Shisui's eyes widened as he stared at the dozens of water dragons rushing toward him. For a brief moment, despair gripped his heart.
Are you kidding me? That many water dragons? This is fatal!
What shocked him even more was that some of the enemy's own allies were in the line of fire. How could they be so reckless?
Three Anbu-level Mist ninja were instantly engulfed by the raging water dragons. There wasn't even time for a proper scream before they vanished in the torrent.
Ever since the reign of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, many shinobi in the Hidden Mist had become utterly ruthless. During his own graduation, Yagura had allegedly killed every other candidate in his class. His name spread across the continent, wrapped in fear—the Demon of the Hidden Mist.
This spoke volumes about how dark Kirigakure had become. Indifference to comrades' lives had become a norm.
Even so, shinobi rely on teamwork. Not every ninja in Kirigakure had become heartless. Some still valued their comrades.
The Mist ninja arriving now were the same ones who had just helped slaughter the Kaguya clan.
With the exception of Kimimaro, the Kaguya clan had been eradicated.
Most of the Mist ninja who had joined that purge had rushed here after completing the grim task, leaving only a few behind to transport the bodies back to the village.
The scale of this battle had drawn attention. It was hard to ignore such an uproar.
Kakashi had originally planned to end the mission quickly to avoid drawing attention. Unfortunately, things dragged on longer than expected, leading to this dire situation.
In the blink of an eye, the water dragons were only three meters away from Shisui. With their speed and the proximity, escape was impossible.
There's no room!
Kakashi's heart clenched. The distance was too great for him to reach Shisui in time.
"Damn it! I'm too late!"
There was no other option. He had to use it.
His Sharingan spun violently. The three tomoe merged into a shuriken-shaped pattern, and then—a pitch-black pinwheel pattern emerged in his left eye.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
The black dart-like design rotated rapidly. Kakashi locked onto the incoming water dragons, and his eye flared with power.
Kamui!
Blood streamed from Kakashi's eye.
Shisui suddenly sensed a spatial distortion in front of him—what happened next defied belief.
The water dragons twisted midair, their massive bodies contorting unnaturally as if seized by some invisible force.
Then, with a low wail, they were sucked into a spiraling black void in the air—and vanished.
Just like that.
The world went quiet.
In an instant, the area around Shisui became eerily empty. No sound, no movement. Just the fading ripples of vanished jutsu.
The Mist ninja surrounding them stood frozen, eyes wide with horror.
Shisui, recovering from his shock, instinctively turned to Kakashi. He knew—only Kakashi could've saved him.
Kakashi was kneeling atop the water's surface, gasping for breath, blood dripping from his left eye.
As Kakashi looked up, Shisui caught a glimpse of the eye's pattern.
"This is…"
Shisui was stunned. That's not a normal Sharingan.
And then it clicked—his mind flashed to Uchiha legends. That pattern, the ability to manipulate space…
Could it be…? The legendary Mangekyō Sharingan?!
No way… Kakashi-senpai actually awakened the Mangekyō?
And that jutsu—it was space-time ninjutsu! Just like the legends say.
Now, Shisui was certain: Kakashi wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The crisis was over, for now. Shisui rushed to Kakashi's side.
"Senpai! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine… just used too much chakra."
Kakashi tried to sound casual, but the strain on his body told a different story.
This was the first time Kakashi had ever used Kamui in real combat. The chakra cost was high, but what surprised him most was how much mental energy it consumed.
He could still fight, but at best, he was operating at 80%.
And against this many Mist shinobi… that wasn't nearly enough.
"Senpai… this time, it might really be bad," Shisui said with a bitter smile.
Even at his peak, he would've struggled. But with Kakashi's weakened state, escape seemed slim.
"Trust me," Kakashi replied. "We're getting out of this."
His confidence surprised Shisui—and yet, it stirred something inside him. Maybe they could make it.
The Mist shinobi finally snapped out of their shock.
"What was that jutsu?! It erased all the water dragons!"
"Not erased—teleported! What kind of technique is that?!"
Unknown jutsu terrified shinobi more than anything else. That's why intel was king in the shinobi world.
"Was it space-time ninjutsu?"
"Impossible! Since the Fourth Hokage died, no one's used that kind of technique!"
"Wait… he's from Konoha. Could he be the Fourth's student?"
That suggestion sent shockwaves through the Mist ranks.
The name Minato Namikaze struck like lightning.
The youngest Hokage in history, feared for his mastery of space-time ninjutsu—the Yellow Flash. Few ever escaped him alive.
Some of the Mist ninja hesitated. The fear of confronting someone even remotely similar to Minato gripped them.
The two Anbu-level Mist shinobi standing behind Kakashi and Shisui remained frozen. They, too, had seen what happened—and understood who was responsible.
Faced with such terrifying power, they dared not act rashly.
"Don't be afraid!" one Mist jonin barked. "That jutsu cost him dearly. He's weakened. If we attack together, we can take him!"
"Yes! For the honor of Kirigakure! Attack!"
The morale surged again, and Kakashi and Shisui tensed. It seemed they might really die here.
"Shisui, how's your chakra?"
Kakashi suddenly asked.
"Still have plenty left," Shisui replied, not quite sure where this was going.
"Good. We're going to retreat backward and lose the two behind us. Once we break through—use your strongest Katon."
"Understood!"
Shisui didn't question it. He trusted Kakashi completely. If Kakashi had a plan, Shisui believed in it.
All he needed to do was follow through.
Kakashi stood slowly, glancing up at the night sky. "It's almost time…"
"Now, Shisui—move!"
Kakashi charged at the two Anbu ahead, Raikiri in hand, crackling with blue lightning.
Shisui followed without hesitation.
Hatake Kenjutsu—White Fang Crescent Slash!
A shining white arc of energy burst forth from Kakashi's blade, slashing through the air toward the two enemy shinobi.
The Mist Anbu flinched and dodged reflexively.
Kakashi smiled faintly and used the opening to dart past them, with Shisui right behind him.
"After them! Don't let them escape!"
Dozens of Mist ninja gave chase, running across the water's surface like a tidal wave.
Suddenly, Kakashi came to a halt.
"Now, Shisui! Do it!"
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