Chapter 195 - Nine-Tails Chaos?
Shaking off the distracting thoughts in his mind, Kakashi decided to put everything else aside. Right now, the top priority was getting Obito back to the village—everything else could wait.
"Obito, no matter what you're thinking, you're coming with me today."
With his White Fang short blade gripped firmly in hand, Kakashi shifted his grip from a reverse draw to a standard one at his waist, lowering his stance into an Iai sword-drawing posture.
From the look of it, Kakashi was about to unleash the most dangerous and deadly technique in the White Fang sword style: the Draw Slash.
This move, while incredibly lethal, sacrificed all defense in exchange for explosive attack power. Kakashi hadn't even used it against Nagato earlier, showing just how risky it was—and how seriously he viewed Obito.
In Kakashi's mind, he could afford to lose to anyone—anyone but Obito.
Seeing the stance Kakashi took, Obito's thick brows furrowed slightly. His eyes turned cold, lips curled with a hint of killing intent. He turned his body, offering Kakashi only his side profile, chin tilted up at a 45-degree angle toward the sky, casting a scornful glance back at Kakashi with the corner of his eye.
"Kakashi, I don't want to fight you. You're not worthy of challenging these eyes. You don't understand their power. Just leave."
His tone was flat, as if he didn't take Kakashi seriously at all. But beneath that cold façade, Obito's heart was secretly ecstatic.
These were words he had held in for years. Because of Rin—and his lack of strength—he could never act tough around Kakashi. He never had the chance or courage to say them.
But unexpectedly, today he got his chance, and he said them all. Obito couldn't help but feel:
Today is my lucky day. Thank you, Kazane. Thank you, Akatsuki. Thank you…
However, as he looked skyward, he caught the growing storm in Kakashi's eyes from the corner of his vision, and he started to feel a little afraid.
Thinking back on past lessons, he told himself it was all for the mission—Kakashi would forgive him one day.
Nagato, only seeing Obito's side profile, was also beginning to question if he had underestimated Obito's strength.
That imposing aura and dismissive gaze—if Obito didn't have the power to back it up, would he dare act this way?
From the earlier battle, Nagato had gauged Kakashi and Might Guy's strength. Among all the shinobi he'd seen, those two could definitely be considered top-tier.
Though they were still a bit behind him, Nagato understood that without the Rinnegan, he might not have beaten even one of them.
And if Obito had once been their friend and comrade, he would surely understand their abilities—yet he was still this dismissive?
Could it be that Obito was confident enough to take on both Kakashi and Might Guy?
If so, Nagato had truly struck gold.
"Obito, if that's your decision, then I have no choice but to bring you back by force."
A flash of cold light shimmered in Kakashi's eyes as he drew his blade.
White Fang Secret Art: Modified—Silver Flash!!!
A sword technique learned from Tales of a Gutsy Ninja and perfected through Kakashi's own talent—one flash of silver light, and he had already broken through Obito's Susanoo defense and appeared behind him.
But Kakashi's expression shifted abruptly.
He had clearly struck Obito, yet the feedback from his sword felt like slicing through air.
A moment later, Obito's voice came from behind him.
"Kakashi, I told you—you don't understand the power of these eyes. You're not my opponent."
Truth be told, Obito had broken into a cold sweat just now. He had focused his Mangekyō Sharingan on Kakashi the moment he sensed intent to attack, but Kakashi was simply too fast. All Obito caught was a blur before Kakashi was behind him.
Thankfully, he'd activated intangible form in time—otherwise, that would've been the end.
His heart was pounding, but outwardly, Obito remained calm and collected, as though this outcome had been expected all along.
"Kakashi, stop resisting. Haven't you realized yet? You're no match for me."
The elegance of his demeanor, the composure on his face—it all left a lasting impression on Nagato.
He burned the scene into his memory, inwardly thrilled that such a powerful comrade existed in the organization.
"Stop!"
Just as Kakashi was about to continue the fight, a hoarse voice called out from nearby.
Following the sound, he spotted Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, blushing in shame, tied up in rope and being dragged over by three men in Akatsuki robes.
"Surrender. Your comrades are in our hands. If you resist, we'll kill them."
The speaker was a scar-faced ninja wearing a scratched Iwagakure forehead protector, a scar splitting his face in two. He held a kunai to Genma's neck, threatening Kakashi.
These were the three A-rank missing-nin Nagato had sent earlier to capture Genma and Ebisu. They were also Nagato's insurance policy.
Nagato's original plan was simply to test Konoha's strength. It wasn't the right time to turn hostile, and he didn't intend to kill any Konoha shinobi—especially those close to Kazane.
If Kakashi and Guy were at elite jōnin level or higher, then Konoha was too dangerous to provoke. The captured pair could be used as leverage. If Kakashi and Guy were weak, even better—they could all be used as bargaining chips to extract concessions from Konoha.
What Nagato hadn't expected was just how strong Kakashi and Guy were. If not for using Yahiko's body to take the hit, he might've been finished by Guy's Evening Elephant.
Even though he looked fine, his stamina was completely drained. If Obito hadn't shown up, Nagato truly had no cards left to play—he might've died there.
"How many flights of stairs does a bag of rice weigh?"
As the standoff continued, Nagato's voice echoed.
"Obito is absolutely right. You shinobi of the great nations are the root of this world's chaos."
"Juutarō, let them go."
Huh?
The Iwa missing-nin Juutarō looked at Nagato in surprise. Had he not been standing nearby, he would've thought he misheard.
"Leader, these were hard-earned hostages."
"They…"
Nagato stepped forward, cutting him off.
