The King Descends

"Kakashi Hatake of Konoha, if you withdraw now, I can still let you leave unscathed. I'll give you ten seconds to think it over. I hope you won't be ungrateful!"

Gato then tried to persuade Kakashi Hatake to surrender, showing that he genuinely wanted to end the battle as quickly as possible.

Why?

Because he already knew that Ye Liangnai had come to the Land of Waves and was cooperating with Haramura.

He and the Haramura head are mortal enemies; they've been battling it out for five years.

However, he ultimately won and became a famous wealthy man in the Shinobi World.

The Haramura head's power has rapidly dwindled to its current state.

Even in a poor place Land of Waves, it wouldn't be considered among the top.

But now, Haramura has actually gotten in touch with Ye Liangnai.

Without a doubt, Haramura would definitely ask Ye Liangnai to kill him so that he could successfully take over again.

He panicked when facing Ye Liangnai!

That's why he rushed here with his army so urgently, wanting to quickly resolve the problem with Tazuna and then leave as soon as possible.

"Impossible! Don't even dream about it! We're not going to give up like this!"

Before Kakashi could speak, Naruto spoke first, immediately rejecting Gato's suggestion.

Although Kakashi didn't say anything, you could tell from his eyes that he agreed with Naruto's statement.

This instantly relieved Tazuna, who was afraid that Kakashi would agree to leave!

Then he's doomed!

Kakashi's reason for not leaving is simple: if he fails even a 'C-rank mission' (which is actually S-rank in difficulty, but Tazuna lied about it being C-rank because he couldn't afford it), his ninja resume will look terrible.

"So it seems you're determined to be my enemy. In that case, kill them!"

Gato shouted, and the group of wandering ninjas rushed over, laughing smugly, each of them looking like a fierce, hungry wolf.

"Sasuke, Naruto, these wandering ninjas are in your hands now. Sakura, keep an eye on our employer!"

Upon seeing the approaching rogue ninja, Kakashi said something and charged towards Shida Chiba and Ryū Tarō.

Both of them are Jonin -level, and even if they were combined, Kakashi could still handle them.

"Watch me!"

Naruto shouted loudly, quite excited.

"They actually sent a bunch of brats to deal with us! What despicable guys! How dare they look down on us!"

The group of wandering ninjas were quite unhappy. Did Kakashi Hatake think that he was just this kind of trash, only worthy of fighting against two Genin?

"Bass!"

"Bang!"

"Ah!"

The battle began and was exceptionally fierce from the start. The crisp sound of metal clashing against metal was interspersed with dull thuds, and the screams of the ninjas were constant.

Sakura Haruno, holding Kunai, trembled as she warily surveyed her surroundings. It was somewhat unreasonable to expect a young girl who had just graduated and excelled only in academics to face such a bloody scene.

Sakura Haruno didn't faint from fright, which is quite remarkable; her mental fortitude is excellent.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

If Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha didn't bicker, their combined strength might be enough to Chunin even Chunin.

Dealing with these wandering ninjas was manageable, but the two of them still found it quite difficult.

There are quite a few skilled individuals among these wandering ninjas; their strength is considerable.

"Kakashi Hatake, I'm afraid you're going to meet your end here today! Hehe, without the Sharingan, you really are nothing! But that's true, it's not your fault that your Sharingan was taken away, since you were facing Ye Liangnai as your enemy!"

While dodging Kakashi's attacks, Ryū Tarō tried to distract and provoke Kakashi with his words.

"I think so too. Without the Sharingan, you, Kakashi Hatake, are just a toothless tiger, all show and no substance!"

Shida Chiba echoed Ryū Tarō's words, saying things that were as sarcastic and sarcastic as could be, which was quite infuriating.

Kakashi Hatake remained silent in response, but his increasingly cold expression revealed that he was far from calm.

The loss of his Sharingan is a stain that he may never be able to erase for the rest of his life.

Because the person who stands out is simply too strong.

"What's wrong, Kakashi! The Kakashi I remember wasn't this strong. You're helpless against just two A-rank missing-nin? Your strength shouldn't have declined this quickly!"

"I came all this way expecting a good show, and this is it? It's so uninteresting!"

Just then, a slightly teasing voice came from behind, which made Kakashi's eyes sharpen instantly, and he looked abruptly in the direction from which the voice came.

The surrounding crowd was also drawn to the sound and looked over.

A hundred meters away from them, a young man in black, with his eyes half-closed, his right hand resting on the long sword at his waist, walked towards them with a slight smile on his face.

Behind him followed a young man of similar age, with a cold and handsome face, so much so that Sakura Haruno couldn't help but exclaim, "So handsome!"

This young man in black seemed to possess immense magical power, instantly silencing the originally noisy scene. Everyone who saw him couldn't help but show expressions of horror and solemnity.

Even Ryū Tarō, who had just been taunting Kakashi, and Shida Chiba couldn't help but back away.

Some of the wandering ninjas who were besieging them were swallowing hard in fear, their bodies trembling, which surprised Sakura Haruno greatly.

Who exactly is this man in black, that he possesses such power? Yet she has absolutely no recollection of such a powerful figure; she has never seen him in any books.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, don't let your guard down for a second. You absolutely cannot let your guard down when facing this man, understand!"

Just then, Kakashi Hatake suddenly spoke up and rushed to Sakura Haruno and the others, saying in a very serious tone.

This made Sakura Haruno even more confused!

She had never seen Kakashi so nervous before. Who exactly was this young man in black, and why did he make Kakashi so tense and solemn?

Moreover, she wondered if she was mistaken, but she saw another emotion in Kakashi's eyes besides apprehension—fear.

"You... you... you, how did you get here..."

At this moment, Gato, who had been so arrogant just moments before, suddenly became like a mouse seeing a cat, screaming in terror and shrinking behind the wandering ninjas, his face pale and sweating profusely.

"Kakashi-sensei, who exactly is he? Why are all these people reacting so strongly?!"

Naruto Uzumaki watched as even the air seemed to retreat before this young man, and the burning sensation in his stomach made him uncomfortable. He couldn't help but ask.

Kakashi glanced at him upon hearing this, his expression growing even more serious. He thought to himself, "Even the Nine-Tails is wary of him? He really is stronger than he was four years ago!"