"Kakashi!"
A furious shout rang out—just as loud and intense as Kakashi's own cries.
A streak of green light then charged straight at Kaede!
Bang!
Kaede raised his arm and blocked the incoming attack, though he was pushed back two steps from the sheer impact.
Without hesitation, he retaliated with a kick that sent the green blur flying.
As he looked closely at the attacker, Kaede raised an eyebrow.
"So it's you… Guy."
That's right—the one who intervened was none other than Might Guy.
From the moment the fighting began, he had noticed Kakashi's presence.
There was no mistaking that iconic white hair and the single Sharingan in his left eye.
But when he saw Kaede rip that very Sharingan from Kakashi's face, rage consumed him, and he instantly opened the Sixth Gate and charged forward.
Having been knocked back, Guy twisted his body mid-air and landed precisely next to Kakashi.
He looked over with concern. "Kakashi, are you okay?"
Kakashi, holding his left eye socket, shook his head. "It doesn't affect my ability to fight."
Guy let out a breath of relief, then turned with fury in his gaze toward Kaede.
"You bastard! How dare you take Kakashi's Sharingan?!"
"Kakashi's Sharingan?" Kaede scoffed.
"Everyone in the shinobi world knows—Sharingan belongs to the Uchiha."
"Back then, that fool Fugaku authorized Kakashi to use Obito's eye."
"But now that Fugaku died as a traitor to his clan, and the Uchiha have severed all ties with Konoha, it's only natural that Kakashi returns what never belonged to him in the first place."
Guy was instantly speechless.
He had never been good at arguments—and Kaede's logic was solid and irrefutable.
Fortunately, Kakashi stepped in.
With a pleading expression, he looked at Kaede.
"I won't comment on the grudge between your clan and the Konoha higher-ups."
"But that Sharingan… was given to me by my dying comrade, Uchiha Obito."
"I swore to use that eye to carry on Obito's will and witness this world in his place."
"I beg you… return it to me. I'll leave the battlefield immediately and take no further part in this war."
Kaede looked at him and sighed. "You're really a sentimental guy."
Hearing that, Kakashi's heart lifted with hope.
Only to be crushed by Kaede's cold response:
"But I refuse."
Kakashi froze, as if plunged into an icy pit.
Guy exploded.
"You're too heartless!"
Kaede let out a cold laugh.
"Kakashi and I have no bond. In fact, we're enemies right now."
"So why should I pity either of you?"
"I…" Kakashi tried again to plead.
But Guy cut him off with a roar. "Don't beg this cold-blooded bastard!"
"If he won't give it back—I'll take it by force!"
A surge of green steam erupted from his body as Guy charged once more toward Kaede!
"No!" Kakashi reached out to stop him—but he was already too late.
His face filled with worry.
Even Hiruzen had been defeated by Kaede in a single strike—what chance did Guy stand?
And even if Kakashi joined in, it wouldn't change the outcome.
"Perfect. I've been meaning to test the Eight Gates."
Kaede sheathed his sword and met Guy's Sixth Gate assault head-on—with his bare fists!
The two clashed, shattering the ground beneath them with their blows.
"How is this possible?!"
Guy's eyes widened in disbelief.
Kaede had directly received his punch with nothing but his body?
Just how monstrous was his physique?
But this was no time to be stunned—Kaede had already turned the tables and was now on the offensive.
His speed and strength overwhelmed Guy—even in the Sixth Gate!
"Damn it!" Kakashi gritted his teeth.
Guy was one of his few true friends. How could he stand by and watch him get crushed?
Without hesitation, Kakashi joined the fray.
But with his lackluster taijutsu, he could only try to distract Kaede and relieve some pressure from Guy.
"Get lost!"
Kaede suddenly unleashed a powerful burst, sending both of them flying backward.
Then he swiftly formed hand seals.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Shadow Clone Technique)
Four shadow clones appeared and instantly rushed off to aid the rest of the Uchiha.
He was enjoying this fight—but he wasn't about to risk his clan's lives for it.
With his current strength, those four clones could hold off dozens of enemies.
That matter settled, Kaede turned back to Guy.
"The Eight Gates… quite an impressive technique."
"I wonder how many you can open right now? If this is all, I'll be disappointed."
Guy bit down hard.
Even pushing himself to the limit, he could only manage the Seventh Gate at most.
And he couldn't maintain it for long—just enough for one final, devastating strike.
Still, he decided to hold on for a bit longer.
He leapt into the air and began punching at a speed even a Sharingan could barely track.
"Asa Kujaku!" (Morning Peacock!)
The friction from his fists ignited the air itself, unleashing waves of flame like a peacock's feathers.
"Now that's more like it," Kaede said with a flicker of interest.
He drew Kyōka Suigetsu and matched Guy's strikes with his own blade at equally blinding speed.
The resulting waves of sword energy were even denser than Guy's flaming fists.
The flames were swiftly cut down and extinguished.
Kaede stood, blade in hand, and chuckled. "Still not enough."
Guy took a deep breath. "No choice… I have to use that!"
"Seventh Gate, Kyōmon… Open!" (Gate of Wonder)
The green aura around him turned blue, and his eyes burned bright red.
In Kaede's vision, Guy's power suddenly surged.
He'd stepped fully into mid-Kage-level territory—and purely through taijutsu!
"Now this is getting fun."
Kaede's body, having undergone two full evolutions, already surpassed 99% of all lifeforms in the shinobi world.
Even purely in terms of physical combat, he stood firmly at Kage level.
Right now, perhaps only Guy could go toe to toe with him in hand-to-hand combat.
But Guy was still too weak.
Not because he couldn't open the Eighth Gate—but even his Seventh Gate wasn't yet at the level it reached in the original timeline.
Back then, he had utterly dominated the likes of Kisame with it.
This version of Guy was still lacking.
Across the battlefield, Guy finished opening the Seventh Gate and immediately went for his strongest move.
He placed his palms together at chest level.
"Hirudora!" (Daytime Tiger!)
A high-pressure air bomb formed in his hands, taking the shape of a roaring white tiger.
With a deafening roar, the tiger lunged at Kaede.
"Whew…"
Kaede let out a slow breath.
Then he gripped Kyōka Suigetsu with both hands and focused.
"Iaigiri!" (Draw Slash!)
A radiant white slash burst forth from his sword, clashing head-on with the white tiger.
The beast clamped down on the slash with its massive jaws—
But the sword energy exploded inside its mouth!
Both forces erupted simultaneously, creating a shockwave of smoke and dust that swept out in all directions.
Everyone nearby had to shield their eyes from the blast.
In the end, the two attacks canceled each other out.
Kaede was quite satisfied with the result.
"Looks like my raw physical strength is already on par with the Seventh Gate."
"And with my upgraded body, my durability far exceeds any normal shinobi."
"I've become an all-rounder. There's probably no one else like me in the entire shinobi world."
Kaede grinned.
Guy, on the other hand, was devastated.
Even his most powerful strike with the Seventh Gate couldn't do a thing to Kaede!
...
(End of Chapter)
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