"Bang!"
"Gah!"
The heavy blow to his abdomen made Kakashi cough up blood instantly.
Not only that, his body, which had been sent flying backward, came to a halt.
However, this stop was not voluntary on Kakashi's part.
With another "bang," Kakashi's back made solid, intimate contact with the ground.
That meant he had effectively taken two attacks in a row.
"After all these years, you still haven't improved at all, Kakashi. What a disappointment!" Night Duke's faintly mocking voice reached Kakashi's ears.
Kakashi endured the pain in both his abdomen and back, his brow furrowing.
"Then, it's over!"
As soon as he said that, Night Duke swung his kunai again and stabbed fiercely down at Kakashi's chest.
However, Kakashi was not without a response.
Without Soji noticing, he had secretly reached for the ninja tool pouch at his waist and taken out a Smoke Bomb.
Before Night Duke's attack could land, Kakashi threw the Smoke Bomb onto the ground behind him.
"Bang!"
As black smoke spread through the area, Soji could not initially determine whether it was a Poison Gas Bomb, so he instinctively covered his mouth and nose first.
By the time he reacted and wanted to attack again, Kakashi had already vanished.
That brief pause bought Kakashi a moment to catch his breath.
Once the black smoke dispersed, Night Duke was the only one left at the scene.
"Oh? A tactical retreat?" Soji said with an amused smile.
Whether it was real or an act, Night Duke swept his gaze around the area at that moment.
However, Kakashi was nowhere to be found for the time being.
"Earth Release—Piercing Fang!"
At that moment, Kakashi's voice suddenly came from the ground beneath Night Duke's feet.
Immediately afterward, a blade of light slashed upward, cutting through the distance between