Chapter 476: The Sharingan That Dyes the Transparent World with Blood
"Sarutobi Masanari, an ANBU captain…" Mugetsu murmured after receiving his shadow clone's memories, his expression turning thoughtful.
"Mugetsu-sensei, we're rested and ready to begin," Kakashi said as he stood and walked over.
Their strength had grown too quickly. To avoid accidental injuries during sparring, they had explained the situation to Mugetsu in advance and asked him to oversee the match as referee.
With Mugetsu present, they could fight without holding back. Even if someone got hurt, treatment would come immediately.
Rin's healing was already excellent, reaching jōnin-level medical standards, but Mugetsu's healing ability was even stronger, second only to Tsunade.
"Then let's draw lots." Mugetsu nodded, pulling a wooden box from a scroll.
Kakashi did not hesitate. He reached in and grabbed a slip at random.
As the first to draw, there was no way to predict his opponent. No matter what number he got, it would be pure luck.
"Number one." Kakashi opened the paper and read the inked digit.
"I'll go second!" Obito volunteered immediately.
He figured it was simple. Kakashi drew first and got number one, so if Obito drew second, he had a high chance of getting number two, which would put him against Kakashi in the first round.
Obito lifted his chin, slowly slid his hand into the wooden box, and chose with exaggerated seriousness, like he was picking a sacred treasure.
"Please be Kakashi, please don't be Guy," he muttered under his breath.
If he ran into Guy in the first round, it would be a guaranteed early loss. No other possibilities existed.
Then Obito suddenly remembered recent events and had a terrible thought.
Had he somehow caught Kakashi's jinxing ability?
"Please be Might Guy, not Kakashi!" Obito instantly added two reverse prayers in his head, quick enough to impress even himself.
Satisfied that he had covered every angle, Obito grabbed a paper ball and pulled it out.
"How can it be number three?!" His eyes widened as he stared at the huge three in his hand.
Kakashi was number one, which meant Obito's first-round opponent could only be Might Guy or Shisui.
If it was Shisui, Obito could still fight.
If it was Might Guy, Obito could only start planning how to lose with dignity, especially with Rin training nearby.
"Hahaha! I can't wait for a glorious battle with my rival!" Might Guy laughed loudly as he stepped forward.
He reached into the wooden box without the slightest hesitation.
The opponent Might Guy wanted most was Kakashi. After all, Kakashi was his lifelong rival.
"I believe you feel the same way, my rival!" Might Guy said as he grabbed a paper ball and turned to Kakashi, flashing a bright white smile.
"No, I don't," Kakashi replied without mercy.
Before he mastered No Thought Strike, he had absolutely no desire to exchange "glorious battles" with Guy.
Obito stared so hard at the paper ball in Might Guy's hand that it was like he wanted to burn a hole through it.
If the Sharingan had X-ray vision, he would have activated it on the spot.
"Please don't be number four," Obito prayed inwardly.
The reverse prayer failed earlier, so this time he went back to normal, just to be safe.
Shisui also looked at the paper ball in Might Guy's hand. As the last to draw, he was only going through the motions. The matchups would become obvious the instant Might Guy revealed his number.
"What a pity. It's number four," Might Guy said regretfully after opening it.
Obito froze.
The worst possibility had arrived right on schedule.
He had drawn Might Guy.
"Rival, it seems we can only meet in the second round," Might Guy said, giving Kakashi a thumbs-up like he was offering a blessing.
"Do your best," Kakashi replied, then quietly let out a breath.
Shisui was harder to deal with than Obito, but Kakashi still had a real chance if he pushed himself.
Shisui walked to the wooden box and pulled out the number two paper ball Obito had desperately wanted.
"Rin, you don't need to train for now. Come sit for a bit," Mugetsu called to Rin, who was still training nearby.
That single sentence added another layer of darkness to Obito's already miserable mood.
He had been hoping Rin's jōnin-level special training was important enough that she would not watch.
Fate, as usual, disagreed.
Rin took a few shallow breaths to steady herself, then walked over and sat beside Obito. Her gaze settled on Shisui and Kakashi as they took their stances.
"Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, Armament Haki Secret Technique, Three-Tomoe Sharingan, plus a sharp combat mind. The only obvious weakness is his age," Kakashi thought, unable to stop himself from sighing inwardly.
