"So... you've chosen death?!"
The fact that these Konoha ninjas refused to back down even after hearing his name caused Biwa Jūzō's face to darken instantly. He didn't want a conflict with Konoha, but that didn't mean he feared them.
If forced to act, he would simply clean up the evidence to ensure no trouble followed him back.
Moreover, Jūzō was a man of pride. The young Kakashi's defiant attitude grated on him. He was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, a figure who had been famous in the ninja world for years, while "Copy Ninja" Kakashi was merely a rising star.
To Jūzō, a brat who showed no respect for his "seniors" needed a lesson written in blood and tears.
Without a word of warning or a feint, Jūzō hoisted the Executioner's Blade with one hand and charged straight at Team 7.
His fighting style seemed "reckless" to the students, but as he closed the distance, a wave of suffocating killing intent swept over them.
Young Sasuke felt his body go numb under the pressure; his legs trembled, and for a moment, he found himself unable to even reach for a kunai.
Naruto and Hinata fared little better. These "greenhouse flowers" raised in an era of relative peace were utterly paralyzed when faced with a Mist Jōnin who had waded through oceans of blood.
The gap between a Genin and a Jōnin wasn't just in ninjutsu or taijutsu—it was a gap in sheer presence.
In that moment, the only one capable of reacting was Kakashi. Although younger than Jūzō, his experience—honed in the ANBU and the fires of the Third Great Ninja War—was arguably more "profound." He had killed just as many men, if not more. Jūzō's killing intent held no sway over him.
Whish!
The Executioner's Blade whistled past Kakashi's eyes. Having already revealed his Sharingan, Kakashi leaned back with surgical precision, letting the massive blade miss him by a hair's breadth.
His movements were so composed that they looked almost effortless.
Seeing his initial strike fail, Jūzō pressed forward, flipping his wrist to reverse the blade's edge, sweeping it toward Kakashi's lower right ribs.
Kakashi knew better than to block a weapon of that scale; anyone who could wield such a slab of iron possessed monstrous strength. To meet it head-on was the height of stupidity.
Kakashi leaped back, his fingers blurring through hand seals. Against a brute-force fighter like Jūzō, ninjutsu was the most effective counter.
Lightning Style: Lightning Snakes!
A mid-level technique, cast with deceptive ease. Five golden snakes of electricity formed in front of Kakashi and lunged at Jūzō.
As he touched the ground, Kakashi bit his thumb, smeared blood across his palm, and continued sealing, all while shouting to his paralyzed team:
"What are you standing there for?! Move!"
The shout broke the spell of fear. Though their hearts still hammered against their ribs, seeing their teacher hold his own gave the Genin the courage to regain their mobility.
They knew they couldn't interfere in a battle of this caliber. Following Kakashi's lead, the three of them grabbed Tazuna and retreated to a safe distance.
Zzzzt!
Jūzō swung his massive sword, shattering the lightning snakes with raw physical force. Standard ninjutsu seemed to have little effect against a man who would later (in another timeline) attempt to block a Tailed Beast Bomb with his blade.
"Tch," Kakashi clicked his tongue. His second jutsu was ready.
Summoning Jutsu: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique!
Jūzō recognized the blood-smearing gesture but was confused when no puff of smoke appeared. Instead, Kakashi slammed his palms onto the earth. Suddenly, the ground beneath Jūzō's feet erupted.
"What?!"
Two ninja dogs burst from the soil, sinking their teeth into Jūzō's ankles. Before he could swing his blade to shake them off, more dogs lunged from behind, biting his forearms and the dull edge of the Executioner's Blade. In total, eight Ninken—the Pack of Eight—pinned his limbs and his weapon to the spot.
"Ninja dogs?" Jūzō growled. They weren't large, but their strength and chakra-enhanced grip were immense. A well-trained Ninken was a match for an average Genin, and eight of them together were a formidable restraint.
As Jūzō struggled to break free, a high-pitched chirping, like the cry of a thousand birds, filled the air. He looked up to see lightning dancing in Kakashi's palm.
"Chidori?!"
Like the Sharingan, the name of this jutsu had spread alongside the legend of the Copy Ninja.
"It's over," Kakashi said grimly, his eyes locked onto Jūzō's heart. He broke into a sprint, the lightning blade screaming in his hand.
In the face of death, Jūzō made a split-second choice. He let go of the Executioner's Blade, sacrificing his weapon to gain the inch of mobility he needed to twist his torso.
Schloop!
The Chidori pierced through Jūzō's chest. Blood sprayed, but the strike missed the heart. With a roar of agony, Jūzō retaliated, slamming a chakra-enhanced fist into Kakashi's face and sending him flying.
Kakashi scrambled to his feet, wiping blood from his lip. Jūzō had managed to shake off the Ninken and reclaim his sword, but he was now a gory mess.
A gaping, charred hole went through his chest, and his body was covered in bite marks. Without immediate medical attention, he wouldn't last long.
A single miscalculation—underestimating Kakashi's summoning speed—had brought a legendary swordsman to the brink of the grave.
Wrenching himself upright and clutching his chest, Jūzō spat a final threat to salvage his dignity: "Hatake Kakashi... I will remember you! I'll be back for your head!"
He wove a seal, and as the morning mist thickened unnaturally, his silhouette vanished into the white void.
Kakashi wanted to pursue, but he looked back at his team: the Hyuga heiress, the Hokage's son, the Uchiha heir, and a high-value client. He couldn't risk a "desperation counterattack" or a feint that might leave his students vulnerable.
"That was amazing, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cheered once Hinata confirmed the enemy had retreated.
Sasuke stared at Kakashi's Sharingan, a mix of curiosity and newfound respect swirling in his eyes. He realized that if he wanted to surpass his brother, he had a long road ahead—and Kakashi was a worthy guide.
Hinata, however, felt a different kind of awe. She wondered: Between Kakashi-sensei and my brother Shinichi... who is stronger? In her mind, she hoped her brother wouldn't be too far behind the famous Copy Ninja.
Far away in Konoha, Hyuga Shinichi chuckled. He wouldn't have expected his sister to be power-scaling him against Kakashi.
He watched Jūzō's retreat through the Tenseigan. "That man... he still has some value to me. It would be a waste if he died here."
In his study, Shinichi tapped the desk. His Tenseigan glowed with a brilliant light, and in an instant, his figure flickered and vanished from the room.
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