Chapter 310: The Power of the Transparent World
Inuzuka Midori lay flat on the ground, Nara Shiosui strapped to her back. Shiosui could not move on his own, so Aburame Nao had used his parasitic insects to weave ropes that bound him securely in place, preventing him from falling.
Just like that, Inuzuka Midori ran on all fours, using both hands and feet to dash toward Akami Hideyuki with Shiosui on her back.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
As they advanced, Shiosui threw the shuriken in his hands at Akami Hideyuki.
However, because of his awkward posture and the fact that he could not exert much strength, the trajectory of the shuriken was crooked. Akami Hideyuki, standing still, tilted his body slightly and avoided every single one of them.
"Water Clone Jutsu."
Akami Hideyuki quickly formed seals and created a Water Clone, intending to let the clone deal with Nara Shiosui. Getting caught by the Shadow Imitation Technique would be extremely troublesome.
I have to learn ninjutsu that counters Water Release from Mugetsu sensei.
Obito, locked in a frustrating fight, roared inwardly.
He had been tormented enough by Water Release. Whenever Akami Hideyuki unleashed a large scale Water Release technique, Obito had no way to launch an effective Fire Release attack.
Originally, he had felt that his current condition was excellent. His Fire Release had never felt more natural and smooth. But after being suppressed again and again by Akami Hideyuki's Water Release, he was disgusted to the point that he wanted to rely entirely on taijutsu. Unfortunately, in taijutsu, he still could not defeat Akami Hideyuki.
Obito did not know how he was supposed to win this battle. Might Guy and Kakashi were already exhausted. Rin Nohara had used the very last of her chakra to heal him, and now she had lost all combat ability. Shiranui Genma and Ebisu were badly injured as well.
The only ones who could still change the tide of battle were the severely injured Konoha ninja they had saved earlier.
A Water Clone only possessed one tenth of the original body's strength. That strength increased in water, but even with only that one tenth, it was enough to drive Inuzuka Midori into a sorry state.
Normally, Inuzuka Midori would have gone head on against a Water Clone. But now she was injured and burdened with Nara Shiosui on her back. She could not fight at all and could only flee in a disheveled panic, circling around in search of an opening.
When the distance was finally close enough, the parasitic insect ropes around Nara Shiosui's body disintegrated and rushed toward the Water Clone.
In that instant, Inuzuka Midori seized the opportunity and heaved Shiosui off her back, throwing him toward the area near Akami Hideyuki.
Still in midair, Nara Shiosui rapidly formed hand seals, looking as though he was about to unleash ninjutsu.
The Water Clone lunged at him, wanting to cut him off. But Inuzuka Midori directly tackled the Water Clone, using her own body to slam into it.
Akami Hideyuki's main body noticed this scene. He immediately forced the injured Obito back with a sharp strike, then formed hand seals and spat out a thick pillar of water straight at Nara Shiosui, preparing to kill him before the Shadow Imitation could take effect.
However, Akami Hideyuki had not expected that when the Water Release hit, Nara Shiosui would first transform into Inuzuka Midori, then vanish in a puff of white smoke.
"Haha, was Midori's acting good or what? I even copied Shiosui's hand seals perfectly," Inuzuka Midori said with a proud laugh.
The Water Clone roared and smashed Inuzuka Midori to the ground in fury.
At the same time, Akami Hideyuki's expression changed. He tried to use the Water Body Flicker Technique to leave his position, but as early as the moment he turned to attack what he thought was Shiosui, the real Nara Shiosui had already changed back from a shuriken into human form. He swiftly formed hand seals and unleashed his ninjutsu.
"Shadow Imitation Technique."
Because the distance between them was so short, Shiosui's shadow quickly extended and connected with Akami Hideyuki's shadow.
Akami Hideyuki's body stiffened and he fell forward, forced to lie on the ground under the Shadow Imitation Technique's control.
