Being Followed

"It seems I have no choice but to take action..."

Seeing that Yun Xi had no intention of coming with him, a trace of regret appeared on Kakashi's face.

Judging by the strength Yun Xi had displayed so far, he was undoubtedly a genius who did not pale in comparison to himself.

However, in order to carry out the Third Hokage's orders, Kakashi ultimately decided to strike at Yun Xi!

"Lightning Blade!"

As the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in Kakashi's eyes spun rapidly, a pale blue glow emerged around his right hand.

This was not merely lightning-natured chakra, but a sphere composed of countless bolts of electricity.

In terms of both power and speed, it far surpassed conventional Lightning Style ninjutsu!

"Lightning Blade, is it? The fastest Lightning Style ninjutsu..." Seeing Kakashi bring out his trump card, no look of panic appeared on Yun Xi's face; instead, there was a hint of pity in his expression.

"The ninjutsu is excellent... but you are still too weak right now..."

Just as Kakashi was about to strike, Yun Xi moved.

"Let me show you what true Lightning Style is!"

"Lightning Style: Furious Thunder Tiger!"

As Yun Xi arrived behind Kakashi, he condensed a massive amount of lightning-natured chakra in his hands. Suddenly, a giant blue tiger, its body wreathed in electricity, manifested and lunged at its target—Kakashi!

"So fast..." Relying on his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Kakashi vaguely caught sight of Yun Xi's attack.

But because Kakashi was in the middle of executing his Lightning Blade, he was completely unable to dodge the strike.

"BOOM!"

As Yun Xi's Lightning Style: Furious Thunder Tiger collided with Kakashi's Lightning Blade, a deafening roar erupted, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

"Lord Kakashi!"

The three Anbu Chunin who had been watching from the sidelines rushed into the center of the dust upon seeing this, lifting the fallen Kakashi to his feet.

"You are indeed strong... but I still cannot let you go to Danzo!"

At this moment, Kakashi no longer possessed his usual spirited air. Although the Lightning Blade had absorbed some of the impact, the remaining energy had still left him with significant injuries.

Seeing Kakashi's persistence, Yun Xi said helplessly, "What exactly is it that makes you so determined to stop me?"

"Is it the Hokage's order?" Seeing that Kakashi did not reply, Yun Xi continued to ask.

"Not entirely..."

Hearing Yun Xi's words, Kakashi nodded, then shook his head.

"Then what is the reason?"

Yun Xi also wanted to know why Kakashi would block him from going to the Root Division to this extent, even to the point of being willing to sacrifice his own life.

"Because you cannot defeat Danzo..." Kakashi finally spoke, revealing the reason.

"Cough, cough..."

After coughing twice, Kakashi continued, "Although you defeated me, I still cannot let you go to the Root Division, because Danzo's trump cards are beyond what you can imagine..."

"And even if you were to kill Danzo, you would inevitably become a rogue ninja..." Looking at Yun Xi, a trace of regret appeared in Kakashi's eyes. "I do not wish for a genius of Konoha to end up as a rogue ninja... because one is already enough."

Having said this, Kakashi looked at Yun Xi with a resolute expression.

"Thank you." Yun Xi had not expected that Kakashi was blocking him out of concern for his safety.

As expected of the Jonin squad leader chosen by the Third Hokage for the protagonist...

Looking at Kakashi's expression, Yun Xi felt a sense of emotion.

But Yun Xi would absolutely not abandon his plan to kill Danzo!

Yun Xi never considered himself a protagonist; every act of mercy toward an enemy was an act of irresponsibility toward himself.

And Danzo was the most deeply hidden villain in Konoha.

He spoke constantly of doing things for the sake of Konoha, yet in the end, he only harmed others for his own benefit to ascend to the position of Hokage, dragging countless gifted civilian children into the Root Division.

He adopted a method akin to raising venomous insects to cultivate his ninjas.

When Pain invaded Konoha, Danzo killed the small frog responsible for communication and forbade the Root Division ninjas from intervening against Pain.

These were all the misdeeds Danzo committed, and although the original work attempted to whitewash his character before his death, in Yun Xi's eyes, Danzo remained nothing more than a rat hiding in the shadows.

He was incapable of achieving anything but excelled at ruining everything.

He couldn't do anything right, yet he was always first in line to commit evil.

Initially, Yun Xi had no intention of becoming deeply entangled with Danzo.

However, Yun Xi never expected that Danzo would take the initiative to strike at him and Karin.

If it hadn't been for Pikachu tipping him off and coming to the academy to notify him, Karin would have already been dragged into the Root Division and branded with the Cursed Seal of the Tongue by Danzo.

How could Yun Xi let Danzo off the hook after that?

Ultimately, Danzo had brought this death upon himself.

"Sleep soundly..."

Seeing that Kakashi was about to say something more, Yun Xi moved directly behind him and knocked him unconscious.

Although Kakashi had tried to stop him, Yun Xi spared his life out of consideration for the fact that Kakashi had been acting in his best interest.

Before leaving, Yun Xi said to the three Anbu Chunin, "Kakashi is fine; just take him to the Konoha Medical Hospital."

With that said, Yun Xi took Karin and continued toward the Root Division.

But after only a few steps, Yun Xi suddenly stopped at a corner.

"Let me see which little fellow is tailing me."

Realizing there was a little tail following him, Yun Xi picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it into the bushes behind him, causing a child to tumble out.

"So it's you? Why are you following me?"

Yun Xi hadn't expected that the person following him would be Uchiha Sasuke.

"I want to become stronger! I want revenge!"

Perhaps due to his overwhelming emotions combined with having just awakened his eyes, Uchiha Sasuke's originally black pupils instantly shifted to reveal a pair of two-tomoe Sharingan.

"You want revenge?" Yun Xi hadn't expected Uchiha Sasuke to have already escaped from the hospital.

"Yes!" Looking into Yun Xi's eyes, Uchiha Sasuke nodded firmly.

"If you want to become stronger, why follow me?" Yun Xi was curious as to why Uchiha Sasuke had chosen to trail him.

"Because you defeated Kakashi earlier—you defeated the former genius of Konoha!"

Seeing Yun Xi's inquiry, Uchiha Sasuke gave his answer with blunt honesty.

"As long as you make me stronger, I'm willing to do anything!"

As he spoke, Uchiha Sasuke's expression became one of unwavering determination.

"You saw that?"

Yun Xi hadn't realized that his battle with Kakashi had been witnessed by Sasuke.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Yun Xi's mind.

Since Itachi asked me to look after Sasuke, it wouldn't be excessive to teach him a few things, would it?

Having made up his mind, Yun Xi looked at Sasuke and said, "I can help you become stronger."

"But... I won't take you as a disciple; I will only teach you some basics."

Considering that Uchiha Itachi was already a formal member of his organization, Yun Xi felt it wouldn't be appropriate to take Sasuke as a disciple, as that would only make things awkward for Uchiha Itachi.

Instead, he would settle for teaching him some basic ninjutsu and training methods.