Chapter 128: Child's Play - Hatake Kakashi Absolutely Will Not Be a Chakra Unit!

Chapter 128: Child's Play

The Water Release streams exacerbated the muddiness of the Underworld Swamp. The Lightning Clone and the main body leaped up. Unable to exploit their speed advantage, they had no choice but to use ninjutsu to force Nagato to reveal an opening.

"Raikiri Blade."

A lightning blade, over ten meters long, extended from Kakashi's palm and swung violently towards Nagato. However, the arm that had already extended from Nagato's back, capable of absorbing ninjutsu, effortlessly caught the lightning blade, dissolving it into nothingness.

Although his opponent seemed unharmed, Kakashi understood from Nagato's momentary stiffening that he couldn't completely absorb Kakashi's Dragon Vein Chakra.

As one of the native energies, Dragon Vein Chakra indeed possessed many unique properties, proving far stronger than common, widespread chakra.

Its space-time attribute alone was incredibly rare.

A small purple lightning Senbon was launched during his stiffening, piercing various parts of Nagato's body.

However, how could the Lightning Clone, precisely looking for an opportunity, not seize this moment to act?

Approaching the opponent through the muddy swamp, Nagato recovered from his stiffening, calmly pulled out the Senbon from his body, and remained motionless, allowing the Lightning Clone to approach him, as the cooldown for Shinra Tensei had already passed.

"Shinra Tensei."

His lips moved slightly, uttering the name of this ultimate ninjutsu. Mid-run, the Lightning Clone seemed to collide with a thick wall, arcing through the air in a parabola before heavily landing on the ground.

"This clone hasn't dissipated yet?"

He was puzzled by Kakashi's tangible Lightning Clone. While normal Shadow Clones typically dissipate into smoke upon impact, and even reinforced Shadow Clones couldn't remain intact after being targeted by such ninjutsu, this clone inexplicably persisted.

"No, this isn't a clone."

The sizzling sound of lightning behind him alerted Nagato that another 'main body,' as he perceived it, was already close. Just as he prepared to counter, this 'main body' suddenly transformed into a mass of lightning, paralyzing Nagato's entire body. Meanwhile, the supposed Lightning Clone suddenly tightened the iron chains on the ground, and using their conductive properties, continuously channeled Lightning Release, keeping the red-haired man perpetually electrocuted.

The Preta Path ability activated again. Even if absorbing this unknown purple chakra would cause him harm, it was far more comfortable than being continuously electrocuted by Lightning Release. Nagato gripped the chains; Kakashi supplied chakra, and Nagato absorbed an equal measure.

After a brief stalemate, the silver-haired youth realized his approach was rather foolish. He simply couldn't overwhelm Nagato with Dragon Vein Chakra to the point of incapacitation; his opponent's capacity was far greater.

For now, he still needed to resort to more cunning methods.

"Earth Release: Earthquake Wave."

The muddy swamp in the training ground, created by the red-haired man, suddenly seemed to come alive, heaving up and down. Standing on it felt like being on a boat amidst huge waves, making it impossible to tell if the next massive wave would capsize them.

"Wind Release: Rending Sky Palm."

Instability was relative; if his opponent couldn't stand firm, neither could he. Nagato began his counter-attack, launching a five-fingered wind blade that tore through the air from afar.

Ducking to dodge, Kakashi suddenly unleashed a blinding flash of lightning, bright enough to pierce one's eyes. The Rinnegan wielder immediately felt a stinging pain in his eyes and shielded them with a hand. His ears, meanwhile, picked up approaching footsteps, calculating the distance.

The repulsive force circle compressed the ground, forming a sunken arc.

Then, Nagato heard a 'boom,' and a puff of white smoke erupted. It was merely the most ordinary Shadow Clone, a decoy Kakashi used to accompany his assault.

Before five seconds had passed, Nagato, whose eyes were still temporarily blinded by the lightning stimulation, had a Kunai held to his throat by Kakashi's main body.

"Father, Kakashi-sensei won."

Itachi watched the duel, filled with various deceptive tactics, and was unsurprised by his teacher's victory.

In his father's eyes, his teacher was still a strong individual; achieving this level was only natural.

"Not necessarily."

Fugaku replied to Itachi with hesitation. He had seen more than Itachi. Under the observation of his Mangekyo Sharingan, the Rinnegan wielder had grown another arm on his back. That arm was completely different from the previous mechanical and chakra-absorbing arms, and it brought a completely different sense of threat. Without a doubt, that arm surely possessed ninjutsu capable of instantly killing someone.

"Let's stop here."

Kakashi retracted his Kunai and stretched his arm. He then looked down at the arm retracting back into Nagato's body.

This familiar sensation of souls.

It was indeed the Human Path's Soul Absorption technique.

After making the sign of reconciliation, the red-haired man nodded slightly to the person before him and walked slowly away from the training ground.

On the surface, it seemed Kakashi had completely gained the upper hand in this battle, constantly using various tactics and ninjutsu to gain an advantage, and finally succeeding in getting close to Nagato's main body within the five-second interval, holding a Kunai to his opponent's throat.

But in reality, besides Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in, Nagato had only used a tiny fraction of his other abilities. Moreover, he had suppressed the power of Shinra Tensei; otherwise, the silver-haired youth would have been injured the first time he tested his body's endurance.

He hadn't used any more powerful techniques either. Compared to Kakashi, who had exhausted all his strategies, Nagato hadn't moved more than 10 meters, essentially fighting from a fixed position. He had no real desire to fight.

Even if he eventually held a Kunai to Nagato's throat, it couldn't be called a victory. At most, it was a draw.

Overall, Kakashi felt he had been at a disadvantage, not having performed very gracefully.

However, this was just a spar. In a real battle, he wouldn't use such showy ninjutsu. The likely scenario he could foresee was using a Sound-Binding Genjutsu, with three to four Lightning Clones continuously searching for openings.

This kind of spar was still a bit like child's play, only marginally better than children playing make-believe, and held little value for serious participation.

Itachi, standing nearby, was still very concerned about winning and losing. After seeing the red-haired man leave, he proactively approached Kakashi.

"Sensei, did you win?"

"No, I guess I lost. At most, it was a draw."

"Why? In that situation, could Lord Nagato still counter-attack?"

"Of course. He was just considering which counter-attack was most suitable. It wasn't a life-or-death battle, so there was no need to use overly powerful ninjutsu."

"I understand."

Fugaku Uchiha stepped forward, interrupting Kakashi and Itachi's conversation. His eyes had returned to their normal black pupils, and he intently stared at the person who had just fought against the Rinnegan.

"Hatake Kakashi, Jonin, for the mission concerning the Iwagakure and Kumogakure conflict, the Uchiha clan will send one person to assist you."

"Who?"

"Uchiha Shisui, to coincidentally wash away his act of clan betrayal."