Foresight

"This is youth—Leaf Strong Whirlwind!!" A green figure suddenly burst from the ground, spinning like a top as he swept toward Fugaku's back.

Yet the next instant, as though he had eyes in the back of his head, Fugaku abruptly ducked and evaded Gai's surprise attack.

"Fool!" Fugaku growled.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!" A water dragon suddenly rose and swallowed all the flames.

Fugaku wiped the blood from the corner of his eye. As he looked at the others, his expression turned several degrees colder.

"Are you all right?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm fine..." Gai looked somewhat uncertain.

During that time, another two ANBU had been killed. Kakashi's Sharingan observed Fugaku's movements as he pondered something. At one moment, lightning suddenly flickered in his hand.

Splat.

A dagger pierced an ANBU's chest. Fugaku panted softly, then turned his head and gave Kakashi a complicated look.

"Kakashi, did you notice it too?" Asuma asked with a deeply furrowed brow.

"Yeah... I just confirmed it." Kakashi withdrew the lightning from his hand and nodded lightly. "This Uchiha clan head... seems to be able to foresee the future..."

No wonder they had been unable to take him down after so long. He was as slippery as a loach.

Gai's sneak attack had been a trap they had prepared long ago. Fugaku's eyes were not the Byakugan, so there was no way he should have noticed it. Yet he had evaded such a crucial ambush!

Similar moments of future foresight had happened several times during the earlier battle as well.

At first, Kakashi and the others had thought that, as expected of the Uchiha clan head, his combat instincts were simply terrifying. If not for their coordination, they might have suffered severe casualties.

But Kakashi soon realized something was wrong. Fugaku's displayed combat instincts were far too exaggerated.

Even this battlefield had been chosen by Fugaku himself as he fought and retreated. Rather than breaking through toward the Uchiha side, he had been drawing closer to a shelter holding at least a thousand people. This prevented many Konoha ninja from using their techniques.

And Kakashi's action just now had completely confirmed that Fugaku truly possessed the ability to foresee the future.

—The Sharingan had found the opponent's opening. In just one second, Kakashi could have attached Lightning Cutter to him. But the instant he noticed Fugaku turning his head, Kakashi understood that Fugaku had once again seen through his intentions.

"You, an outsider... are using the eyes of my Uchiha Clan against me?" Fugaku stared coldly at Kakashi.

Kakashi took a deep breath. "This was a gift from my friend Obito. If he were here, I'm sure he would absolutely hate to see you, Clan Head, fighting a battle you're destined to lose."

"Destined to lose?" As though those words had provoked him, Susanoo appeared once more. Fugaku charged at Kakashi with a cold laugh.

"You little brat, what do you know?"

"Do you think that if the Uchiha lose, you people will win?!"

"Give me the Sharingan—give it back!!"

Susanoo could both attack and endure damage, and they had no particularly effective way to deal with it. Especially when Fugaku could foresee the future, every ambush that might have worked became nearly useless.

Against an old turtle that was this tough and immune to traps, there was no method other than wearing him down.

The Nara Clan ninja desperately extended their shadows, but they were unable to halt Fugaku's steps at all.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!" Kakashi slammed both hands onto the ground.

The next instant, the earthen wall was shredded into fragments by long magatama chains, which continued sweeping toward Kakashi behind it.

Bang!

The clone burst apart, and Kakashi appeared at Fugaku's side.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique." As though he had foreseen it long ago, Fugaku dismissed Susanoo, and a fireball swept toward Kakashi the instant he appeared.

"Water Release: Water Wall!" Now that Kakashi had confirmed Fugaku's ability, he could naturally predict Fugaku's response after appearing.

Fire and water turned into steam, soaking Kakashi's hair.

Water ran down from his head as Kakashi urged, "Stop, Clan Head Fugaku. Since you can foresee the future, you should know that after the Nine-Tails disappeared, you Uchiha had already completely lost."

News of the Nine-Tails' disappearance had spread through Konoha not long ago, giving everyone in Konoha a much-needed boost. Yet Fugaku had shown no reaction upon hearing it. Asuma had previously thought he was merely putting on a calm front, but now it seemed that Fugaku had anticipated this when he used his future sight.

"Since you know that I can foresee the future, why don't you guess why I refuse to listen to you?" Fugaku wiped away the blood at the corner of his eye and gave Kakashi a meaningful glance. "Think carefully."

The next second, he streaked rapidly in a certain direction.

Everyone suddenly realized it!

"Not good! He's going to join up with those Uchiha clansmen!"

Fugaku's attack on Kakashi just now had not been to reclaim any eyes. It had simply been to tear open the defensive perimeter and escape!!

"Hurry, Kakashi! We can't let him succeed!!" Gai said urgently.

"Yeah..." Kakashi nodded slightly, but Fugaku's words still lingered in his mind.

Fugaku could foresee the future, yet he still refused to admit defeat. Was it because he had already foreseen that the consequences of surrendering would be even more miserable than refusing to surrender...?

Kakashi had no way of knowing how far into the future Fugaku could see, nor could he consider the main factor preventing Fugaku from surrendering from Fugaku's perspective.

He buried the question in his heart.

Just as he was about to give chase, an ANBU suddenly appeared.

"Captain Kakashi, Lord Shikaku has informed you..."

As he listened to the details of the new mission, Kakashi's expression turned stunned for a moment.

Bring back Ning Qi, even if only his corpse?

Was Ning Qi even more dangerous than Fugaku?

"I understand..."

Kakashi committed the mission to memory, but Fugaku's words suddenly surfaced in his mind.

"Think carefully."

What did he want me to think about?

Kakashi recalled the mission just now.

His pupils suddenly contracted.

Wait.

Could it be... Ning Qi?

He remembered.

At the end of that operational meeting to guard against the Uchiha rebellion.

As he was about to leave, he had seen the Hokage holding a slip of paper and saying:

"Ning Qi found that the murderer of the Branch Family was..."

"Madara Uchiha."

That was intelligence suddenly sent by Ning Qi while he was missing. Thus, even the Hokage had regarded Madara Uchiha as an Uchiha ally, and they had even specifically formed the Dagger Squad.

He remembered.

The cold mockery from Madara Uchiha, whom he had encountered in the wilderness:

"You ignorant fools, you have been used and do not even know it."

He remembered.

The sharp sword marks around the forest clearing where he had encountered Madara Uchiha while following the tracking signs Ning Qi had left behind.

At the time, he had been puzzled. Madara clearly had not been carrying a sword.

...So.

Although Ning Qi was born into the Hyuga.

Was he actually more skilled with a sword?

A sword technique similar to the wounds found on the dead Hyuga Branch Family members?

The clues surrounding the entire Madara Uchiha incident had actually been orchestrated by Ning Qi from beginning to end. Now that it had been confirmed that he truly had a problem, it only proved that Ning Qi was highly likely to be the real murderer of his Branch Family kin. The so-called Madara Uchiha was merely a scapegoat used to divert attention.

Kakashi frowned.

So this was what Fugaku was concerned about?

He could not surrender, and he could not remain in Konoha... because of Ning Qi too?

Had Ning Qi done something?

...Or was he about to do something?