The Water Clone tried to rush over to help, but Inuzuka Midori wrapped her arms and legs tightly around its leg, refusing to let go. The Water Clone kicked her with full force, making her cough up blood, yet she still did not release her grip. Only after the second kick knocked Inuzuka Midori completely unconscious was the Water Clone finally able to wrench itself free and race toward its main body.
"Use your fastest ninjutsu right now. I cannot hold him for long." Nara Shiosui shouted with all his strength.
The Shadow Imitation Technique consumed a large amount of chakra, and Shiosui did not have much left to begin with. On top of that, Akami Hideyuki's chakra and physical strength were far beyond his. The time he could restrain him was extremely limited.
"Fire Release, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."
Obito had originally planned to use Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique, which had great power and relatively low chakra consumption. But the moment he heard Nara Shiosui's shout, he immediately changed his choice, using Fire Release, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique instead.
He formed a single hand seal and spat out more than ten small fireballs that shot straight at Akami Hideyuki.
When the fireballs were only about fifty centimeters away from Akami Hideyuki, Nara Shiosui's chakra reached its limit and he lost control of the Shadow Imitation Technique.
Boom.
A dazzling explosion of flame erupted, swallowing the area around Akami Hideyuki. The intense light and heat forced Nara Shiosui, who was very close, to instinctively squint his eyes. He could not see through the burning glow to determine whether Akami Hideyuki had been killed or not.
Obito, with his Sharingan, could see more clearly. The moment the flames flared up, he grabbed Shiosui and retreated as quickly as he could.
The searing radiance came and went swiftly. As it faded, Akami Hideyuki appeared again, standing before them, his body marked with burns.
At the last moment, he had not even had time to get to his feet. He had rolled and crawled away at his fastest speed, using his Water Clone as a shield to take part of the attack for him. That was the only reason he survived.
"Damn it, if only I had a bit more chakra." Nara Shiosui clenched his fists. Even someone as calm as he was could not stay composed anymore. It had truly been just a little short. If he had been able to hold Akami Hideyuki for just two more seconds, the man might not have survived.
"You kids are really something. You actually almost killed me." Akami Hideyuki showed a twisted grin and charged at Nara Shiosui, short sword in hand.
Obito placed Shiosui down to the side, then threw himself forward alone to intercept Akami Hideyuki.
Obito had never recovered much chakra to begin with. After fighting for so long, just maintaining his Sharingan and his Breathing Technique already cost him a lot. He did not dare to use any more ninjutsu. At most, he could coat his fists with a layer of flame.
Even though Akami Hideyuki was injured and his condition had worsened, the difference in their strength was still obvious. Obito was at a clear disadvantage.
"Even that did not work?"
Leaning against a tree, Kakashi let out a quiet sigh.
The way Nara Shiosui's team had coordinated just now was so brilliant that even he found it impressive. In their current state, to be able to achieve such results in battle was already remarkable.
Watching Obito fight alone, Kakashi felt a deep sense of unease.
It was very similar to what had happened back in the Land of Rivers. Might Guy had erupted first, quickly dealing with the chunin. Then Obito awakened his Sharingan and joined forces with Might Guy to defeat the jonin. In the end, Kakashi had only managed to land the final blow.
Kakashi felt extremely unwilling. In everyone's eyes, he had always been that kind of genius, an existence beyond comparison. Yet now, he was forced to rely on his companions to turn the tide.
He did not want to be that person.
He wanted to be the one who turned the tide, because he was the genius that everyone acknowledged.
Obito's wounds continued to increase. Excessive blood loss caused his condition to worsen rapidly. The scales of victory seemed to be tipping completely toward Akami Hideyuki.
Kakashi took a step toward Akami Hideyuki. Pain flared in every part of his body, warning him not to move.
Kakashi ignored the pain and forced himself to take another step. This time, he tried to slip back into Thunder Breathing. Maybe because he had rested a few minutes and recovered a bit of stamina, he succeeded.
With the enhancement of the Breathing Technique, his steps became slightly lighter and faster.
