Prelude to the Great Battle

The Anbu eight-man squad and Guy behind them continued their march across the rooftops.

The sun in the sky had already dipped more than halfway, yet Konoha remained bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

"Pakkun, how is it? Have you found them yet?" Kakashi asked his ninja hound urgently.

At this moment, Pakkun was being tucked under the arm of an Anbu ninja.

"Nothing, there's no scent at all along this path!"

Hearing this, Kakashi's heart sank to the bottom, and steeling himself, he made a decision.

"Move! Target: Chuanhe Residence!"

The other seven paused for a fraction of a second before quickening their pace.

"...Yes!!!"

The group of eight increased their chakra expenditure.

For them, this decision was incredibly dangerous, but the safety of Naruto Uzumaki was more important, even if it meant risking their lives. At this moment, the masks of the group, illuminated by the setting sun, took on the appearance of burning flames. This was their undying Will of Fire!

Finally, Kakashi noticed Guy behind them; his heart sank, but he did not stop him.

Guy had always been this way. Although Kakashi never said it aloud, he understood in his heart that Guy was his dearest friend.

The group arrived at the Uchiha Compound, which looked different from the one they remembered.

There was no Military Police, no passersby, and it seemed as though there wasn't a single soul in the houses they passed beneath their feet.

Kakashi felt as if all of this were a conspiracy—could this be a trap?!

"Stop!" Kakashi suddenly signaled for them to halt.

Everything they were experiencing now was too abnormal; there had been Military Police on duty in Konoha during the day. How could there not be a single living person in the compound after they went off duty? Kakashi now suspected an ambush.

Kakashi asked with urgent speed: "Pakkun, are there others nearby?"

Pakkun quickly distinguished the scents and said: "Except for the one behind us, while the scents of others are rich, there is indeed no one else here. These scents seem to have all headed in the direction of that Naka Shrine."

"The scent of those people on the roof... I've got it, that direction."

Pakkun pointed with his paw in a direction, and that direction was—the Chuanhe Residence!

Kakashi had no other choice now but to face the "culprit" behind all of this directly.

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi shouted to the rear: "Guy, I'm counting on you. Please, you must deliver this intelligence to the Third Hokage."

At this moment, Guy was in a small alley behind them.

Guy stopped his footsteps; he was a ninja, a ninja of Konoha.

With a solemn expression, Guy gritted his teeth, turned, and left, running at full speed toward the Hokage Building. He no longer cared about maintaining a stealthy operation.

Recalling Kakashi's back, Guy remained worried; he had seen the abnormalities along the way as well.

He prayed for Kakashi in his heart: "Youth never looks back! Kakashi, my lifelong friend, do not stop here."

Kakashi did not pay any more attention to Guy; he trusted that Guy would not let him down, for they were comrades who relied on each other.

Kakashi said in a low voice: "Prepare yourselves... Move out!"

The Anbu members responded without hesitation: "Yes!"

In front of the Chuanhe Residence, the familiar "Uchiha Hui" stood there quietly, with a calico cat perched on his head.

Looking at this bizarre scene, Kakashi asked Pakkun first: "Are they inside?"

Pakkun's expression was very conflicted: "Kakashi... the scent is very faint, as if they are very far away. But I can generally confirm that they are inside this house."

Hui spoke expressionlessly: "Sorry, you cannot enter. Please turn back."

Kakashi lifted the headband from the side of his mask, revealing that iconic Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Kakashi first dispelled the Summoning Technique; it was too dangerous for Pakkun here.

Lightning began to shine on his right hand—this was not Chidori, but Lightning Blade; he was going all out from the start.

The current situation allowed for no mercy, even if the opponent was a first-year student at the Ninja Academy.

The other seven spread out around the Chuanhe Residence, raising their chakra and preparing to weave hand signs.

"Amber, you should leave. It won't be pleasant to experience the memory feedback later," Hui said faintly.

"Meow, alright, play to your heart's content. Lord Chuanhe has activated the defenses this time."

Amber stood up on Hui's head and transformed into a faint puff of smoke.

A Shadow Clone? Oh no!

The intelligence regarding the Flame Explosion Technique flashed through Kakashi's mind.

Having already used the Body Flicker Technique to charge forward, Kakashi immediately dissipated the Lightning Blade in his hand and gestured for everyone to regroup immediately.

