If the "Guardian Ninja" of Konoha was needed for Niyu Haseo, then this was precisely the moment the Guardian Ninja should appear.
"Lord Haseo, Naruto, retreat immediately. You two... go find Haseo. This person is too dangerous—I'll hold him off."
In this critical moment, Kakashi—the ultimate "balancer" of the Ninjutsu World and secret guardian of Niyu Haseo—suddenly shot forward, positioning himself protectively in front of the two children and staring tensely at this dangerous figure who had appeared without warning.
There was something oddly familiar about this person, even though he looked unfamiliar.
A battle capable of instantly engulfing everything around them was about to erupt, yet the two individuals shielded behind Kakashi showed no sign of nervousness whatsoever.
One of them couldn't even begin to grasp the enemy's level of strength, treating the upcoming fight as if it were just a scuffle between elementary school kids. He was excited—eagerly anticipating the fight like a reckless newbie with no sense of danger.
The other possessed sharp insight, but simply didn't care how strong the opponent might be; after all, no matter how powerful they were, there was no way they could hurt her. Therefore, right now she felt mostly curious—curious about the identity of this person and what exactly he planned to do next.
However different their thoughts might have been, their actions turned out surprisingly aligned—they completely ignored Kakashi's words and showed absolutely no intention of leaving, naturally staying right where they stood.
"Senior Kakashi, although your intentions are good—you're devoted to duty and looking out for juniors. Asking us to flee from such a dangerous individual, maybe I should feel slightly respectful toward you at a moment like this…
But the problem is, you might not be his match, and you certainly can't stop him.
If this enemy's main target is capturing us, fleeing blindly wouldn't necessarily be the correct choice."
Niyu Haseo blinked her eyes and said helplessly.
Kakashi: "..."
Even in such an intense situation, Kakashi still felt these brats behind him were being unbearably annoying.
"So basically, 'if you can't beat him fast, don't start bragging'? That what you're saying, little Lord Haseo?"
"Okay, that's kind of brutal... but yeah, you're totally right, Senior Kakashi."
Therefore, one could clearly see just how terrifying genetics could be.
"In that case, thank you for expressing it so politely."
Kakashi felt he might have just been looked down upon—and probably across more than just one aspect, including both his abilities and intelligence. But considering that his role as a "secret" guard had actually always been within Niyu Haseo's sight, and that the child had even caught him before, Kakashi really couldn't object to her attitude.
Besides, now wasn't the time to dwell on such things.
Whether or not there was any truth to the saying "out of sight, out of mind," Kakashi's gaze locked onto the enemy standing not far away.
Just at a glance, he could already sense the opponent's power.
Seeing this situation, although Niyu Haseo and Naruto did not flee, they still took a few steps back, leaving the battlefield open — just as Niyu had previously stated, she was not yet an official ninja and lacked the capability to engage elite ninja in direct combat.
"This pair of eyes, combined with your physical features, and cross-referencing with the Uchiha who remained 'missing' during the previous turmoil… even with your face concealed, it's not difficult to guess your identity.
Obito Uchiha, am I right?
Why have you appeared in Konoha at such a time?
But this is also an opportunity. If convenient, could you tell me where Danzo, Shisui, and Itachi are?"
Kakashi normally talked lazily, but now facing Obito Uchiha, he dropped the act and got straight to the point.
Obito Uchiha and Kakashi themselves had little interaction within this world, so there was no question of "catching up" or showing mercy — the status and resources given to the son of White Fang were far beyond what an ordinary Uchiha ninja could hope for.
The Uchiha were indeed a prestigious clan, but the gap in status between Itachi and Obito was quite apparent. In a sense, within Konoha, Kakashi and Itachi stood on the same level.
Even among Konoha ninja, not everyone stood on equal ground.
"No wonder you're the son of White Fang — ever since you became Konoha's most promising young ninja after the Fifth Hokage, you've been sharp enough to recognize me right away.
But by now, my name and identity are meaningless...
To deal with you, merely with these eyes seems insufficient."
Since his identity had been revealed, wearing a mask was now pointless. Obito Uchiha reached out and removed the mask covering his face, revealing his entire face.
Following that, the already prominent crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated, eventually forming a unique pattern on those pupils.
[Mangekyo Sharingan]... Kakashi recognized it instantly.
This Obito Uchiha seemed different from the one described in the intelligence reports. Just as Kakashi further elevated his assessment of the danger posed by this person, a massive sound abruptly erupted from the central area of Konoha.
Then came a towering column of flame and smoke reaching high into the air.
"So the dangerous intruders infiltrating Konoha aren't limited to just you. I should've realized earlier."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Breaking into a hidden village like Konoha usually needs teamwork instead of solo action.
That commotion undoubtedly had been caused by Obito's accomplice.
In other words, the last internal conflict hadn't ended yet... This was Kakashi's thought at the moment, so without further delay, he immediately drew his short sword and charged toward Obito Uchiha.
Trained by Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi Hatake's taijutsu and sword techniques naturally inherited his father's style. Facing Kakashi's attack, Obito Uchiha made no attempt to evade deliberately either.
