Senjutsu Shows Its Might

"Sage Art: White Rage Technique!"

Ignoring the Fox's hand seals, Kakashi circulated his senjutsu energy at top speed and unleashed the most powerful senjutsu technique he could wield.

The Fox, struck head-on, had only just released his Fire Release. Before he could swing the newly formed fire sword, his movements abruptly froze. The weapon in his hand dissipated as well, deprived of the chakra needed to sustain it.

A dazzling burst of white light erupted between them, affecting even Minato and the other three on the distant battlefield and causing their movements to stall for a moment.

Hatake Kakashi was the only one in the field who could move normally. Protected by the special ocular membrane created by senjutsu energy, he ignored the White Rage Technique's effects and forcibly charged straight at the Fox.

While his opponent was trapped in the genjutsu's effects, Kakashi slashed diagonally upward from the lower right with his short blade, precisely severing the enemy's throat. He vanished before the blood could even spurt out.

He reappeared behind the Fox and followed up with a strike straight through the heart.

Only then did the Fox regain his senses. He struggled to turn around and look at Kakashi, but all his strength was gone, and his final wish went unfulfilled.

"Truly... an incredible brat..."

After glancing toward Minato in the distance, Kakashi had no intention of going over to help. It was trust in Minato's strength. More urgently, he needed to rescue Inuzuka Kawa and the others.

Namikaze Minato clearly understood Kakashi's intentions as well. He stopped Ryuran, who was about to give chase.

"Your opponent is me. Don't even think about hurting my subordinates!"

Now that Kakashi had put enough distance between them, Minato could focus more fully on the battle without having to divide his attention.

"My students have all performed so well. As their team leader, I can't afford to lose!"

Following the route from his memories of the daytime, Kakashi hurried forward and soon approached Point B.

From far away, he could hear the sounds of battle.

"Beast Mimicry Ninja Technique: Four-Leg Technique!"

Unable to keep up with the two enemy Chunin in speed, Inuzuka Kawa used the Beast Mimicry Ninja Technique just as Kakashi arrived.

"You're here, Kakashi! Where's Minato-sensei?"

Inuzuka Kawa and Aburame Haru were both delighted to see Kakashi suddenly appear. Oda, meanwhile, was being protected behind Haru.

In the battle just now, Inuzuka Kawa had been responsible for tying down the enemies head-on, while Aburame Haru provided long-range support from the rear.

Since both enemy Chunin had suffered injuries of varying severity in the earlier battle, their combat power had declined.

The Aburame clan's secret techniques were unpredictable, and the enemies did not dare press too aggressively, leaving the battle in a barely maintained stalemate.

"Minato-sensei is interrogating the Grass Ninja on the spot. I came to support you first." Kakashi told a small lie to put pressure on them.

"I see. Then let's take them down together!"

"Yeah!"

The Grass Ninja had already grown fearful upon seeing Kakashi arrive. When one of them heard Kakashi's words, he completely lost the will to fight.

He made a fierce motion as though charging forward, then suddenly halted midway and sprang into the forest.

It was a feint to escape, abandoning his companion where he stood.

The inexperienced Inuzuka Kawa and Aburame Haru had not anticipated this at all. While they were still stunned, they heard the man's scream from beside them.

"Agh! Damn it!"

They turned toward the source of the sound in the forest.

Did Minato-sensei come? Inuzuka Kawa and Aburame Haru guessed.

"It was me," Kakashi said calmly beside them.

Then he dispelled his clone.

It turned out that from the moment he had approached the battlefield, Kakashi had been using the Clone Technique. His real body had been lying in ambush at the edge, waiting for the right moment to enter.

Unexpectedly, the enemy's nerves had been too weak. He fled at the critical moment and, by sheer bad luck, ran directly toward Kakashi's hiding place.

Like a hunter waiting for a hare by a tree stump, Kakashi easily dealt with the panicked enemy in a surprise attack.

Kakashi's real body emerged from the shadows, short blade in hand and blood staining his body. Step by step, he walked toward the only enemy remaining in the field.

"W-Wait! I surrender! I surrender!"

"Only thinking of surrendering now is completely meaningless. Unless you can prove your value." Kakashi's voice was cold.

"The mission, the mission was to intercept and kill you. Ideally, kill everyone except the white-haired brat and capture the white-haired brat alive."

Desperate to survive, the Grass Ninja hastily repeated the mission's exact wording.

"So that's how it is..."

"Then who gave you the order? The leader of Kusagakure?" Kakashi asked the question he cared about most and waited for an answer.

"It was Lord Ryuran who gave the order. The leader told us to follow Lord Ryuran's instructions. Before this, we had never even seen Lord Ryuran in the village." In order to live, the Grass Ninja revealed every new piece of information he knew.

"Oh..."

Kakashi gestured for Aburame Haru to use her Kikaichū to subdue the enemy.

The frightened Grass Ninja Chunin had now become a prisoner, awaiting Konoha's judgment.

With the battle over, Kakashi no longer had the strength to go support Minato. A day of travel and the two fierce battles just now had nearly exhausted the senjutsu energy within him.

Even if he went over to help now, he most likely would not be able to make a difference. It was better to rest here briefly and recover his condition.

While they waited, a violent chakra presence erupted from the battlefield in Minato's direction. The battle there had likely reached its fiercest stage.

Even Inuzuka Kawa, whose sensory abilities were the poorest, noticed it.

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't that side a little too outrageous? Are we sure Minato-sensei doesn't need us to go help?"

Inuzuka Kawa asked nervously.

"What could you help with? Getting in the way..." Kakashi, who had remained calm throughout, did not waver in the slightest.

Although Namikaze Minato had not yet reached his peak, his strength was still far beyond anything Kusagakure's ninja could compare to.

Hearing Kakashi say that, no matter how worried the two were, they could only patiently continue waiting.

Soon, a figure appeared before them.

It was Namikaze Minato. His Jonin outfit had sustained some damage, but he appeared to be in good condition.

"Sensei!" Inuzuka Kawa called out.

"Minato-sensei!" Aburame Haru greeted him excitedly.

"Sorry to make you worry. I've dealt with the enemy. Unfortunately, he used a move meant to take us both down at the end, so I couldn't capture him for interrogation." Minato spoke with some regret.

"It's fine. One prisoner is enough." Kakashi stood up as well and pointed at the anxious Grass Ninja Chunin bound nearby.

"Well done, Kakashi! You truly surprised me tonight!"

Seeing that Kakashi and the others had captured another enemy alive, Minato let out a long breath.

Someone in Konoha's upper ranks was clearly targeting Kakashi from behind the scenes. As Team 7's Jonin instructor, Namikaze Minato urgently wanted to know the truth. With a prisoner, they could obtain relevant intelligence. Unfortunately, he was not the enemy leader, merely a Chunin prisoner. It was uncertain how much information he would know.

After Minato finished interrogating him, it was just as expected. They learned only the enemy's true objective, not who had given the order. Kusagakure's leader clearly knew about this mission, but he could easily deny it.

He could place the blame on Ryuran, who was strong but most likely not a registered ninja of Kusagakure.

The good news, however, was that it would at least not affect the alliance between Konoha and Kusagakure on the surface.