"This is bad."
Inside an abandoned warehouse in the back area of Konohagakure, Kakashi peered through a gap in the window, taking in the village's current situation. "Shisui and Guy can still manage, but the Third Hokage is in serious trouble!"
Damn it!
His friends, comrades, and even the village leader were all fighting on the front lines, while he was stuck hiding in this dark warehouse. It was frustrating, but there was nothing he could do.
According to the intel Aizen had left behind, the enemy's ultimate goal was to release the Nine-Tails.
To prevent the worst from happening, Sarutobi Hiruzen had deliberately chosen this remote warehouse as Naruto's hiding place and had entrusted Kakashi with the important task of guarding him.
What else could he do?
Even if he didn't want to play babysitter, he had no choice but to accept the responsibility. Besides, this was his teacher's child. He wouldn't just stand by and let him get hurt.
Thinking this, Kakashi turned to check on Naruto—and froze.
The blond boy who should have been sitting there was gone. The only thing left was a light blue-covered manga lying on the ground, almost as if mocking him.
No way… Where did he go?!
Kakashi jumped up and scanned the room.
Finally, he spotted Naruto's figure in the alley behind the warehouse. The boy had one foot already out of the alley and was staring into the distance. "Aizen-sama, I'll keep my promise!"
"Naruto, come back!"
Hearing Kakashi's call, Naruto glanced back at him but didn't respond. He pushed off the ground with his legs and leaped onto a nearby rooftop.
Damn it, where does he think he's going?!
Kakashi frowned and quickly gave chase.
But to his surprise, even at full speed, he could barely keep up. This completely shattered his expectations.
He was a jonin!
A full-fledged jonin, struggling to keep up with a kid who hadn't even attended the Ninja Academy yet? Had Naruto somehow inherited his father's Yellow Flash speed?
Kakashi was baffled.
As they dashed across the low-rise buildings in the southern part of the village, Kakashi found the chase growing harder. Sweat started forming on his forehead.
Luckily, Naruto finally stopped. He stood still, gazing at the Hokage Rock in the distance.
"Naruto, you—"
Before Kakashi could finish, the blond boy cut him off. "I'm not going back. I don't want to listen to any of you anymore. I'm going to wait here for Aizen! We made a promise!"
He still hasn't moved on, huh?
Kakashi sighed. He wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't good at comforting people.
But one thing was clear—staying here for too long would be extremely dangerous.
Danzo, lurking in the shadows, could strike at any moment.
For the safety of both the village and the boy, Kakashi couldn't allow him to stay.
Sorry about this.
Kakashi let out a soft sigh. Without hesitation, he formed his hand into a blade and struck the back of Naruto's neck with lightning speed.
Thud.
The boy didn't seem to expect an attack from behind. His body stiffened before collapsing to the ground.
Rumble—
At that moment, with a loud roar, a massive figure appeared in Kakashi's view—a towering, chakra-formed, dark green giant.
"T-That is..." Kakashi froze for a moment, his eyes filled with shock.
Susano'o!
As waves of Iwagakure ninja swarmed toward him, Shisui finally unleashed his Susano'o. A towering, dark green giant, dozens of meters tall, loomed over the streets of Konohagakure.
Massive, fierce, unstoppable!
The sight of Susano'o left everyone who witnessed it utterly shaken.
"Damn it, that's Susano'o?!"
Oonoki, who had been calmly leading his forces against the Hokage and Raikage, suddenly turned pale. "Hurry up and notify Kitsuchi! Tell them to retreat immediately!"
But before he even finished speaking, Susano'o's glowing blade had already swung down.
Boom.
The sheer power of Susano'o made the ground tremble, and thick clouds of dust filled the sky.
"Dammit!" Oonoki's face twisted in frustration.
He couldn't see exactly what had happened, but judging by Susano'o's sheer force, his son and the Iwagakure ninja were most likely in serious trouble.
Taking a deep breath, Oonoki gritted his teeth. "I never expected you to be hiding a secret weapon like this. I really underestimated you, Sarutobi Hiruzen!"
"You should have known, Oonoki," Hiruzen said calmly, raising his staff. "This war... is already lost for you."
Oonoki's own words were now being thrown back at him. The irony and humiliation stung deeply.
But the truth was, he was already thinking about retreating.
Not only had he underestimated the strength and resilience of the Hokage and Raikage, but he also never expected Konohagakure to still have an Uchiha who could use Susano'o.
If he had more time, he was confident he could take them down. But under these circumstances, there was no way he would get that chance.
And it wasn't just that.
If they kept fighting, and that Uchiha with Susano'o decided to step in, it would be a disaster for the remaining Iwagakure ninja.
So... should they retreat?
Just as Oonoki hesitated, a sinister voice suddenly echoed through the battlefield.
"Well, well... so many Kage gathered in one place? Looks like I hit the jackpot today. Hah, if I sell your corpses, the bounty would be astronomical!"
As the voice faded, several figures appeared before Oonoki, Hiruzen, A, and the others. Though they all looked different, their clothing was the same—black cloaks with red clouds.
At last, the Akatsuki had entered the battlefield.
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