"Terrifying!"
"Raiga Kurosuki's Lightning Blade is already one of the strongest Ninja Swords in the world, and he still thinks it's lousy?"
Mei Terumi's beautiful eyes trembled, shimmering with light. "If only he were a Kirigakure ninja. Though he is a few years younger."
"Such excellent genes, what a waste..."
Nearby, Hatake Kakashi wore a strange expression but said nothing.
A few years younger?
Did you know... Hyuga Kagami was only eight years old right now, and would turn nine the following year?
And you, Mei Terumi, were already nineteen!
But Mei Terumi couldn't be blamed. Hyuga Kagami had grown so fast that, at just eight years old, he already stood over 1.7 meters tall. He looked more like a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy.
"Has Kagami-kun really become this powerful?"
Uchiha Itachi's dark eyes trembled. He gave a bitter laugh. "I used to think Kagami-kun and I were equally strong, both geniuses."
"But now I realize that Kagami-kun's talent and strength far surpass mine!"
He thought back to how he had once considered Hyuga Kagami his rival.
He had wanted them to grow stronger together and become powerful shinobi.
But who could have guessed that Kagami-kun had already reached... an untouchable height!
Even elite Jonin were no match for him!
"Terrifying... Absolutely terrifying. Raiga Kurosuki was actually taken down by a kid!"
Cold sweat streamed down Juzo Biwa's forehead. He couldn't help taking a step back. His ambitious eyes were now filled with nothing but fear!
Raiga Kurosuki wasn't as strong as him.
But with the Lightning Blade in his hands, he was only a little weaker. That was why they had managed to survive against Might Duy. Yet now Raiga Kurosuki had been killed by Hyuga Kagami without putting up any resistance!
"No, I have to retreat!"
Cold sweat ran down his back. Without hesitation, he turned and fled!
But the moment he spun around, he found Hyuga Kagami's faintly amused face right in front of him.
"How is that possible?!"
Juzo Biwa panicked. "How did you get here so fast?!"
He had been over there just a moment ago. How had he ended up behind him in the blink of an eye?
"Losing focus in a fight is a bad habit. I'm not fast—you're just too slow."
Hyuga Kagami shook his head. If he were in Juzo Biwa's position and faced an opponent he couldn't beat, he would run too.
He had simply predicted the route Juzo Biwa would take to escape.
"Damn brat!"
Juzo Biwa erupted into action, charging at him instead!
He brought his Ninja Sword down in a savage slash!
"I'm way stronger than Raiga Kurosuki!"
Boom!
The Ninja Sword clashed with the Great Hammer, metal rang against metal, and sparks flew!
The Great Hammer in Hyuga Kagami's hands remained perfectly steady, without the slightest tremor. It was just like his calm, indifferent expression.
"My Kubikiribōchō can't even budge you!"
Juzo Biwa was horrified. "How can you be this strong?!"
That Great Hammer was absurdly heavy.
Yet Hyuga Kagami didn't just wield it with ease—he still had strength to spare!
"Hidden Mist Technique!"
He gave a low shout!
The mist thickened instantly, and he himself fled at terrifying speed. Against three elite Jonin, escape was the best choice!
"We can't let him get away, or the Mizukage will learn that you're here!"
Mei Terumi shouted. Her hands moved swiftly through a series of Hand Seals. "Hidden Mist Technique: Release!"
But even after the Hidden Mist Technique was dispelled, it still took time to clear.
Just then, amid the dense mist,
he heard a wild voice!
"Disperse!"
In the next instant,
all the mist vanished without a trace!
As though it were a subject obeying its king's command!
The view gradually cleared. Hyuga Kagami charged through the howling wind, his robes whipping around him, his White Eyes cold and sharp. His thick eyebrows radiated wildness as he shot toward Juzo Biwa!
Her heart suddenly raced!
"Th-this guy... he's so domineering!"
"Why doesn't Kirigakure have men like him?!"
Mei Terumi felt as if she were about to cry.
A man this wonderful, this powerful—he was the kind of man worthy of her.
But how could he be a Konoha ninja?
Hatake Kakashi shrugged helplessly. "Why not come to Konoha, then?"
"Or, after Kirigakure and Konoha form an alliance, you could marry Hyuga Kagami. There's nothing wrong with that."
He smiled and tried to tempt her.
With Mei Terumi's talent, she was already an elite Jonin at nineteen. It was a certainty that she would become a Kage Level powerhouse someday!
If they could lure Mei Terumi to Konoha, Kagami could make a small sacrifice and use his charms. What would be the harm?
"A shinobi's life is full of hardships, and you could die on the battlefield at any moment. Having a beautiful love story is one of life's most wonderful things."
Hatake Kakashi continued to tempt her.
Mei Terumi sighed, her emerald eyes full of resignation. "That's true."
"Love is important, but it means nothing compared to Kirigakure's future. I can't put my personal feelings above the future of Kirigakure."
Saving Kirigakure!
That was her life's goal. Love came second. She was destined to become the Mizukage!
Hatake Kakashi's eyes shifted. Then, in a lazy voice, he said, "But if you got together with Kagami-kun, wouldn't Kagami's strength make it easier for you to bring Kirigakure under control?"
"You could set Kirigakure back on the right path and find love at the same time."
"Getting both might be a pretty good choice, don't you think?"
When it came to people,
you just had to find the right thing to say!
"Huh?!"
Mei Terumi blinked. "You're right, Hatake Kakashi!"
Her eyes lit up.
If a man like him could become her ally, everything she did would be twice as effective!
Nearby, Uchiha Itachi's face was full of disbelief. "..."
Kagami-kun was only eight!
Captain Kakashi, was it really okay to trick someone like this?
Have you no conscience?!
On the other side, Hyuga Kagami's Great Hammer crashed against Kubikiribōchō!
Sparks flew!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
"Now this is fun!"
Hyuga Kagami's eyes gleamed with excitement. "You're the first man who's managed to put up even a little resistance against me. But you're still too weak to satisfy me."
He had only used forty percent of his strength.
Juzo Biwa, by contrast, was already in a sorry state.
"Meeting a genius like you is my good fortune!"
Juzo Biwa's face was full of excitement. His mouth curled into a grin, wild with madness!
At that moment, he no longer cared about escaping!
Boom!
The two weapons clashed again!
Like a thunderbolt!
The deafening roar shook the air!
"You deserve my respect. I'll use my strongest move to send you to your grave."
Hyuga Kagami's White Eyes turned cold!
He was flung backward and landed at a distance.
The black Great Hammer in his hands crackled with violent lightning, arcs of electricity coursing across its surface.
"Armament Haki!"
"Thunder Bagua!"
Hum!
The surface of the Great Hammer turned a pure, deep black!
The lightning raging across it seemed to roar, thirsting for the enemy's blood!
The true Thunder Bagua was a terrifying attack created by combining Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki, high-speed movement, and the Azure Dragon's lightning power within the body.
But Hyuga Kagami couldn't use Conqueror's Haki yet.
Still... this was enough!
Boom!
Hyuga Kagami shot forward, seeming to transform into a streak of blue-white lightning!
Before you continue