"That look..."
"It's the Third Kazekage!"
"How can this be? The suddenly vanished Third Kazekage—actually turned into a puppet?"
As a Konoha Anbu, Kakashi had naturally seen the portrait of this so-called strongest Kazekage long ago.
Thus, he quickly recognized the true identity of that puppet.
And that recognition hit him like a ton of bricks.
It was unimaginable that a puppet master could kill the leader of a village and turn him into a puppet.
How powerful must the enemy be!
At the same time, the moment Sasori pulled out the Third Kazekage's puppet, he was already preparing a killing blow against Kakashi.
If it weren't for Sakumo Hatake slaying his parents during the Second Great Ninja War, he wouldn't have ended up this way.
An eye for an eye!
Every member of the Hatake clan deserved to die!
Especially this one—Kakashi Hatake!
The next moment,
Without hesitation, Sasori controlled both 'Hiruko' and 'Third Kazekage' puppets, launching a deadly assault at Kakashi.
Not a trace of mercy remained.
Taken by surprise, Kakashi summoned the Dog-Head Earth Dome to block the attack.
Unfortunately, even his usually invincible Earth Dome was effortlessly shattered by the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release: Iron Sand Whirlwind.
"Damn it, the enemy is stronger than expected..."
"Could it be... I'll have to use *that* then?"
Kakashi frowned as he weighed his options.
He seemed hesitant about whether or not to activate his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Or maybe just keep stalling for a little longer?"
"Wait for Guy to defeat the enemy first, and come support me in a pincer attack?"
"No, wait—the enemy with the [Cleaver Sword] is most likely one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, a formidable opponent indeed."
"Even Guy wouldn't find it easy to defeat someone like that, right?"
...
Unfortunately, Kakashi's judgment was ultimately mistaken.
Right now, elsewhere on the battlefield,
The fight between Might Guy and Biwa Juzo was indeed extremely intense.
Both were close-range fighters.
One wielded a sword, the other fought with nunchaku.
One was formerly among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—a genuine elite jonin-level ninja.
The other was Konoha's foremost taijutsu expert, a living embodiment of effort challenging the theory of innate talent.
When these two clashed, their battle was ferocious beyond measure.
In less than half a minute, they exchanged over a hundred blows, collapsing five structures in the process.
Such was the sheer destructive power of both sides.
After another brutal collision, the two leapt back and began the usual posturing.
Biwa Juzo: "Impressive, kid! Never thought Konoha had taijutsu specialists this strong!"
"I've killed plenty of ninja in my life. Aside from that guy, your taijutsu ranks among the best..."
Might Guy: "You see that? That's the power of youth!"
"Wait, you're Biwa Juzo? One of the former Seven Swordsmen?"
"Yeah, now that I think about it—you're the one I remember!"
"You were among those defeated by my father back then!"
Upon hearing the name Biwa Juzo, Guy—who was famously a bit slow on the uptake—finally recalled something.
The image before him rapidly overlapped with a scene from ten years prior.
"Defeated us?"
What a joke! When have the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist ever been defeated?"
"No, wait!"
"Hold on... you're that kid from back then?"
"Might Guy's son?!!!"
"How could it be you?"
Biwa Juzo finally recognized Might Guy and felt a chill run down his spine.
He couldn't help but recall...
That terrifying figure who had once furiously opened the Eight Gates and torn apart the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist.
"It really is you!"
"Back then my father let you go... Today, my youth will show no mercy toward you!"
Might Guy clenched his fists tightly and roared.
"Hmph, just a brat from those days!"
"If it weren't for your father, you'd already be dead."
"Today I'll send you to reunite with your father!"
Biwa Juzo similarly snarled arrogantly, his murderous intent surging as he prepared to strike.
"Let my youth burn brightly!"
"Eight Gates: Fifth Gate Limit, Open!"
Might Guy shouted powerfully and instantly activated the Eight Gates.
His blood boiled, his face turned red, and surging green chakra burst forth, quickly engulfing his entire body.
Moreover, his entire aura instantly doubled, becoming extremely overwhelming.
Right now, in the distance, Biwa Juzo saw that familiar green chakra glow reminiscent of a nightmare...