Kakashi had grown up praised as a genius.
But every time he broke down Shisui's capabilities, he could not help feeling that even among geniuses, the gap could be unreasonable.
Sure, timing mattered. When they met Mugetsu mattered.
But Shisui himself was undeniably talented.
"As long as I manage my chakra and stay cautious, my chances of winning are very high." Shisui's plan formed instantly.
Kakashi's Lightning Release sword techniques had terrifying burst damage, but Shisui's Three-Tomoe Sharingan could read movements.
As long as the distance was not too close, he could evade with Body Flicker Technique.
Kakashi could also use Lightning Release bursts to avoid Shisui's attacks, but Kakashi's total chakra was lower than Shisui's. The Lightning Release nature transformation that strengthened Kakashi's body also drained chakra at an abnormal rate.
In a prolonged exchange, Kakashi would run out first.
"Begin!" Mugetsu announced, once both were ready.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
They moved at the same time.
Kakashi pressed forward.
Shisui retreated.
Shisui was in no hurry to clash head-on. After coming from the battlefield, neither of them needed probing. They understood each other too well for that.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
While retreating, Shisui focused his breathing, formed hand seals, and spat a storm of small fireballs at Kakashi.
In a normal fight, he would often open with Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, but that was too slow. Kakashi could dodge it easily without even reinforcing his body.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Kakashi did not dodge. He formed seals and raised an earthen wall with a dog-head shape in the center, blocking the incoming fireballs one by one.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The fireballs slammed into the wall, exploding in rapid succession. Flames wrapped the barrier, and shattered earth sprayed outward.
Kakashi's Earth Flow Wall was astonishingly sturdy. Even after the final fireball hit, the wall was only lightly damaged and still stood firm.
"Is he trying to slip underground again with a shadow clone trick?" Shisui guessed.
Kakashi now gave off an impression of Lightning Release swordsmanship, but those who knew him understood that his Earth Release was not much weaker.
More importantly, Kakashi was absurdly skilled at using Earth Release to conceal his position.
"Can't Kakashi try something different? It's always the same," Obito complained, remembering his own suffering.
Rin smiled gently. "It's a battle. A tactic that wins doesn't become bad just because it's familiar."
Obito fell silent, but in his heart, he had already started cheering for Shisui.
Go, Shisui, give Kakashi a proper beating!
Obito practically wanted to skip time forward to the moment Kakashi lost.
Wary of an underground surprise, Shisui gathered chakra into his eyes and activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
The Sharingan could not see through solid objects, but its perception was razor sharp.
Even if Kakashi approached from underground, Shisui would sense the movement and react.
"Flash!"
Just as Shisui carefully watched the ground, a Kakashi leapt down from atop the Earth Flow Wall, lightning crackling around his body as he charged.
Shisui's Sharingan caught the motion instantly. He dodged left without hesitation.
At that same moment, Shisui noticed a faint disturbance in the soil.
Whoosh!
He did not hesitate at all.
Shisui pushed Body Flicker to its limit, layering it with the burst technique of Shave. His body snapped backward, creating several body lengths of distance in an instant.
The next moment, Kakashi erupted from the ground, a lightning blade in hand.
This speed was wrong.
Shisui could see Kakashi's movements clearly, and that was exactly why he knew something was off.
If Kakashi truly went all out to the absolute limit, Shisui could still track him, but it would not feel this effortless.
"Lightning Blade: Scatter!"
Kakashi swung his lightning-forged blade. A violent crackle exploded outward as lightning spread like a spider web, racing toward Shisui.
This was inspiration Kakashi had drawn from Purple Lightning.
By compressing chakra to a single point, he could either release it as a concentrated slash or split its power for a wide-area attack.
It was a technique he developed specifically for this internal battle after returning to Konoha.
Kakashi's sudden change in style caught Shisui off guard.
If Kakashi had charged with Purple Lightning itself, Shisui would have been wary.
But he did not expect Kakashi to create a Lightning Release slashing variation similar to Purple Lightning, something Kakashi never showed on the battlefield.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Based on his Sharingan's reading, Shisui judged he could not dodge the spread in time.
