Eight-Blade Style: Blind Slash!

The speed was absurdly fast, and Obito was so startled he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Idiot!"

Kakashi cursed under his breath, his short blade instantly unsheathed as he slashed toward the dark shadow, his movements so swift they left only a blur behind.

Aragaki Yasushi's eyes darkened as he immediately recognized the opponent's identity.

It was Hikari of Iwagakure.

Although his memory of the original story was a bit hazy, that afro-like hairstyle—frizzy as a steel wool scouring pad—was hard to forget.

Aragaki Yasushi remembered that in the original work, this Hikari had actually shattered the ninja blade left behind by Kakashi's father; his strength was not to be underestimated.

What made Aragaki Yasushi's scalp tingle even more was the vague recollection that Hikari was accompanied by a treacherous old fox who used the Camouflage Concealment Technique, keeping himself perfectly hidden to specialize in sneak attacks.

At this thought, Aragaki Yasushi became instantly vigilant, his heart sinking.

If that old fox launched a sneak attack, they would be in serious trouble.

Invisible enemies were far too difficult to fight.

While Aragaki Yasushi remained on high alert, Kakashi had already clashed with Hikari.

"Clang!"

With a crisp sound, the short blade in Kakashi's hand collided violently with the blade strapped to Hikari's arm.

The next second, the short blade shattered completely, fragments slicing Kakashi's cheek and clattering to the ground with a cold glint.

Kakashi's ninja blade had been retired in glory after barely finishing its warm-up.

Asuma and Obito nearby were red-eyed with anxiety, gripping their ninja tools and wanting to rush in to help, but a battle between jonin was not something half-baked rookies like them could interfere with.

Charging in would be pure suicide and would only drag Kakashi down, so they could only stand by and fret.

Only Yuhi Kurenai remained relatively calm; she quietly closed her eyes, formed hand seals rapidly, and silently cast a genjutsu, attempting to disrupt Hikari's movements.

Although her genjutsu might not be enough to completely control a jonin, it could at least disrupt the enemy's rhythm, which was better than doing nothing at all.

Seeing this, Aragaki Yasushi's heart skipped a beat as his mind raced.

If he were Hikari's invisible teammate, hiding nearby and waiting for an opportunity, he would definitely take out Yuhi Kurenai first for casting that genjutsu.

Thinking of this, Aragaki Yasushi didn't hesitate; his arms instantly transformed into two sharp paper blades, and with a push from his feet, he suddenly lunged toward Yuhi Kurenai's direction.

"Thud!"

With a muffled sound, a blurry shadow was suddenly sent flying through the air, crashing heavily to the ground.

Aragaki Yasushi had actually guessed right!

Although he couldn't see the invisible enemy, this strike had hit the target with pinpoint accuracy.

While this move relied purely on luck, luck was also a part of one's strength.

Immediately following, a smear of bright red blood appeared out of thin air and dripped onto the ground, though it was quickly masked by the Camouflage Concealment Technique and vanished, leaving only a small stain on the earth.

At this moment, Taiseki, currently in his invisible state, was glaring at Aragaki Yasushi with intense fury.

Lucky brat!

Taiseki was nearly exploding with rage; he had intended to launch a stealthy sneak attack, only to be guessed by a chunin through sheer luck. Not only had he taken a hit, but he had also nearly exposed his position.

His face was completely lost, and the dignity of a jonin was shattered to pieces.

Soon, Taiseki roughly bandaged the wound on his body.

However, the wound continued to seep blood.

Although his Camouflage Concealment Technique could perfectly hide his clothes and figure—and naturally mask the blood on his body—the blood dripping onto the ground would inevitably leave traces, and he could be discovered if he wasn't careful.

Taiseki gritted his teeth, a firm resolve forming in his heart.

He couldn't afford to drag this out any longer; he needed a quick victory to finish off this meddlesome brat first, then kill the one casting the genjutsu.

