The Terrifying Figure

"Wasn't that a bit excessive?"

Kakashi Hatake leaped out of the shattered ground in speechless disbelief. "Sage Mode greatly enhances every aspect of the body! So the name 'sage' really isn't just for show... And you accurately found my hiding place. It seems Sage Mode's sensory abilities are very strong too."

While thoughts raced through his mind, Wu Yu flashed forward and closed in, launching an attack.

"One of the ninja tactical principles—Taijutsu, right?"

Kakashi Hatake used both fists and feet to deal with Wu Yu's successive attacks. The Sharingan in his left eye spun rapidly, its three tomoe nearly smoking as they tracked and predicted Wu Yu's movements.

Bang!

Kakashi caught one of Wu Yu's knife-hand strikes, and the shock sent agonizing pain through his forearm. Though he had used every technique he had to disperse the force, the monstrous strength boosted by senjutsu was still too much to bear...

"Does this count as Physical Strength 10?" Wu Yu asked, knocking aside the kunai Kakashi had thrust at him with his other hand.

"Why don't you take one punch yourself? Of course it does!" Kakashi's kunai was jolted from his grasp by the immense force.

Whoosh, whoosh...

The deflected kunai spun through the air. Wu Yu snatched it out of the air. "What about Taijutsu?" He stabbed at Kakashi, but the instant he exerted force, Kakashi struck the nerve at his elbow hard. His palm loosened, and the kunai flew free as well.

"What level is my Taijutsu?"

Whoosh, whoosh...

Kakashi caught the kunai and pressed both palms against it as he stabbed toward Wu Yu.

"Probably... Taijutsu 6!"

Just as the kunai was about to pierce his shoulder, Wu Yu grabbed Kakashi's arm, preventing it from advancing another inch. In their stalemate, Kakashi's arm trembled slightly from the excessive strain. "That's the level of an excellent Chunin. It's hard to imagine you were actually beaten back to the Ninja Academy twice in a row..."

"I did that on purpose."

Wu Yu threw his head back, then slammed it forward.

Bang!

Kakashi reeled back with blood spurting from his nose, but his arm was still held by Wu Yu. Chakra in his palm swiftly underwent Lightning Nature Transformation, producing crackling currents that burst indiscriminately across both himself and Wu Yu.

Wu Yu was shocked so badly that his hair nearly stood on end. His hand instinctively loosened for an instant, and Kakashi slipped away like a fish.

"..."

Kakashi Hatake landed gracefully. If one ignored the blood seeping through his mask, he still looked quite cool. "...You're relying entirely on brute strength."

Wu Yu asked curiously, "Then why is my Taijutsu only rated a 6?"

Kakashi patiently explained, "Of the Eight Ninja Parameters, the first four—Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu Proficiency, and Tactical Intelligence—have nothing to do with the power of techniques. They evaluate a ninja's depth of understanding and proficiency in using ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and tactics. Your Taijutsu being rated 6 refers to your Taijutsu skill, not its power. Even if you left Sage Mode now, you would still be Taijutsu 6."

Wu Yu smiled. "But my Physical Strength wouldn't be 10 anymore."

"That's right."

"Then next is Ninjutsu." As soon as Wu Yu finished speaking, his hand seals were already complete. He opened his mouth and spat out a wave that completely engulfed Kakashi.

"Water Release: Water Bullet?"

The wave was suddenly cleaved apart by an earthen wall several meters high, like a massive blade. The earth blade split the torrent and struck straight at Wu Yu.

Attribute advantage really was unfair. Ordinary Earth Release could actually contend with Water Release enhanced by senjutsu.

Wu Yu's body, strengthened by sage power, withstood the rapidly descending earth blade head-on. But Kakashi emerged from the tip of the earthen blade...

"You should have noticed long ago how strong Sage Mode's sensory abilities are, right?"

Wu Yu grabbed Kakashi and said, "I noticed you hiding in there from the very beginning..."

