As the headband was lifted, an eye was exposed to the cool moonlight.
In the crimson pupil, three black tomoe spun slowly, exuding a powerful aura.
A three-tomoe Sharingan!
In that instant, Sasuke's pupils contracted violently, and the assault of his sword came to a halt.
"That eye..."
He stared intently at Kakashi's left eye and demanded, "Why... Why do you have that eye?!"
The Sharingan was proof of the Uchiha clan's bloodline, the pride of their clan.
Besides that man and himself, it should have been impossible for a third person in this world to possess it.
But Kakashi, the man before him, not only possessed it, but it was also in its fully mature, three-tomoe form.
Kakashi looked at Sasuke's shocked expression and answered calmly.
"It was a gift from a friend."
"A gift?"
Sasuke's eyes instantly turned icy. "Since when did the eyes of the Uchiha clan become a gift that could be given away so freely?"
He raised his hand and chanted an incantation.
"Hadō #4: Byakurai!"
A bolt of lightning shot from Sasuke's fingertip.
It was just a probe. This Kidō spell didn't have much destructive power; even a direct hit would only paralyze the enemy.
Kakashi dodged to the side, somewhat surprised.
What kind of jutsu was that?
A lightning-style ninjutsu that required no hand signs.
He had never seen it before.
The Sharingan couldn't copy it, and he hadn't even felt any significant chakra fluctuations.
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
Sasuke didn't give him much time to think.
He extended his left hand forward, and a ball of blue-white flame instantly condensed in his palm, roaring as it smashed towards where Kakashi was standing.
Boom—!
The violent explosion blew the entire tree branch to smithereens.
Kakashi's figure had already appeared in another tree, his Sharingan locked tightly onto Sasuke's form as his brain analyzed at high speed.
"Fire and lightning-style jutsu that don't require hand signs... The attack methods are direct, but they seem to lack variation."
"Hadō #1: Shō!"
Sasuke chanted in a low voice again, and an invisible impact force shot from his palm, heading straight for Kakashi.
Kakashi didn't take it head-on. Relying on his combat experience, his figure flickered continuously through the trees, neutralizing all of Sasuke's attacks.
Sasuke's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
Although his Kidō spells were cast quickly, they seemed to be ineffective in front of the Sharingan.
Just as Sasuke used Shunpo again in pursuit, preparing for a close-range slash, something unexpected happened.
On his path forward, the ground suddenly became soft, and a hand shot out from underground without warning, grabbing his ankle tightly!
Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!
The powerful pull instantly threw Sasuke off balance, and his body sank heavily into the ground.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke was alarmed. Only now did he realize that the fighting style here was different from the Soul Society he was familiar with.
Before he could stabilize himself, Kakashi's figure had already appeared in an open space not far away, his hands forming seals at a dazzling speed!
"Tiger - Rabbit - Serpent - Horse - Ram - Boar..."
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
With a low shout, the water in a nearby pond gathered into a ferocious water dragon, which lunged towards the just-risen Sasuke.
Sasuke could only use Shunpo again, dodging to the side in a sorry state.
Rumble—!
The water dragon crashed into the ground, creating a monstrous wave.
Just as Sasuke landed, before he could even catch his breath, he suddenly met Kakashi's crimson Sharingan.
Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!
In an instant, the world before Sasuke's eyes began to distort.
He seemed to be back on that bloody night, his parents lying in a pool of blood, while his brother, holding a blood-dripping longsword, looked at him indifferently, speaking cruel words.
"My foolish little brother..."
"Kill him, kill him!"
The emotion of hatred erupted instantly. At the same time, that sinister voice echoed in his mind again.
"Get lost!"
Sasuke's soul was strong enough. The tomoe in his eyes spun frantically.
In just one second, he broke free from the genjutsu's restraints.
But in a battle, one second is enough to decide the winner.
When Sasuke's vision cleared again, a cold kunai was already pressed against his throat.
The battle was over.
Sasuke stood motionless.
"Damn it..."
He gritted his teeth, his heart filled with unwillingness. "It's that guy causing trouble again!"
Kakashi withdrew the kunai and looked at Sasuke calmly. "You're not strong yet. You have no right to look down on your opponent."
"Hmph," Sasuke let out a cold snort. "If it weren't for... Anyway, you were lucky this time."
He argued stubbornly, but the previous disdain was gone.
Kakashi saw through him but didn't expose him, merely shrugging. "Well, in a fight, only the result matters. A loss is a loss."
Sasuke's face turned a little ugly. He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Your caliber, I acknowledge it. You are indeed worthy of standing before me."
"What you said earlier, does it still count?" he asked stiffly.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, surprised that he would say that.
"Hm? What did I say?"
"...Stay, and get stronger," Sasuke squeezed the words out through his teeth.
"Ah, that."
Kakashi looked as if he had just realized, then smiled. "Of course, it still counts. What, you want to be my student?"
"Boring," Sasuke turned his head away, no longer looking at him, but he didn't mention leaving again.
Kakashi hoisted Naruto up and prepared to turn and leave when Sasuke's voice suddenly came from behind.
"Tomorrow, what time?"
Kakashi stopped, turned back, and looked at him in surprise.
Sasuke's face still held that cold expression, as if everything that had just happened never occurred. "The Ninja Academy."
Kakashi was stunned for a moment, then he smiled, a genuine smile from the heart.
"Well, let's say nine in the morning. Don't be late, okay?"
With that, his figure flickered and disappeared.
Watching Kakashi's retreating back, Sasuke looked down at the slightly trembling Zanpakutō in his hand and said in a low voice:
"We definitely lost this time, but there will be a chance for you to use your full strength in the future."
Although he really didn't want to admit it, staying in Konoha was indeed his best option for now.
Through this battle, Sasuke had more or less recognized his own strength.
If he went looking for Itachi now, not to mention whether he could find him, he would probably just be throwing his life away...
It would be better to do as Kakashi said: stay here for now and get stronger.
After all, as a ninja, he still had a lot of room for improvement.
It would be difficult for him to find Itachi on his own. By staying, he could use Konoha's intelligence to find clues about Uchiha Itachi.
But there was a more important matter at hand.
How exactly did he return to Konoha?
Was it because of that voice inside him? Or...
If he couldn't figure out why he was traveling between two worlds, it would be troublesome if he returned to the Soul Society next time and couldn't come back.
But Sasuke tried all sorts of strange methods, one by one, and all were ineffective.