Having made up his mind, Taiseki moved his feet quietly, circling to Aragaki Yasushi's left to launch a sneak attack.

But Aragaki Yasushi had long been prepared and had already completed his hand seals.

In an instant, layers of white paper scraps appeared out of thin air, drifting down like snowflakes and filling the space, obscuring the line of sight.

That's right, this was Aragaki Yasushi's Paper Clone Technique, which he hadn't yet fully developed.

Although he couldn't yet gather these scraps into a functional paper clone, these scattered bits were perfectly suited for this exact purpose.

They would stick firmly to Taiseki's body, precisely marking his position.

No matter what, Taiseki's Camouflage Concealment Technique could only hide his form, not render his body intangible; as long as something stuck to him, his location would be easily revealed.

Aragaki Yasushi sneered.

Invisibility might be underhanded, but it wasn't underhanded enough; dealing with it was far too easy.

Seeing this, Taiseki felt a sense of dread.

He never imagined that his pride and joy, the Camouflage Concealment Technique, would be undone by a pile of paper scraps.

Aragaki Yasushi gave him no chance to react; his figure shifted instantly, and amidst the fluttering paper, he folded himself into an eight-armed paper doll. Eight arms transformed simultaneously into razor-sharp paper blades, gleaming with a cold light as they hacked madly toward Taiseki.

Eight-Blade Style: Blind Slash!

There might be those in the ninja world who could skillfully wield multiple blades, such as the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer B, who could nimbly handle seven, but that was a matter of innate talent.

Yet, for someone like Aragaki Yasushi to control eight blades with such ease—unless he could truly grow eight arms—was nothing short of a fantasy.

Of course, Aragaki Yasushi had never learned any proper swordsmanship; his so-called Eight-Blade Style was, to put it bluntly, just a blind slash. It had no structure, no technique, relying entirely on sheer brute force.

But he had the advantage of having many arms. The eight paper blades rained down on Taiseki in a dense swarm, focusing on sheer numerical suppression, sealing off every possible angle for Taiseki to dodge.

Opposite him, Taiseki watched the eight blades rushing toward his face, his complexion turning green. He could only retreat in a panicked scramble, left without even a sliver of room to counterattack.

Splatter!

Blood sprayed out as Taiseki's right arm was severed clean by the paper blades, flying high into the air and landing on the ground, where it continued to twitch.

Taiseki fought for his life, and after paying the agonizing price of an arm, he barely managed to retreat to a safe zone.

Before Taiseki could even catch his breath, or even find the time to grieve for his lost arm, a blinding green light suddenly shot toward him. It was fast to the extreme, leaving him no time to react.

Zero-frame start!

How was he supposed to defend against that?

Taiseki's pupils constricted, his heart filled with despair.

How did this brat do it!

He didn't even weave hand signs; he just fired it off the moment he wanted to. This wasn't how a ninja was supposed to fight!

In an instant, Taiseki's figure was vaporized by the green light emitted from the Energy Scroll, leaving not even a speck of dust behind. He died completely, not even having the chance to leave behind a final word.

On the other side, Hikari, who had been suppressing Kakashi on the battlefield, felt a sudden jolt of shock upon sensing Taiseki's death.

He could not believe that his companion had been taken off the board so quickly.

After all, even he found Taiseki's Camouflage Concealment Technique difficult to deal with.

It was in this split second of Hikari's distraction that Kakashi seized the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. His hands moved in a blur of hand signs, and a dazzling bolt of lightning instantly appeared in his palm. A sharp, piercing chirping sound rang out, as if thousands of birds were crying out in unison—harsh and terrifying.

It was the jutsu he had yet to fully perfect: Chidori.

Taking advantage of Hikari's lapse in focus, Kakashi ignored everything else and charged recklessly toward him, driven by a single thought: to take the opponent down.

In a flash, the lightning streaked past, and the Chidori ruthlessly pierced through Hikari's chest, blood instantly staining Kakashi's arm red.