Hearing Kakashi's explanation, Rin blushed faintly. "So it's not kidney deficiency then. That's a relief."
Kakashi sighed inwardly. Chakra came from both body and mind—so in a way, overusing it wasn't all that different from exhausting one's vital essence.
Plus, with his silver hair and those always-tired eyes, everyone around him had been giving him weird looks lately.
Shaking these messy thoughts away, Kakashi raised his right hand, forming the Ram seal with his index and middle fingers. "Rin, you rest nearby for a bit. I'll refine some chakra."
Rin nodded and, after clearing away any traces of the battle, quietly took a seat nearby. "If Obito were still alive… If the three of us could've stayed together forever…"
As she silently mused, quiet rustling suddenly echoed through the forest.
Rin immediately stood up but remained silent, pulling out a kunai and alertly moving to stand beside Kakashi.
"What an observant girl," a voice came from the shadows as slow clapping sounded. A completely white figure stepped forward—a child who looked even younger than her.
"That's Hiruko?" Rin thought briefly before deliberately feigning surprise when asking, "Who are you? Why would a kid appear on the battlefield?"
"Hmph, seems like I really had no presence back in the village!" With a wry shrug, Hiruko cocked his head slightly to the side and said, "About that, why don't you ask the person behind you?"
"Hiruko!" Kakashi had just finished refining chakra and now slowly rose, his gaze hardening. "Why are you here again? So our last encounter wasn't just coincidence."
"How many coincidences can this world possibly have?" Hiruko shook his head slightly. "Although I'd love to chat more with you, perhaps we should save that for later!"
With those words, his expression sharpened as he formed a complex hand seal.
[Puppet Curse: Kei!]
Instantly, Kakashi's pupils lost their luster—but at that moment, his Ice Crystal Tamaki Ring imperceptibly vibrated once, sending a chill through his heart.
Kakashi shivered slightly, his eyes instantly regaining their sharpness.
For the first time since his appearance, the ever-composed Hiruko revealed an incredulous expression. "How could this be? My Puppet Curse definitely didn't fail—why did you recover?"
Kakashi's Sharingan eye spun rapidly while lightning surged radiantly from his right palm. "You can ask questions in hell instead! [Chidori!]"
...
At the exact moment the Ice Crystal Tamaki Ring vibrated, within the Konoha camp.
While sparring with Asuma and the others, Seiki abruptly halted mid-fight and vanished in a flash using the Flying Thunder God.
"An enemy has appeared!"
"Enemy—what kind of enemy?" Still dazed from being beaten, Asuma hadn't yet grasped what happened.
"Could it be that Hiruko?" Mizuki's eyes narrowed.
"That's right."
"Seiki nodded, his gaze sweeping across the group. 'Asuma, Mizuki, Kurenai, Shizune, you four come with me to prepare the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier and trap the enemy.'"
"Got it!"
Knowing time was critical, no one hesitated; they quickly placed their right hands on Seiki's shoulders after confirming their agreement.
In the next instant, Seiki and the four others teleported to a location nearest to Kakashi according to his sense.
...
Wild lightning flashed among the trees, ultimately transforming into a white streak of light hurtling toward Shimon Hiruko.
Yet Shimon Hiruko stood rooted in place as if he hadn't reacted at all, feigning surprise.
"Great! Direct hit..." Seeing Kakashi strike the enemy in one move, Rin couldn't help but cheer joyfully.
But her joy didn't last long—it turned into horror.
The Chidori, which used to slice through rocks with a single palm strike, had no effect whatsoever against this opponent.
"This feeble jab—did you mean to tickle me?"
Even Kakashi wore an expression of disbelief, murmuring near the still-standing figure of Shimon Hiruko. "Impossible..."
Before his voice even faded, he was sent flying sideways by a sudden kick from Shimon Hiruko, crashing heavily against a large tree.
Brushing dust off his torn and scorched clothes, Shimon Hiruko smiled calmly. "Come on, are you *really* surprised?"
Kakashi stood up while holding his chest, asking in shock. "I can tell my attack was absorbed by you at the very last moment. But Chidori combines both Lightning Release and physical strikes—it shouldn't behave like this."
"I possess the Yin Release, which absorbs all chakra, and the Steel Release, which deflects any physical strikes!" Shimon Hiruko spread his arms wide, as if showcasing his masterpiece to his opponent. "I possess these two Kekkei simultaneously!"
"The same person possessing two forms of 'Kekkei'?" Covering her mouth in shock, Rin exclaimed, "Doesn't that make him invincible already?"
"This is impossible?" Now truly shocked, Kakashi said, "Not only did you successfully transplant a Kekkei, but you also possess two of them at once?"
"If I weren't so carefully selecting for desirable Kekkei, do you think only two would be enough for me?" Shimon Hiruko shook his head slightly before smiling again. "No worries though—I'll soon have a third!"
Kakashi gently touched his left eye. "So you're after this, then? Sorry, but this is a precious gift given to me by a friend. I can't let you take it."
"That's fine. I'll take it myself. Although...if I do it personally, I won't exactly play nice." Shimon Hiruko chuckled unconcernedly.
"We'll see about that!" Kakashi bit his finger, performed a blood-signed seal, and slammed it onto the ground.
[Summoning Technique!]
With several howls, eight ninja hounds appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Ninja Hounds?" Shimon Hiruko sneered lightly. "Are you offering dog meat to me?"
"These days, whippersnappers really lack manners!" Pakkun anthropomorphically retorted with disdain. "Don't you know dogs are man's best friends?"
"That's right!" Brute agreed. "On behalf of all dog lovers, I issue a strong protest!"
"Shimon Hiruko twitched his lips. 'You're the dog yourself!'"
"That's why I said I'm just speaking for them!" Brute scoffed, then turned and asked Kakashi, "Kakashi, where did you dig up such an idiot enemy from?"
"You..." Shimon let out a cold laugh, shaking his head with self-mockery. "Tch, I actually wasted my breath talking nonsense with you lot! Looks like loneliness really is humanity's worst enemy after all."
"Tell me," he went on, raising his right hand, "have you figured out how you'd like to die?"
[Yin Release: Counter Shockwave!]
Brilliant lightning erupted from Shimon Hiruko's outstretched hand.
"This... my own Chidori?" Kakashi realized the familiar energy in Shimon's attack. "Can his Yin Release actually absorb and reflect attacks back?"
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