After a hearty meal the night before and a good night's sleep, Kakashi and the others set off early in the morning.
After yesterday's journey, they were less than ten miles from the border of the Land of Fire.
As they passed through the silent Rock Forest, Kakashi walked quietly, his wary gaze sweeping over the enormous rocks around them.
As a battle-hardened Jonin, Kakashi never let his guard down. He was always ready to deal with any sudden trouble.
"Uncle Qianwei, yesterday's grilled fish was delicious. How about we have grilled fish again for lunch?"
With his hands behind his head, Naruto walked along, savoring the memory of the grilled fish, then said with a smile.
Who would want to eat hard-to-swallow Military Ration Pills when there was delicious grilled fish to be had?
"I agree!"
Haruno Sakura immediately chimed in with a smile.
"Heh, we were lucky to catch fish yesterday. I'm afraid we won't find any around here!"
Glancing at the rocks scattered all around, Qianwei said with a wry smile.
"That's true. In a Rock Forest like this, there's no river to be found."
Sakura nodded. Although she really wanted grilled fish, she had to face reality and could only say so helplessly.
"What a lousy place. It's nothing but rocks!"
Realizing he wouldn't get grilled fish for lunch, Naruto couldn't help muttering under his breath.
Just as Naruto complained, Kakashi, walking at the front, suddenly changed expression and shouted, "Watch out! Something's coming!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
A few sharp whistling sounds rang out at once. Several Kunai flew from somewhere, shooting straight toward Kakashi and the others.
"Protect Uncle Qianwei!"
After warning them, Kakashi swiftly drew a Kunai and swung it, knocking aside the incoming weapons.
"Got it!"
At Kakashi's warning, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura immediately formed a three-person formation, taking the front, left, and right positions to protect Qianwei in the middle.
"Haha! That silver hair—there's no mistaking it. You're the famed elite Jonin Kakashi, renowned throughout the Shinobi World. You easily deflected my attack!"
After Kakashi blocked the Kunai, a burst of laughter rang out. A man dressed in black, wearing a Kirigakure Forehead Protector, stepped out from behind a rock.
"Are you a Kirigakure rogue ninja?"
Seeing the slash through the village symbol on the man's Forehead Protector, Kakashi immediately figured it out.
Rogue ninja usually slashed through their village's symbol on their Forehead Protector to show that they had severed ties with their former village.
"Heh, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sanli, and I'm currently an assassin in the black market."
Sanli's eyes were filled with undisguised, chilling malice as he looked over Kakashi and the others and smiled.
"A black-market assassin?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes and demanded, "Is your target Uncle Qianwei?"
"Haha, wrong! You're my target! Your bounty on the black market is as high as fifty million!"
Sanli smiled, but his expression was filled with an unmistakable, chilling menace.
"My target is me?"
Even Kakashi, with all his composure, couldn't help showing surprise at Sanli's reply.
While Kakashi was momentarily distracted by Sanli's words, Sanli brought his hands together and began forming Hand Seals.
"Water Release: Water Wave!"
Once he finished the Hand Seals, Sanli puffed out his cheeks and spat out a massive wave of water.
"Earth Style: Earth-Flow Wall!"
It was a fairly ordinary technique, but Kakashi didn't dare let his guard down as he watched the surging water rush toward him. He rapidly formed Hand Seals, then pressed his palms toward the ground.
With a loud crash, a thick earthen wall suddenly rose from the ground in front of Kakashi. The wave slammed hard into it.
"Bang!"
The earthen wall shattered and collapsed under the impact, but the force of the water had been spent. It pooled on the ground as still water.
"Wow, Kakashi-sensei is amazing!"
Seeing Kakashi effortlessly counter the enemy's technique, Naruto and Sakura cheered from behind.
"As expected of Kakashi-sensei!"
Sasuke marveled to himself as well.
Sanli's attack had been incredibly fast. Sasuke doubted he could have defended himself as calmly and effectively as Kakashi had.
"Whatever your aim is, I won't let you hurt anyone!"
Hearing Naruto and Sakura cheer, Kakashi pulled down the black cloth covering his left eye, then raised his head and spoke calmly.
"Heh. Let's see what you can do to protect them."
Sanli gave a sinister laugh.
But as Sanli grinned, Kakashi's left eye suddenly opened. A powerful, overwhelming presence surged from within him.
"Th-that... is that the Sharingan?"
Seeing Kakashi reveal his Sharingan, Sakura cried out in shock.
"Kakashi-sensei, how can you have the Sharingan? Isn't it only people from the Uchiha Clan who have it?"
Naruto asked, puzzled.
As Konoha ninja, Naruto and Sakura knew that the Sharingan was a Kekkei Genkai possessed only by the Uchiha Clan. They couldn't believe Kakashi had one.
"So what if you have the Sharingan? There is only one fate waiting for you today: death!"
Most enemies would have been troubled to see Kakashi activate his Sharingan, but Sanli's expression only changed slightly before he shouted again.
"Lightning Blade!"
Ignoring Sanli, Kakashi's hands flashed through the Hand Seals. A thunderous roar sounded in his mind, and dazzling lightning instantly covered his right hand.
"Sanli doesn't seem like a reckless ninja. Why is he so confident he can beat Kakashi-sensei, even with the Sharingan?"
After Kakashi finished the Hand Seals for the Lightning Blade, a puzzled voice echoed in Sasuke's mind.
Sasuke figured Sanli must have some special trump card. Otherwise, he wouldn't still be standing there, unmoving.
Just as Sasuke wondered about Sanli, a figure suddenly appeared behind Kakashi. The figure thrust a sharp Kunai toward Kakashi's vital spot without hesitation.
"Kakashi-sensei, watch out!"
The sight made Sasuke's expression change dramatically. He cried out in alarm.
"What?"
Sasuke's warning had barely left his mouth when Kakashi felt a chill and sensed an intense danger behind him.
"Heh, too late!"
Seeing Kakashi try to dodge, the figure moved even faster.
"Shhk!"
After only a brief moment, a piercing sound rang out. Kakashi's back was like a target, with a Kunai stuck in it, only its handle visible. The entire blade had pierced into his body.
"Cough!"
Kakashi spat out a mouthful of blood. The lightning on his hand vanished at once. Ignoring the intense pain, he forced his way forward, trying to get away from the attacker behind him.