Kakashi walked out from the shadows at the side and said, "If you don't work together as a team, this is the kind of outcome you'll meet."
"Ah— hoo-loo-loo— hoo-loo-loo—"
Before Kakashi could finish his sentence, he suddenly began to snore.
Hyūga Neji froze in disbelief.
What on earth was that?
Did Kakashi suddenly develop old-age dementia?
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yujin had already activated his Sharingan, locking onto Kurama Yakumo in the distance.
She was sitting with a drawing board in hand, sketching quietly.
The corner of Yujin's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Kurama Yakumo was an anime-original character, and her very existence completely overturned Uchiha Itachi's record as the "No.1 genjutsu user."
Her ability came from a Kekkei Genkai.
To put it bluntly, she was an upgraded version of Sai.
Her illusions manifested whatever she drew.
If she painted Konoha and added thunderclouds in the sky, then real thunderclouds would appear above the village.
She had even used this ability to strike the Hokage's office with lightning once, which enraged Tsunade.
Because of that, Kurenai eventually resigned from Team 8 and devoted herself to monitoring Yakumo.
Later, Yakumo used her genjutsu on Kurenai.
Kurenai—the "strongest" illusionist in Konoha—was trapped so deeply she couldn't escape at all.
It was far worse than when she had faced Itachi.
That incident proved Yakumo's genjutsu exceeded his.
She was so overpowered that the anime had no choice but to remove her from the main storyline.
Otherwise, Infinite Tsukuyomi would look like a child's game in comparison.
Her ability was practically the legendary "magic brush" from folklore.
With the enhanced sight of his three-tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Yujin clearly saw what Yakumo was drawing.
On her canvas stood a goofy-looking masked ninja who resembled Kakashi.
Above Kakashi's head, she had drawn a "zzzzz" bubble—indicating that he should fall asleep.
With a technique this literal—where drawing became reality—Uchiha Yujin felt it wasn't even genjutsu anymore.
A thought quietly formed in his heart.
If he built a good relationship with her…
Then on the Night of the Uchiha Massacre, he could pull off something truly spectacular.
Thinking this, Uchiha Yujin lifted his gaze toward Yakumo as she stepped lightly toward Kakashi.
She clearly intended to take advantage of his "sleeping state" and remove the bells from his hand with zero effort.
But Kakashi was an Elite jōnin of the Leaf.
He would never be that easy to catch off guard.
Uchiha Yujin's Sharingan spun rapidly, noticing an unremarkable stone behind the "sleeping" Kakashi, and a nearly invisible string tied high on a tree.
He could already foresee it—
If Yakumo so much as reached for the bell, Kakashi's trap would snap instantly, and she would be hoisted into the tree.
"He's not caught in a genjutsu. That's just a Shadow Clone."
Uchiha Yujin shouted the warning, and Yakumo's body froze.
"Shuu—!"
A shuriken flew toward Uchiha Yujin.
He tilted his head slightly, dodging it with ease, then flicked a shuriken in return.
It forced the real Kakashi—who had been hiding in the shadows holding the wire—out into the open.
Kakashi stepped forward with theatrical flair and gave everyone a casual wave.
"Hi~ Nice to meet you. Please take good care of me~"
The meaning of those words was obvious.
Right from the start of the team's gathering, this guy hadn't even shown up in person. It was all just his shadow clones running around.
Hyūga Neji, buried underground with only his head sticking out, spat out a mouthful of dirt. "Ugh! Hey! Uchiha! Has this guy always been this annoying?"
Uchiha Yujin shrugged. "What else do you expect?"
Kakashi Hatake squinted and scratched his head. "What a terrible kid."
Kurama Yakumo, realizing she had been tricked, wanted to run back and grab her drawing board, completely unaware of the strange ground beneath her feet.
The moment her foot touched the trap hidden in the grass, there was a sharp whoosh. A thick rope shot up from the ground and tightly wrapped around her ankle.
Immediately, she was yanked into the air, her body lifted uncontrollably, and she ended up hanging upside down from a tree.
Because she was wearing a skirt, this sudden turn of events left her in an incredibly awkward position.
Her skirt flared in the wind, her face flushed bright red, both embarrassed and angry. She struggled desperately to free herself from the rope, but it was useless.
Seeing this, Uchiha Yujin shook his head helplessly. He quickly drew a shuriken from his waist, aimed at the rope binding Yakumo, and threw it with force. The shuriken cut through the air with a snap, and the rope snapped instantly.
Yakumo immediately lost her support and fell straight to the ground.
She clumsily got back on her feet, dusting herself off. She was about to grab her drawing board to take revenge on Kakashi when she felt someone behind her!
She tried to draw a kunai for close combat, but Kakashi was too fast. He quickly tied her up!
Uchiha Yujin, watching Yakumo struggle in her bindings, couldn't help but scold Kakashi. "What have you been watching all day? You can't even tie a rope properly!"
Kakashi didn't respond. He threw a shuriken at Uchiha Yujin.
The battle began!
Uchiha Yujin struck first. He quickly formed hand seals, gathering chakra behind his throat, and released a mighty fireball.
