Boom!
The sky split with a thunderclap so violent that it drowned out Shisui's voice. The single word "duel," which had been trembling on his lips, was utterly consumed by the roar of heaven.
Dark clouds rolled in overhead. The wind picked up sharply, sweeping away the haze of smoke left behind by earlier jutsu. As the sky churned, flashes of lightning illuminated the edges of the gathering storm. The atmosphere grew thick, solemn, and heavy with murderous intent.
Every clan leader present instinctively looked up, their expressions shifting from confusion to awe.
"So that's it…" one murmured, narrowing his eyes.
The earlier clash between fire and water—two forces meeting violently in opposition—had produced so much heat and steam that it had altered the very sky. The vapor had condensed into storm clouds, and now, with the crackle of electricity in the air, it was about to give birth to a natural calamity.
Ninjutsu that could alter the heavens themselves. It wasn't simply combat—it was a battle of legends.
"What a duel," another clan head whispered, unable to hide the admiration in his voice.
Yet not everyone was impressed. Some wore grim expressions, their expertise allowing them to quickly grasp the implications.
"It's going to rain soon," one elder said dryly. "Since we've accomplished what we came here for, there's no need for us to stay. Let us leave—"
But his words were cut short by a voice like rolling thunder.
"Hiruzen… have you ever seen a Lightning Technique that falls from the sky?"
The words shook the ground as much as the clouds.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed instantly. He had been planning to dismiss the clan leaders and then deal with Minato and Kakashi quietly. But at that very moment, his heart jolted with unease.
"That voice…" Hiruzen whispered. "Kakashi?!"
His head snapped upward, pupils shrinking sharply.
In the roiling storm clouds above, something stirred—something vast and unnatural. A colossal beast of pure lightning loomed, its outline sparking and writhing within the darkness. Its jaws gaped wide, displaying enormous fangs forged entirely of crackling arcs.
And upon the beast's head stood Kakashi Hatake.
He looked down at them with calm, cold eyes, his hands tucked casually in his pockets as if this terrifying scene were no more than a stage play. His silver hair whipped wildly in the wind, his cloak snapping in the tempest.
At that moment, framed against lightning and thunder, Kakashi looked less like a boy of fourteen and more like a god descended from heaven—Raijin, the Thunder Emperor himself.
The beast beneath him roared. The sound was deafening, a raw bellow of fury that rolled through the battlefield like a tidal wave. Bolts of raw electricity coiled around its fangs, each one radiating the destructive majesty of divine punishment.
Hiruzen's face darkened. His heart sank like a stone into the pit of his stomach.
This power…
Even he, Sarutobi Hiruzen—the "Professor," the Grandmaster of all shinobi arts—felt shame rise unbidden. Compared to this boy's mastery, even his own Lightning Style seemed pitiful.
"Kakashi…" Hiruzen growled softly, his voice drowned out by thunder.
From above came the voice again, carrying the weight of judgment.
"Hiruzen! Are you ready?!"
The clan heads turned as one to watch. The tension was unbearable.
Hiruzen clenched his fists. He understood Kakashi's intention instantly.
Earlier, Hiruzen had showcased his unstoppable Five Elements Dalian Bomb, a display meant to overwhelm everyone with his unmatched strength. Now Kakashi was responding in kind, challenging him openly with a jutsu just as terrifying—no, perhaps even greater.
The problem was that Kakashi hadn't attacked in secret. This wasn't an ambush. This was a frontal strike, a public duel of power.
If Hiruzen dodged or retreated, his carefully maintained image of the indomitable "Professor Hokage" would shatter. The clan heads, the Anbu, and every shinobi present would see only cowardice. His prestige, built over decades, would crumble instantly.
He could not back down.
"Ape Demon!" Hiruzen roared.
"Oh!"
From the golden cudgel at his side, the Monkey King—Enma—sprang forth. With a grim expression, the beast shifted into his strongest form, wrapping himself around Hiruzen in layers of unyielding armor.
The indestructible body of the ape demon fused into steel and flesh.
Ape King Armor.
Even so, Hiruzen wasn't finished.
"Earth Style—Earth Wall!"
The ground rumbled violently as five titanic walls of stone erupted around him, each one ten meters thick. They formed a dome, encasing him from every direction—front, back, left, right, and even above.
A fortress.
But even as he stood within the safety of his defenses, doubt clawed at him.
