The chakra on White Fang grew stronger by the second.
In the dim light of the sea of insect, the blade glowed like a bright moon, illuminating the surroundings.
Kurenai's face grew serious.
Even without drawing his sword, Yasu's chakra alone gave off the presence of a powerful shinobi.
"Kakashi… I see now. Team 8… it was just a stepping stone for Yasu, wasn't it?"
Suddenly, Kurenai understood Kakashi's intentions.
She didn't feel anger; instead, a small smile appeared.
Yasu was too arrogant; his relentless advance was bound to falter, and Kakashi Hatake wanted him to lose once—not to punish him, but to teach him that no matter how talented a shinobi is, overconfidence can be a fatal flaw. Experiencing loss would humble Yasu and make him stronger in real battle.
And what Kurenai wanted was team coordination.
Team 8 had just formed. Though the three members knew each other, they hadn't truly fought together.
Yasu, being the same age as them, was the perfect catalyst to push their abilities to the limit.
The battle would reveal everyone's strengths and weaknesses, saving Kurenai from countless detours.
This was a win-win match, so she had no reason to blame Kakashi.
"It's about time to end this."
At that moment, the swarm of insects surged toward Yasu like the sky was falling.
Sasuke, though not at the center of the battlefield, felt the immense pressure pressing down on him.
"Shino, who usually never speaks, is this strong? Even Yasu-kun isn't his match."
By now, White Fang in Yasu's hand blazed at its peak.
The insects sensed an unprecedented danger.
But now, controlled by chakra, they had no chance to escape.
"This is it!"
Yasu's eyes snapped open, his sharp gaze causing the entire swarm to tremble.
He moved—not running away, but charging straight at Shino, into the heart of the insect sea.
"What is he doing? Has he gone mad?!"
Though Shino controlled the swarm, he had just graduated from the ninja academy. Any miscalculation would leave Yasu trapped with nowhere to run.
Even if Kurenai tried to intervene, it would likely be too late.
"Kakashi! How long are you going to hide? Come out now!"
At Kurenai's shout, Kakashi finally appeared before Team 7.
"Yo! You all look fired up!" Kakashi said casually, stuffing his book into his ninja tool pouch.
"You're joking around? Go stop Yasu!"
"I can't," Kakashi said, sounding exhausted.
If he had appeared a few seconds earlier, he might have been able to stop Yasu.
But now, with White Fang's aura at its peak, intercepting Yasu would come at a great cost.
Kakashi had more confidence in stopping Shino than trying to stop Yasu directly.
"They've surrounded him!"
Even Kakashi, usually calm, looked serious now.
Yasu was completely enclosed by the swarm, and they couldn't see anything inside.
If the insects went out of control, Yasu would be devoured instantly, without anyone outside even realizing it.
Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan.
Kurenai shivered.
Though she hadn't worked with Kakashi much, she recognized the motion immediately.
When Kakashi reveals his Sharingan, it meant he was taking things seriously.
"Sasuke, prepare Fire Style!"
"Yes!"
Sasuke snapped out of his shock at Kakashi's Sharingan and placed his hands in position, ready to perform a jutsu.
Kakashi nodded, then looked at Kurenai.
"Kurenai, any of the insects get out of control are yours to handle."
"Don't worry. I don't want this kid getting hurt either."
Just as Kakashi finished his orders, a sharp killing intent radiated outward. Three streaks of white light flashed across the writhing insect sea.
Where the light touched, all the insects fell lifeless.
Through the gap, Yasu's confident smile appeared.
Kakashi's mouth twitched.
He had carefully prepared a rescue plan, but before he could implement it, it was already over.
He felt exhausted—but he couldn't help but admire Yasu.
To carve a path through such a dire situation… not even considering combat skill, his courage alone was worthy of a top-tier shinobi.
Yasu emerged from the insect sea.
Shino had used all his insects to trap him, leaving Yasu with few insects for cover.
Seeing Yasu charge, Shino frantically tried to regain control of the swarm.
"Got him," he muttered, almost to himself.
But then his eyes widened slightly. Something was off.
Unlike the others, Shino could see exactly what was happening inside the swarm.
And there was no trace of Yasu inside.
"No… impossible," Shino said quietly, voice flat but tense.
Shino instinctively looked up. The insect sea was surging toward him uncontrollably.
Yasu crouched behind Shino, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Thousand Years of Death!"
With a scream, everyone present instinctively covered their most vulnerable areas, faces showing sheer terror.
Shino was hurled dozens of meters before landing, tears streaming down his face.
Without Shino's chakra controlling them, the swarm had gone wild, attacking each other. Any person trapped inside that swarm wouldn't be instantly devoured, but they would be rendered completely immobile within moments. Thousands of insects would drain every last drop of chakra from their body, leaving them paralyzed, helpless, and completely unable to fight or even move.
Fortunately, the swarm calmed after a short while and dispersed.
The sun, previously blocked by insects, shone once again.
Of Team 8, two were already out of the fight. Only Hinata Hyuga remained standing.
Yasu smirked, forming the Thousand Years of Death gesture, stepping toward Hinata.
Hinata froze, her face terrified, hands covering herself as she moved backward.
"He wouldn't… attack Hinata, would he? She's a girl!"
Team 7 sneered in unison:
"Its possible!"
Hinata slipped on a stone and fell.
"Its certainly possible!" x3
Yasu chuckled mischievously, tapping her forehead.
"All done. You lose!"
[Ding! Hinata Hyuga affection +3! Current: 60 points! Can sign in!]