I'm really sorry for the late update. I was caught up with a busy schedule yesterday and didn't get a chance to update. Thanks for your patience!
***
Kakashi's speed was extremely fast, his figure weaving flexibly among the vines.
Silver light flickered ceaselessly amidst the forest shadows.
In his hands, Kakashi brandished the short tantō.
Shua!
Shua!
Shua!
Each time the vines drew close to him, they were instantly severed, falling lifelessly to the forest floor.
However, the regenerative ability of the vines was astonishingly strong.
In just the blink of an eye, the vines sprouted anew, thorned tips lashing forward with lethal intent toward Kakashi.
His movement faltered for a mere instant—
Two vines, unnoticed until that moment, coiled tightly around his arms, constricting them with crushing force.
The force was so great that no matter how he struggled, it was to no avail.
Bang!
Suddenly—
The Kakashi who had been pierced by the vines instantly transformed into a chunk of wood midair, crashing onto the ground with a sharp crack.
And in front of Amamiya Rei, who remained standing in place, a streak of silver light was reflected within his pupils.
For a brief, perilous moment, Rei nearly lost control of the whip in his hand.
Kakashi's tantō lunged directly for his eye.
Even before it touched, the sharp, biting chill radiating from the blade seemed enough to pierce through his skin.
Kakashi's calm voice echoed in Rei's ear.
"Learn to defend yourself."
In response, Rei raised his palm sharply.
From his hand erupted countless razor-sharp wooden spikes, bursting outward with explosive force.
Like a storm, the wooden spikes radiated in all directions with Rei as the center, shooting toward Kakashi from every angle.
Forced back by the barrage of wooden spikes, a trace of satisfaction flickered in Kakashi's eyes.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Kakashi pressed his hand onto the ground.
An enormous earth wall surged upward, blocking the rain of wooden spikes that kept flying toward him.
The earthen wall was riddled through and through, wooden spikes densely embedded across its surface.
But just as Rei's attack subsided, a sudden chill gripped his ankle.
Startled, Rei looked down—
From beneath the ground, Kakashi's head had emerged, his hand clamped firmly around Rei's leg.
"..."
So he tunneled, huh?
Kakashi forcefully yanked Rei downward into the ground.
Yet the Rei that was dragged into the soil quickly transformed into a wooden log.
A flicker of surprise flashed across Kakashi's eyes.
Wood clone?
Could it be that she had already learned from observing his substitution Technique just now?
If that were truly the case, then Rei's innate talent in Mokuton Kekkei Genkai was indeed extraordinary!
Wanting to restrain Kakashi, Rei's thoughts involuntarily turned to the Wood Dragon of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
Of course, he did not possess that kind of overwhelming chakra to conjure a colossal Wood Dragon capable of binding the Nine-Tails.
But surely, producing a smaller wood dragon shouldn't be a problem, right?
With this thought in mind, Amamiya Rei immediately put it into practice.
He mobilized every bit of chakra in his body.
In an instant—
Wooden coils twisted upward around Kakashi's body, taking the form of a serpentine construct.
Rei stared at that serpent blankly.
"...Wood Release: Wood Serpent Technique. A wooden snake?"
That works too, he supposed.
Carving out a dragon would be too much of a waste of chakra.
Suddenly, Rei's vision blurred, his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Meanwhile, the wooden snake was cleaved neatly in half by Kakashi's Raikiri.
Kakashi stepped forward to stand before Rei, his gaze resting on the girl's pale face.
With experience, Kakashi instantly recognized the symptoms.
—severe chakra depletion.
Although Rei possessed the First Hokage's Wood Release Kekkei Genkai and powerful regenerative ability, his chakra reserves were nowhere near the astonishing level of Hashirama.
To unleash techniques of such magnitude was simply too great a strain for him.
"That's enough training for today," Kakashi said curtly. "Be here again tomorrow."
After leaving behind these cold words, Kakashi turned and walked away.
