While Aoki Yoru and his team were locked in a desperate battle against Killer Bee at the rear, the main battlefield had already descended into a brutal climax.
At the very center of the war zone, two terrifying forces collided again and again.
Lightning clashed against lightning.
Two streaks—one deep blue, the other shimmering purple—shot across the battlefield like raging comets. Every time they collided, the resulting shockwave exploded outward, sending nearby Ninja flying in all directions. Those unlucky enough to be caught at the epicenter were instantly torn apart by the overwhelming force.
The battlefield had instinctively created a vacuum around them.
No one dared to approach.
At this moment, Kakashi Hatake was barely holding on.
His breathing had grown ragged, each inhale sharp and painful. His left eye—the Sharingan—remained wide open, spinning rapidly, but the strain was obvious.
His chakra was nearly gone.
"…Is this… the end?" Kakashi thought bitterly.
He could feel it clearly—his body had reached its limit. His muscles were trembling, his bones aching, and his chakra reserves were completely exhausted.
Across from him, the Raikage stood tall and imposing, his body wrapped in a violent cloak of Lightning Release chakra. Sparks danced wildly around him, illuminating his muscular frame like a living thunder god.
He noticed immediately.
Kakashi had slowed down.
A grin spread across the Raikage's face.
"So… you've reached your limit."
His voice carried both respect and killing intent.
"To fight me for this long, Kakashi Hatake… you've earned the right to be proud."
Then—
His expression hardened.
"But this is where it ends."
The Raikage's muscles bulged, veins rising like coiled serpents across his arms. His chakra surged violently, compressing into a devastating strike.
In the next instant, he launched forward.
Too fast.
Kakashi's eyes widened.
"I can't block this."
There was no chakra left to reinforce his Lightning Style: Lightning Armor. No strength left to dodge.
Only inevitability remained.
"Crack—!"
The Raikage's punch shattered Kakashi's armor instantly.
The blow slammed directly into his chest.
"Pfft—!"
Blood sprayed from Kakashi's mouth as his body was sent flying like a broken rag doll. He crashed through multiple trees, snapping them like twigs, before finally slamming into the ground with a heavy thud.
"Kakashi!"
Shouts erupted across the battlefield.
The Konoha forces were shaken.
Ninjas like Ino–Shika–Chō and Asuma Sarutobi saw the scene unfold and immediately unleashed a furious barrage of attacks, desperately trying to break free from their opponents.
They had to reach Kakashi.
They had to save him.
But Kumogakure's forces reacted just as quickly.
They tightened their formation, intercepting every attempt to break through.
Because they all understood one thing—
If Kakashi died here, Konoha's morale would collapse.
And with the Raikage fully unleashed, the battle would be decided.
Step by step—
The Raikage walked toward Kakashi's fallen body.
His killing intent surged like a tidal wave.
"It ends here," he said coldly. "Go join my friend in the afterlife."
On the ground, Kakashi struggled to move.
Every breath burned.
Every movement felt impossible.
Yet—
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
Slowly, he opened his left eye.
The scarlet Sharingan spun wildly—
Then changed.
The three tomoe twisted and merged, forming a complex, pinwheel-like pattern.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
This was the power he had awakened after encountering Uchiha Itachi—after realizing that the Sharingan had depths far beyond what he once understood.
Blood began to stream from his eye.
But Kakashi didn't hesitate.
He poured every last drop of chakra into it.
Locked his gaze onto the Raikage.
And whispered—
"Kamui."
Space itself twisted.
The air around the Raikage distorted violently, as if reality were being torn apart. A spiraling vortex formed, dragging everything toward a collapsing point.
Black cracks spread across space.
Even the Raikage's expression changed.
He felt it instantly—
A lethal threat.
"Damn it!"
With a roar, he forced his chakra to surge to its absolute limit, reinforcing his entire body as he struggled against the pull of the vortex.
"Pfft—!"
A chunk of flesh from his left arm vanished into nothingness.
Blood sprayed outward.
At the last moment, the Raikage wrenched himself free from the distorted space, narrowly escaping complete annihilation.
Kakashi watched from the ground.
"…So even that… wasn't enough…"
His vision blurred.
His strength faded.
At least…
He had done something.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
His consciousness began to drift.
The battlefield faded away.
In its place—
Memories surfaced.
His father.
His teacher.
Obito.
Rin.
"…I'm coming…"
The Raikage steadied himself, his expression dark and furious.
He looked down at his injured arm, then at Kakashi.
"You're stronger than I expected," he admitted coldly. "But that only makes it more necessary to kill you."
He stepped forward again.
Intent on finishing it.
But suddenly—
"ROAR—!!!"
A deafening roar echoed across the battlefield.
Everyone froze.
In the distance—
A massive, ink-blue beast towered over the forest.
Eight massive tails whipped through the air, smashing everything around them.
The Eight-Tails.
"…Bee?!" the Raikage shouted, disbelief flooding his face.
"That idiot actually snuck out?!"
His expression twisted with anger.
But there was no time.
"Tutai!" he barked.
"Go to Bee immediately. Don't let anything happen to him!"
"Yes!"
Tutai broke away from his battle instantly, leading a squad toward the rear.
On Konoha's side, Homura Mitokado also reacted.
"Kosuke! Take a team and investigate!"
The sudden appearance of a Tailed Beast near the camp was a disaster waiting to happen.
As both sides shifted their attention—
At the edge of the battlefield—
Aoki Yoru's shadow clone moved silently.
He stared at Kakashi's barely breathing body.
His fists clenched.
"…I can't let him die."
Without hesitation, he opened a sealing scroll.
Inside—
A mass of white, living tissue pulsed softly.
White Zetsu cells infused with Natural Energy.
This was his secret research.
A forbidden experiment.
A method to heal fatal injuries—and potentially allow a body to interact with natural energy.
But it carried enormous risk.
If discovered…
It could attract the attention of forces far beyond his control.
Yet now—
None of that mattered.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Yoru carefully guided the warm, life-filled energy into Kakashi's body.
Slowly.
Gently.
Then—
He withdrew.
Silent.
Unnoticed.
The rest… would depend on Kakashi.
Inside Kakashi's fading consciousness—
Something changed.
A warmth spread through his body.
Gentle.
Yet powerful.
His shattered organs began to repair.
His broken ribs slowly knitted together.
A tingling sensation filled his entire being.
Then—
He felt it.
The wind.
The earth.
The life around him.
Tiny particles of light floated in the air, like fragments of silver, drifting toward him… merging with him.
A connection.
A new awareness.
Above him—
The Raikage leapt into the air.
Lightning surged wildly around his leg.
"This ends now!"
He brought his attack crashing down.
"Lightning Straight: Heavy Thunder Axe!"
"BOOM—!!!"
The ground exploded.
A massive crater formed instantly, cracks spreading like a spiderweb across the earth.
Dust filled the air.
But—
The Raikage frowned.
Something was wrong.
He hadn't felt impact.
As the dust settled—
Kakashi was gone.
"…He dodged?"
The Raikage turned slowly.
Then—
He froze.
Kakashi stood behind him.
Alive.
His wounds… healing.
And on his face—
Two symmetrical, ink-black markings had appeared around his eyes.
Calm.
Silent.
Terrifying.
"What… is this?" the Raikage muttered.
Kakashi lifted his head.
His gaze was steady.
No longer desperate.
No longer exhausted.
A new power flowed within him.
The battle—
Was not over yet.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)