Thus, as their figures crossed paths, flashes of cold light flickered in quick succession. In the blink of an eye, Obito Uchiha had already been struck by several sword blows, at least two of which should have been fatal.
"Did we win?!" Naruto shouted.
This drew a glance from Niyu Haseo. She hadn't expected this kid to actually have such sharp eyesight... Given their speed and frequency of movement just now, ordinary ninja couldn't even perceive what was happening.
So it was quite surprising that Naruto managed to clearly see through such a high-speed battle. But thinking about it again, it made sense—firstly, his father was Minato Namikaze, the "Golden Flash"; secondly, his father wasn't even dead yet.
"If those sword strikes had actually connected..." Niyu remarked. Her perception and observation abilities were far more refined than Naruto's.
"Not even a drop of blood spilled," she added.
Despite multiple cuts landing deep into the enemy's chest and abdomen, normally at this point the opponent would be gushing blood like a fountain. Yet now, there wasn't a single drop.
Clearly, the enemy had avoided Kakashi's damage. And without dodging or blocking, achieving such an effect could only mean one thing—the technique used must either be Genjutsu or Space-Time Ninjutsu. Those were the most likely possibilities… Exposed to so much advanced knowledge from Haseo, Niyu's mind was working faster than Kakashi's at this moment.
Kakashi himself was still somewhat dazed—he had clearly slashed the opponent, yet there was absolutely no feeling of impact. The sword in his hand felt as if it had sliced through thin air.
After crossing paths, Obito Uchiha quickly leapt backward a few steps, once again creating some distance between himself and Kakashi.
"Outstanding physical ability and exquisite slashing techniques. I see, truly worthy of being one of Konoha's next generation of ninja's strongest representatives.
Your quality is exceptional.
So...
Are you the 'Successor'?
Now then, I can tell you our true purpose for coming to Konoha—it was originally to find Orochimaru.
But now, my new discovery has rendered chasing after Orochimaru unnecessary. Kakashi Hatake, I believe you understand already."
"Nine-Tails..."
Kakashi furrowed his brow before slowly uttering those words.
The Mangekyo Sharingan appeared to have the power to penetrate the Nine-Tails' seal. At this moment, Kakashi's identity as a jinchuriki seemed to be exposed.
That explained the long-standing mystery—why Konoha had ignored the Nine-Tails all these years after it went missing.
It turned out that Orochimaru was no longer a jinchuriki when he left the village.
As for how he managed to survive after losing his tailed beast—that was another matter entirely—one that Obito Uchiha didn't really care about.
A tailed beast can sometimes be an asset, other times a burden. Originally, you might've been a formidable opponent, but right now, that's simply not the case anymore.
Obito Uchiha raised his arm as he spoke, the wide sleeve of his robe sliding down to his elbow and revealing a large patch of unnaturally pale skin.
What he said made sense—at least within Konoha, jinchuriki can't fully tap into their power.
But this was merely a limited restriction. A bigger problem lay in certain individuals and certain powers being especially effective against tailed beasts.
"Wood Release? How is that possible?"
When Kakashi saw the arm, he couldn't believe his eyes.
"Tch, fell for it again."
The momentary shock on Kakashi's face was exactly what the enemy had planned.
As the voice sounded, Kakashi was brutally kicked from behind. His knees buckled, and his whole body instantly crouched down—an attack from Obito Uchiha directed at the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki wasn't really Wood Release at all, but rather Genjutsu from the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Which move was real, which was just a trick? In the middle of it all, Kakashi couldn't tell clearly for now.
After Kakashi fell down, the person facing off with Obito Uchiha became Niyu Haseo instead... somehow she had already charged over here.
And right now, she was drowning in regret.
One reason: once again, she had verified that her father's words contained truth—others are indeed unreliable; when it mattered most, she could only rely on herself... If nothing stopped it, Shisui Uchiha's genjutsu would very likely take Kakashi down for sure.
So in the end, who was really the one doing the protecting?
Another reason: she had clearly warned the opponent not to use genjutsu.
Meeting those crimson eyes of the Sharingan was Niyu's clear and pure gaze, like an emerald pond.
Then, from that emerald pond surged a roar so deafening and uncontainable, it threatened to shatter any mind within reach:
"Uchiha!!!"
PS:
Since I have a history of skipping updates unnoticed, people have been searching for me, forcing me to either update or issue an announcement.
During these days without updates, I've had constant high fever. Once it improved slightly, I caught a chill from air conditioning, causing a relapse where two colds overlapped and created something worse than both combined.
These days were hazy and foggy, with cold sweats soaking my entire body. My memory consisted entirely of damp sheets and blankets—every time I grabbed them, my hands became muddy and sticky, just like sticking a soaked sponge under the covers.
If no update can be made, a mere explanation probably isn't meaningful anyway.
I've also grown somewhat lazy. My physical condition felt strangely weak, and I realized I couldn't recall the last time I actually exercised properly in years... So receiving that WeChat message really helped me break through; otherwise, I might have procrastinated even longer.
Also, I've been thinking whether I should continue writing altogether, and if so, about what. Writing is indeed my passion, but if I'm to keep doing it, it won't just remain a matter of interest alone.
My thoughts are all over the place...
Web novel writing… sigh...
(End of this chapter)
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>