Was Hakken overconfident?
Facing two Jinchūriki alone?
Not at all.
Before setting out, he had already gained a thorough understanding of his own strength. At that time, he possessed nearly fifteen percent of the Zaraki Kenpachi template and was on the verge of unlocking the White Hollow template's Second Slash trait.
Two powerful templates, combined with his beast-like physical abilities. Add in the Chakra Blade—each element was a vital part of his strength.
When unleashing the full power of the demon, what difference did a perfect Jinchūriki make?
Besides, the only true Perfect Jinchūriki was Killer Bee.
Yugito Nii might have had the potential to reach that level someday, but she was still too young and hadn't yet achieved the kind of complete fusion that came with maturity. In the end, her strength still fell short.
From her brief Partial Tailed Beast Transformation earlier, Hakken had already deduced that she couldn't maintain that state for long. Judging by her appearance, she must have graduated from the Ninja Academy only a few years ago.
That meant the real threat was only the Eight-Tails.
The rest could be left to Shisui, Kakashi, and Itachi.
Once they took care of the lesser enemies, their coordinated assault with him against the Eight-Tails would ensure victory.
However, Hakken was well aware of the risks.
Until Shisui and Kakashi cleared the field, he would have to hold off both Jinchūriki alone. If he failed, the battle would turn against them instantly.
Could he withstand the pressure?
Beneath the mask, his pupils narrowed. Instinct and raw fighting spirit drove him to raise his Zanpakutō once more.
"Yugito, are you okay?"
Killer Bee glanced at the forest ravaged by the Black Getsuga Slash's slash, then turned to Yugito, who was pushing herself up from the ground, her Partial Tailed Beast Transformation fading away.
Everywhere the Black Getsuga Slash had passed was now barren. The sheer force of that strike made him wary of lowering his guard again.
In the ninja world, even the strongest shinobi could fall to a single shuriken.
If that slash had landed directly, it truly would have killed him.
"I'm fine."
Gritting her teeth, Yugito forced herself upright and nodded.
Had she been careless?
But she had already been cautious enough!
What she hadn't expected was that the sharp claws of her Two-Tails transformation would be so easily overpowered by his blade.
She glanced down at her left hand.
The nails she had deliberately grown long for battle had been cleanly sheared off.
"Just assist my attack."
Killer Bee nodded and stepped forward, seven blades gleaming coldly in his hands.
He was a swordsman too—and in all of Kumogakure, there was no one he acknowledged above him in kenjutsu.
Whoosh!
Clang!
His figure vanished.
In the next instant, Bee revealed the true lethality of the Killer Bee. From head to toe, his entire body became a weapon. With every rotation, every flicker of motion, countless blades traced invisible arcs through the air, each capable of slicing through a throat in an instant.
He was the true Killer Bee.
Beside him, Yugito sighed softly, a faint look of frustration on her face.
In a duel between masters, if she attacked recklessly, she would only become a burden.
Watching the young man exchange blows with Killer Bee, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief.
How old was he, really?
She could clearly hear the faintly youthful tone beneath his mask.
What puzzled her most, however, was something else.
Raikage-sama had warned them that the greatest threat on this mission was supposed to be Shisui of the Body Flicker—yet the reality before her was completely different.
Now, this masked youth stood as the strongest combatant of Konoha's elite squad.
This sudden turn of events was too much for her to accept.
At that moment, an explosion rang out.
The girl turned her head—and the sight before her filled her with fury.
On the battlefield, the six Chūnin had already fallen under the flawless coordination of Team Night Owl, while the two Jōnin were locked in a desperate struggle. In just a single exchange, they were forced into an absolute disadvantage!
Shisui of the Body Flicker—his mastery wasn't limited to speed alone. His understanding and use of Genjutsu were truly terrifying. A single glance could freeze his opponent in place, and in that fleeting instant before they fell fully into illusion, he would strike.
Even a seasoned Jōnin, capable of breaking Genjutsu swiftly, could not escape unscathed. And to make matters worse, Kakashi Hatake stood beside him, lightning dancing in his hand.
"Go help them first!"
Yugito bit down and charged toward the rear battlefield.
In her mind, only she could stand against Shisui. What she didn't realize was that this very conviction was the greatest illusion of all.
In the world of shinobi, when it came to Genjutsu, no one could compare to the Uchiha clan. Especially those who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Itachi's Tsukuyomi and Shisui's Kotoamatsukami—those were illusions elevated to the level of pure art. The ancient Kurama clan of Konoha once shone briefly, their control over the five senses formidable indeed, but even they could not match the ease of a Genjutsu cast with a single glance.
...
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Killer Bee's assault showed no sign of stopping. Hakken, sword in hand, moved with effortless grace, parrying with simple, direct swings. Flashy techniques could never match the raw satisfaction of a strike that split the earth.
"7974!"
"7975!"
"7976!"
…
With each successful parry against Killer Bee's attacks, Hakken muttered a number—zero… But Bee couldn't make sense of what those numbers meant.
Clang!
The clash continued.
"7989!"
"7990!"
When the count reached 7990, excitement flashed in Hakken's eyes. That was the number of swings he had completed today!
Yes—
Even deep behind enemy lines, in a mission this intense, he never neglected his daily training. And when sword practice and real combat merged, that dull repetition no longer felt tedious.
"Ten more to go!"
He raised his Zanpakutō high, his body trembling.
"Now that I think about it… this is the first time I've been forced to fight defensively."
"This feeling… really pisses me off."
"Roar!"
A beastly growl burst from his throat as his stance shifted—no longer holding the sword with one hand.
"You know something?"
"A sword swung with both hands hits a lot harder than one swung with just one!"
Swish!
The Zanpakutō, raised high, cleaved downward, releasing a golden flash that tore toward Killer Bee.
Sword Pressure! The signature effect of a standard horizontal slash from the Zaraki Kenpachi template!
But one swing wasn't enough to satisfy the boiling battle lust within him. The second strike followed immediately—this time, a pitch-black crescent moon trailed behind it!
"Hakken-ryū Secret Technique!"
"Ten Consecutive Slashes!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
His body spun and weaved, unleashing a flurry of attacks. As five golden arcs of Sword Pressure and five dark crescents tore toward Killer Bee, the latter was left stunned.
"Bee! Snap out of it—let me handle this!"
Roar!
A deep growl rumbled as the massive form of the Eight-Tails wrapped protectively around him. Ten sword waves rained down in a wild bombardment!
But Hakken wasn't interested in admiring the destruction. In his ears, a familiar system notification chimed.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Daily Mission [Never-Ending] - 8000 Sword Swings Completed!]
[Congratulations, Host! All Template Progress increased by 0.2%!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! First Normal Attack King Template – Zaraki Kenpachi – Progress reached 15%!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Second Normal Attack King Template – White Hollow – Progress reached 5%!]
[Ding! White Hollow Template progress reached 5%. Normal Attack Trait draw attempt available. Proceed with immediate draw?]
...
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