Kakashi: Feasibility Analysis Report on Countering Tsukuyomi

The scene shifted. Tsukuyomi's genjutsu ended, and Hatake Kakashi finally returned to reality from that boundless, terrifying Endless Hell. In an instant, he was gasping for breath as though he had endured endless torment, then collapsed facedown onto the water.

"What's wrong, Kakashi? Still can't open your eyes?"

Hearing the commotion, Yuuhi Kurenai hurriedly asked.

Still gasping, Hatake Kakashi said, "No... not yet."

Sarutobi Asuma also realized something was wrong. "What exactly happened? He had only just finished speaking, and then you collapsed."

Hatake Kakashi barely managed to kneel on one knee, thinking, Three days in that world only amounted to an instant in reality?

But why didn't he kill me? If he wanted to, that shouldn't have been difficult.

For a moment, the questions swirling through Hatake Kakashi's mind only grew more numerous.

"Oh? You took that attack and still haven't suffered a mental breakdown. But then again, Itachi-san, excessively using those eyes carries risks for you too, doesn't it?"

Kisame Hoshigaki asked.

Uchiha Itachi's face twitched slightly, as though confirming Kisame Hoshigaki's words.

Outside the scene, Hatake Kakashi had somehow already taken out paper and pen and begun making notes.

Tsukuyomi!

Was it a restricted dojutsu of Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan? Or was it a dojutsu ability possessed by all Mangekyō Sharingan?

Within the Illusion Space, it reconstructed space, time, mass, and pain. Even an Elite Jonin like himself, skilled in both genjutsu and Genjutsu Release, had been unable to resist it. Considering the Sharingan's own powerful resistance to genjutsu, that meant this genjutsu could affect and lock onto targets who might even surpass Elite Jonin—perhaps even Kage Level figures would be unable to escape its hold.

Its power surpassed every genjutsu he currently knew. Was it because Tsukuyomi itself was of an extremely high level, or was it directly related to the Mangekyō Sharingan's amplification of genjutsu?

Or perhaps it was both.

Hatake Kakashi wrote down the doubts in his heart. For a ninja, intelligence was the most important thing.

There were no invincible ninjutsu, only invincible people. Now that he had obtained important intelligence on Uchiha Itachi, he would not be foolish enough to look directly into his eyes if he encountered him in the future.

After being tortured for three days and three nights, even if his mind had not collapsed, he had likely suffered grave damage. Such injuries were difficult to treat through ordinary medical methods.

But at the same time, he had the same question as his future self. Judging from the power of Tsukuyomi, it should have been easy for Uchiha Itachi to kill him. Yet Uchiha Itachi had not done so.

Had he spared him because of their past relationship as former superior and subordinate?

Or had Uchiha Itachi already reached his limit? Based on Kisame Hoshigaki's words, people struck by this ninjutsu would normally suffer mental breakdowns. But it was still only genjutsu, and everything had its limits. In other words, someone with an exceptionally strong mind and will could still endure it without necessarily breaking down.

However, Hatake Kakashi quickly wrote down a conjecture.

For the victim, Tsukuyomi was seventy-two hours of torment. But for the caster, it was likely no easy task either. After the technique ended, Uchiha Itachi had tried to remain calm, yet his face had still twitched uncontrollably. That made it clear.

So it seemed Tsukuyomi had a very narrow casting range. Perhaps only one person, or at most a small number of people, could be affected by it.

Secondly, Tsukuyomi's power was immense, but the price required to use it was also great. There was a risk of overusing the Sharingan.

Others might not understand that, but Hatake Kakashi understood it very well, because he often overused the Sharingan.

For an outsider like him who was not from the Uchiha Clan, using the Sharingan for only a slightly extended period would put him into a state of overuse. It was a complete exhaustion of body and mind that required a long period of rest to recover from.

Yet Uchiha Itachi was a member of the Uchiha Clan and possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. Had he already begun entering Overload State after using Tsukuyomi only once?

Based on the power Tsukuyomi had displayed, that should not have been the case. Or perhaps Uchiha Itachi's body had some sort of problem and could not support such expenditure?

Or was the Mangekyō Sharingan itself simply an enormous burden on the body?

Moreover, from the very beginning, the two of them had been casually leaking intelligence through their conversation—such as their purpose for returning to Konoha, intelligence about the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the fact that using it could result in Overload State.

For ninja, such things should have been extremely important intelligence. Yet the other side had revealed them as though they did not care in the slightest.

He did not believe they were unaware of it. After all, these two had once been outstanding among the ninja of their respective villages.

If even they did not understand something as simple as keeping confidential information from leaking, then there were probably few people in the world who did.

For a time, countless question marks flashed through Hatake Kakashi's mind. He wrote and drew across the paper, yet found no answers, then continued watching.

"You're looking for Sasuke?" Hatake Kakashi asked in the scene.

Uchiha Itachi slowly composed his expression, then said, "No. The Fourth Hokage's legacy!"

Sarutobi Asuma and Yuuhi Kurenai were both shocked upon hearing that.

As two of the village's few Elite Jonin and important members of the Jonin Council, they knew what the Fourth Hokage's legacy was.

It was Uzumaki Naruto.

Or rather, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within Uzumaki Naruto's body.

"Is it Naruto?" Hatake Kakashi asked.

Outside the scene, Uchiha Sasuke fell into confusion. He was not like Hatake Kakashi.

Hatake Kakashi had always known Uzumaki Naruto's identity. He knew Naruto was the son of his teacher and Master's Wife, and that the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was sealed inside his body.

But Uchiha Sasuke knew nothing of this. He had yet to join Team 7 and had not formed any Bonds with Naruto. To him, the Naruto he knew was merely an annoying brat who caused trouble every day and did not even know how to attend school properly.

The key was that this annoying brat kept coming to pick fights with him, seemingly unable to stand the sight of him.

Still, he had seen plenty of hot-blooded idiots like that in everyday life, and he had never thought Uzumaki Naruto was anything special.

If there was anything unusual about him, perhaps it was that such a hot-blooded idiot had actually been assigned to an elite class alongside elites like them.

The Fourth Hokage's legacy?

What exactly was that?