Instantly his eyes widened, his face filled with terror, and his heart was gripped by fear!
"What! How could this happen?"
"You, who used to be just a little brat, actually learned this move too!"
"That bastard Might Duy passed it down to you before he died?!!"
Obviously,
The memory of being utterly humbled by Might Duy ten years ago still sent chills down his spine.
The next moment, as soon as he finished speaking,
Without hesitation at all, Biwa Juzo immediately grabbed his giant sword and fled backward.
He didn't hesitate even slightly—his decision was extreme in its finality!
Within moments,
He had already escaped hundreds of meters away.
This unexpected action momentarily stunned Might Guy, who had been about to attack.
What's going on?
How could this person be so cowardly?
Just threatened me, and now he runs...
Is my Eight Gates technique really that frightening?
"Don't run away! Give me one shot at kicking your ass!"
Might Guy bellowed loudly.
Hearing this made the fleeing Biwa Juzo's scalp tingle.
He hurriedly sped away with all his might, desperate to put as much distance between himself and that monster as possible.
If he really got kicked by that guy even once, he feared it would mean certain death!
Seeing this, Might Guy originally wanted to chase after him.
But glancing at Kakashi currently locked in fierce combat nearby, he ultimately gave up pursuit.
He decided to go help Kakashi take down that puppet master first.
...
[True Reverse Lotus!]
In an instant, a streak of green light came charging from afar.
Breaking the sound barrier so fast that Sasori couldn't even react,
It directly struck the Hiruko puppet with a single kick.
This kick packed shocking power.
It sent the puppet flying more than a hundred meters away, crashing continuously through several houses.
That must've really done some serious damage.
"Kakashi, I've come to help you!"
"What happened? Did you finish off your enemy already?"
"Not exactly... He ran away..."
"Well then, let's work together to defeat this one first!"
This puppet master is formidable, controlling even the Third Kazekage's puppet. Don't underestimate him!
"Relax, leave it to me! My youth burns brighter than anything!"
Might Guy, having unlocked the Eight Gates, was practically fearless.
Before his voice faded, he vanished from sight as a blur of afterimages,
rushing toward the Third Kazekage puppet.
...
While Kakashi was locked in a tough battle,
on another front,
Sarutobi Hiruzen and his group facing five "Susanoo Gundams" were suffering even more.
Sarutobi himself had never dreamed this possible.
That little brat Shimoku Uchiha could now activate [Susanoo] even using a Clone Technique?!
How is this possible? That doesn't even make sense!
He defected from Konoha less than four months ago.
How could that kid have improved so drastically?
Besides, he'd never heard before of a clone capable of summoning Susanoo.
But now, there was no choice but to fight.
He could only hope these Susanoo-wielding clones weren't that strong.
However, once the battle began,
he quickly realized those five Susanoo clones were absurdly powerful.
Even using his Summoning Beast Enma and combining techniques, he could barely hold off two of them.
Meanwhile, the remaining three had already overwhelmed his Anbu fighters and Aburame clan members, sending them fleeing in utter defeat.
There was just nothing they could do.
Without sufficient offensive power, you couldn't even break through a Susanoo's defense.
And every punch and slash from the enemy dealt devastating damage.
Even if you managed to break through the defense of one Susanoo,
so what?
It was just a clone.
Its destruction meant nothing to its user.
How could they possibly win?
With what?
So, Sarutobi, who'd originally felt confident, now found himself caught in a difficult dilemma.
If this dragged on, it wouldn't even matter whether they could defeat all the enemies—
these five Susanoos alone would wear them down until they perished.
"Wait! Shimoku Uchiha! Let's talk things out!"
Helpless, Sarutobi had no choice but to adopt a conciliatory approach.
Attempting to ease the Uchiha Clan's hostility through negotiation and bargaining.
"Talk? Hell no!"
"When you plotted to destroy our entire clan back then, why didn't you consider talking?"
"Now, it's too late!"
One of Shimoku's clones replied without hesitation or room for negotiation.
The assault continued relentlessly.
After all, the real self wasn't here, so he had absolutely no fear of Sarutobi's Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
Just keep attacking. If he could land a killing blow on old man Sarutobi here, so much the better.
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