Chapter 161: The Demon Leech's End
With a screech of a thousand birds, Kakashi shot forward, a bolt of living lightning aimed at the heart of the enemy's position. His form was a blur, the Chidori's concentrated energy pulling him forward at a devastating speed.
Minato watched, his brow furrowed with concern. He had analyzed the technique in an instant. He turned to Kagenori, his voice low. "That jutsu… it's a linear thrust. The power and acceleration are immense, but his vision can't possibly keep up with that speed. He'll be blind to any counter-attack. You must see that flaw, Kagenori."
Kagenori's eyes remained fixed on his disciple, a predator observing its young on its first hunt. Instead of answering directly, he posed a question. "Tell me, Minato. Which is faster: Kakashi's new technique, or the Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash?"
Minato didn't need to think. "Thunderclap and Flash, without question."
A thin, sharp smile played on Kagenori's lips. "And if Kakashi's body and eyes can adapt to the speed of Thunderclap and Flash, why would they fail him now? Do not presume to know my disciple's limits. His dynamic vision was honed in my training grounds; it surpasses that of any ordinary shinobi, Sharingan or not." His gaze was cold and final. "This world is not kind. Talent rises, mediocrity falters. It is the exception, not the rule, for the weak to overcome the strong. Kakashi is not mediocre. Do not judge a prodigy by the standards of the common."
Minato fell silent, the rebuke clear. He turned back to the fight, his worry undiminished but his interference checked.
From his hiding place, the Demon Leech, Maki, stared in shock. "He's charging straight for me? Suicidal fool!" With a synchronized mental command, he and his twenty clones let loose a volley of shuriken, a steel storm designed to shred the approaching boy.
They never reached their target. In a motion almost too casual to follow, Kagenori flicked his wrists, sending his own wave of shuriken singing through the air. Each one found its mark, deflecting the incoming projectiles with pinpoint accuracy in a chorus of ringing metal. The path was clear.
Kakashi, using the trajectory of the thrown weapons to confirm the enemies' positions, didn't break stride. "First!" he muttered, driving the Chidori into the abdomen of the nearest Maki. The clone vanished in a puff of smoke. "A shadow. Next!"
He became a whirlwind of motion and sound, the Chidori's cry echoing as he darted from one clone to another, dispatching them with brutal efficiency. Obito, Rin, and Katsuhiko fanned out, their eyes scanning the periphery for any threat.
Suddenly, the ground in front of Obito erupted. A Maki clone burst from the soil, kunai aimed for his heart. In a flash of yellow, Minato was there, his own kunai burying itself in the clone's skull, which dissolved into nothingness.
"Stay alert!" Kakashi barked, having already eliminated eighteen clones. "Nineteen!"
"Don't get cocky, you brat!" the nineteenth clone roared, drawing a ninjato and aiming a horizontal slash at Kakashi's midsection.
Minato tensed, his fingers twitching, ready to teleport to the kunai he had gifted Kakashi.
He never moved. Kagenori's hand clamped down on his shoulder like a vice, the grip unyielding. "Injury is a lesson," Kagenori's voice was a low, dangerous growl. "If you coddle them, they will never harden. Do not interfere. If you plan to use that kunai as an excuse to meddle, you can take it back and leave."
In the same instant, Kakashi let the Chidori dissipate. His right hand flashed to the hilt of the White Light Chakra Short Sword on his back.
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit!"
Five brilliant arcs of lightning, shaped like forked bolts, slashed through the air. The Maki clone was carved apart before it could complete its swing, dissolving into smoke. The nineteenth clone was gone.
That left one. The original.
Kakashi's body pivoted, his senses pinpointing the true chakra source hidden within a large tree to his left. He dropped into a low stance, muscles coiling.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
He was no longer a shinobi; he was a thunderbolt. The air cracked as he crossed the distance, his short sword a blur of light. The massive tree trunk was severed cleanly in two with a tremendous groan.
But the short blade's reach was limited. The real Maki, moving on pure survival instinct, managed a desperate dodge, the sword only grazing his side, drawing a line of blood but not a fatal wound.
The Demon Leech scrambled back, his face a mask of cold sweat and terror. He recognized the swordsmanship now. It was the signature style of the Blood-Eyed Shura. The black-haired, black-eyed man was the monster himself. And the yellow-haired one, from the clones' memories, was undoubtedly the Yellow Flash. The two most feared names on any Iwa battlefield, and he had stumbled into both. There was no winning. There was only flight.
He turned to run, but Kakashi was already upon him again, the shrieking Chidori reformed in his palm.
"Chidori!"
Distracted by his panic, his focus split between the two legendary Jonin, Maki couldn't muster a proper defense. The lance of lightning found its mark, piercing through his chest with a sickening sizzle. His eyes widened in shock, then went blank. His body hit the forest floor with a dull thud.
The screeching of the birds ceased. Kakashi stood over the fallen Jonin, his chest heaving as he released the technique.
Kagenori walked over, his footsteps silent on the leaf litter. "Have you identified the weaknesses?"
Kakashi nodded, his breathing steadying. "Yes, Sensei. While not as rigid as Thunderclap and Flash, the Chidori's turning radius is still poor. Its speed, while great, doesn't match the pure movement technique. It's… unrefined."
"Good," Kagenori said. "You understand. The Thunder Breathing forms are a finished product. This Chidori is your own creation, a raw diamond. It has immense potential for growth and variation. Nurture it."
"I will, Sensei," Kakashi vowed.
The others gathered around. Minato looked at the panting but victorious Kakashi. "You've expended a lot of chakra. We should make camp and let you recover before proceeding."
Kakashi shook his head. "That's unnecessary. I can continue."
"You were way too reckless!" Obito blurted out, his voice a mix of awe and residual fear.
Kakashi shot him a withering glare. "I don't need a critique from you. The one whose legs turned to jelly and started crying. Some elite Uchiha."
"That—That was just dust in my eyes! It made them water!" Obito retorted, his face flushing.
Kakashi looked away with disdain. "Rule twenty-five of the shinobi code: 'A ninja must never show tears in front of others.'"
"Will you two stop it?!" Rin pleaded, stepping between them.
"Enough, both of you!" Minato's voice cut through the bickering, sharp and authoritative. "The mission is what matters. Save your energy for the enemy." The forest fell silent, the brief moment of conflict over, leaving only the grim reality of the path ahead, leading toward the fateful Kannabi Bridge.
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