With Kakashi's arrival, Asuma's spirit visibly lifted.
He channeled chakra into his trench knives, their metal surfaces glowing with a faint blue light. His fists struck with immense force, and amidst his nimble movements, he managed to slash Kisame's cheek, blood dripping down the shark-like face.
Kisame's eyes flickered with surprise and excitement. He stepped back, his hands weaving rapidly in hand-signs.
But before he could finish, Kakashi called out first: "Water Release: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!"
Two small water dragons rose from the river, identical in form. They met head-on in midair with a thunderous crash, canceling each other out and dispersing into a curtain of mist.
Clearly, Kakashi had just shown Kisame a taste of his abilities—just like he had done with Zabuza.
"Why are you here too?" Asuma asked, cigarette still in his mouth, addressing Kakashi in front of him.
"Well... even though I asked you two to handle it, I was still a little uneasy, I guess."
As he spoke, another Kakashi appeared behind Itachi, a kunai pressed against Itachi's body.
Itachi turned around, and the three-tomoe Sharingan of both men locked instantly.
"Hatake... Kakashi." Itachi's tone was indifferent.
"What business does a rogue-nin like you have in the village now?" Kakashi asked.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Tazuna's house]
At those words, Sasuke straightened up.
The Jōnin-level exchange before had been dazzling enough, but the question Kakashi had just asked was exactly what Sasuke wanted to know: why had Itachi—the clan killer—returned to Konoha?
On the screen, Kisame also recognized the man who had copied his Jutsu, and looked at Kakashi up and down.
"This is a surprise... No wonder you copied my Jutsu... So there really is a fellow besides Itachi-san who has that eye."
"Your name is Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, right?"
"I'm the one who is surprised," Kakashi shot back. "I saw strange men in the tea house and wondered who they were... turns out to be Uchiha Itachi and the Mystery Man of Kirigakure, Hoshigaki Kisame."
"Well, well... You even know my name. What an honor," Kisame said with a smirk.
"I heard you fought that kid Zabuza."
"…Then you are someone well worth cutting down!"
---
[Land of Waves, outside the grandest mansion]
Zabuza, covered in blood, sat on the steps, watching the Sky Screen with great interest.
The Kubikiribōchō stood upright beside him, still dripping with fresh blood.
Inside the mansion, bodies lay scattered everywhere, the air thick with the stench of blood.
The corpse of an extravagantly dressed fat man was hung conspicuously from the chandelier on the ceiling, its eyes wide open, mouth agape, as if it was still thinking "How dare you" before it died.
"Tch! That bastard Kisame—acting like he's my senior."
"He sure is talking big, but didn't Kakashi just reverse his Jutsu too?"
"Let's see how you get out of this one."
Zabuza spat on the ground, a look of disdain on his face.
They were both later members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and both rogue-nins from Kirigakure. So what was there to be so high and mighty about?
Weren't they both just Elite Jōnin? What's with the attitude?
On the screen, Kisame was about to make his move, Samehada already raised, its menacing barbs bared. But just as he took a step forward, Itachi stopped him.
"Stop it... Kisame."
"If you really fight this man, you won't come out unscathed. And the longer you take, the more shinobis will show up."
"Don't lose sight of the goal... You're not here to get yourself injured."
"Then I'd like to hear what your goal is," Kakashi said.
As soon as he finished speaking, his Shadow Clone dispersed into a puff of white smoke.
Only then did everyone realize—the Kakashi behind Itachi was the real one!
"We're just here to find something," Itachi replied.
"And what is it you're looking for?" Kakashi raised his kunai, clearly on guard.
Itachi didn't answer directly. He just said flatly, "Unlike Kisame, I won't take much time."
The next instant, his hand shot out, fingers filled with shuriken.
Kakashi, sensing the danger, instantly activated a Jutsu.
"Ninja Art: Water Style: Water Wall!"
Kakashi quickly erected a wall of water around him, and at the same time, the surrounding water turned into countless water spikes, piercing toward Kakashi—barely stopped by the water wall in the nick of time.
[It has to be said, Itachi's strength was still top-notch. As a Kage-level powerhouse in the early stages, every move he made exuded the bearing of an expert.]
[You have to know, both Kakashi and Itachi had a hand-sign speed rating of 10 out of 10. Yet Kakashi—with his three-tomoe Sharingan—couldn't even 'see' Itachi's hand-signs. Not that he couldn't follow them—he simply didn't see them at all! That ability was practically a bug.]
[It must also be acknowledged that this early showdown between Itachi and Kakashi was truly spectacular. Both sides engaged in information warfare, and they still used hand-signs properly—without turning Kisame into the only "honest guy" present there.]
[Unlike later on, when showing up without a giant mecha was embarrassing, and hand-signs became a mere formality. Were those even battles between shinobi anymore?]
[At the same time, this battle also marked the first appearance of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Tsukuyomi's ability was downright monstrous—Kakashi, caught off guard, suffered heavily. Of course, Kakashi's willpower was equally monstrous. Tortured for three days and nights in the Tsukuyomi space, he came out without a word—just two dark circles under his eyes.]
---
'Hmm? Tsukuyomi?'
At Tazuna's house, Sasuke tilted his head back as far as it would go, neck rigid, watching the screen's description of Tsukuyomi with total concentration, afraid of missing any detail.
His two-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, reflecting every frame on the screen, his mind frantically recording.
Tsukuyomi—a Mangekyō Sharingan ability that manipulates time, making the victim experience days of torment in an instant.
'...Is that the ability that man used to defeat Kakashi-sensei?'
If he faced that technique, could he withstand it?
Sasuke's breathing grew rapid, his chest heaving.
Naruto noticed Sasuke's abnormality and gently nudged his arm. "Sasuke, you okay?"
"I'm fine." Sasuke's voice was hoarse, but his eyes never left the screen.
*****
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