The War Begins

He gripped the Firebirth, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground, the remaining embers on the blade flickering in the sunlight.

Guy and Kakashi stood side by side opposite him, the three of them only a dozen steps apart, yet they seemed very far apart.

Kakashi slowly raised his hand, his fingertips touching his Forehead Protector, and gently pushed up the metal plate covering his left eye.

The Sharingan hidden behind the Forehead Protector was finally revealed at this moment!

Three black Tomo slowly rotated on the scarlet iris, facing off against the equally scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan in the opposite eye.

Kakashi took a deep breath and tried to observe Kō in front of him, attempting to use the Sharingan's powerful visual perception to find any exploitable flaw in Kō's composed demeanor.

But there was nothing, absolutely nothing...

Kou stood there casually, the tip of his knife hanging on the ground, his whole body relaxed, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Even though he looked so relaxed, no matter how hard Kakashi searched, he couldn't find anything on Kotori that could be called a "flaw".

Upon reaching this conclusion, Kakashi's heart sank instantly.

He already knew in his heart that there was no flaw in his current knocking technique!

Kou watched Kakashi reveal his Three Tomoe Sharingan with a calm expression, showing no surprise whatsoever.

"Sharingan... that's how it should be."

Looking at Kakashi ahead, he smiled and said:

"So, you're finally going to use your full power, Kakashi?"

Kakashi did not refute.

He nodded slightly and said frankly:

"The only one who can defeat a ninja with the Sharingan is another ninja with the Sharingan."

This is common knowledge in the Ninja World.

Kakashi focused his gaze on Kotori and said in a serious tone:

"I'm not confident I can fight you right now without using my Sharingan."

"Besides..."

He paused for a moment, then slowly extended his thumb, pointing to the Three Tomoe Sharingan that was slowly rotating, his voice carrying a weight of reminiscence:

"If it were the one who entrusted this eye to me... if Obito were here, he'd probably yell that he wanted to beat you up and take you back."

Kakashi suppressed the surging emotions within him, simultaneously locking his black right eye and scarlet left eye onto Koko's figure, and said, word by word:

"I will bring you back, along with Obito's power."

As Kai listened to Kakashi's resolute words, tears welled up in his eyes without him even realizing it.

"That's it, Kakashi!!"

He opened his throat, his voice a mixture of sobs and intense fighting spirit:

"Let's carry Obito's youth with us and bring Kouchi back to Konoha!!"

Hearing Kaina's spirited declaration, Kakashi nodded slightly.

He immersed his consciousness into the warm pupil of his left eye, feeling its powerful and aggressive force, and whispered in his heart:

"Lend me your power... Obito."

Kou stood there, listening to the name they kept mentioning, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

If this really doesn't work, my lips are about to explode like a taut bomb.

Not far away, Kisame continued his "intense" battle with Obito while wielding Samehada, and his gaze involuntarily drifted toward "Lord Madara," whom Kakashi and Guy were repeatedly reminiscing about and calling out to with deep affection.

Hearing Guy and Kakashi's resolute words, Obito felt a rare pang of guilt, and a slightly embarrassed expression appeared on his face beneath the mask.

Kakashi and Guy probably never dreamed that their long-lost friend was not only present at the scene, but also the "culprit" who brought Koko to the Akatsuki!

On the battlefield, Kou used all his willpower to keep himself from laughing out loud.

A hint of sadness deliberately flashed in his eyes, as if he were reminiscing with Kakashi and Guy about the prison that had been gone for many years.

But after a moment, the sadness in his eyes vanished, replaced by a deep resolve.

Koko slowly raised his Three Tomoe Sharingan and fixed his gaze directly on Kakashi.

"The eye Obito gave you... it's really good."

His voice suddenly turned cold; the warmth from before was completely gone in that instant.

"But Kakashi, how much of me can that eye actually see?"

Before he could finish speaking, Kakashi's left eye suddenly widened.

His Sharingan caught a blue arc of light!

It was a lingering afterimage in the air, rapidly dissipating!

The afterimage stretched straight from where Kou had originally stood, but Kou's figure... was no longer there.

When Kou's figure reappeared in Kakashi's sight, he was already beside Kakashi.

Kouchi's feet were wrapped in blue lightning, and his right hand gripped the Firebirth. Crimson flames suddenly ignited on the blade, leaving a scorching trail in the air as it slashed straight toward Kakashi's right side.

"Uchiha Style - Waltz!"

Those crimson Sharingan gleamed with a cold, sharp light under the scorching Kakkō, meeting Kakashi's left eye, which was inches away from his own.

Fast, too fast!

Kakashi's left eye spun wildly, pushing the perception of his Three Tomoe Sharingan to its limit.

He desperately tried to discern the trajectory of the strike; at such close range, the strike was no longer as elusive as before.

The act of knocking was dissected piece by piece in Kakashi's vision, but his heart sank to the bottom at that moment.

My consciousness has caught up, but my body can't!

He had already calculated countless possible solutions in his mind in an instant, but at such close range and at such a rapid pace, he didn't have time to take any effective measures.

Kakashi felt the scorching fire blade getting closer and closer to him; the impending heat wave was already making the skin on his side slightly painful.

A calm glint flashed in Kakashi's eyes.

At his own speed, he certainly couldn't stop Kou's actions in time, but there was one person... who could!

In a very short time, his finger twitched slightly in Kai's direction.

"Konoha - The Great Whirlwind!!"

Just as the blazing blade of the Firebirth was about to touch Kakashi's right side, a spinning kick carrying terrifying pressure came flying from Kakashi's left side!

Wherever the leg wind passed, the air was torn apart, leaving a visible white shockwave!

This attack didn't rely on any Ninjutsu; it was purely physical strength.

But that power was so immense it was suffocating!

Kou instantly turned his gaze, using the powerful perception of his Three Tomoe Sharingan to instantly capture the trajectory of Kai's kick.

He made a judgment instantly with just one glance.

The force of this blow was immense, aimed directly at his chest. If he were to take this hit, he would instantly lose the ability to move.

This attack must be blocked!

He suddenly twisted his wrist, and the sword that was originally aimed at Kakashi's right waist changed direction in mid-air, carrying the still blazing crimson flames, and slashed to his side.

The blade collided violently with Kai's foot.

The instant the two made contact, the blazing flames wrapped around the blade were instantly dispersed by the terrifying pressure generated by the kick!

Kou felt the extremely savage power emanating from the blade, and his expression changed slightly.

He exerted force with both feet simultaneously, and blue lightning suddenly appeared on his legs, propelling him backward rapidly.

But at the same time, Kakashi's figure appeared instantly in the path of the retreating figure.

The White Fang's Tanto he held in his left hand had now transformed into Chidori Longsword enveloped in lightning.

The silver-white blade was enveloped in layers of blue-white lightning, and the Chidori ' signature piercing cry suddenly exploded behind Kou's ear.

Kai blocked Kou's frontal escape route, while Kakashi blocked Kou's rear escape route.

The two worked together seamlessly, effectively sealing off his ability to move.

The balance of power seemed to have been completely reversed in that instant.

In an instant, he took in the attack trajectories of both men simultaneously.

Kai's foot was currently blocking the blade in his hand, while Kakashi's Chidori White Fang was thrusting straight at him from behind.

No matter how you look at it, this is a desperate and perilous situation.

But his expression remained unchanged at this moment.

"Eight Inner Gates - Third Gate, Gate of Life, Open!"