Chapter 267 – Kakashi vs. Sasuke
"Sasuke," Sakura called out, her eyes fixed on him.
"Oh, Sakura," Sasuke replied flatly, his gaze dull and emotionless as it settled on her.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke. Back then… I didn't defect with you," Sakura said.
"Oh?" Sasuke tilted his head slightly. "So that's what you're thinking?"
Then his expression hardened.
"In that case, help me kill her."
Sasuke pointed toward Karin, who lay collapsed on the ground, barely clinging to life.
Sakura took a step forward—then another—her movements hesitant. At the same time, lightning chakra burst to life in Sasuke's hand. Chidori crackled violently, its sharp glow aimed straight at Sakura.
At that exact moment, Kakashi appeared beside Sasuke and grabbed his arm with crushing force.
"Kakashi!" A flash of shock passed through Sasuke's eyes.
"Ka—Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura stared at him, her face pale with surprise.
"It's been a while, Sasuke," Kakashi said quietly as he looked at him. For a brief instant, killing intent flickered in his eye.
"Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked in a low, serious tone.
Behind Kakashi, Sakura stood frozen, guilt written clearly across her face.
"Kakashi-sensei… I'm sorry," Sakura whispered.
"Sasuke," Kakashi said calmly, "do you really want to die by my hand?"
In his eyes, Sasuke overlapped almost perfectly with the person he had once been—another member of Obito's clan, walking down the same twisted path.
His affection for this student was even deeper than what he felt for Naruto or Sakura. And yet, Sasuke had disappointed him beyond measure. He was even willing to attack his own teammates.
"Kakashi," Sasuke scoffed, "do you really think I'm no match for you?"
After killing Danzō, Sasuke's confidence had skyrocketed. On top of that, the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan had completely consumed him.
"Is that so?" Kakashi replied calmly. "You don't seriously believe that having the Mangekyō Sharingan makes you invincible… do you?"
Kakashi lifted his forehead protector. At the same time, the three-tomoe Sharingan in his eye twisted and transformed into a Mangekyō Sharingan.
Sasuke was slightly surprised—but he didn't dwell on it.
"For someone outside the Uchiha clan to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, that's impressive," Sasuke said coldly. "But a non-Uchiha like you shouldn't interfere."
As he spoke, Sasuke activated the Mangekyō Sharingan in both eyes.
"So this is the Mangekyō with the straight tomoe that Nii-san mentioned…" Kakashi thought as he stared into Sasuke's eyes.
They felt… unsettling. Abnormally so.
"Then let's see what you've got," Kakashi said.
And just like that, the battle between teacher and student began.
From taijutsu to ninjutsu, the exchange was relentless. Although Kakashi leaned more toward kenjutsu, his mastery of ninjutsu was equally terrifying. Sasuke was completely overwhelmed.
"Chidori!" Sasuke lunged at Kakashi, lightning screaming in his hand.
"It's useless," Kakashi replied calmly.
"Chidori!" Kakashi countered, charging forward with the same technique.
The two attacks collided head-on, forcing both of them to slide back a single step.
"Chidori Senbon!" Sasuke attacked again, firing a rain of lightning needles.
"Chidori Senbon!" Kakashi mirrored the technique instantly, launching his own counterattack.
"As expected, Kakashi," Sasuke said with a faint smile. "You copy my techniques immediately."
"You're impressive too, Sasuke. Your control over Chidori is excellent," Kakashi replied. "But this ends now."
Impatience flickered across Kakashi's face.
"Black Lightning: Chidori."
The blue lightning in Kakashi's hand gradually darkened, turning pitch black before shooting toward Sasuke like a spear.
"Tch… that's a Kumogakure technique," Sasuke muttered, frowning.
"Susanoo!"
In an instant, Sasuke summoned Susanoo. A towering skeletal figure rose up to shield him. Kakashi's Chidori slammed into it, and cracks immediately began to spread across the massive frame.
Seeing this, Sasuke poured even more power into his eyes. The skeletal Susanoo rapidly evolved, taking on a humanoid form clad in armor.
"…An unbelievable power," Kakashi murmured as he watched.
Some people could train their entire lives and still never reach this level. And yet, for those born with certain bloodlines, such power came far too easily.
"Kakashi, what else can you do now?" Sasuke asked. Even he hadn't expected his strength to reach this extent.
"Sasuke," Kakashi said quietly, "the Mangekyō Sharingan is indeed powerful. But how far can you really see right now?"
At this point, Uchiha Sasuke had completely lost his sanity.
"As long as I kill you, everything will be fine!" Sasuke screamed hysterically.
He immediately fired a barrage of chakra arrows toward Kakashi.
Kakashi calmly drew his sword, Ame no Habakiri, and swung it. Two clean slashes cut through the incoming arrows.
"What?!" Sasuke's eyes widened in shock when he saw his attack blocked so easily.
"Sasuke, I don't want to kill you," Kakashi said. "But your actions truly disappoint me. In the shinobi world, those who disobey orders are called trash. And those who don't value their comrades… are worse than trash."
Killing intent surged from Kakashi.
Armament Haki coated the blade of his sword as he unleashed a powerful slash toward Sasuke. A dark purple arc tore through the air and struck Susanoo directly.
Sasuke struggled to control Susanoo and block the attack, but Kakashi's slash was overwhelming. Susanoo shattered instantly—and at the same time, Kakashi's attack dissipated as well.
At that moment, Sakura appeared behind Sasuke. She had intended to launch a surprise attack, but the sight of him made her hesitate.
Sasuke gave her no chance.
He grabbed Sakura by the throat, pulled out a kunai, and stabbed toward her without mercy.
At the critical moment, Naruto appeared and pushed Sakura out of harm's way. Even so, Naruto's face was slashed by the attack.
At the same time, Obito—now wearing a new mask—appeared before them.
"Your eyesight is starting to fade, isn't it?" Obito asked, looking at Sasuke.
"So Kakashi's here too," Obito continued, calmly turning his gaze toward Kakashi.
"Oh?" Kakashi said. "You even changed your mask. And that eye… that's the Rinnegan, isn't it?"
"Go, Sasuke," Obito said.
"Go?" Kakashi's eyes turned cold.
"So I'm being underestimated."
Kakashi immediately slashed toward Obito.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Obito activated Shinra Tensei at once. A tremendous repulsive force erupted, stopping Kakashi's attack dead.
"Even though it's also a Rinnegan, compared to Nii-san's… this one is far weaker. Even the nature of its power is different. Is it because this eye isn't originally his?" Kakashi thought.
"One Sword Style: Deliverance Bird!"
Kakashi slashed at Obito again, catching him completely off guard.
"Shinra Tensei!"
This time, the slash wasn't repelled. Instead, it pushed forward, clashing head-on with the repulsive force. Moments later, Shinra Tensei collapsed. Seeing this, Obito immediately activated his intangibility.
"Oh? So this is your ability—making your body intangible," Kakashi said as he analyzed it. "But it's different from my older brother's elementalization. Then what exactly is this power? And that sudden appearance earlier… that should be space-time ninjutsu."
"Since you've shown up," Kakashi said coldly, "then stay here."
"Kakashi, I don't want to drag this fight out," Obito replied.
As he spoke, he summoned the Gedō Mazō and launched an attack toward Naruto.
Seeing this, Kakashi instantly moved to Naruto and Sakura's side, positioning himself in front of them to block the incoming assault.
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