"Chidori, is it?"
Yui Xuanyue's hand clamped around Kakashi Hatake's wrist, a faintly amused smile tugging at his lips as he studied the all-too-familiar face before him.
"I've already demonstrated transformations far beyond this. Tell me—after all this time, is this the best you can manage?"
"You—" Shock flickered in Kakashi's lone visible eye.
But Xuanyue gave him no chance to respond. With a sudden twist of his grip, he flung Kakashi away, his hands sweeping out to either side.
And then—
"Burning youth! Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
A booming cry split the air. A green blur came crashing in with a sonic boom, a kick tearing through the space where Xuanyue stood.
Boom! The shockwave rippled out, the ground trembling beneath the impact.
Xuanyue didn't resist head-on. Instead, he let the force carry him, his body rocketing backward even faster—straight toward the edge of Konoha.
"I'm done playing with you." His voice carried back on the wind. "If you've got time to chase me, you'd do better checking on the Hokage."
With that mocking reminder, he twisted midair, accelerating again until he vanished.
Might Guy tensed, ready to pursue, but Kakashi caught his arm.
"The Hokage and the village come first."
Orochimaru had escaped. The Third Hokage's fate was still unknown. And within the village, battles still raged.
This wasn't the time to waste energy on a man who had clearly decided to leave—and who they had little hope of stopping quickly.
Guy gave a reluctant nod, though as they turned back, he couldn't help asking, "Kakashi… do you know who that was?"
Kakashi's gaze narrowed, recalling the way Xuanyue had so casually caught his wrist—how easily he had unraveled the Chidori itself, almost like swatting aside a child's toy.
Even against Kage-level shinobi, his technique shouldn't have been dispelled so effortlessly. Unless—
Unless the man before him knew Chidori better than he did.
Or rather… Lightning Cutter.
Kakashi's mind flashed back to his youth under Minato-sensei. When his attempt to weave lightning chakra into the Rasengan failed, he had resolved to develop his own technique. In those early days, he had once asked Minato for guidance.
Minato had mentioned, almost in passing, that decades ago, a powerful shinobi had pioneered a lightning-style jutsu remarkably similar to what Kakashi envisioned. That shinobi's work had sparked inspiration in many, even though the technique itself was never passed down.
The records had given Kakashi the final spark of insight he needed.
And now…
"Impossible…" he muttered under his breath, heart tightening.
Guy leaned closer, expectant.
Drawing a steady breath, Kakashi finally said, "If I'm not mistaken… that was a troublesome elder."
Meanwhile, Xuanyue replayed the brief encounter in his mind.
"The green bodysuit… blinding as ever."
His first impression of Might Guy was burned into him—not the blinding kicks, not the zeal, but the sheer absurdity of that green spandex, gleaming teeth, and bowl-cut hair. Seeing it in person left a much deeper mark than anything the "screen" of his past life had conveyed.
He shook his head. One had to admit—Guy, and even that boy Rock Lee, possessed a courage few others could match.
Boom! Boom! Explosions still rocked the Hidden Leaf. Battles erupted across the village, shockwaves splitting the air.
With Kakashi and Guy no longer blocking his path, Xuanyue moved freely across the rooftops. From above, he caught glimpses of familiar figures locked in combat.
The titanic frame of Chōza Akimichi, swollen by Multi-Size Technique, loomed larger than most summons.
At his side, the inseparable duo—Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi.
Hyūga Hiashi, the clan head himself, cuts foes down with ease, his Byakugan flashing.
And atop a massive toad from Mount Myōboku, the legendary author Jiraiya unleashes devastation.
With such stalwart forces rallying, Konoha's counterattack grew sharper, its enemies faltering. The combined forces of Sand and Sound began to crumble.
And when the truth—that Orochimaru had murdered and impersonated the Fourth Kazekage—spread through the ranks, the Sand shinobi's will to fight collapsed entirely.
The invasion scarred Konoha so deeply… it was on the verge of failure.
Xuanyue didn't linger. He quickened his pace, slipping toward the outskirts.
Far behind, atop Gamaken's head, Jiraiya caught sight of a retreating silhouette vanishing into the horizon. His eyes narrowed briefly—but then he turned, vanishing in a flicker toward the Chūnin Exam arena.
By the time he arrived, many had already gathered: Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, Gekkō Hayate, Yūhi Kurenai… and others.
At their center lay the still body of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
A silence fell. Jiraiya, too, said nothing.
Some wept in grief. Others smiled with grim satisfaction.
At the edge of the village, Xuanyue finally stepped beyond the last rooftop. Before him stretched an endless ocean of trees.
For the first time since his return, no one stood in his way.
His lips curved upward. The smile grew wider, and then—
He burst into laughter.
"Ha… ha ha ha… HAHAHAHAHA!"
Looking back, it had been worth it—leaving behind fragments of his body after that battle with Senju Hashirama.
With the miracle of the Impure World Reincarnation, and with his name still echoing in legend, he had never doubted that someone would call him back from the underworld.
If nothing else, he had expected to return during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
But Orochimaru had brought him forth early—here, during the Chūnin Exams.
A gift from fate itself.
"Konoha has lost its Hokage. The village will be too fractured to deal with me. Perfect. Time to reclaim my body, sealed away at the moment of my death."
He lifted his cracked hand, inspecting the crumbling flesh.
The body of the dead might be limitless in chakra, immune to mortal wounds… but it was still far inferior to true life. Already, grains of dust were flaking from him, carried off by the wind.
His time was limited.
He would waste no more of it.
With a surge of chakra, Xuanyue vanished into the trees.
Somewhere not far off, two cloaked figures in black and red stood still. One lifted his straw hat, revealing a shark-like grin.
"Itachi… shall I deal with that one?"
"No."
Uchiha Itachi's gaze turned toward the smoking village. Beneath the tears carved into his face, his Sharingan gleamed with cold light.
"Don't complicate things. Our target… is the Nine-Tails."
(End of Chapter)