Hyūga Neji saw this technique and couldn't hide his frustration.
Previously, he hadn't been able to deal with this jutsu. Now, with a second chance, he was confident he could handle it!
At that moment, Neji didn't want to see Kakashi handling this jutsu so easily.
Facing the fierce onslaught, Kakashi remained calm, his hands moving swiftly to form hand signs.
"Water Release: Water Random Waves!"
A surging torrent of water erupted from his mouth, colliding head-on with the fiery attack with tremendous force.
In an instant, water and fire clashed violently, creating a sizzling roar. Thick steam immediately filled the air, shrouding both of them in a dense, white mist.
Seeing Kakashi approaching, Uchiha Yujin quickly formed hand signs and unleashed Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
In a flash, four solid walls of water rose from the ground, blocking his path.
But Kakashi moved through the smoke, gripping a blinding blue lightning in his hand, and charged straight at Uchiha Yujin's water walls.
The training field echoed with the crackle of Kakashi's lightning, so loud that Yakumo and Neji squinted in annoyance.
Seeing the jutsu, Uchiha Yujin was genuinely shocked.
"You're using Chidori against a Genin, huh?"
Kakashi eased his stance slightly and replied with a smile, "Aren't you forming a Water Dragon Bullet as well?"
From a distance, Neji's Byakugan locked onto Uchiha Yujin inside the water walls, leaving him stunned.
His eyes widened in disbelief. "Is he just randomly moving his hands!? What jutsu needs twenty or thirty hand signs? No… wait… he's still forming them? Forty!? Forty-two? Forty-four hand signs for a single jutsu!?"
As Kakashi's Chidori pierced through the water wall, Uchiha Yujin finally completed his hand signs.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A colossal dragon made of water roared and shot out from the surface before him, snapping and lunging toward Kakashi.
Kakashi faced the charging Water Dragon Bullet, stomping the ground and leaping high into the air, his hands forming signs with lightning speed.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
A sturdy wall of earth shot up beneath him, and the Water Dragon Bullet smashed into it with a deafening roar.
Though the Water Dragon Bullet struck with immense force, the Earth Flow Wall held firm, dispersing the water's power into countless droplets that fell to the ground.
The scene left Yakumo and Neji speechless.
Is this really a battle between ninjas?
But… isn't one of them just a Genin?
Uchiha Yujin's power was unbelievably terrifying.
"Wow! So strong!" Yakumo exclaimed.
Yet, this wasn't even Uchiha Yujin's limit.
After his Water Dragon Bullet failed to break Kakashi, Uchiha Yujin pulled out a feather.
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat at the sight, but his face quickly filled with satisfaction.
This was a new technique Uchiha Yujin had developed after days of training under Killer B.
By infusing lightning chakra into the hardened feather, he had greatly increased its speed and lethality.
Thus, it was named—Lightning Feather!
The black feather, infused with lightning chakra, shot toward Kakashi at an incredibly high speed.
Kakashi didn't dare underestimate it. Facing the lightning feather, he gathered electricity in his hand!
But this time, it wasn't Chidori—it was an advanced version of Chidori: Raikiri!
The power of Raikiri greatly enhanced Kakashi's speed. He barely turned his body to the side, trying to evade the trajectory of the lightning feather!
At that critical moment, Kakashi suddenly froze.
Before his eyes appeared the image of a teammate he had once killed—Rin Nohara!
Kakashi knew he had fallen into an illusion, but the familiar face of his old friend caused a slight delay in his reaction.
The lightning feather, carrying a fierce aura and dazzling sparks, grazed Kakashi's waist!
Its sharp edge tore through the hem of his clothes and cut the string tied to the bell.
The bell slipped instantly from Kakashi's grasp, tracing an arc through the air before plummeting toward the ground.
Nearby, Yakumo Kurama, tied up, and Hyuga Neji, with only his head visible, widened their eyes, speechless at the sudden turn of events.
They watched the bell spinning through the air, their hearts swelling with anticipation and tension over the outcome of the battle.
Kakashi quickly snapped back to reality. He knew he couldn't let Uchiha Yujin obtain the bell so easily.
In an instant, his body became a shadow as he dashed toward the falling bell.
The moment the bell hit the ground, he scooped it up!
At the same time, he tore off the mask that covered his Sharingan!
Uchiha Yujin, caught off guard, immediately fell into an illusion!
The bloody night appeared vividly in his mind!
Without hesitation, Kakashi appeared in front of Uchiha Yujin, grabbed him, and executed the same buried-style immobilization technique used on Hyuga Neji!
When Uchiha Yujin finally came out of the illusion, he found himself tied to a tree trunk.
Beside him, Yakumo Kurama stood upright, balancing a bowl on his head as punishment.
Hyuga Neji squatted in a horse stance, holding a stone. Below him, a stick of incense burned to prevent him from slacking.
Seeing Uchiha Yujin wake up, Yakumo Kurama, who had come to regard him as the team leader, anxiously urged, "Think of something quickly! It's already noon!"
Uchiha Yujin yawned lazily. "No need to think. Just wait for lunch."
****
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