Rei remained seated on the forest floor, slowly recovering his chakra, the corner of his lips curving faintly.
The spores had already been planted on Kakashi's body. Once they absorbed enough chakra, he would retrieve them and transfer that chakra into himself.
Only after sensing Kakashi's chakra signature fade completely from range did Rei's hand suddenly sharpen, his fingers hardening like blades. He drove them into the trunk of the nearby tree, piercing it clean through.
The trunk was pierced through, collapsing with a heavy crash.
After venting his frustration, the violent urge of being suppressed by Kakashi finally dissipated from his chest.
He knew very well this emotion did not belong to him.
Rei understood himself—he was not the type of person to sulk simply because he was beaten by someone stronger.
The only reason such a flood of emotions accumulated within him must have been due to the influence of this body that once belonged to Muzan, the Demon King.
A flicker of regret stirred in him.
How unfortunate that he had not managed to taste Kakashi's flesh.
How troublesome it was, this craving for meat...
An entire morning of effort, and not a single morsel of Kakashi's flesh!
The more he thought about it, the more unbearable it felt.
Just then, before his eyes, a swaying pitcher plant suddenly sprouted up again.
Without a sound, Black Zetsu appeared once more before Amamiya Rei.
"..."
Rei did not particularly wish to see Kuro Zetsu at that moment.
Especially at such an irritable moment after failing to taste Kakashi's meat.
The taste of Zetsu's flesh had long since grown dull and monotonous. He yearned for something different, something fresh.
This afternoon, he would definitely go to the hospital to feast.
He absolutely had to make up for the loss of this morning's pain!
At the very least, he needed to recover the sunlight value that had been consumed by direct sunlight earlier.
Otherwise, he would remain unwilling and restless!
"Still craving meat?"
Black Zetsu waited for quite a while, yet he did not see any reaction from the monster. Unable to restrain himself, he spoke up.
Amamiya Rei stared expressionlessly at Black Zetsu.
Wasn't this nothing more than asking pointless questions?
Observing the monster's face, Black Zetsu felt uneasy and unsettled—he could not discern any hunger or craving in his expression.
A sliver of doubt crept into Black Zetsu's heart. Could it be that this monster had... changed after living in Konoha?
Impossible.
This monster had come to Konoha for the sake of devouring flesh. There was no way such a fundamental nature could change.
But then why, upon hearing such a question now, did the monster show no ripple of reaction?
In the past, whenever he posed this question, the monster's eyes would instantly shine as it stared at the flesh on his body.
A bold suspicion quickly flashed through Black Zetsu's mind.
He probed further: "Next time, I'll bring someone to you. Someone whose flesh you'll find… far more to your liking."
At those words, Black Zetsu finally saw a reaction appear on the monster's face.
"..."
His suspicion was confirmed.
The monster had begun to despise his flesh!
Black Zetsu inhaled deeply.
"What kind of person?"
Disdain was written all over Amamiya Rei's face.
If it was just another shinobi corpse that Black Zetsu had scavenged elsewhere, there was no need to bring it.
Even a few casual bites from shinobi in Konoha's hospital would taste far better than the flesh of those Black Zetsu dragged back.
"..."
Once again, perceiving the disdain upon the monster's expression, Black Zetsu worked hard to steady his breathing.
"A powerful shinobi. His flesh—you will surely like it."
Looking at Black Zetsu's resolute expression, an image involuntarily rose in Amamiya Rei's mind.
Could it be... Black Zetsu intended to bring Obito over for him to devour?
Just imagining it caused Amamiya Rei's breath to quicken, drool unconsciously pooling within his mouth.
He looked intently at Black Zetsu.
"What do you want me to do?"
Black Zetsu: "..."
Indeed, using this method to coerce the monster into doing things was by far the most effective approach.
"You've already moved into the house of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki..."
Before Black Zetsu could finish, Amamiya Rei cut him off.
"What is a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
Rei blinked his large eyes, staring purely at Black Zetsu, thick curiosity written within them.
***