"I said let them go. Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy—I will remember you both. I, Uzumaki Nagato, bestow upon you the title: Twin Stars of Konoha. You—"
A blinding silver flash sliced past, a ten-meter-wide flying slash brushing just above Nagato's head and soaring into the sky, drenching him in cold sweat.
He had seen Kakashi swing the blade, but though his mind screamed commands at his limbs, his body refused to move. Those two steps he took earlier had completely drained him.
The attack had startled Obito as well. Seeing Nagato frozen in place, Obito nearly thought the mission was about to end prematurely.
Kakashi, for his part, reevaluated Nagato's composure. He wondered if Nagato had somehow predicted the strike's trajectory and judged it harmless—thus not bothering to dodge.
"Konoha shinobi don't need your titles. You're not qualified."
"Let's end things here for now. I'll be back. Obito, I don't know what's going through your head. But the Obito I knew—he may have been a fool, but he always knew what he was doing. He would never run from reality."
"I'll come again, Obito. Next time, I will bring you back. Wait for me... Don't die."
With that, he casually slashed through the ropes binding Genma and Ebisu, hoisted the injured Guy onto his back, and began walking out of Amegakure.
Freed, Genma and Ebisu spat out the cloths stuffed in their mouths. They looked at Obito as if wanting to say something—but in the end, shame kept them silent.
Kakashi's coldness and their own humiliating experience had made them feel the sting of weakness.
Exchanging glances, they followed after Kakashi, hearts heavy.
It was at that moment they truly understood the importance of power. If they hadn't dragged Kakashi and Guy down, maybe Obito would've been brought back today.
—
After the Konoha team left, Nagato finally let out a heavy breath of relief. That last slash from Kakashi had really terrified him. He genuinely thought he was done for.
Now, surviving by a hair's breadth, he felt the weight of the aftermath.
Looking around at the ruins of Amegakure, a headache set in.
The damage from Kazane's fight with Hanzō hadn't even been fully repaired, and now it was worse. No rebuilding—just full demolition.
"Konan, how much money do we have left? How long will it take to repair the village?"
Upon hearing this, Konan's fair face blushed slightly.
She had always managed Akatsuki's finances, but despite their high income, they never seemed to have much saved up. In fact, they were still running at a deficit.
Now that Nagato was asking her to pay for reconstruction—she was in a tight spot.
"Um… well…"
Seeing her hesitance, a sense of dread crept into Nagato's heart.
"Konan, how much money do we have in the organization?"
She fidgeted, unsure how to respond. She feared Nagato couldn't take the truth.
"It's just… we've had a lot of expenses lately, and spending has been high, so…"
She didn't even finish, but Nagato already understood.
He sighed deeply.
How stupid of me… trusting a woman to manage the money.
His eyelids began to grow heavy.
In a daze, he heard someone shouting:
"Quick! Get a medic! The leader has fainted!"
—
Faraway in Konohagakure…
After escorting Hiruko to Orochimaru, Kazane returned to his usual life.
Though a little dull, it was fulfilling in its own way. Days passed quietly.
Before long, Kakashi and Might Guy returned to the village. Though none of them spoke about what happened, from Kakashi's tone and the intensity of his training, Kazane could tell—they had suffered in Akatsuki.
While satisfied, he made a mental note:
Kakashi is my little brother. Only I can discipline him. Anyone else?
Heh…
—
Time flowed like sand through fingers. The flourishing beauty in the left hand couldn't outweigh the scattered ashes in the right.
Three months passed in a flash. Kushina's due date was near. Minato had taken half a month off to care for her.
Perhaps because of Kazane's presence, the Nine-Tails had remained unusually quiet—even as Kushina's labor approached.
With Minato on leave, Orochimaru had become fully absorbed in his tech obsession. Hiruzen Sarutobi resumed duties in the Hokage's office. All of ANBU's responsibilities now fell on Kazane.
After Amegakure, Kakashi's team went completely overboard. Genma and Ebisu abandoned their comfort zones and joined Root.
A month ago, they left Konoha with Kakashi, heading for the most dangerous corners of the shinobi world to protect the village.
Meanwhile, Shinku Yuhi went crazy completing mission after mission, and her daughter followed her everywhere. Before long, Kazane found himself with only Jiriku left by his side.
—
In the ANBU office, Kazane processed a stack of documents without lifting his head. He had become numb to the endless work.
Creak. Slam!
The sound of the door opening and closing rang out. Without looking up, Kazane pointed to one spot.
"Place internal village files there."
Then another spot.
"External files go there."
He resumed working without pause.
After a long while, realizing the visitor hadn't put anything down, he looked up, curious.
Seeing who it was, Kazane's eyes lit up.
"Big Brother Minato!!!"
"What are you doing here? Has Sister Kushina given birth?"
Minato smiled but said nothing. He pulled up a chair and began helping process the paperwork.
Kazane didn't push for an answer—Minato's help was a godsend.
For a while, only the sound of pens on paper filled the room.
Hmm~
Finally, the desk was cleared. Kazane stood and stretched, letting out a satisfied groan.
"Okay, Minato, spill it. What brings you here?"
He didn't believe for a second Minato would leave Kushina's side without a reason.
"Haha, you got me, Kazane. I do need a favor."
"Kushina's due any day now. Shizune and Lady Biwako agreed to assist with the delivery, but I'm still uneasy."
"After what happened with Uchiha Makoto, I've been thinking a lot. I just don't feel safe."
"So I'd like to ask you to protect Kushina. I'm counting on you."
With hands clasped, covering half his face, Minato's sincere expression was impossible to refuse.