsters. Getting their heart pierced and still not dying?"
[After taking down one enemy, just as Kakashi rushed toward Hidan, a sudden burst of force sent him flying—Kakuzu had kicked him hard.]
[Kakashi hadn't expected that the other side had not one but two immortal shinobi. What Kakuzu did next completely shattered the team's understanding.]
[He used Earth Grudge Fear to separate four hearts from his body, forming four distinct monsters. One of them immediately collapsed—this was the heart Kakashi had just destroyed.]
[From the color of the masks worn by the monsters, that one seemed to represent Water Release. The remaining hearts could use advanced techniques of Wind, Lightning, and Fire Release.]
[The Lightning Release heart's power was so strong that even someone like Kakashi, a specialist in Lightning-style jutsu, struggled to hold it off. That meant the remaining hearts were probably just as deadly.]
[In the battle that followed, Konoha's team was almost completely overwhelmed.]
[But Kakashi's group had come prepared. He held off Kakuzu while Shikamaru lured Hidan into the forest.]
[Up to this point, Shikamaru's first step of the plan was a success.]
*********
Support me on my ko-fi account and read upto 30 early chapters,