He made a decision instantly.
He pushed his breathing to the extreme and entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode. Then he condensed chakra, transformed it into Fire Release chakra in an instant, and spewed a torrent of high-temperature flames.
In truth, Shisui had two viable choices.
One was Armament Haki Secret Technique.
The other was Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.
Both could defend against the surprise attack.
Armament Haki's principle was simple. Take the hit head-on.
Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, however, allowed instant nature transformation and Fire Release without hand seals, drastically increasing efficiency and letting Shisui unleash Fire Release before the lightning could fully engulf him.
The difference was also clear.
Armament Haki would let him keep guarding against Kakashi's follow-up.
Flame Breathing Chakra Mode was a gamble to seize the initiative and counterattack.
Boom! Boom!
Lightning and flame collided.
A massive explosion erupted. Thunder roared without end, and flames howled like a raging dragon.
Because of the close range, Shisui was affected and looked slightly disheveled.
He did not care.
Under Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, his body was strengthened. The aftershock was not enough to impair his combat ability.
A sea of flame poured forward, gradually swallowing the lightning. The blaze spread outward with terrifying momentum.
Are we really going to compete in raw burst power?
Kakashi advanced a few steps, gripping the White Fang short blade tightly. Chakra surged through his body, converting continuously into Lightning Release chakra to vitalize and reinforce him.
Even though he had not mastered No Thought Strike, the learning process itself had given him many gains.
He had improved in every aspect.
Burst damage was his specialty.
If he could not surpass Shisui in the area where he was strongest, then what was the point of fighting at all?
If he could not win in his own most lethal domain, how could he win anywhere?
Sizzle! Sizzle!
Dazzling lightning wrapped Kakashi's body.
He pushed his breathing to the limit and entered the Transparent World state. He mobilized the full power of his reinforced body, compressing everything into the slash he was about to unleash, and drove straight at Shisui.
Shisui did not retreat.
In Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, he looked like he intended to meet Kakashi head-on.
Kakashi could not understand it.
Was Shisui being stubborn today?
Why would the cautious Shisui choose to clash like Obito?
Kakashi's instincts screamed that something was wrong.
The man in front of him was Shisui, not the easily heated Obito.
But Kakashi did not back down.
Because if he moved just one meter closer, he would reach his absolute kill range.
Within that distance, unless it was Might Guy with the Sixth Gate stacked with Rock Breathing Chakra Mode, no one among Mugetsu's disciples could dodge Kakashi's full-power slash.
Kakashi believed Shisui had a plan.
But Kakashi also believed in his own ability.
If he landed that slash, the battle would end immediately.
And he would not have to face punishment for losing.
In Kakashi's full-power state, one meter was nothing.
Almost instantly, he crossed the distance that would let him finish Shisui.
The disciples not yet fighting watched without blinking.
"Why would he clash with Kakashi in burst power? Fire Release's advantage is range," Obito said with disappointment, already convinced Shisui was walking into a loss.
It would have been far more stable to exploit Kakashi's chakra limitation and drag him into a battle of attrition.
Then, in the next moment, Shisui abruptly stopped his Fire Release output.
Most of the chakra in his body poured into a curved spoon.
His blood-red eyes locked onto Kakashi.
A boundless crimson flooded Kakashi's vision.
Kakashi's sword-hand paused.
How is this possible?
I'm in the Transparent World state, and I still fell for a genjutsu?!
Kakashi was stunned.
Since truly mastering Transparent World, he had not been troubled by genjutsu again.
Genjutsu was, at its core, manipulation of the opponent's chakra to interfere with the five senses.
In Transparent World, Kakashi had absolute control over his body.
He could detect the disturbance instantly and dispel it, almost as if he were immune.
But in that brief moment, his Transparent World chakra flow was disrupted, and the genjutsu did not break immediately.
By the time Kakashi dispelled it, Shisui was already at his side.
A kunai was aimed directly at Kakashi's heart.
Kakashi finally understood.
That was why Shisui let him approach.
Shisui had been waiting for the right distance too.
If Kakashi and Shisui had been even half a meter farther apart, Kakashi would not have lost immediately. He could have forced one more exchange.
"Shisui wins!" Mugetsu announced.
.....
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