The morning sun climbed slowly over the sleepy village, casting a soft golden glow over the rooftops and trees. Dew still clung to the grass as Team 7 stood outside Tazuna's house, ready to escort him to the bridge.
Kakashi stood at the front, arms crossed, eyes closed.
Then, without warning, his eyes snapped open. A flicker of memory surged through his mind, the disbanding of a shadow clone.
He turned toward his students.
"Zabuza will attack today," Kakashi said, his voice calm but firm. "And he won't be alone this time. He's bringing someone else."
"What?! Who?" Naruto asked, brows raised. "Didn't that guy already die?"
"No," Kakashi replied smoothly. "I let him go on purpose. He needed to believe he was free."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Then who's with him now?"
"Raiga Kurosuki," Kakashi said. "Another member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"Is it the guy with the twin swords among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?" Sakura who had read a lot of books in the ninja academy naturally knew who they were.
"That's the one," Kakashi confirmed, his gaze serious. "This won't be easy."
"We'll be ready," Sasuke said, clenching his fists.
"You'll need to be," Kakashi replied. "Everyone stay alert and focused."
They began walking toward the bridge in tense silence, boots crunching lightly on the dirt path. The mist in the air was heavier than usual, thick with unease. As they approached the edge of the construction zone, Kakashi turned to Tazuna.
"Take all the workers and leave," he said without looking back. "It's too dangerous for civilians now."
Tazuna hesitated. "But the bridge…"
"No," Kakashi interrupted firmly, locking eyes with him. "Go."
Seeing the cold steel in the jōnin's gaze, Tazuna nodded and quickly waved his workers off. They scattered without argument, vanishing into the morning fog.
Meanwhile, far away, deep in Gato's lair, Kakashi's shadow clone silently reappeared with a puff of smoke.
Before any of Gato's men could react, the clone's Sharingan flared to life, spinning rapidly.
"You will give me all your valuables," the clone said coldly, his voice low and commanding.
The genjutsu took hold instantly. Gato and his guards became docile, robotic. Under the illusion's grip, they revealed everything: hidden vaults of gold, rare scrolls, land deeds, stolen contracts. The clone gathered them all swiftly and sealed them into scrolls.
Back on the bridge, the real Kakashi stopped. He raised a hand.
"Something's coming."
Footsteps echoed through the mist. A familiar, gravelly voice followed.
"Kakashi… surprised to see me?"
Zabuza emerged from the fog, sword slung over his shoulder. Beside him stood a tall figure with wild dark hair and crackling twin swords, Raiga Kurosuki. Perched on his back was a small, pale boy with glowing red eyes, Ranmaru.
Kakashi stepped forward calmly.
"I knew you were alive," he said, eyes narrowing. "Did you think I'd fall for a fake death that easily?"
Zabuza's lips curled in a snarl, but he didn't respond.
Raiga stepped forward, licking his lips with a manic grin. "I'm gonna give you a funeral worthy of a legend."
Kakashi tilted his head slightly, then smirked. "Like the one Might Dai gave your comrades?"
Raiga's face darkened immediately, the smile vanishing. A cold shiver ran through him at the memory.
Kakashi turned to his team. "This is going to get serious. Be careful."
Then, without another word, he surged with energy.
The fifth gate opened.
A vibrant green aura erupted around him, wind rippling outward from the sudden release of power.
Sakura gasped. "Is that—?"
"The Eight Inner Gates," Sasuke said quietly, eyes wide.
Kakashi had trained relentlessly since their last encounter. He used to manage only two gates. Now, he could push to five.
"You…" Raiga's voice shook. "You're using the same technique as him!?"
His hands trembled slightly at the memory of that devastating taijutsu monster.
In a flash, Kakashi vanished. He reappeared beside Raiga and delivered a powerful punch to the swordsman's gut. Raiga was thrown back, crashing through a support beam.
Zabuza lunged forward, swinging his massive blade, but Kakashi countered instantly. His hand lit up with violet lightning.
"Shiden!" he roared, slashing upward.
Their blades met, sparks exploding in every direction.
The fight intensified. Raiga recovered and launched a barrage of lightning-charged strikes with his Kiba blades. Kakashi dodged with ease, countering with deadly precision.
Zabuza tried to flank him from behind, but Kakashi saw through it, spinning and delivering a crushing roundhouse kick to the swordsman's ribs.
Ranmaru's eyes flared red, trying to track Kakashi's movements, but even with his vision-enhancing kekkei genkai, Kakashi moved too fast.
Another surge of chakra lit the battlefield.
Kakashi raised his arm again. "Shiden!"
Lightning erupted and struck both Raiga and Zabuza, sending them sliding backward across the stone bridge. They groaned but didn't fall.
Their will to fight remained.
Kakashi exhaled slowly. "Stubborn."
Then he formed a new hand sign.
With a snap, a giant fireball shot into the sky, exploding like a flare.
"What is he doing?" Zabuza muttered, eyes narrowing.
Raiga's grin returned. "That's it? Just some fireworks?"
Ranmaru, however, stared upward with fear in his voice.
"Raiga… we have to leave. That chakra… It's not normal. It's dangerous."
Raiga growled. "Shut up, Ranmaru! I'm not running away now."
But Kakashi stood still beneath the storm clouds. His silver hair blew gently in the rising wind.
Above him, the flames had triggered a reaction in the sky. Dark clouds swirled in a vortex. Thunder crackled above.
A shape began to form in the heavens, a massive beast of pure lightning.
It coiled and roared in silence. Its eyes glowed like stars.
"I call this… Kirin," Kakashi said softly.
Raiga's face turned pale. He raised his blades, trying to draw lightning to break the storm, but it was too late.
Kakashi lowered his hand.
A bolt of living lightning descended from the sky like a dragon.
The world turned white.
The bridge shook under the force of the strike. Zabuza didn't even have time to scream. The lightning tore through him, incinerating his body in an instant. Nothing remained, only a broken half of his great sword.
Raiga tried to shield Ranmaru, lightning blazing around his swords. "I won't let it end here!" he shouted.
But the Kirin didn't stop.
It crashed down.
Raiga's body blackened and disintegrated. Though his last act, shielding the boy behind him, was not in vain.
Silence returned.
The mist cleared slowly.
In the center of the bridge, three things remained: the broken blade of Zabuza, the scorched Kiba blades of Raiga, and a trembling boy kneeling in shock.
Ranmaru's small frame shook as tears poured down his cheeks. His hands clutched at the air where Raiga had been. He didn't speak, just sobbed quietly, his protector gone in a flash of white light.
Kakashi stood alone in the silence.
His chakra had settled, but his senses remained sharp. He could feel it, two chakra signatures nearby. One was massive and cold. The other, much weaker… but still present.
They weren't from Zabuza or Raiga.
He narrowed his eyes.
"I thought this wasn't over."
Then he turned, scanning the area for his students.
He spotted them on the far side of the bridge, facing a new threat.
It wasn't finished yet.
But Kakashi's voice was steady. His body is calm.
This battle was far from over, but he was ready for whatever came next.