"Is that so?" The captured Kakashi suddenly transformed entirely into lightning.

"Lightning Release Shadow Clone? Do you really take me for a fish to be electrocuted?"

Rumble... Like thunder exploding low in the sky, Kakashi's Lightning Release Shadow Clone burst into lightning.

At a nearby wooden post, Naruto Uzumaki shouted, "Kakashi-sensei killed Wu Yu!"

"Big idiot..."

Sasuke's Sharingan, activated with the last of his Chakra, could no longer hold on and shut off. Panting, he said, "Wu Yu can 'turn into nothingness and completely disappear.' Kakashi's attack never hit him at all."

Sure enough, once the lightning faded, Wu Yu was nowhere to be seen before the earthen wall and the pool of water.

Kakashi Hatake emerged soaking wet from the nearby woods, feeling utterly helpless. He had not used the Sharingan in a long time, and now that he had forced himself to use it, every part of his body throbbed with pain from excessive Chakra depletion. Walking felt as though countless needles were stabbing him all over.

"Basically, as long as you can perform one Nature Transformation, Ninjutsu can be rated a 5. If you have two Nature Transformations, it can be rated a 6." He spoke to the empty air. "However, that isn't the only evaluation criterion. There are also examples of people who cannot perform any Nature Transformation at all but have Ninjutsu rated 6 or even higher."

Wu Yu reappeared from the air, exhaled, and said, "Is that so? Thinking about it that way, Ninjutsu seems pretty standardized."

Kakashi said, "In the War Era, simple and direct judgments like this were needed to give inexperienced recruits some warning."

As he spoke, Wu Yu's pointed ears returned to normal, and the dark-red Sage Face Markings on his face rapidly faded away as well.

"About two minutes?"

Kakashi asked, "Aren't you going to try Genjutsu?"

As he spoke, he tried to pull down his forehead protector to cover his overused left eye, only to grab empty air. He was instantly left somewhat speechless.

"Are you wary of the genjutsu from my Sharingan?" he asked.

"Of course not!"

Wu Yu's gaze turned resolute. "It's because... I don't know how to use a single genjutsu yet."

"Why are you making such a serious face...?"

Kakashi complained weakly. He closed his left eye, letting the source of pain wracking his entire body rest as much as possible, then explained, "Genjutsu Proficiency isn't solely a score for using genjutsu. The skills to break and resist genjutsu count as well. But let's call it a day..."

If that's the case, then with Little Jade, wouldn't my Genjutsu Proficiency already be 10? Wu Yu thought.

Kakashi suddenly swayed, about to collapse, but Wu Yu—who had anticipated it—promptly stepped forward and caught him.

"There's something I don't know whether I should say," Wu Yu said quietly.

Kakashi replied listlessly, "Whether you should say it or not, you were already planning to, weren't you...?"

Wu Yu said, "When I was in Sage Mode just now, I could sense that the Chakra in your left eye was of far higher quality than the ocular power you actually used."

"..." Kakashi looked at Wu Yu in surprise, only to see him ask with an innocent expression, "Could there be a form of the Sharingan even more advanced than the Three Tomoe? A Super Sharingan?"

"..."

After a brief silence, Kakashi patted the hand supporting him. "I don't know either."

Watching Kakashi force himself onward toward the three members of Team Seven, who had long since been left dumbstruck, Wu Yu found his thoughts in turmoil... He could not help recalling again and again the first time he had successfully completed Sage Art: Natural Integration with Jade Rabbit's help and guidance.

When Wu Yu used the Sage Power of Kaguya Style to completely merge himself with Nature Energy... the moment he turned around, he saw Mysterious Kaguya's figure, seeming higher than the heavens, deeper than the sea, and as ancient as the earth itself.

Her three godlike, emotionless eyes gazed quietly at him.

They had only met eyes for an instant.

Yet in that instant, Wu Yu had nearly believed that he had been completely assimilated by nature and cast into the embrace of Mother Kaguya, who accepted all things...