[Joint Ninjutsu - Water Wall]*4

[Joint Ninjutsu - Earth Style Wall]*4

Water in front, earth behind, the eight of them huddled together.

It was just that this Earth Style Wall was slightly different, with several dog heads carved onto it.

Perhaps it could effectively improve the defensive capabilities of this ninjutsu.

Before him, Uchiha Hui completed the entire casting process in a mere second.

Fire Release - Flame Explosion Technique

Rumble!

Boom!

Centered on this shadow clone of Uchiha Hui, a blinding light tore through the sky, making the remaining sunset look completely incomparable.

The fireball expanded, swallowing several city blocks, and the surrounding walls melted like wax. In the area swept by the shockwave, it seemed as if everything would crumble to dust.

Ever since the members of the Uchiha Police Force finished their shift, the Barrier Team had fully activated the sound-dampening barrier.

The sound of the explosion echoed throughout the entire clan grounds, and the Uchiha who had not yet left turned their gazes toward the direction of the blast.

Guy, who was still running toward the Hokage Building, felt something and paused for a moment, then continued forward with determination.

"Kakashi, wait for me, I'm coming!" Guy lowered his head, his expression somewhat grim.

On Kakashi's side.

Kakashi and the others couldn't help but wonder if this Uchiha Hui had gone mad; wouldn't using this technique right at his own doorstep implicate them as well?

High temperatures and shockwaves scoured their only two lines of defense.

Unfortunately, these were not enough; that destructive light tore through the only hope standing before them.

Right in front of Kakashi, their defense completely disintegrated in a single instant.

With hearts turned to ash, they closed their eyes, recalling their lives.

After a long time passed, they opened their eyes in confusion.

Everything before them was pitch black; had they arrived in the Pure Land?

The darkness suddenly dissipated; the ground beneath them was unscathed, but an anomaly had appeared in the distance.

Under the description of the only sensory ninja among the eight, they roughly understood the situation.

Everything within a 100-meter radius extending outward from the Chuanhe Residence was normal, while the area further out was like a living hell, with crystalline glass and flowing magma. Everything spoke to the terror of this technique. And they were right at the 100-meter boundary, on the edge of this man-made little cliff...

"Why save us?" This question appeared in Kakashi's mind at this moment.

"Is this still a spy from Kumogakure? Is all of this an Uchiha trap?" This question popped up for all eight of them.

While they were still questioning, Uchiha Hui appeared out of thin air at the doorway.

"Give up, there's no need to continue fighting; all of this was originally a misunderstanding." This Uchiha Hui seemed a bit different, with some emotional fluctuations in his tone.

However, the Anbu ninjas were not swayed by this.

They were well-trained, and almost the moment Uchiha Hui's voice fell, they had adjusted their formation, with four of them performing hand seals simultaneously.

Lightning Blade

Body Flicker Technique

Kakashi did not hesitate, letting out a low shout as his figure suddenly blurred, his silver hair tracing a cold arc in the air. The lightning gathered in his right hand was as blinding as daylight, heading straight for Uchiha Hui's head with a piercing hum.

At the same time, one Anbu ninja slammed his hands onto the ground and shouted sharply:

"Lightning Release - Earth Flash!"

Countless lightning snakes slithered out from the ground, blue-white currents coiling upward like living creatures, attempting to paralyze Uchiha Hui's movements.

A second Anbu ninja performed hand seals rapidly.

Wind Release - Wind Cutter Technique

The invisible wind blades did not aim for Uchiha Hui's vitals, but instead precisely cut through the space on his left and right, completely cutting off his escape routes.

A third Anbu ninja clapped his hands together abruptly.

Earth Release - Earth Dragon Bullet

The cliff behind them trembled violently, and a scorching earth dragon burst through the rock, carrying still-hot rubble and heat waves as it smashed down from high above!

The remaining four Anbu ninjas stood ready, firmly protecting the three behind them, their eyes sharp as knives, prepared to deal with any sudden situation at any time.

The Lightning Blade closed in, the Earth Flash coiled around him, the wind blades sealed his path, and the earth dragon pressed down from above—Uchiha Hui's figure was completely enveloped in the destructive combined attack, as if there was no way to escape.

At this moment, Kakashi's Lightning Blade was only an inch away from his head. Death seemed to be a foregone conclusion.