The Curse Mark's effect was unexpectedly potent. Or perhaps, Sasuke and the Curse Mark were simply too compatible, resulting in a massive boost to his strength.
But even if he had become several times stronger, he was still just at the three-tomoe level and failed to capture Schwarzer's attention at all.
She was currently tailing Hanami in secret. The fact that Kakashi had suddenly detected the cursed spirit on a whim was, naturally, her doing as well.
Hanami was completely unaware of being discovered. It believed it had concealed its presence perfectly; as the personification of humanity's fear of nature, its stealth was exceptionally effective in this natural environment.
Unfortunately, it had encountered the Sharingan, something that had never appeared in this world before. Kakashi could directly observe the strength and flow of Cursed Energy around him.
"You there, friend. You don't look like an ordinary person. Out for a stroll in the middle of the day?"
"?"
Hanami was supremely confident. In this environment, not even Gojo Satoru could catch it. Yet, the sudden voice made it halt its steps.
"Who are you? One of Gojo Satoru's little fans?"
It stared at Kakashi as it spoke. The man's short white hair and face mask immediately brought Gojo Satoru to mind.
Kakashi wore a dead-fish-eyed expression. How did he and Gojo Satoru look alike at all?
However, he was just making polite conversation. This brief exchange was enough for him to recognize his opponent's identity. With this level of Cursed Energy, it had to be a legendary Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Yesterday's battle with Gojo Satoru had been utterly frustrating. His opponent's ability had prevented him from even touching the hem of his clothes from start to finish.
His skills as an elite jōnin had been completely crushed. It would be trouble if all the sorcerers in this world were this powerful, but considering the other man claimed to be the strongest...
Kakashi thought of Lord First Hokage and Uchiha Madara. Their strength was also on a completely different level.
Now was a good chance to test just how strong a so-called "Special Grade" was. Besides, there was a bounty for exorcising cursed spirits—tens of millions of yen. That was far more lucrative than missions back in the village.
Of course, he had also made other preparations. Far in the distance, another Kakashi was watching the battle while holding a cell phone—it was his Shadow Clone.
As for the phone in its hand... the contacts list was already open, with the only option selected: Gojo Satoru.
If he couldn't win, he would call for help. Leveraging outside forces was another skill a ninja had to learn.
Unlike Kakashi, Hanami had no ability to gauge its opponent's strength, but it had no other choice at this moment.
To complete its plan, it had to take him down right here, and as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if Gojo Satoru took notice... it was no match for him.
"I don't know how you did it, but if you leave now, I can still let you go."
Hanami tried to lull Kakashi into a false sense of security with its words, though it truly was reluctant to fight here.
"What's this? A Special Grade Cursed Spirit showing mercy?"
"..."
Kakashi had already revealed his Sharingan. Since coming to this world, he found himself relying more and more on it; without it, his combat prowess would be significantly diminished.
Hanami's silence told him his guess was correct—it was indeed a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
In that case, there was no need to hesitate—
CRASH!
A mass of tree roots erupted from beneath Kakashi's feet, poised to impale him in an instant.
"You shouldn't have gotten distracted. Too careless."
Kakashi reacted, twisting his body to avoid being struck in a vital spot.
But the roots controlled by Hanami weren't so simple. After missing their mark, they intertwined with each other, forming a cage that trapped Kakashi inside.
"This is Wood Style?!"
Kakashi was genuinely shocked by Hanami's technique. In the eyes of Konoha's people, the First Hokage had been deified to an almost infinite degree.
"I don't understand this 'Wood Style,' but I advise you not to struggle. My reinforced cage is not so easily broken."
"Your mistake was not leaving when you had the chance. Now you've thrown your life away."
Hanami hadn't expected to finish things so easily and breathed a sigh of relief. Such a minor commotion shouldn't attract any attention.
Now!
"Raikiri!"
Seizing the moment Hanami relaxed, Kakashi appeared behind it, his right hand crackling with intense lightning as he plunged it toward its chest.
The Raikiri's immense piercing power tore straight through. The wooden armor covering Hanami's body was no match for its force.
"When...?"
Hanami came to its senses, looking at the lightning-wreathed arm protruding from its chest. Wasn't its opponent already trapped?
Kakashi certainly wouldn't explain. He had already discovered his greatest advantage: the Sharingan. The genjutsu inherent to a three-tomoe Sharingan was not weak—at least, against people from another world who had never encountered genjutsu, it was more than enough.
From the very beginning of their encounter, he had remained hidden. The moment his opponent looked at his Shadow Clone, he activated the Sharingan. The one it had trapped was merely a Shadow Clone.
"This is wrong!"
Kakashi realized that not only was his opponent not dead, but the wound in its chest was rapidly healing, and it was trying to grab his hand.
Cursed spirits aren't human. He had almost forgotten that. Years of combat experience could sometimes be a trap; he had never encountered such a being in the Shinobi World.
"Got you!"
"Don't think so!"
A surge of Chakra was injected into the attack. The Raikiri erupted once more, and a powerful electrical discharge blasted Hanami's body, charring it black.
Feeling the restraint on his hand vanish instantly, Kakashi used the Body Flicker Technique without hesitation, leaving behind a log that was torn to shreds by the oncoming roots.
The attack having missed, a swarm of roots rushed toward the distant Kakashi, forcing him back a full hundred meters!
'That was close.' A cold sweat broke out on Kakashi's forehead, partly from fear and partly from the sudden, massive consumption of Chakra.
A large number of roots coiled around Hanami, its physical damage rapidly repairing itself. Only then did Kakashi notice something strange about the Cursed Energy his opponent used.
Although it was highly destructive, completely exceeding his expectations and rendering his defenses useless, the damage it caused was, conversely, very easy to recover from.
Cursed Energy gathered at the wound, absorbing natural energy and sunlight. The hole in Hanami's chest and the charred areas from the lightning strike were healing at a visible rate.
Though it didn't recognize genjutsu, it could guess that its opponent must have some method of concealing itself.
Normally, it could win a battle of attrition. In a forest, it held a massive advantage, as Hanami's own Cursed Technique was heavily influenced by the environment.
However, its mission dictated that it had to be proactive and aim for a swift victory.
Across from it, Kakashi was no longer in a hurry. He had already realized his attacks seemed to be ineffective, as this cursed spirit possessed a rapid healing ability.
Its abilities were strong but very one-dimensional. It had powerful regeneration and relied heavily on physical combat.
While contemplating a strategy, Kakashi had his distant Shadow Clone dial the phone number.
To be safe, it was better to contact someone else. The name displayed on his phone was—Gojo Satoru!
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