Earth could block fire. Earth could blunt wind. But against lightning? Lightning devoured earth.
Can I really block this?
From above, Kakashi's voice was merciless.
"Elder Hiruzen! Let's see if you, the 'Strongest Hokage,' can withstand this! Lightning Style—Kirin!"
The beast of thunder roared once more, then plunged.
The heavens themselves split apart as the Kirin descended like a falling galaxy, its entire form a torrent of raw lightning that poured down to the earth with apocalyptic force.
The battlefield vanished into blinding white.
Every tree in sight was reduced to ash. Bolts of electricity spread like serpents, tearing the landscape apart.
Kakashi's form flickered, and in the next heartbeat he stood beside Minato, who had already whisked the clan heads more than three kilometers away with Flying Thunder God.
The ground behind them was consumed by thunder.
Light blazed where Hiruzen stood. Then—
CRAAASH!
The explosion of sound nearly tore the eardrums from every witness. The shockwave ripped through the air, scattering birds and splintering the earth.
Within a radius of two kilometers, nothing remained but blackened wasteland. Forests were gone, replaced by smoldering stumps. Flames crackled hungrily, spreading quickly, painting the battlefield into a sea of fire.
The clan heads, though far, felt the ground tremble beneath their feet.
"Art…" someone whispered, almost delirious. "Art is explosion."
Kakashi blinked, faintly amused. "Deidara would be proud," he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Minato called, his ears still ringing. The blast had left them all temporarily deaf.
Kakashi waved it off. "Nothing, Sensei."
But Minato's face was serious. He looked at his student—only fourteen years old, yet wielding a jutsu that rivaled natural calamities.
Where did he learn this? Minato wondered. No… could it be he developed it himself?
The thought was staggering. If it was true, then Kakashi's future as a shinobi was beyond imagination.
The clan leaders were thinking the same. Their gazes toward Kakashi burned with new intensity. Admiration, awe, and—most of all—ambition.
"Unbelievable…" one thought. "If only I had a daughter his age…"
Another smirked to himself. Maybe I should assign one of my nieces to Anbu under him. With luck, we could tie our bloodline to his genius.
Those who had no daughters silently cursed their misfortune. Why didn't I have another child back then?!
The Anbu already serving under Kakashi were equally stunned. They had sparred with him countless times. Though Kakashi always won, it was often by the thinnest of margins, leading them to believe their captain was only slightly stronger.
But this?
This was not "slightly stronger." This was overwhelming. Godlike.
Their admiration deepened into reverence.
Shisui, watching from the side, trembled with excitement. So this… this is the true power of Senior Kakashi!
Not everyone was impressed. The two elder advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, looked on with ashen faces.
"How old is he?" Koharu whispered in disbelief. "How can a boy so young wield such strength?"
"Could Hiruzen… lose?" Homura muttered. For the first time, doubt crept into their voices.
They had trusted Hiruzen implicitly, but this—this was a force like divine punishment.
---
Kakashi exhaled slowly, his body relaxing. "By the way, Sensei, I'm going to check on Elder Hiruzen. If I take him away afterward, please help me stall his personal Anbu."
Minato's expression hardened. "All right. But Kakashi—listen to me. You must not kill him. If you do, it will be seen as murdering the Hokage. The consequences will make it impossible for you to stay in the village."
Kakashi nodded gravely. "I understand. Don't worry, Sensei."
He knew well that Hiruzen's greatest crime was shielding Danzo and turning a blind eye to corruption. It wasn't a crime worthy of death.
Hiruzen had spent decades leading the village, earning both respect and gratitude. If Kakashi struck him down now, countless shinobi would hate him.
Not that Kakashi particularly cared. But he carried Minato's name. As captain of the Fourth Hokage's Anbu, everything he did reflected on his teacher.
If the new Hokage's first act was to slaughter his predecessor, what would the world think? It would only invite opportunists to exploit the turmoil.
Kakashi's gaze hardened.
Still, he couldn't allow Hiruzen to continue shielding corruption.
If he admits his mistakes and repents, I'll let him live. If not… then I'll finish it with my own hands, no matter the consequences.
He had no interest in the Hokage's chair. If need be, he would resign from Anbu and bear the title of "Shadow Killer" alone.
For justice, and for the village's future—he was ready.
patreon (Obito_uchiha)