Kakashi quietly surveyed the figures standing before him.
Their attire was ancient—far removed from anything worn in the modern era—and their stiff, unnatural bearing made them seem less like living people and more like relics dragged out of history. Yet Kakashi felt no sense of decay from them.
Instead, it was danger.
They were like venomous snakes coiled in the shadows—silent, patient, and ready to strike with lethal precision.
Looking at the opposing formation, even Ay and the others couldn't help but sigh.
"Has clan-based conflict really escalated to the point of another Shinobi World War?"
"There's no need for pleasantries," Kakashi said coldly. "We don't have time to waste."
He turned slightly.
"Genma, be ready."
Shiranui Genma nodded, gripping his weapon tightly.
Kakashi then fixed his gaze on the figures blocking their path—no, not blocking. Testing.
"Seniors," Kakashi said calmly, his voice firm, "forgive my rudeness. I have reasons that compel me to win."
He took a step forward.
"After this war, there will be no more wars in the Ninja World. No more people forced from their homes. The world will truly prosper. Children will no longer be dragged into the quagmire of bloodshed."
His words rang with conviction.
Naruto had once shared his vision of the future with him. And Kakashi had seen proof of it with his own eyes—territories under Naruto's rule where civilians lived peacefully, where children under twelve were not forced onto the battlefield.
Kakashi had lived through war. He had grown numb to it.
If there had been no war…
Rin would still be alive.
Obito might never have fallen.
The thought hardened his resolve.
For a brief moment, silence fell.
"No more war…?"
Some of the shinobi hesitated. Could such a world truly exist?
Then laughter broke the stillness.
"Hahahaha! Kid, your dream isn't bad," Ay said mockingly. "But as long as profit exists, war will never disappear. Hatred fuels war just as much as resources do. You're thinking too simply."
Lightning crackled violently around his body as his chakra surged outward.
Several shinobi behind Kakashi tensed, surprise flashing across their faces. But after facing enemies like Pain and Naruto, their tolerance for powerful shinobi had grown.
Ay was strong—undeniably so.
But compared to monsters like Pain… or Naruto—he was merely formidable.
Still, no one lowered their guard.
Power borrowed from others was never their own.
Kakashi recalled Naruto's words about resource distribution.
With the Umbrella Organization's current strength, resource scarcity was no longer an unsolvable problem. In the future, they would even venture beyond the planet itself. Once the world was unified, all resources would be centrally controlled.
The chaos that had plagued the Ninja World for generations would finally end.
"Senior," Kakashi said calmly, chakra rising around him, "the times have changed. The new era belongs to the youth."
His aura sharpened, like a blade unsheathed.
"I hope your strength matches your words," Ay snorted.
The instant his voice fell, Ay vanished.
Kakashi's pupils shrank.
An afterimage—nothing more.
Before Kakashi could react, a crushing presence loomed behind him.
Clang!
A blade flashed.
Kakashi's sword appeared horizontally behind his back, perfectly blocking the strike. At the same time, his left eye turned crimson.
The Sharingan activated.
Ay disappeared again the moment it opened.
Even Ay wouldn't underestimate a Sharingan user—especially one who remained so calm.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Storm!"
The sky roared.
Bolts of lightning twisted and descended like wrath incarnate, engulfing Kakashi from every direction. Thunder tore through the air as the battlefield was swallowed by blinding light.
Kakashi dodged continuously, weaving through the storm with extreme precision. Still, his expression darkened.
"Such chakra…" he muttered. "As expected of a shinobi from the era of the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara."
Then his gaze sharpened.
"But I am not who I used to be!"
Kakashi roared.
"White Fang Style: Lightning Cutter!"
Chakra surged into his blade, lightning screaming along its edge. With a single decisive swing—
The lightning in the sky was severed.
The storm was split apart, cut cleanly as if sliced by an invisible hand.
Gasps rang out across the battlefield.
