In less than a second, Kakashi had already completed a hand sign and caught the falling ninjatō in a single fluid motion.
Lightning sparked to life in Kakashi's palm, dancing along the blade's edge as he unleashed a technique passed down through his clan's sword style.
"Lightning Style: Fang Thrust."
With a burst of speed, Kakashi launched forward, rapidly closing the distance to the Sand shinobi. Silently, he focused his resolve, and with a fierce thrust, drove the electrified blade straight into his target's chest.
Shhk!
The blade pierced through flesh, and the electricity instantly erupted within the Sand shinobi's body, paralyzing him so completely he couldn't even open his mouth to scream.
But even as Kakashi, Veigar, and Shōgetsu successfully took down two Sand shinobi together, they were suddenly met with a terrifying force descending from above—Kazuhira's overwhelming attack.
A single misstep now would mean certain death.
Soaring through the air, Kazuhira watched as Kakashi eliminated his comrade below. Unbothered now by restraint, he unleashed a Wind Release technique with catastrophic power.
"Wind Release: Atmospheric Collapse!"
Fury burning in his eyes, Kazuhira opened his mouth and summoned a massive high-pressure wind orb, hurling it downward with the intent to annihilate Veigar, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu in one blow.
In an instant, the trio felt the storm looming above, the pressure alone distorting the air—and their faces paled as dread sank in.
They tried to flee, but it was too late. Far too late.
This was Kazuhira's full-force strike, a wrathful blow designed to end them all in one instant.
Looking up, Veigar saw the colossal wind orb descending like a typhoon-powered artillery shell. A fierce resolve surged in his chest.
"No choice. I'm going all in."
Veigar had no other options. Even if he chose to abandon Kakashi and Shōgetsu to save himself, even if he used his final trump card to escape—his chakra reserves would be empty, and he wouldn't survive Kazuhira's pursuit.
So he made his decision: to face Kazuhira's furious onslaught head-on—for Kakashi and Shōgetsu. Maybe, just maybe, he could still make it out alive.
Whether he would die from Wind Release: Atmospheric Collapse?
Veigar didn't care.
Because he was sure he wouldn't die—not unless Kazuhira followed up with another attack.
"RAAHHHH!!"
Against the crushing wind pressure, Veigar surged upward into the sky. In Kakashi and Shōgetsu's eyes, he looked like a comet blazing against a hurricane.
"Rasengan…"
"Revolving Heaven!!!"
With a roar, chakra erupted from Veigar's body, forming a massive chakra sphere midair that met Kazuhira's devastating jutsu head-on.
The resulting clash—Rasengan: Revolving Heaven versus Atmospheric Collapse—triggered a monstrous shockwave.
BOOOOM…
The shockwave obliterated the trees throughout the forested park, either uprooting them entirely or snapping them like twigs.
Kakashi and Shōgetsu were blown away, tossed like leaves in the gale.
Even Kazuhira, who had been descending through the sky, was swept off course by the force of the blast.
Rasengan: Revolving Heaven—Veigar's most powerful ninjutsu—combined offense and defense. It wasn't just a destructive attack; it served as an absolute defense as well.
Veigar had been saving just enough chakra to unleash this technique—hoping to land a lethal surprise blow on Kazuhira.
But fate doesn't wait. The opportunity never came. And now, he had no choice but to use it for survival.
A battle that changes in an instant—no one can predict its twists.
That single phrase summed up everything that had just transpired between Veigar, Kakashi, Shōgetsu, and their opponents—Kazuhira, Masaru, and the two Sand shinobi.
"Veigar, you—!!"
"Veigar…"
Blown away by the winds, Kakashi and Shōgetsu had used trees as cover. Staring in disbelief at Veigar floating in the air, their hearts were overwhelmed with emotion.
Kakashi was stunned—he hadn't expected Veigar to become this powerful, to master such an overwhelming technique.
As for Shōgetsu, prideful as any Uchiha, he felt a deep sense of frustration—and at the same time, fear for Veigar's life.
As the storm began to calm, Veigar's chakra was completely drained. The chakra sphere vanished—and he plummeted from the sky.
Thud.
"Hngh!!"
Exhausted beyond measure, Veigar's body hit the ground like a stone. His limbs were limp, powerless. If not for his extraordinary physical resilience, the fall would have done more than draw a single spurt of blood from his lips.
At the same moment, seeing Veigar fall, Kakashi and Shōgetsu dashed from cover toward him, a single goal in mind: get Veigar out before Kazuhira could recover.
But they had underestimated Kazuhira's speed.
Though he had been blasted away, he was uninjured—and faster than they expected.
Just as Kakashi and Shōgetsu reached Veigar, Kazuhira reappeared, targeting Shōgetsu, who had begun to lift Veigar, and the ever-alert Kakashi.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet Barrage!"
A hail of razor-sharp vacuum bullets rained down like bullets, aimed squarely at Kakashi and Shōgetsu. As for Veigar, limp on the ground and unable to move, Kazuhira didn't even consider him a threat anymore.
Veigar's earlier move had impressed him—but now, the sorcerer was just dead weight.
As the bullets screamed toward them, Kakashi and Shōgetsu felt despair set in. Every escape route was sealed. There was nowhere to run.
"Is this it…?"
Both men shared the same thought: this might be the end.
And then—Shōgetsu let go of Veigar.
He took a step forward, spread his arms, and threw himself between the attack and his comrades.
"How unfortunate… I haven't even gotten my revenge yet…"
In that moment, Shōgetsu Uchiha made his choice.
He would give his life—so that Veigar and Kakashi might live.
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