Chapter 14: Power is Strength
Kakashi couldn't refuse Fugaku Uchiha's request, nor did he have a reason to.
In Fugaku's eyes, the mysterious masked man was connected to the Nine-Tails attack. Now that there was a small possibility of finding the true culprit's identity, Fugaku couldn't let it go, no matter how small the chance.
So he went to the Hokage's office to meet with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After all, opening the Senju and Sarutobi clan archives to Fugaku was a big deal. If Fugaku had any ulterior motives, he could easily probe the deepest secrets of both clans.
"That's the situation, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the Hokage's seat, his pipe in his mouth. Pale blue smoke puffed from his mouth and nose with every breath.
He listened to the news Kakashi brought from the Uchiha clan, his brows furrowed.
He didn't ask for Kakashi's opinion on the matter.
Kakashi was just a fourteen-year-old boy. No matter how brilliant, he couldn't possibly know the secrets from before the era of shinobi villages.
Even he, a man approaching sixty, didn't know much about the so-called "Uchiha Mumei."
After all, it was something from several hundred years ago.
"I understand. I will arrange for someone to investigate this matter."
Perhaps because he hadn't spoken for a long time, Hiruzen's voice was a bit hoarse.
Kakashi acknowledged the order and quietly excused himself.
As expected. Even if the suspicion on the Uchiha clan for the Nine-Tails attack had lessened slightly, the long-standing prejudice meant that even Hiruzen, a 'dove' who wanted peace between the village and the Uchiha, would not trust them unconditionally.
But this also didn't mean Hiruzen was like Danzō Shimura or Koharu Utatane, who held a deep-seated bias against the Uchiha. It was simply the natural caution of a leader who would never fully trust a subordinate.
Thinking of this, Kakashi paused as he left the Hokage Tower.
If that's how it was for Fugaku Uchiha...
Then what about him?
Kakashi didn't really care.
Power is strength. If your fist isn't hard enough, what good is authority?
It's just a flower in the water, the moon in the mirror.
Kakashi tightened the White Fang at his waist and walked, step by step, toward the training ground.
The White Fang was forged. There was nothing more to say about what came next.
The White Fang would replace the Kamui he had lost.
What Kamui could do, the White Fang would do.
What Kamui couldn't do, the White Fang would also do.
...
Three days had passed since the White Fang was reforged.
In these three days, Kakashi had quickly picked up the sword skills he was once proud of. He was continuously pushing forward, following the sword techniques of his cheap old man from his memories.
Konoha Training Ground 3
The usually remote and quiet training ground was now filled with the continuous sound of metal clashing. On the field, one white and one green blur were exchanging high-speed, high-frequency blows.
"Ooh-ho!"
"Youthful Combination Song!"
With a roar full of hot blood and youth, Might Guy, wielding two nunchaku, launched another fierce assault on Kakashi.
Might Guy's weapons were a pair of nunchaku called Sōshūga (Twin Attacking Fangs).
Few people used nunchaku, let alone in actual combat. But once mastered, the power they could unleash far surpassed weapons like a staff.
Beyond the power of the swing itself, the chain added inertial force. Getting hit once would, if not take you out of the fight, at least severely diminish your combat ability.
And Might Guy was a master of the nunchaku.
Faced with the glint of Kakashi's White Fang, Guy didn't dodge. He met it head-on. His lightning-fast nunchaku swung, shattering the approaching sword light.
Feeling the immense force transmitted from the White Fang again and again, Kakashi clenched his teeth, constantly trying to find an opening in Guy's defense to launch a counterattack.
But Guy's nunchaku were a seamless storm. Forget an opening; even defending was becoming extremely difficult.
And Might Guy, feeling the sharp, fierce light from Kakashi's sword, was getting more and more excited.
Kakashi! As expected of my eternal rival!
To be able to tangle with me to this extent!
This White Fang sword light, which I haven't seen in so long, has ignited the hot blood hidden deep in my heart!
You must be feeling it too!
Watch this!
I saved this move just for you!
"Hachimon Tonkō! Dairoku: Keimon... Kai! (Eight Gates! Sixth Gate of Joy... Open!)"
With a roar from Guy, a gale exploded around him. Visible green chakra instantly flooded his body, and his exposed skin turned a deep, crimson red!
???
Kakashi, forced back by the wind pressure, felt his mind go numb.
I knew it!
I just knew it!
"Wait..."
Kakashi subconsciously tried to stop Might Guy, who was already lost in his hot-blooded youth.
"Asakujaku! (Morning Peacock!)"
He had only gotten one word out before Guy leaped into the air. As his fists flew, countless fireballs, carried on the violent wind of his punches, rained down on Kakashi!
Kakashi's scalp tingled. Without a second thought, he retreated rapidly, his hands flying through seals.
"Doton: Doryūheki! (Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!)"
A three-to-four-meter-high stone wall, carved with dog heads, erupted from the ground, blocking the countless fireballs.
But how could a mere Doryūheki stop the Asakujaku? It was shattered to pieces in an instant!
Kakashi, however, used that brief moment to explosively retreat, escaping the attack's range.
As the flaming fists hit the ground, the entire training ground was rocked by deafening explosions, as if it had been shelled!
Dust and smoke filled the air. Kakashi, with his "dead-fish" eyes, watched the scene and covered his face.
He had thought this might happen, but seeing it for real was still terrifying.
But, from the looks of it, Guy must have only just recently opened the sixth gate. Otherwise, with Kakashi's current speed, he would have had no way of escaping that attack range.
"Guy... you went overboard."
When the dust settled, Kakashi, with a completely exasperated look, crossed the cratered field to Might Guy, who was sitting powerlessly on the ground.
Clearly, the side effects of opening the sixth gate were kicking in.
"As expected of you, Kakashi!"
"To think you could dodge that move!"
"When I open the seventh gate, I'll show you what it can do!"
Seeing Kakashi approach, the exhaustion on Guy's body vanished. He flashed Kakashi his signature pearly-white smile and a thumbs-up.
He recovered that fast...?
Kakashi looked at the rapidly recovering Guy and, annoyed, pushed his thumbs-up down.
"You really do get worked up too easily..."