"I said stop right there! Didn't you hear me?!"
Kakashi barked out an order.
But the very next moment—
BOOM!!!
A crushing, godlike pressure surged forward like a tidal wave.
In Kakashi's eyes, the child walking toward him no longer looked like a seven- or eight-year-old.
He looked like a divine being descending from the heavens, gazing down upon all creation—causing an overwhelming urge to kneel in submission.
"Damn it! This isn't genjutsu—it's real, tangible pressure!"
Sweat poured down Kakashi's face. His legs trembled violently. His knees threatened to buckle at any moment.
And yet, he grit his teeth and held on—barely able to remain standing by sheer force of will.
His ANBU teammates weren't so lucky.
Each of them had dropped to their knees.
This pressure—this suffocating weight—had brought elite ANBU shinobi to the ground like they were mere civilians.
Beneath their masks, their expressions twisted with pain and fear.
Meanwhile, Rukawa dragged the half-dead Hyūga Makino behind him like a dead dog, strolling past the ANBU like they were nothing more than dust in the wind.
"Damn it! DAMN IT! MOVE!! I SAID MOVE, DAMN IT!!"
Kakashi screamed internally.
Finally, just as Rukawa was walking past him—
"STOP!!!"
Kakashi turned and thrust his kunai with all his might—driving it into Rukawa's back shoulder.
Schk!
Rukawa turned his head slowly, glancing at the kunai stuck in his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Kakashi with amusement.
"Oh? Interesting. You actually managed to shake off my Conqueror's Haki. Guess you really do live up to the Five-Five Legend."
While Rukawa remained composed and even cracked jokes…
Kakashi's heart was trembling in shock.
What kind of monster is this kid?!
Even that direct stab only slightly scratched his skin?!
"You—!"
Kakashi was about to speak when suddenly—
CRACK!
A brutal blow slammed into his face.
His dog-shaped ANBU mask shattered.
His signature black mask tore apart.
He was sent flying.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!!"
Kakashi instinctively pulled his collar up to cover his face—but blood poured out, soaking the fabric.
"Tch. So that's what you look like? Meh, nothing special. I thought maybe you had some freaky buck teeth or something."
Rukawa looked disappointed, then casually resumed dragging Hyūga Makino forward.
When he struck, he'd deliberately clawed with his fingernails—to rip Kakashi's mask off.
He'd always been curious what Kakashi looked like under the mask.
Now he'd seen it. There was a beauty mark on Kakashi's left jaw. Handsome? Maybe a little.
But definitely not as good-looking as him.
Once Rukawa was gone, Kakashi's ANBU teammates regained their senses and rushed to his side.
"Captain! Are you okay?! Let me check your wounds!"
"Cough... Cough..."
Kakashi coughed and pulled up his bloodstained collar.
"I'm fine. Don't pull on my collar again!"
"Uh... sorry, Captain. I just wanted to see how badly your face was injured."
The teammate awkwardly retracted his hand.
Kakashi gave him a deadpan stare—but now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
"This situation involves both the Uchiha and Hyūga clans. It's more complicated than we can handle."
"We must report this to the Hokage immediately."
His tone was solemn.
"Yes, sir!" the others answered at once.
Meanwhile, the gathered villagers—who had seen the whole thing—were absolutely stunned.
A seven- or eight-year-old kid had beaten dozens of Hyūga shinobi in seconds.
He made elite ANBU kneel with a glance.
And the one ANBU who dared to fight? Smacked away with a single slap.
What kind of god-tier child is this?!
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, none of them would have believed it.
Soon, the crowd reached Konoha's main gate.
Konoha's two iconic gatekeepers—Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane—were lazing around, chatting about dinner plans.
Then they saw the massive crowd approaching.
Holy crap! What the hell's going on?!
They jumped up, panicked.
At the front of the group was a child—dragging a Hyūga clan member like a piece of trash.
"Stop! What are you doing?! You can't treat a fellow villager like that! Let him go!" Izumo shouted.
Kotetsu stood beside him, ready to back up his buddy.
"Get lost. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
Rukawa casually glanced at them.
That one look made both men pale and stumble backward.
Once jokingly called "the duo who could solo Pain with one hand," the gatekeepers were now trembling.
They didn't doubt for a second—if they tried to stop him, they'd be killed on the spot.
They were just gatekeepers. Their salary wasn't worth dying over.
This was above their pay grade.
So, they silently stepped aside and joined the crowd of onlookers.
Rukawa glanced up at the tall Konoha gate.
Perfect. The center looks like the ideal place to hang someone.
Just as he moved to carry out his plan—
"Uchiha Rukawa! If you really do this, our Hyūga clan will become your mortal enemy!"
Hyūga Hiashi stumbled forward, barely able to walk.
Rukawa merely lifted a hand.
Hiashi instinctively flinched and stepped back.
"Trash like you dares talk about mortal enemies?"
"When Kumogakure made demands, you didn't fight back. Instead, you sacrificed your own brother as a scapegoat."
"You're a coward. Not even worth looking at."
"Your entire Hyūga clan isn't worthy of my attention."
"You talk about Main and Branch families, enforce the cursed seal like it's sacred law…"
"Utterly pathetic. Even if you gifted me your Byakugan, I wouldn't want that trash!"
His voice dripped with mockery, eyes filled with scorn.