"That's one down, Kakashi," said Chōza, who had just arrived, standing in front of Kakashi. He didn't look back, keeping a wary eye on Tendo Pain.
The Konoha shinobi behind them were also on high alert, Kunai gripped tightly in their hands. Fine beads of sweat dotted their foreheads, but there was no hesitation in their eyes. Konoha was already half-destroyed; ruins and fleeing civilians in the distance. They had no way back.
Meanwhile, Kakashi's real body, hidden beneath the debris, pushed aside a wooden plank and emerged, lightning still crackling in his hand. Clearly, he had used a Shadow Clone earlier to draw Tendo Pain's attention, preparing to land a Chidori on the enemy from the shadows.
"Actually, I was all set too. But this will help me preserve some chakra," he said, dispersing the lightning from his hand as he walked over to stand beside Chōza.
"Do you have enough chakra left?" As a comrade who had fought alongside Kakashi many times, Chōza was well aware of his weakness, hence the question.
He glanced at Kakashi, silently calculating how much longer his chakra would last. Kakashi was strong in every aspect except his stamina. A few Chidoris and he'd be gasping for air.
"I've already used my Lightning Style Shadow Clone, and exhausted over half my chakra. To be honest, a drawn-out battle against a formidable opponent like him is going to be difficult for me. However, I've figured out some of his abilities."
[Hatake "Fifty-Fifty" Kakashi is great in every way, but his chakra reserves and stamina are terrible. Barely a few minutes into the fight, and he's already used up more than half his chakra.]
[In the official databook Sha no Sho, Kakashi's Stamina stat is 6, while Itachi's is 5, meaning Kakashi actually has more chakra than Itachi. Yet during the brotherly battle, when Itachi was practically at death's door but was still pulling off Genjutsu, Amaterasu, and even Susano'o—leaving enough chakra at the end to burn away Orochimaru's little white snake form. Meanwhile, Kakashi, with more chakra than Itachi, was spent after just a few Chidoris.]
[Keep in mind that young Kakashi could create twenty or thirty Shadow Clones at once. His foundation was by no means weak; in fact, it was quite solid.]
[The Sharingan made him, and the Sharingan broke him. Speaking of which, Kakashi and Obito are both stubborn in their own ways. One gave away his Mangekyō even though it was a perfect counter against his own self and never asked for it back; the other wears it constantly, unable to deactivate it, enduring 24/7 chakra drain without ever removing it, even though the basic fact about Sharingan is that it's a plug-and-play.]
---
[Konoha, Year 52. Uchiha Clan Grounds]
The Uchiha, who had just begun to calm down after the Itachi-Sasuke battle, instantly darkened at those words.
What do you mean "plug-and-play"?! There are rejection issues, you know!
Transplanting a Sharingan requires a special physique, assistance from Medical Ninjutsu, and a long adaptation period.
Kakashi was absolutely an exception among exceptions. The Sharingan wasn't something just anyone could install casually!
And this screen should stop spouting nonsense like that! They didn't even have that "caged bird" nonsense, so if the whole Shinobi World started coveting their eyes even more, they would be in serious trouble.
Yet, strangely enough, they suddenly felt a bit of appreciation for Obito. Sure, the guy had a hand in the future massacre, his hands stained with the blood of his clansmen, but when it came to "giving away his Mangekyō and never asking for it back"... that was actually pretty consistent with the Uchiha pride!
What was given away, there was no taking it back.
Obito might be a bastard, but at least in that regard, he acted like a true Uchiha.
Meanwhile, on the screen—
Tendo Pain, seeing the arrival of Konoha reinforcements, remained utterly indifferent. His purple Rinnegan showed no trace of emotion. He stepped forward, the hem of his black-and-red cloak fluttering in the wind, and charged straight toward Kakashi, Chōza, and the others.
Though intimidated, the supporting nameless shinobis steeled themselves and rushed forward, unleashing a flashy combination attack—shuriken, kunai, even debris—a torrent of projectiles raining down on the advancing Tendo Pain, a spectacular display.
But just as they were about to reach him—
"Shinra Tensei!"
Without even raising a hand, a shockwave erupted from Tendo Pain's body, expanding outward in an instant.
