Li Bai

Kakashi slowly moved forward, at the same time pulling up his forehead protector once again to reveal his scarlet Sharingan.

The few figures in front of him gradually grew clearer, the most eye-catching being a thin man in white.

His long, raven hair draped loosely over his shoulders, and he clutched a wine gourd in his hand.

Though the man looked somewhat unkempt, the white robes on his body were utterly spotless, as if part of the pristine snow.

Beside him stood four exotic men dressed in black robes and crowned caps.

The four of them gripped weapons, eyeing the man in white with hostility as they vaguely surrounded him in the center.

Yet the man in white cared not a whit, raising the wine gourd in one hand and gulping down wine, though that pair of dark eyes was startlingly bright.

The black-robed man who seemed to be their leader spoke in a ringing voice, "Green Lotus Hermit Li Bai, the world knows you as the Poet Immortal, whose poems shock ghosts and deities the moment they are written."

"Yet few know that the sword immortal back then who wished to ascend to the azure heaven and pluck the bright moon, whose name shook Chang'an, was also you, Li Bai."

Li Bai shook his head and swayed as he said, "What fun is there in wielding knives and brandishing swords? It is nowhere near as delightful as drinking wine."

The leading figure furrowed his brow. Looking at this young man devoid of backbone, he said with a tone of frustrated expectation.

"Where is that Li Taibai of yesteryear who entered Chang'an alone with his sword, making the winds and clouds of Chang'an churn?"

The leading figure raised the Wu Hook in his hand, and the three companions with him also tightened their grips on their weapons.

"Come, let us witness the sword of Sword Immortal Li Bai."

Li Bai turned a deaf ear, continuing to raise his wine gourd for a heavy drink.

The four exchanged a glance, suddenly bursting forth and launching an attack toward Li Bai.

Though it was a pity they could not witness the Sword Immortal in his prime, if they could easily take the Sword Immortal's head, the four of them could make a name for themselves in the pugilistic world tomorrow—that too was a fine thing.

The sword remains in its scabbard simply because it is too lonely... Li Bai muttered softly to himself.

He suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed. "Hahahaha, at a time like this, I might as well compose a poem. The few of you have truly stirred my poetic soul."

"Zhao guests wind fine silks, Wu Hooks frost and snow gleam."

Li Bai moved. The four of them felt only a momentary blur before Li Bai stood outside their encirclement, holding a longsword in his hand.

"Killing a man every ten steps, leaving no trace for a thousand miles!"

Like strolling leisurely in a courtyard, Li Bai recited poetry while casually swinging his sword a few times toward the figures.

In Li Bai's hands, the longsword resembled more of a writing brush, full of artistic flair without the slightest hint of a murderous intent.

Yet Kakashi, gazing from afar, was dumbfounded. His Sharingan spun crazily, capturing every single detail of Li Bai drawing his sword.

The formless sword qi, like a blooming Green Lotus, sealed the four men tightly within. Those caught inside the sword formation could even feel the terrifying pressure directly.

"The deed done, he flings his clothes and leaves, hiding deep his merit and fame. Ha!"

Li Bai laughed and turned his head, not even bothering to look at the four men behind him.

"Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The four men slowly toppled to the ground. The leader's eyes grew hazy, and with a breath as thin as silk, he sighed, "Is this the sword of the Sword Immortal? Truly, it is beautiful..."

"That is why fighting and killing are the most boring things of all. They are nowhere near as interesting as drinking wine."

Li Bai took a fierce gulp of wine, then inverted the wine gourd in disbelief and shook it vigorously.

"Ah, how is there no wine left? It was still full just a moment ago!"

Filled with grievance, Li Bai began to mumble softly, "Damn summoner, thousand-slash summoner! In this icy, snowy weather, there isn't even a place to refill!"

"Hey, white-haired brat standing over there, watching for so long... do you have wine?"

Kakashi was startled. This Li Bai had actually seen him.

With this momentary shock, the world before his eyes suddenly turned illusory, shattering into pieces in the blink of an eye.

Li Bai muttered, somewhat speechlessly, "I was merely asking if you had wine. If you don't, you only had to say so—why run away?"

"[○･｀Д´･ ○] Damned summoner!"

Kakashi returned to reality once more, still unable to snap out of it. There were far too many doubts in his heart.

"What on earth was that purple light, and does it have any connection to the oddity in my body? Why did the shattering of the mirror manifest this purple light?"

"Before, the anomaly of Kamui only allowed me to see some wondrous visions, but this time it made me feel... as though I were standing in another world."

"If Kamui has another anomaly next time, will I step directly into another world?"

"Those strange thoughts that keep popping up in my mind from time to time... and the latter half of the sentence the person in the mirror left before departing—they are all very concerning."

"And the name Li Bai always gives me a very familiar feeling..."

Kakashi shook his head, temporarily pressing his doubts deep down. He knew that all of this was not something his present self could go exploring yet.

He pulled out his tantō, closed his eyes to recall every detail of Li Bai unsheathing his sword moments ago, and began to swing along with the memory.

After a long while, Kakashi gave up.

"Though the form is similar, it completely lacks the 'spirit' when that Li Bai swung his sword. It seems it will be practically impossible to comprehend that abstruse swordsmanship in a short time."

"Well... since I've already pressed control+c, I'll slowly study it when I get back." The Copy Ninja was still pretty handy sometimes.

Kakashi glanced at the utter mess filling the room, then walked straight out through the large hole in the wall.

Outside, Shinichi Kishimoto and a few individuals clearly dressed as shinobi looked at the youth before them with awe.

The terrifying formation inside the room just now had completely stunned them.

That thunder, resembling Heaven's Wrath, had directly illuminated the estate as if it were broad daylight.

"Is this the strength of a Jōnin? Truly terrifying!" a shinobi exclaimed in wonder.

Kakashi noted that these were all small matters. When you return and witness what a fight between our village's Genin looks like, you won't think a battle between Jōnin is all that terrifying...

Shinichi Kishimoto had originally intended to bring shinobi to help Kakashi, but two Chunin and six Genin stubbornly refused to step inside.

I'm here to make money to put food on the table! The point is putting food on my own table, not letting my whole family come back to eat funeral meats!

Shinichi Kishimoto looked at Kakashi walking toward him, feeling somewhat uncertain and suspicious.

"Are you truly Lord Tenzō?"

He still remembered that there was an identical Kakashi in the mirror mimicking the speech of the person outside it; that scene was simply the kind of imagery that only existed in horror stories!

Kakashi put away the tantō in his hand, signaling Shinichi Kishimoto to remain calm.

"Rest assured, Mr. Kishimoto. The trouble has been resolved by me."

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the kind of peeping sensation you mentioned will disappear starting today."

Hearing this, Shinichi Kishimoto finally let out a sigh of relief. "Then I truly thank Lord Tenzō."

"This is my duty. I will stay in your esteemed residence for a few more days to observe whether any abnormalities continue to appear," Kakashi said.