A brilliant surge of lightning suddenly erupted from Kakashi's body—
"Ah—!!" Kakkō cried out as the current coursed through him, his entire body locking up in paralysis.
In the very next instant, a flash of white blade-light cut through the air.
"Watch out!!" Mahiru shouted.
Kakashi's Chidori Current had not only neutralized Kakkō's attack, but the numbing effect of the lightning had left the Iwagakure jōnin momentarily defenseless. That single moment of hesitation was all it took—
The white arc of Kakashi's blade descended.
A spray of blood burst forth.
Kakkō's body collapsed heavily to the ground.
"…Damn it." Mahiru's expression tightened, cold sweat forming on his brow.
His gaze flicked instinctively toward Taiseki, who now lay motionless nearby.
In their earlier exchange, Taiseki had paid with his life to wound Kakashi's left eye with a kunai. From the look of it now, that eye was completely blind.
After that, both Kakkō and Mahiru had repeatedly injured Kakashi as well. Again and again, they had come within a hair's breadth of landing a fatal blow.
But each time, Kakashi had evaded at the last second—trading injury for injury—until finally, he had taken Kakkō down.
Now…
Only Mahiru remained.
He had never imagined that this Konoha brat could be this strong—that even three Iwagakure jōnin attacking together would fail to bring him down.
Kakashi stood there, breathing heavily, blood streaming freely from his wounds.
With his remaining right eye, he fixed his gaze firmly on Mahiru, tracking his every movement.
It was clear—the enemy was at the end of his rope. Whether in morale or chakra, Mahiru was wavering.
Though Kakashi himself had reached his limit…
His fighting spirit had risen to its peak.
He would win.
Hand seals formed.
Lightning Release: Chidori.
He poured the last of his chakra into it—staking everything on this final strike.
In an instant, violent lightning gathered in Kakashi's right hand, emitting the piercing cry of a thousand birds.
Mahiru had never seen this technique before, yet his experience told him immediately—
This jutsu was extraordinary.
And deadly.
"…This technique…" Fear crept into his heart.
Even before the final clash, the thought of retreat had already taken root.
But it was too late.
In the next moment, Kakashi burst forward, his speed reaching its limit as he charged straight at Mahiru.
Their figures crossed in a blur.
"…Why…" Mahiru's voice trembled as he looked down at the gaping, fatal wound pierced clean through his abdomen. Death was already upon him. "Why didn't I hit you?"
"At that speed… you could still see my movements?"
He could. In Kakashi's remaining right eye, a faint blue flicker of lightning had vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Mahiru collapsed, unwilling to accept his fate. Three Iwagakure Jōnin had all perished at the hands of Kakashi alone.
Dragging his broken, heavy body, Kakashi reached a large tree and leaned against its thick trunk, trying to recover some strength.
If Rin were here...
Is she still alive?
Silently, he pulled out bandages and medicine from his pouch. There was no one left to rely on now—only himself.
What has become of Obito?
Slowly, Kakashi closed his exhausted eyes.
It was over.
Team Minato… was now nothing more than a memory.
—
In the end, Konoha had been at a clear disadvantage in numbers. Even with elite shinobi like Minato and Shimizu turning the tide where they could, they were unable to overturn such an overwhelming gap in strength.
The Iwagakure army ultimately crossed Kannabi Bridge and immediately began their return to reinforce their village. All Konoha could do afterward was destroy the bridge, severing that vital route.
Strictly speaking, the mission had failed.
Yet they had inflicted heavy losses on the Iwagakure forces and successfully delayed them for half a day—creating a crucial opportunity for Kumogakure.
From a strategic standpoint…
It could still be considered a success.
"Where's Kakashi? Why haven't I seen him?" Shimizu asked suddenly, a trace of concern in his voice.
The Battle of Kannabi Bridge was already over, yet that unmistakable head of silver hair was nowhere to be found.
Not just Kakashi—Obito and Rin were missing as well.
"I've been looking for him too…" Minato frowned, his tone turning serious. "I can't sense the Flying Thunder God mark I left on him. That means they're not nearby."
Not near Kannabi Bridge?
Then where had those three kids gone?
…Don't tell me something happened to them.
The thought surfaced in Shimizu's mind almost instinctively.
"Minato-senpai! We found Kakashi!" a Konoha reconnaissance ninja suddenly reported.
"Where?"
The ninja pointed off into the distance. "We brought him back. He's over there."
Minato and Shimizu hurried over.
Soon, they learned the full story from Kakashi himself.
When Minato heard about the falling-out between Kakashi and Obito, his expression darkened with unmistakable anger.
As for Shimizu… he found himself at a loss for words.
It wasn't concern over how things would unfold in the future. Rather, it was the realization that his own presence had subtly altered their personalities, their values, even their choices.
And now… he couldn't tell whether those changes were for better or worse.
"…We should find Obito as soon as possible," he sighed.
"Kakashi, focus on recovering," Minato said as he turned to leave. "I'll send people to look for Obito."
Once he was gone, Kakashi spoke quietly, "Shimizu-senpai… do you think I made the right choice? Or the wrong one?"
There was still regret in his heart.
After all, Rin had helped him countless times.
And yet… he had chosen not to save her.
How could an eleven-year-old truly feel at peace with that?
"There is no right or wrong," Shimizu said softly. He could clearly feel Kakashi's confusion and helplessness. "This is the tragedy of the weak."
…Just as senpai once said.
Everything he told me before… it's all coming true now.
"Yes…" Kakashi murmured. "Senpai warned me before—if I don't want to be trapped by things like this… then I need to work harder. With everything I have."
Looking at the boy blaming himself so harshly, Shimizu couldn't bring himself to press further with his harsh philosophy of "weakness is a sin."
An eleven-year-old newly promoted jōnin, defeating three Iwagakure jōnin alone…
That kind of achievement was already something most of the shinobi world could only dream of.
"You've already worked very hard," Shimizu said, gently patting his thin shoulder.
Then his gaze shifted… to Kakashi's tightly closed left eye.
A jagged scar ran across it.
That eye was gone.
And this time… there was no Obito to give him a Sharingan.
What path would Kakashi walk from here?
"…Can your eye still be treated?" Shimizu asked, holding onto a faint hope.
Kakashi shook his head calmly. "It's completely gone. The medical team said the eyeball was destroyed."
"Don't think too much about it," Shimizu said after a pause. "There's always another path forward."
Losing an eye didn't mean the end of growth.
"I think… I've already found one." Kakashi smiled faintly. "A lot of what you told me before, senpai… I came to understand during this battle between life and death."
"…Is that so?" Shimizu honestly couldn't recall which of his many words had made an impact.
"If not for your guidance back then… I think I would've died this time."
Kakashi lowered his gaze slightly.
"Obito has already left Team Minato… and Rin—whether she's alive or not…"
"I think… she'll resent me."
"Rin's a kind girl," Shimizu replied instinctively. "She wouldn't—"
"She would…" Kakashi's voice dimmed. "From the moment Obito chose to go save her…"
After a brief silence, Kakashi asked, "Senpai… why did you join the ANBU?"
"That was after the Second Great Ninja War," Shimizu replied. "A combination of things—hitting a wall in my strength, losing people close to me…"
"I see…"
Kakashi lifted his head, resolve hardening in his eyes.
"Then after this war… I'll join the ANBU too."
...
Read Advanced Chapters on : www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin
~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]