Chapter 89: I Want to Report the Hokage's Advisor
A battle of this scale… even an average jonin wouldn't be able to approach it.
The burning forest, massive craters…
Lingering chakra everywhere, and strange fluctuations of flame-type energy.
Though Kakashi knew Sasuke's power had skyrocketed after becoming a player, the fact that he could go toe-to-toe with a Hokage advisor after only half a year—
the Reincarnation Game really was something else.
Compared to the other four great villages,
Konoha's shinobi had only vague awareness of the Reincarnation Game, thanks to decisions made at the top.
Some had heard of it, but couldn't begin to imagine its power.
Even as an elite jonin himself,
Kakashi hadn't realized its terrifying potential until he completed a trial and acquired new strength.
"Jonin Kakashi, are you trying to stop me from executing a rogue ninja?"
Danzo's face was blank, hiding the agitation within.
Sasuke's strength had exceeded expectations. He should've been able to end the fight quickly.
But the scale of their clash would surely alert the ANBU—and the more people who came, the worse his situation would become.
After all—
Sasuke still held evidence of his human experimentation.
That thought ignited murderous intent in Danzo's heart. He began weighing the risk of killing Sasuke right in front of Kakashi.
"Rogue ninja?"
Kakashi feigned confusion. "Sasuke Uchiha is my student. He's been with me this entire time. He hasn't had any opportunity to betray the village. Has the village issued a warrant?"
He had seen Sasuke buy a mission scroll at Ichiraku before heading toward the Forest of Death.
After finishing his own trial, Kakashi had barely caught his breath before hearing a massive explosion in the forest.
That black flame—
It was Sasuke's technique.
After becoming a player, he had dueled Naruto and proven stronger than any other genin. Only Neji Hyuga could hold his own against him.
But Neji had been acting mysteriously lately and was often nowhere to be found.
So it fell to Kakashi, Team 7's leader, to spar with Sasuke.
While they hadn't fought seriously, he had learned a lot about Sasuke's in-game class and skills.
That black flame—it had to be him.
So he guessed Sasuke had run into an ambush.
He just hadn't expected the attacker to be Danzo—the Root leader and Hokage advisor.
"He attacked a Hokage advisor. Isn't that treason?"
Danzo made no mention of the lab. It had been destroyed—no evidence left.
As long as he didn't admit to it and seized the research data, the problem would vanish.
"Lord Danzo."
Kakashi remained respectful, but his gaze was sharp. "If Sasuke attacked you, then may I ask—what were you doing in the Forest of Death?"
Something wasn't right.
For one, that arm full of Sharingan.
As an elite jonin, Kakashi knew Danzo's ways all too well. He recruited gifted children from other clans into Root, turning them into emotionless weapons.
Even Kakashi had once been tempted by Danzo to assassinate the Third Hokage.
So even without knowing the full story, he instinctively sided with Sasuke.
That boy…
Though he put on a cold front and screamed about revenge, he had a heart full of warmth.
If not for the sudden appearance of the Reincarnation Game, Kakashi had planned to teach Sasuke Chidori after the Chunin Exams.
There was no way Sasuke would attack a village elder for no reason.
Unless… Danzo had tried to force him into Root?
Kakashi's expression grew serious.
He looked at Danzo with a flicker of restrained anger.
That, I will never allow.
"Kakashi, get out of the way. This doesn't concern you."
Sasuke's hatred for the village burned brighter than ever.
But when he saw Kakashi standing in front of him, something stirred inside.
Kakashi turned his head and smiled with narrowed eyes. "If I step aside, he'll kill you."
Sasuke turned away and muttered, "So what? I don't need your pity."
Pat.
Kakashi reached out and ruffled Sasuke's hair.
Back when he was weaker, Kakashi used to do this all the time.
Now that Sasuke was a player, those chances were few and far between.
"Kakashi, you bastard!"
Sasuke swatted his hand away, shaking his head.
But the lingering warmth stirred complicated emotions within.
After learning the truth about the massacre, something sharp and electric had been bubbling in his eyes—
and when Kakashi's hand landed on his head, his chakra surged to the peak, as if on the verge of unlocking a forbidden power.
All of it—
He kept hidden by lowering his head.
Kakashi shed his relaxed demeanor.
His eyes were serious. "Don't worry. I'll take it from here."
"Hmmph…"
Sasuke responded with a grumble.
"Sheltering a rogue ninja—even Hiruzen won't be able to protect you."
Danzo's voice was venomous.
"You haven't even been held accountable for aiding that spy from the Land of Locks. Now this? Jonin Kakashi, your crimes are piling up!"
"Sorry, Lord Danzo. You may be an advisor, but you don't have the authority to judge me or Sasuke. If you have an issue, bring it to the Hokage."
Danzo's face twisted with rage.
"You're saying I have to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
"That's right. Only the Hokage can designate someone a rogue ninja. You, as an advisor, don't have that power."
Whizz.
A wind-infused shuriken whirled toward Kakashi, striking the ground near his foot.
The wind chakra created a cloud of dust.
Instant Movement.
Danzo vanished.
He reappeared in front of Kakashi, kunai stabbing forward, trying to force him back.
But suddenly—
A surge of paralysis.
Bright blue lightning surged up from the ground into Danzo's leg, crawling up his body like fire.
Lightning Net Trap.
A triggered trap that slowed and paralyzed enemies upon contact.
"Lightning Style: Fang Wolf Fang!"
Lightning erupted in Kakashi's hand, forming a snarling white wolf's head.
There was no killing intent.
He didn't aim for vital points—just Danzo's chest to push him back.
Danzo leaned back, dodging the wolf's bite—but Kakashi followed up with a kick, sending him flying.
"You're a player too?"
Danzo steadied himself, eyes like a wolf as he stared at the silver-haired jonin shielding Sasuke.
Root's records listed every Konoha player.
Hatake Kakashi wasn't on it.
That lightning trap had no detectable chakra.
His perfect ambush had been foiled because of it.
"I barely passed the trial," Kakashi said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth—but his eyes never lost their edge.
He looked relaxed, but inside he was groaning.
That one trial had drained him of everything. He'd even had to sacrifice his trump card—his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Still, the power he gained in return had been more than worth it.
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