On the deck, everyone lay sprawled out in all directions, gasping for breath.
The massive Ivankov, who occupied more than half the deck, struggled to sit up, as the earlier Galaxy Wink had drained his strength several times over.
Fortunately, they had escaped the Navy's encirclement.
Otherwise, if they had been caught, he would have had almost no fighting power left.
Inazuma walked over and shoved Ivankov toward the railing, clearing out a large open space.
He then plopped down heavily on the deck.
Ivankov was not angry at Inazuma's rough behavior.
Instead, he asked in confusion, "J-just now… why did that Doflamingo run away?"
"He didn't run," Yujin replied, his complexion already much better.
He looked toward the direction behind them, feeling slightly uneasy.
"My analysis is that he simply hates working as the Navy's enforcer."
"Becoming one of the Seven Warlords was only for his own purposes."
"Even if he dealt with our ship, it wouldn't have taken him much effort."
Inazuma had seen Yujin use Lightning Feather against Magellan before.
At that time, Lightning Feather had clearly affected Magellan quite a bit.
Yet Doflamingo had a way to handle it.
Inazuma's red wine glass trembled slightly in his hand.
"If that's the case… then that really was close."
Yujin did not believe that, even together with Ivankov and Inazuma, the three of them could gain much advantage against Doflamingo.
The only reason he had been able to tangle with Magellan for so many rounds in Impel Down was because of the antidotes he had gathered from the Eternal Hell, the Freezing Hell, and the Blazing Hell.
A Doflamingo who had developed the String-String Fruit to its extreme, possessed awakened abilities, and wielded all three forms of Haki—including the rare Conqueror's Haki—was far more troublesome in the open sea than Magellan.
Of course, without the support of antidotes, Magellan was still the harder opponent to deal with.
Yujin thought for a moment.
"Right now, our top priority is to go to the Sabaody Archipelago and change ships."
"Using a Navy warship like this is far too conspicuous."
Ivankov stood up, and several subordinates tumbled out from his afro.
He shouted his orders loudly.
"Destination, Sabaody Archipelago."
"Full speed ahead!"
The forest after the rain was filled with the scent of wet earth, which was a devastating obstacle for tracking.
The ninja dog Pakkun sniffed left and right under the watchful eyes of the temporary Team Seven members.
He barked twice, then spoke in a human voice.
"We're not very far from them now."
Kakashi tightened his grip on his kunai.
"Everyone, stay alert for our surroundings!"
"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.
The members of Team Seven leaped nimbly across the tree trunks, moving swiftly through the forest.
Suddenly, Uchiha Yujin, who was guarding the rear of the team, sensed something unusual with the aid of Observation Haki.
His eyes turned cold, and without hesitation, he pulled out a shuriken and hurled it toward an unremarkable puddle in the distance.
Seeing this, Kakashi Hatake was slightly surprised, but years of combat experience made him react instantly, and he immediately raised his hand to signal everyone to stop.
Everyone's gaze focused on the flying shuriken.
With a sharp pa sound, the shuriken pierced into the puddle.
In the next instant, blood seeped out from the water.
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted loudly, "Enemy contact! Formation One-One-Three!"
Everyone except Uchiha Yujin nodded quickly in response.
"Yes!"
The team immediately scattered into position.
Kakashi took the front, while Uchiha Yujin stayed at the rear.
Kurama Yakumo and Hyuga Neji, under the protection of Kurama Yuzuki, cautiously observed their surroundings.
"There!"
Uchiha Yujin suddenly activated his Sharingan, and with the assistance of Observation Haki, directly locked onto another puddle.
His hands rapidly formed seals, and he shouted, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
In an instant, a massive fireball burst from his mouth, carrying scorching heat as it surged toward the ground.
Just as the fireball was about to hit the puddle, the water suddenly rippled in a strange way.
A figure emerged from the ground like a ghost, reacting with extreme speed as he leapt backward, narrowly dodging the Great Fireball Jutsu.
Kakashi widened his eyes when he saw the ninja appear and immediately noticed the symbol on his headband.
It was the mark of Amegakure.
After evading the attack, the Rain Village ninja glared viciously at Uchiha Yujin, his face filled with confusion and unwillingness.
"How can your Sharingan see me inside the water?"
"That's impossible!"
Uchiha Yujin had no intention of explaining the abilities of Observation Haki.
With Observation Haki, even with his eyes closed, he could clearly sense the presence of someone hidden beneath calm water.
Kakashi made a decisive call and instructed Kurama Yuzuki behind him, "Protect the students."
Before his words had even finished, his figure vanished like lightning as he used Body Flicker and charged straight at the Rain Village ninja.
Seeing Kakashi rushing toward him aggressively, the Rain ninja did not hesitate and launched a preemptive strike.
He swiftly pulled out a specially made oil-paper umbrella from his back and threw it forcefully above Kakashi.
"Ninja Art: Rain of a Thousand Needles!"
The umbrella opened midair, and countless senbon rained down from it, shooting toward Kakashi as densely as a downpour.
These senbon possessed terrifying penetration power.
Several scattered needles pierced into nearby tree trunks as easily as sticking into tofu.
Kakashi did not dare to underestimate his opponent.
He immediately activated his Sharingan, rapidly tracking the trajectory of the senbon as they flew toward him.
His figure flashed as he swiftly evaded, forming hand seals at the same time.
"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
A solid wall of earth rose straight from the ground, blocking every single senbon.
The Rain ninja was unwilling to stop there.
He quickly formed seals with both hands and began chanting under his breath.
"Water Clone Technique!"
Several figures identical to the Rain ninja leapt over the earthen wall and launched a coordinated attack on Kakashi.
Kakashi deliberately exposed an opening.
Pretending to be drawn in by one of the clones, he rushed straight toward it.
The instant Kakashi closed the distance—
Several arms suddenly burst out from the ground beneath him, trying to grab hold of his legs.
Kakashi had anticipated this.
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
With a sharp shout, violent lightning surged from his hand.
The explosive current shattered the surrounding earth and clones in an instant, completely breaking the Water Clone Technique.
Seeing his move countered, the Rain ninja raised both hands high.
He chanted rapidly, then shouted aloud.
"Water Release: Black Rain Technique!"
Dark clouds rolled across the sky, and black rain began to pour down.
The raindrops were corrosive.
The moment they touched skin or clothing, they caused visible damage.
Kakashi did not hesitate.
He rapidly formed seals and shouted, "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A circular wall of water formed above him, blocking the falling black rain.
However, the range of the black rain continued to expand.
Cracks slowly began to appear in the water barrier.
Kakashi's hands moved again.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A massive dragon of earth erupted from the ground with overwhelming force, charging straight at the Rain ninja.
While the long-haired Rain ninja struggled to defend himself, Kakashi silently slipped behind him.
The moment he found his opening—
Chidori activated.
In an instant, lightning gathered wildly around Kakashi's right hand.
His gaze sharpened.
He thrust forward with terrifying speed, the attack cutting through the air with a piercing whistle.
But just as the Chidori was about to strike the long-haired Rain ninja—
With a loud splash, the enemy's body shattered like an illusion.
He dissolved into a puddle of water, spilling across the ground.
Kakashi, a man who had spent his life trading evenly with opponents, suffered this kind of silent loss for the first time.
His heart sank sharply.
A bad feeling surged within him.