A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, Shahzaam, Varun Madhu, kevin Williams, Jose Carrillo, Jose Sierra, Silver, Archer, ManyEB, Acedia, Zhandos Kauzhanov, Kylo Ren, Mursuland, Vora, kurtis newman.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
A slightly low, hoarse voice sounded from behind Shikaku, like a malevolent spirit seizing its prey.
Cold sweat trickled down Shikaku's forehead. The kunai pressed against his neck had already broken the skin slightly, drawing a thin line of blood.
Killing intent!
A sense of imminent danger surged uncontrollably within Shikaku. The young man behind him truly intended to kill him!
Kakashi watched Kagaya nervously, his hands reflexively beginning to rise to form seals.
Kagaya's hand tightened instantly on the kunai, pressing it a fraction deeper into Shikaku's neck.
"Kakashi, didn't I say it? It's checkmate. I advise you not to do anything rash."
Kakashi swallowed hard and silently lowered his hands.
Guy lifted the Scroll of Seals he had just taken from Kagaya. "Don't hurt him! We can trade you for the scroll!"
Kagaya shook his head. He had already memorized the techniques he wanted to learn from the scroll. The ones he didn't intend to learn were irrelevant. The Scroll of Seals was now useless to him. Carrying it would only invite relentless pursuit from Konoha, turning it into a liability.
"I don't need that anymore."
Asuma asked with a frown, "Then what do you want?"
Shikaku was their comrade. They couldn't just abandon him; they had to rescue him.
Kagaya's gaze swept over the surrounding Jōnin.
"No. You don't have anything I want. Since you didn't come with the intention of killing me, I'll spare you this once as well. But remember this: there won't be a next time! Don't come after me again!"
With that, Kagaya sheathed his kunai and vanished with Haku.
Kagaya held no personal grudge against Shikaku. Since Shikaku hadn't come with the intent to kill him, Kagaya saw no need to force the issue.
Furthermore, causing too big a scene now was unwise. If he started killing important Konoha Jōnin, it would inevitably raise Konoha's alertness and focus, which would be extremely detrimental to the upcoming invasion.
Ultimately, Kagaya's primary target was always Danzo. To kill that man, Kagaya could afford to show leniency to almost anyone else.
By the way, did Kakashi still consider him a student?
Hah...
After Kagaya left, the group of Jōnin immediately surrounded Shikaku.
"Shikaku, are you alright?" Kakashi asked with concern.
"No, I'm fine. It's just a superficial cut. That kid seemed intent on killing me at first, but then, for some reason... perhaps it really was because we didn't intend to kill him... he let me go. Speaking of which, Inoichi, why did your Mind Body Switch Technique fail?"
Inoichi Yamanaka's face was pale as he replied, "The Sharingan."
His Mind Body Switch Technique moved his own consciousness into the opponent's body to gain control. Essentially, it could be considered a form of mental attack!
And the visual prowess of the Sharingan was also a form of mental power!
In the original story, when Orochimaru tried to possess Sasuke, Sasuke used the power of his three-tomoe Sharingan to mentally counter-possess Orochimaru within the spiritual realm.
The situation Inoichi faced this time was similar. The moment he invaded Kagaya's body, before he could fully establish control, a pair of crimson three-tomoe Sharingan eyes materialized within that mental space. A single glance from them severely injured Inoichi's consciousness.
Inoichi hurriedly willed his consciousness to retreat from Kagaya's body. When his spirit returned to his own form, his first words were to warn Shikaku and the others.
Then, he witnessed Kagaya taking Shikaku hostage.
That was the sequence of events. Inoichi gave a brief explanation to the group of Jōnin.
Shikaku let out a bitter laugh. "It seems the fault is mine. I didn't anticipate the Sharingan could also defend against Inoichi's Mind Body Switch Technique. This oversight is on me. My apologies to everyone."
Kakashi shook his head. "It's not your fault, Shikaku. We've recovered the Scroll of Seals regardless. The mission is accomplished. Let's return."
"Right."
This incident truly wasn't Shikaku's fault. While the Sharingan's visual power was a form of mental energy, very few individuals could actually use that power to resist the Mind Body Switch Technique. Firstly, the Yamanaka clan specialized in mind-based ninjutsu; their spiritual energy was naturally far stronger than average. Therefore, one-tomoe or two-tomoe Sharingan would find it difficult to resist.
Secondly, Inoichi Yamanaka was an exceptionally skilled Jōnin from his clan. No one would expect Inoichi to be defeated in his own area of expertise.
In summary, using the Sharingan's visual prowess to resist Inoichi's technique was exceedingly difficult. No one anticipated Kagaya could achieve such a feat, nor did anyone realize the Sharingan could counter the Mind Body Switch Technique.
However, regardless of the reasons, Kakashi's team had ultimately retrieved the Scroll of Seals. They could return and report the mission's completion with peace of mind.
"What a terrifying kid," Shikaku said with lingering fear on the journey back. A 12-year-old child gaining the upper hand against eight Jōnin? Who would believe it?
Asuma sighed. "A genius of the Uchiha..."
Inoichi scratched his head. "I really don't want to face that kid again."
Guy, who was supporting the injured Kakashi, complained, "Damn it! I didn't even get to show that guy Konoha's Blue Beast! Oooh, my youthful spirit!"
Throughout this confrontation, Guy never had an opportunity to activate the Eight Gates. First, there was the one-on-one fight between Kakashi and Kagaya, where Guy couldn't intervene. After their duel ended, under Shikaku's command, Kagaya was quickly cornered. It seemed opening the Gates wasn't necessary. Then, the situation reversed dramatically, with Kagaya taking Shikaku hostage.
At that point, Guy certainly couldn't recklessly charge in with the Gates activated. When Kagaya finally released Shikaku, just as Guy thought he could finally showcase his youthful vigor, Kagaya simply left. Seeing that no one else intended to give chase, Guy couldn't very well pursue alone.
Thus, Guy fought entirely in his normal state.
In truth, the other shinobi were also somewhat restrained. Only Kakashi, due to his solo fight, went all out. The other Jōnin, because the engagement was so brief, largely didn't have time to unleash their full strength.
This was also one reason Kagaya chose to withdraw decisively.
He was far from invincible. The reason he could hold his own against eight Jōnin was primarily because they hadn't had time to fully exert themselves. Otherwise, just Guy with his Eight Gates activated would give Kagaya a massive headache, let alone Kakashi potentially unleashing his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kurenai spoke up, "Completing the mission is what matters. Let's hurry back to Konoha and get Kakashi to the hospital."
The others nodded in agreement. "Right."
*****
T/N: Use the code "FERRY" on my p@treon and get 90% off your first month on the Pathfinder Tier.