Rin couldn't make out the figure.
Only the sound of wind tearing the air and the sharpness cutting toward her.
Am I going to die?
Clang!
Kakashi yanked a kunai from his pouch, his two-tomoe Sharingan barely catching the attacker's movement.
He blocked by sheer instinct.
Sparks burst into the night.
Kakashi thought fast.
But Kaito didn't give him time.
Against a tactician like Kakashi, speed was the answer. Relentless, suffocating speed. A drawn-out fight would spell trouble.
Crack.
Kakashi's kunai began to fracture under the pressure of Kaito's glowing white bone weapon.
Even Kakashi's usually unreadable eyes flickered with shock.
Still, he kept calm.
One-handed seal.
Chidori!
A single-handed jutsu — rare, lethal, and fast.
But Kaito wasn't caught off guard.
Kakashi's lightning-charged strike slammed into Kaito's bone membrane.
No penetration. Only a surge of tingling energy.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Rin unleashed a torrent of fire. Kakashi used the force to pull back, giving himself a heartbeat to breathe.
Kaito leapt easily over the flames.
In the moonlight, his figure caught the gleam of Kakashi's Sharingan.
Shikotsumyaku.
Kirigakure.
Kakashi's stomach twisted.
The war was nearly over, but Kirigakure would fan the flames again.
Focus.
Kill the attacker first.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique!"
Flames roared from Kakashi's mouth.
Kaito didn't dodge. Instead, he answered with a flood of water.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique."
The fireball hissed and died.
The water surged, sweeping Kakashi and Rin off their feet.
Kakashi planted himself against the rush, soaked and breathing hard.
The Sharingan sharpened his vision but drained his chakra.
Kaito had no such limitation.
Cold sweat slid down Kakashi's spine.
Shikotsumyaku. A living weapon.
Kunai, taijutsu... useless.
In the jutsu scale, I'm outmatched.
Genjutsu? Not enough chakra.
Combination attacks.
"Rin, cover me!"
She nodded weakly and wove seals.
Another fireball blasted forward.
Kaito charged through the flames, swinging a massive bone blade.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Kakashi slammed his palms together. A wall of stone rose — and instantly shattered.
Rin closed her eyes.
Kakashi stood still.
The fight was over.
Or so it seemed.
Instead of striking Kakashi, Kaito stabbed his blade into the ground.
Blood gushed up.
Kakashi's image puffed away a shadow clone.
"Chidori!"
From below, the real Kakashi lunged, lightning in hand.
Squelch.
Bones erupted from Kaito's body, skewering Kakashi mid-attack.
His arm dropped.
How...?
Did he sense me?
Perfect perception?
Experience?
Too late.
Blood soaked the ground.
Kakashi slipped into unconsciousness, heart heavy with another failure.
Obito... I'm sorry.
He fell into Kaito's hands.
Rin's body trembled, terror freezing her limbs.
Even Kakashi... defeated so easily!
What could she possibly do?
Kaito watched her closely, noting her crumbling spirit, approaching her without hurry.
Along the way, he casually helped some wounded Kirigakure ninjas, ignoring their grateful cries.
He turned back to Rin, who now wore a desperate resolve.
_Obito. Kakashi.
I'm sorry.
I can't do much.
But at least, I can take everything I know with me to the grave._
Rin drove a kunai toward her chest.
Clang!
A massive sword intercepted, knocking her out.
Kaito frowned.
Even using his Byakugan, he hadn't sensed this ninja's approach.
White Zetsu? he wondered, ready to test the intruder.
A system prompt echoed coldly in his mind.
**[First Stage Mission Complete: Exchange Attempt *1 Earned]
Kaito ignored the prompt for now. Strategy came first.
He had crushed Kakashi in under a minute.
Meanwhile, Zabuza — barely drawing his blade — watched in shock.
He had always believed Kaito's strength came from bloodline alone.
Today proved him dead wrong.
Not just bloodline. Precision. Speed. Ruthlessness.
Could Zabuza defeat this Kaito?
He doubted it.
But if he couldn't, how would he ever become Mizukage?
Determination burned in Zabuza's eyes.
The battlefield quieted.
Kirigakure ninjas surrounded Kaito, rallying in triumph.
"Lord Kaito crushed Konoha's genius in seconds!"
"Konoha's finished. We have the Seven Ninja Swordsmen — and Lord Kaito!"
"We'll wipe them out!"
Kaito shook his head quietly.
Ambushes weren't enough.
Overwhelming power was needed to destroy Konoha.
Right now, Kirigakure's strength rested on fragile shoulders.
He cut the celebration short.
"Execute the mission."
Silence fell.
Authority undisputed.
A Kirigakure ninja raised his blade over Kakashi's neck.
"Stop," Kaito ordered.
"The Sharingan. Konoha's genius. Both are bargaining chips. Take him alive."
The blade lowered. Kakashi was hefted onto a shoulder.
Eyes turned to Rin.
The mysterious Kirigakure ninja — the one Kaito suspected — moved toward her, scroll in hand.
"Stop."
No response.
Kaito's voice dropped into ice.
"I said, stop."
Still no reaction.
Zabuza moved, sword flashing to the man's throat.
Weapons were drawn all around.
Two Anbu stripped the scroll from the ninja, handing it to Kaito.
He activated his Byakugan.
"Name."
"Yamashita Tetsuya."
"Oh?" Kaito asked, voice dangerously low.
"Anyone here served with Yamashita Tetsuya?"
Silence.
Anbu worked in squads.
No squadmates?
Coincidence?
Or another face of White Zetsu?
Kaito's cold eyes narrowed.
The night wasn't over yet.