A small mushroom cloud rose, smoke billowing, gravel flying, and when the dust finally settled, the nameless Konoha shinobis had vanished.
"There!"
Seeing this, the furious Chōji threw several kunai straight at Pain. This time, however, Pain didn't repel them, he simply twisted his body slightly, dodging the attacks with ease.
Kakashi immediately sensed something was off. Quickly drawing a Kunai equipped with a smoke bomb from his waist, he swung his arm with force, shooting it at Pain.
This time, Tendo Pain seemed to react, a repulsive force directly knocked the Kunai away. Though the Kunai was deflected, the smoke bomb instantly exploded, releasing a cloud of green smoke that obscured Tendo Pain's vision.
Kakashi, Chōza, and Chōji took the opportunity to quickly relocate behind a large piece of rubble, gasping for breath.
And through his testing, Kakashi had grasped the nature of Tendo Pain's ability.
"Using himself as the epicenter, his Jutsu allows him to pull in or push objects away. Similar to the magnetic laws of attraction and repulsion... However, it seems he cannot utilize that Jutsu consecutively. I know for certain that there's an interval of time before he can activate the next Jutsu."
The people of the Shinobi World watching the screen couldn't help but admire Kakashi's battle intellect. In just such a short exchanges, he had already figured out Tendo Pain's basic ability.
Sure, he had low chakra, but his IQ was top-notch. No wonder they called him the "Copy Ninja."
Someone even muttered quietly: "If Kakashi had more chakra, he could probably solo the Akatsuki."
Another person chimed in: "Then he wouldn't be called 'Fifty-Fifty' Kakashi, he'd be 'Invincible' Kakashi. And no matter how high his IQ, he's just a Jonin, while his opponent is a Super Kage, two whole tiers above!"
On the screen—
Tendo Pain walked alone through the smoke, his footsteps echoing across the empty ground.
Just then, the ground in front of him split open, debris flying, as a silver-haired figure burst up from below. Kakashi, kunai in hand, thrust straight toward Tendo Pain's face, the tip aimed directly at his eye.
Bam!!
But before the kunai could strike, a powerful repulsive force erupted, sending Kakashi flying backward to crash heavily onto the ground.
"You move quite well... And you have a wide range of Jutsu. People like you need to be killed, or you may pose a problem later." Tendo Pain spoke as he walked toward Kakashi, a black rod sliding from his right sleeve, ready to finish him off.
"Double Human Boulder!"
In that instant, the father-son duo of the Akimichi clan struck from both sides, activating their secret Jutsu. They both transformed into massive spheres, bodies curled tight, rolling at high speed from both directions to pincer Tendo Pain in a spectacular assault.
"Too slow," Pain said softly, crossing his arms as he unleashed Shinra Tensei once more; the massive bodies of the Akimichi pair were sent flying backward.
But as they flew back, they simultaneously pulled iron chains from mid-air—a long chain that had been buried underground by Kakashi before his sneak attack. It looped around Tendo Pain, binding him in place.
"Go, Kakashi-sensei!"
The Akimichi father and son pair pulled hard on the chains from both ends, immobilizing Tendo Pain.
Kakashi gathered a Chidori, leaped into the air, and thrust it with full force toward Tendo Pain.
Unfortunately, the previously shattered Asura Path Pain could still move—it threw itself in front of Tendo Pain, blocking the fatal strike with its own body.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Hokage Office]
Tsunade and Hiruzen both inwardly sighed in regret as they watched this scene.
Kakashi's tactic was undeniably effective, but no one expected the other puppet to still be functional. If they had been successful in taking out Tendo Pain here, Konoha wouldn't have had to endure that devastating Shinra Tensei.
Still, Kakashi had given them a valuable lesson!
Though Shinra Tensei had only a short cooldown, if you could exploit that window, victory was still possible.
Tsunade mentally filed away that information while assessing Konoha's current forces: Sarutobi-sensei, Jiraiya, Guy, herself, plus Kakashi and the ANBU—with the right coordination, they might just stand a chance against Nagato.
But no matter what, that kind of battle could not happen inside the village! Tsunade's heart ached as she watched Konoha lie in ruins on the screen.
*****
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