The shinobi from smaller clans stared in disbelief. Such an attack—such precision—was beyond anything they had imagined.
Even the Uchiha couldn't hide their shock.
Ay's Lightning Release had been refined to perfection, tailored entirely to his own body. Even he couldn't casually withstand its full force.
And yet Kakashi had countered it.
With swordsmanship.
"Hahaha! Excellent!" Ay laughed loudly, exhilaration surging through him. "It's been a long time since I've felt this alive!"
He burst forward again, transforming into a streak of blue light.
"Ninja Taijutsu! Lightning Release Chakra Mode—Liger Bomb!"
The ground shattered as Ay charged.
Kakashi remained calm, but he knew better than anyone—taking that attack head-on would be disastrous.
The Liger Bomb was a signature technique of the Yotsuki Clan's leaders.
"White Fang Style: Severing Void!"
Blade light exploded outward.
Dozens of slashes tore through the air, forming a deadly net. Ay dodged at terrifying speed, his body moving almost faster than sight.
But the White Fang Style was not inferior in speed.
Several slashes finally landed.
Blood sprayed.
The battlefield fell silent once more.
A terrifying destructive force erupted.
Ay's arm was instantly annihilated, its vitality severed completely. This was the true horror of the White Fang Style—its ability to erase not just flesh, but momentum and force itself.
However, Ay was in the Edo Tensei state.
Black cracks spread across the ruined limb, and in the blink of an eye, his arm regenerated, restored as if nothing had happened.
Before anyone could react, Ay passed straight through the remaining blade light and appeared beside Kakashi.
Under the horrified and anxious gazes of the Konoha shinobi, Kakashi was sent flying.
Bang!!!
A cloud of white smoke burst forth.
The figure that had been thrown away dispersed—it was a Shadow Clone.
In the brief instant while Ay's body was regenerating, Kakashi had formed a one-handed seal, switching places flawlessly.
His real body now appeared behind Ay.
The blade descended.
For a moment, the Konoha shinobi felt their hearts lift—
Then Ay casually extended his arm backward.
Clang.
Kakashi's blade struck flesh—and stopped.
A faint white mark appeared on Ay's arm, but there was no real damage.
Kakashi's brow furrowed slightly.
So this is the physical body of the Yotsuki Clan…
Even stronger than the Fourth Raikage in his prime.
This level of durability was comparable to the Third Raikage, whose body was said to rival the strongest defenses in shinobi history.
But Kakashi was no longer the man he once was.
His Sharingan spun rapidly.
A Genjutsu activated.
Ay's movements halted for a fraction of a second—
—and then shattered the illusion instantly.
Even so, that fleeting instant was enough.
Kakashi vanished in a blur.
Body Flicker Technique.
Boom!!!
A massive crater, tens of meters wide, exploded into existence where Kakashi had stood moments before.
The sheer power left everyone speechless.
Even those accompanying Ay couldn't help but admit—
Among them all, Ay possessed the greatest raw destructive power.
"That junior over there," one of them muttered, "facing such a monster and still remaining composed… what an outstanding young shinobi."
At that moment, a figure from the Uzumaki Clan spoke.
"If I'm not mistaken, he should be from the Hatake Clan. His swordsmanship has already surpassed the Hatake clan head from my era."
Even the previously silent Uchiha finally spoke.
"His swordsmanship is indeed refined," he said coolly. "But without the Sharingan, he wouldn't be able to reach this level."
The others said nothing, though their thoughts differed.
Was it the Sharingan?
Or the man?
The Sharingan's dynamic vision could indeed track Ay's terrifying speed—but to claim that the eye alone was responsible was laughable. The most important factor was still the shinobi wielding it.
Yet no one voiced this aloud.
After all, the Uchiha had always possessed an almost mystical confidence in their bloodline—and to be fair, they had every reason to be proud.
(End of Chapter)
💎 100 P.S = +1 Bonus Chapter
🔟 Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin
😊 Thank You For Your Support!