Kakashi looked at Akuma, his gaze sharp and serious. "Why did you do this?"
Akuma met his eyes, unfazed, and answered with a calm smile. "I told Sasuke many times to leave me alone, but he didn't listen. I was lenient with him because of you, Kakashi-sensei. But today, he tried to kill me with his Fireball Jutsu and the Chidori that you taught him. So, I had no choice but to defend myself."
Kakashi studied the boy in silence, his expression unreadable. Then, after a moment, he spoke. "Even then, you didn't have to go this far."
Akuma's smile remained. "I didn't go far. I only kicked him once. I didn't kill him, even though I could have." He tilted his head slightly, his glowing red eyes watching Kakashi closely. "Now, tell me, Kakashi-sensei… what wrong did I commit?"
As soon as those words left Akuma's lips, Kakashi's hands clenched into tight fists. His jaw tensed. "You were too cruel."
But Akuma only chuckled, his expression eerily calm. "Showing mercy to your enemy is cruelty toward yourself," he said smoothly. "I just wanted him to leave me alone. The best way to ensure that—without killing him—was to break his will to live. In a couple of years, he'll be fine…" Akuma's grin widened.
"Just like you, Kakashi-sensei."
A cold chill ran down Kakashi's spine. Then came the anger.
Without thinking, he reached for the kunai in his holster, gripping it tightly, ready to strike the boy before him. But Akuma remained still, silently watching him, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Be careful, Kakashi-sensei," Akuma said softly. "If you so much as put a scratch on me… you may lose the only friend you have."
Kakashi's grip on the kunai tightened, his teeth grinding together as his fury clashed with bitter reality. He knew exactly what Akuma meant.
Might Guy.
Guy loved this boy. That much was undeniable. And if Kakashi harmed him, their friendship—one of the few things Kakashi truly had—could be shattered beyond repair.
But what made it worse… was the truth staring him in the face.
From the way things looked, his student was in the wrong.
Kakashi's teeth clenched in frustration, anger boiling beneath his skin.
Damn it...
Akuma glanced at him one last time before turning away, walking slowly toward his training area. But just before he left, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"I think it's better for you to help your student," he said, his voice light, almost playful. "He's bleeding out. If you don't act soon… he might not make it."
Kakashi's heart pounded. He snapped his head toward Sasuke—still motionless, still bleeding.
Without hesitation, he abandoned his anger and rushed to his student's side.
Akuma turned around and started heading toward his training area when a loud voice rang out from behind.
"Sasuke!!"
"Sasuke-kun!!"
Both Naruto and Sakura screamed at the sight of Sasuke's broken form.
Tears welled in Sakura's eyes as she ran toward him, dropping to her knees in a desperate attempt to help. Akuma, thinking nothing of the commotion, continued walking away.
"Wait there!!" Naruto's voice cut through the air, filled with fury. "Are you the one who did this?!"
Akuma stopped and turned his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
"Yes," he replied simply.
The moment the word left Akuma's lips, Naruto's eyes burned with fury, his pupils narrowing into slits. His fingernails sharpened into claws, his fangs lengthened, and the sinister red chakra of the Nine-Tails began to surge around him. The very air trembled as leaves and debris were lifted into the sky, caught in the swirling malice of his rage.
Slowly, a single tail of chakra manifested behind him, writhing like a living beast.
"YOU BASTARD!!!" Naruto roared.
Like a beast unleashed, he lunged at Akuma with monstrous speed, the sheer force of his movements cracking the ground beneath his feet. The pressure alone sent shockwaves through the area, tearing apart the surrounding terrain.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!"
Naruto's clawed hand shot forward, aiming to tear Akuma apart. But just as he was about to strike—
SLAP!
A blinding strike.
In an instant, Akuma's hand lashed out, delivering a devastating slap to Naruto's face.
The impact was so overwhelming that Naruto's jaw dislocated on contact. His skull felt like it had nearly caved in, and his vision went white from the sheer force. His body rocketed backward, crashing through several trees before slamming into the side of a hill, embedding deep into the rock.
Dust and debris filled the air as silence fell over the battlefield.
Akuma exhaled through his nose, shaking his hand slightly as if dusting it off. Then, glancing at Naruto, he said:
"Shut up. I can still hear you—you don't have to yell."
His glowing red eyes flicked toward Naruto's motionless body, embedded in the hill. After a moment, he realized the blond had been knocked unconscious.
"Naruto!!!"
Sakura's scream pierced the air as she ran toward him, panic etched across her face.
Watching the scene unfold, Akuma clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Fucking shit… today is the worst day.
His thoughts seethed with irritation.
What is wrong with these people? Can they not let a person train in peace? Why can't they just mind their own damn business?!
Suppressing a sigh, Akuma shook his head and turned back around, his expression unreadable. Without another word, he continued walking, leaving the chaos behind him.
After stopping Sasuke's bleeding, Kakashi carefully lifted him onto his back. Sakura, struggling under the weight, carried Naruto's unconscious body beside him.
Without another word, they headed toward Konoha's hospital, their steps heavy with urgency and unspoken tension.
===
In the dead of night, within a secluded part of a tavern, Itachi Uchiha sat in silence, his sharp gaze fixed on the paper in his hand. As his eyes scanned the words written upon it, a flicker of something unreadable crossed his face.
Then, his Sharingan spun, shifting into the ominous pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Without hesitation, the paper in his grasp ignited, crumbling into ashes that scattered into the cold night air.
A decision settled within him.
It was time to return to the village.
---
If we reach 100 stones, I'll reward you all with a bonus chapter!