Chapter 128: Perfect Swordsmanship
"Rin, stay close."
Kakashi pulled down the mask over his face, revealing a crimson Sharingan with two tomoe spinning slowly in his eye.
"I'll protect you."
"...Kakashi..."
Rin whispered softly, her heart clearly moved. Then she nodded firmly and drew a kunai, her eyes warily scanning the fog-shrouded surroundings.
The Hidden Mist Jutsu had drastically limited their visibility. Rin knew full well she wouldn't be of much help in this situation. The best she could do was not become a burden.
Kakashi, meanwhile, felt a rising urgency in his chest. He wasn't afraid of these Mist shinobi—far from it. With Obito's Sharingan, he could partially pierce through the dense fog and discern the silhouettes moving within.
And because of that vision, he clearly saw the Mist shinobi's tactics:
They intended to divide and conquer, and worse—they were targeting Rin more than him.
"No. I need to shift their focus onto me."
He gritted his teeth.
"I have to take one of them out fast—make it clear they won't reach Rin as long as I'm standing. Only then will they concentrate their firepower on me."
He glanced at Rin again.
She wasn't particularly skilled in combat, but she could hold off a little.
The problem was—these weren't ordinary enemy ninja. These were Mist Anbu, assassins who specialized in ambush and brutality. Kakashi didn't believe Rin could withstand even a moment if they reached her.
He couldn't afford to play defensively.
If he allowed two Mist shinobi to tie him up, the third would slip past and eliminate Rin in an instant.
His stance shifted—shoulders tensing, knees bending.
His right hand settled gently on the hilt of his blade.
The swordsmanship he'd learned from his father—though Sakumo Hatake had died early—was burned into him with muscle memory and instinct.
Slowly, Kakashi controlled his breathing, letting it grow steadier.
Then, he closed one eye. Only the Sharingan remained open, scanning the fog like a lighthouse in a storm.
Suddenly—
The Mist shinobi moved.
They split into two groups.
Two lunged at Kakashi.
One went straight for Rin.
Kakashi didn't budge.
He remained motionless, still as stone.
Closer. Closer.
And then—he exhaled.
In that instant, the Sharingan in his eye seemed to blaze, casting a light more brilliant than moonlight and more piercing than a sky full of stars.
In Kakashi's vision, color drained from the world, and everything dissolved into stark black and white—as if reality itself was being judged.
Then—a slash of silver light shot into the sky.
Colorless, and yet it felt like it encompassed every possible hue.
That sword slash split the black-and-white world apart, cleaving reality with a brilliance that could not be matched.
By the time his exhaled breath had completely left his lungs—
One of the Mist shinobi had already been cut down.
Kakashi didn't spare the fallen enemy a glance—nor the second who was swinging a blade down at him from the side.
Instead, with a forceful stomp, Kakashi launched himself backward, his body gliding through the mist.
As he moved, he flung a kunai toward the Mist shinobi on his flank—
—and without pause, swung his sword at the one charging toward Rin.
Every motion was as fluid as running water.
Every action was sharp, clean, and impossibly fast.
The Mist shinobi charging at Rin reacted swiftly.
He raised his blade in time to block Kakashi's strike—but not without cost.
Though he caught the blow, Kakashi's razor-sharp edge still sliced through, leaving a gash across the Mist ninja's chest. Without hesitation, Kakashi followed up with a powerful kick that sent the enemy tumbling backwards in a disheveled heap.
Landing with practiced ease, Kakashi didn't look back at Rin.
He was still caught in the afterglow of that one, perfect strike.
It had been the cleanest cut he'd ever executed.
No wasted motion.
Perfect timing.
Perfect angle.
Perfect strength.
Perfect speed.
Every element had come together without the slightest flaw.
As that blade had cleaved the world, the fog of battle had faded, and color had returned to the world. In this renewed vision of color, Kakashi stared at the remaining Mist shinobi—and quietly reflected.
Uchiha Kei was right.
His advice, his vision—it was the correct path all along.
Merging his father's swordsmanship with Obito's Sharingan... blending taijutsu and ninjutsu into one seamless style—this was Kakashi's true road forward.
He glanced down at the sword in his hand, the blade glowing with brilliant blue chakra—just like Kei's.
Pristine. Untainted. Not a drop of blood upon it.
Behind him, the Mist shinobi he had cut suddenly collapsed to the ground.
A burst of blood erupted from his chest before he went limp—silent, unmoving.
"Obito... thank you for your eye. It let me see everything clearly."
"Kei... thank you for your guidance. You helped me find a new path."
With that, Kakashi's resolve only deepened.
He knew it wouldn't be easy to reenter that flawless state again—
—but now that he had experienced it once, he believed he could refine it further, again and again.
But that was for later.
For now... he had to kill the two remaining Mist shinobi.
Taking a deep breath, Kakashi locked his Sharingan onto them.
His killing intent radiated so intensely, it felt as though it could tear through the fog itself.
"Rin," he said calmly, never looking back, "step back. I'll handle this. Find a place to hide—it won't take long."
"...Kakashi..." Rin gripped her kunai tighter, but then nodded solemnly.
"I understand. I'll wait for you."
Without hesitation, she turned and dashed into the nearby forest.
The two Mist shinobi watched her go, but neither dared to make a move.
They knew—
If they made one wrong step, this silver-haired shinobi in front of them would strike them down without mercy.
They exchanged a glance, silently understanding each other.
In unison, they nodded—and then, as one, they charged straight at Kakashi.
But Kakashi's expression remained calm.
The chakra surging along his blade flared even brighter.
As the two Mist shinobi attacked from left and right—
Kakashi moved.
—
Meanwhile, Rin ran quietly into the forest, her thoughts heavy with frustration.
She realized that from beginning to end—she had always been the one being protected.
Obito had protected her.
Their sensei, Minato-sensei, had protected her.
Even their classmate Imai Kenta had stood up for her.
And now Kakashi was doing the same.
"I'm so useless…" Rin thought bitterly.
But that frustration lit a fire inside her.
She clenched her fists as she ran.
No more.
She would catch up to them.
She would no longer be the burden that held the team back.
She would stand alongside Kakashi and Kei, not behind them.
With that resolve burning in her heart, Rin slowed her pace.
She had reached what seemed to be a safe distance.
She exhaled in relief.
But then—
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
The sound of a kunai.
Rin's instincts kicked in. She jumped, narrowly dodging the blade.
But she wasn't fast enough—
The kunai grazed her hair, slicing off a few strands as it passed.
She landed in a crouch, unsteady and flustered.
Before she could react again—
A sharp pain pierced her neck.
A burning sting, followed by an instant wave of numbness and dizziness.
Her vision swam.
"Kakashi… I'm sorry…"
was her last thought before the world went dark.