"Sasuke doesn't have much chakra left. If he keeps using Chidori, his life could be in danger!"
Watching Sasuke use Chidori again from inside the Water Prison, Kakashi said with deep concern.
Precisely controlling one's chakra was extremely important for a ninja. If a technique required thirty percent of their chakra but they used forty percent, the excess would indirectly drain their stamina. Once both their strength and chakra reached zero, they would die.
Sasuke was currently wringing every last bit of chakra from his body to perform Chidori. The danger was obvious.
"That kid can still use that move?"
Iwayano watched Sasuke with a grave expression, tension stirring in his eyes. He had already used the Earth Clone Technique, and his chakra was nearly depleted. It would be difficult to stop Sasuke's Chidori.
"In that case... I have no choice but to use my secret technique!"
Iwayano muttered to himself. Then he slowly raised both hands, forming one obscure, intricate hand seal after another, before raising two fingers.
By then, Sasuke had successfully formed Chidori. Brilliant Lightning Flash crackled wildly in his hand, sending out wave after wave of astonishing force.
"Ah!"
A low growl suddenly escaped Sasuke's throat. Then he shot toward Iwayano, lightning surging around him with terrifying force!
"Will he succeed this time?"
Watching Sasuke charge forward, Kakashi couldn't help asking himself.
Kakashi understood that this was Sasuke's last chance—and their team's last chance. If he failed, it would all be over!
"Camouflage Invisibility Technique!"
On the other side, Iwayano's eyes turned cold. As Sasuke charged at him, his body suddenly grew hazy, then slipped away from its original position like a ghost.
He had used this secret technique to catch Naruto and Sasuke off guard and badly wound them earlier. This time, he would use the same trick.
"Heh, heh!"
By the time Sasuke reached the spot where Iwayano had been standing, Iwayano's hazy form had already appeared behind him.
Iwayano stared coldly at Sasuke's back, clenched his fist, and swung it down with a rush of force.
Just as Iwayano thought he had him, Sasuke swiftly sidestepped. He thrust out his right hand, and with a hiss, the Chidori in it pierced straight through Iwayano's heart.
The change happened in the blink of an eye. Sasuke had been in danger just moments earlier, but now he had escaped it and struck Iwayano in an instant!
Pfft!
Blood gushed from Iwayano's mouth. He stared in terror at the young face so close to his own. The murderous expression there was even more vicious than his, and in the boy's eyes... were the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
"I never thought... you were from the Uchiha Clan..."
Fear of death covered Iwayano's face. He finally understood why Sasuke had been able to see him while he was invisible, but it was already too late.
"Iwayano!"
Seeing the blood bubbling from Iwayano's mouth, Sanli's eyes widened as he shouted in disbelief.
"Sasuke... Sasuke awakened the Sharingan..."
Kakashi swallowed, moistening his dry throat, and stared at Sasuke's blood-red eyes from inside the Water Prison. After a long pause, he murmured to himself.
"Die!"
Fixing his red eyes on the doomed Iwayano, Sasuke pulled out his right hand, clenched his fist, and slammed it into Iwayano's chest!
"Pfft!"
A surge of force burst from Sasuke's fist. Iwayano let out a muffled groan of pain, then spat out another mouthful of blood.
At last, Iwayano's body shot backward as if struck by a bull, then crashed heavily to the ground.
After taking Chidori's fatal blow, Iwayano showed no signs of life. He lay motionless.
Dead!
Under Sanli and Kakashi's gazes, Iwayano, whose strength was close to that of a Jonin, had been utterly defeated by Sasuke!
In that instant, deep shock spread across Sanli's face. As he stared at Iwayano's body, the disbelief in his heart surged to its absolute peak.
No one had expected this outcome. No one could believe it.
Sanli had thought Sasuke's earlier words—"If you hurt my friends, you'll pay for it"—were just empty bravado. But the boy before him had really done it. To protect his companions, he had unleashed power beyond belief.
While Sanli was still reeling from the shock, the sound of rushing air suddenly came from behind him. A masked figure drew a katana and brought it down toward him.
"Not good!"
Sensing danger, Sanli pulled his hand away from the Water Prison and hurriedly dodged.
"Phew..."
The moment Sanli's hand moved away, Kakashi instantly breathed a sigh of relief. If it had taken any longer, he would have suffocated when the oxygen inside the Water Prison ran out.
"Reinforcements?"
Sanli glanced at the figure that had just attacked him and gritted his teeth. Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and ran.
Sanli was very clever. He knew that a reinforcement team usually had several members and that he would have no chance against them. Getting away as quickly as possible was his best option.
The masked figure made no move to pursue Sanli as he ran off.
After running some distance, Sanli glanced back. When he saw that no one was following him, suspicion immediately rose in his heart.
But just as the thought crossed his mind, a sharp pain suddenly pierced his chest.
Sanli slowly turned around and saw another masked man standing before him. The blade in his hand had already pierced Sanli's heart without mercy.
"So fast..."
Before he could finish speaking, Sanli's vision grew blurry, and at last his body crumpled to the ground.
"Am I really going to die?"
After Sanli fell, Sasuke, who had been struggling to stay upright all this while, gave a bitter laugh. He felt the organs inside him slowly shutting down from the lack of chakra. Even his heartbeat was growing faint.
"In the world of Naruto, I have a dad, a mom, an older brother, and friends... I really don't want to die!"
"But if I could see my brother before I die..."
With a soft sigh, a wave of weakness washed over him. A helpless exhaustion quietly filled Sasuke's heart.
A moment later, his legs gave way, and Sasuke toppled backward.
"Sasuke!"
Just as Sasuke was about to hit the ground, a familiar voice reached his ears.
His eyelids slowly drooped. In a daze, Sasuke seemed to see Itachi standing before him. But as his eyes closed, he finally lost consciousness.
(To all my brothers and sisters, thank you for being so patient with me! I can only repay you by putting my heart into continuing to write! Thank you!)