"Then let's have a duel of youth, Kakashi!" Might Guy shouted as he charged toward Kakashi with swift strides.
"Leaf Whirlwind!" Guy aimed a powerful kick straight at Kakashi's chest. Kakashi quickly raised his arms to block the attack, then retreated to create some distance.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Kakashi exhaled a series of fireballs that scattered in all directions before converging toward Might Guy in a precise yet chaotic pattern.
"Oh, even faster than my own hand seals," Kisame remarked, watching Kakashi's dazzling display of seals.
"Does this mean I'm officially the slowest at forming seals in the Akatsuki now?" Kisame muttered in frustration.
"Though, to be fair, in combat, only Itachi, Kakashi, and I really rely on hand seals. Still, it's annoying to think about," Kisame grumbled to himself.
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!" Guy unleashed a powerful sweeping kick, striking Kakashi. However, with a puff of smoke, Kakashi transformed into a wooden log—it was the Body Replacement Technique.
"Guy, show me your true strength. In your current state, you won't be able to defeat me," Kakashi said, revealing his left eye, where the Three Tomoe Sharingan spun menacingly.
"Hmph!"
"Then let my youth burn brightly!"
"Gate of Opening, open! Gate of Rest, open! Gate of Life, open! Gate of Pain, open! Gate of Limit, open!"
Might Guy opened five of the Eight Gates in rapid succession. Green chakra vapor erupted from his body, and his aura surged to more than ten times its previous intensity.
"Kakashi, be careful! The current me is very strong!"
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Executing the same move as before, Guy's power now reached an entirely different level.
As Guy dashed forward, his speed became nearly imperceptible. Even with his Sharingan, Kakashi could barely keep up. A simple spinning kick now carried the force of a devastating secret technique.
With a thunderous crash, Guy's kick shattered a massive chunk of the cliff behind Kakashi.
"Such destructive power... Truly worthy of being called a rare beast," Kisame commented, his tone a mix of awe and amusement. It was now clear why Guy had so boldly charged in—he indeed had the strength to back it up.
On the battlefield, after Guy opened the fifth gate, Kakashi didn't dare engage him head-on. A single hit could be catastrophic.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Kakashi raised a wall of earth, shaped like a dog's head, to block Guy's straight punch. Taking the opportunity, Kakashi leaped backward, forming a hand seal with his left hand.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"
Thick white mist began to envelop the battlefield, obscuring vision and perception. This ninjutsu was an effective countermeasure against Guy's taijutsu onslaught.
"Summoning Technique! Eight Ninja Hounds!"
Eight distinct ninja dogs appeared in a puff of smoke. Kakashi's own sensory abilities were average, so he relied on his ninja hounds to locate Guy within the mist.
"Hey, Kakashi, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?" asked Pakkun, one of the ninja hounds.
"Pakkun, keep it down..." Kakashi began, but before he could finish, Guy's voice and the sound of rapid footsteps echoed through the mist.
"There you are!"
"Leaf Strong Heavy Fist!"
"Damn it! What's going on?!" Pakkun yelped. Fortunately, the ninja hounds reacted quickly. However, due to Pakkun and Kakashi's brief exchange, they were a fraction of a second slower, narrowly avoiding being smashed by Guy's blind attack.
"Kakashi, why are you fighting Might Guy?!" Pakkun asked, still shaken.
"And why has he opened the Eight Gates? Has he become a rogue ninja?"
"No, actually, I'm the one who became a rogue ninja," Kakashi replied, his deadpan expression matching his trademark dead-fish eyes.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
After another bout of skirmishing, Kakashi finally managed to evade Guy's relentless attacks, using the Hidden Mist Technique to conceal himself.
"What's going on here, Kakashi? Why have you become a rogue ninja? And what's with that outfit?" Pakkun whispered, perched near Kakashi's ear.
Kakashi gently pushed Pakkun away. "Pakkun, don't lick my ear."
"As for the rogue ninja thing, it's complicated. For now, I need to defeat Might Guy. You and the others help me locate him."
"I'm going to use Lightning Cutter. Got it?"
"Got it!" The eight ninja hounds dispersed, stealthily moving through the dense mist.
"Kakashi, where are you?!"
"Stop hiding and face me in a proper duel of youth!" Guy shouted into the mist, clearly frustrated by the lack of a target for his energy.
Suddenly, a streak of lightning shot through the mist, heading straight for Guy's back. The mist's concealment meant Guy only noticed the attack when it was dangerously close.
"Lightning Cutter!"
Guy quickly dodged. Although his speed after opening the fifth gate was incredible, Kakashi's speed while using Lightning Cutter was nothing to scoff at.
Zzzzt!
Amidst the crackling sound of electricity, the two passed each other. Guy dropped to one knee, blood pouring from a large gash on his right leg—a critical injury for a taijutsu specialist like him.
"Still showing mercy to an old comrade, huh?" Kisame remarked with a complicated expression. Though his own sensory abilities were average, he had learned specialized techniques from Kirigakure to navigate the Hidden Mist Technique. As a result, he could clearly perceive what had just happened.
Without such techniques, the Hidden Mist Technique would render even the user blind, making it practically useless.
"Guy, go back," Kakashi said, turning away.
"Kakashi! I will take you back to Konoha today!"
"No matter what misunderstandings there are, we can clear them up with the Hokage. I'll stay by your side until everything is resolved," Guy said, his voice firm despite the pain.
Hearing that name, Kakashi finally snapped.
"Don't mention him! Don't mention that bastard!"
"It's all because of Danzo!"
"He's the one who sold me out to the Akatsuki! Even my father's suicide was because of them!"
"I will kill him!" Kakashi roared, his left eye's Sharingan evolving as the three tomoe connected and transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"What did you say?!" Guy froze in shock. Though he was often blunt, he wasn't stupid.
If what Kakashi said was true, then his effort to bring Kakashi back to Konoha now seemed utterly ridiculous.
"Kakashi's telling the truth," Kisame interjected, stepping forward.
"This was a deal. The payment from Konoha was Kakashi himself."
"It was Danzo who personally negotiated the terms with us, and it was his Root operatives who escorted the 'goods' here," Kisame added with a smirk.
"Kakashi, I'll investigate this matter thoroughly," Guy said, his expression serious.
"But until then, this fight isn't over."
"I won't take you back to Konoha, but I also can't let you stay with these dangerous rogue ninjas."
"Gate of View, open!"
Guy's aura surged once more as he opened the sixth gate.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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