Kakashi did his best to compress his breathing to the limit. Normal breathing would not be of much help in a battle of this intensity.
He did not know if it was because of his severe injuries causing hallucinations, or because something inside him had changed, but he suddenly felt that his breathing was even more focused and condensed than ever before.
Kakashi did not overthink it. He simply continued to concentrate his breathing, pushing it to the farthest limit he could reach. Nothing more, nothing less.
As his breathing became more and more concentrated, his pace also increased.
Kakashi did not bother to conceal his approach. Naturally, Akami Hideyuki noticed him. But he did not care at all. Right now, a normal nine year old child running at full speed could leave Kakashi's current pace in the dust. What was there to be afraid of from such a weak approach?
When Kakashi was within fifty meters of Akami Hideyuki, he tightened his grip around the White Fang short blade in his hand. In that instant, he felt that his own strength was much greater than before.
At forty meters, his breathing changed yet again. At that moment, the world before his eyes suddenly became much clearer.
At thirty meters, that clear sensation grew stronger and stronger. Kakashi could even faintly see the muscles moving beneath Akami Hideyuki's skin.
That sight stirred a memory from his training.
For a long time now, Kakashi had been troubled by the problem of not being able to fully react to his own speed, never quite catching up to the limits of his body. He still had not found a solution to that problem.
Mugetsu had given him two radical answers. One was the ultimate mastery of Breathing Technique, the Transparent World. The other was Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation to strengthen his reaction speed and nerves.
If one day a transparent feeling appears in your mind, and you can see and control every muscle and every blood vessel in your body, then you have entered the state of the Transparent World.
As Kakashi recalled Mugetsu sensei calm description of the Transparent World, a strange sense of emptiness washed over him, and then he saw it.
He saw his own muscles. He saw his bones. He saw his blood vessels. He saw everything within his own body.
Not only could he see, he could also control them. In that instant, he understood just how much strength he had wasted in his previous attacks.
"So this is the Transparent World," Kakashi murmured, continuing to close the distance between them.
When he was only ten meters away from Akami Hideyuki, Kakashi could see everything inside the jonin's body as well.
Only now did he truly grasp how powerful the Breathing Technique taught by Mugetsu really was. It was a miraculous power that could not be described in simple words.
When practicing the sword, remember two points. Your speed must be fast enough, and your strength must be sufficient. Gather all your power into a single point and strike.
At the same time, Kakashi recalled another memory, his father Sakumo Hatake patiently teaching him swordsmanship.
Right now, Kakashi was only six meters away from Akami Hideyuki.
Akami Hideyuki did not believe Kakashi had any strength left, but he was still a jonin. At the very least, he maintained basic caution. He temporarily gave up on finishing off the heavily injured Obito and slashed at the approaching Kakashi with his short sword.
"Kakashi, get out of the way. You are already in that state, just stay down." Obito shouted anxiously.
From the moment Kakashi started walking over, he had been yelling at him not to come. But Kakashi had ignored him completely, continuing to walk forward as if he were under a genjutsu.
Father. Mugetsu sensei. Thank you.
Kakashi did not dodge. He did not look at the oncoming blade. In his heart, he simply thanked Mugetsu and his father.
Because it was the power they had given him that now allowed him to change everything.
"Die."
Akami Hideyuki used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing in front of Kakashi in an instant, thrusting his short sword straight at Kakashi's chest.
Swish.
A flash of white light cut through the air.
Clatter.
Akami Hideyuki's short sword, along with his entire arm, split in two and fell to the ground. His eyes went wide with a look of terror and disbelief. He had not seen Kakashi's sword swing at all.
The next moment, a wave of searing pain tore through him. Before he could say a single last word, his body was cleaved into two pieces and collapsed.
"Kakashi, you…" Obito stared at the scene in shock.
The powerful jonin who had forced all of them into such desperation had been killed in an instant by Kakashi's single strike.
Was this Mugetsu sage possessing him?
"I am the genius Kakashi."
Leaving behind that one line, Kakashi collapsed.
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