Sasuke Snake Reveals Senjutsu Chakra

"Forget it. I'll deal with these four first."

Kakashi decided to take care of the four Root ninja first. After all, according to his memories, an absurdly strange giant snake would show up shortly.

The four—Yi, Bing, Ding, and Wu—moved forward quickly. Bing frowned. "Strange. Why haven't we seen Kakashi Hatake yet?"

Just then, Wu heard something behind him. He turned around and saw the blade of a short sword rapidly filling his vision.

"Squelch!"

The blade easily pierced Wu's skull. It had not made much noise, but Yi, Bing, and Ding were all Root elites with extremely sharp senses.

"Enemy attack!" Yi shouted, abruptly stopping in the middle of his dash and swiftly turning around.

What greeted his eyes was a blood-red world. Deep within the endless bloody mist, three enormous black tomoe spun continuously in the air...

After dealing with Yi, who had lost the ability to resist, Kakashi did not immediately launch another attack. The enemy had already discovered him, so charging in had lost its purpose.

Really, he mainly wanted to recover some chakra...

"Yi has been caught in a genjutsu! Be careful of his Sharingan! Don't look directly into his eyes!"

Root members were quite skilled at dealing with the Sharingan. After all, it was not their first time gouging out someone's eyeballs.

"Fire Release: Manyflower: Crimson Claw!"

Bing and Ding worked in perfect coordination, both unleashing Fire Release at once. Burning shuriken sealed off every angle Kakashi might use to evade.

"Sword Technique: Heaven-Severing!"

The sword technique he had gotten for free was remarkably useful. Compared to the Green Lotus he had developed himself, Heaven-Severing was better suited for defense.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Shuriken scattered across the floor as the two ninja attacked Kakashi from both front and back.

Kakashi was dumbfounded. If the two of them had kept their distance, he might have needed to put in some effort. But they were delivering themselves right to his doorstep?

Kakashi casually pierced several cylindrical containers, spilling the nutrient solution within across the ground.

"Hehehehe."

Watching the two men, who had no idea what was going on, Kakashi gave a thoroughly sinister grin.

"Rooster—Snake—Monkey—Goat—Ox—Rabbit—Goat. Pseudo-Senjutsu: Lightning Storm!"

A flash of blue light passed through the room, leaving two convulsing figures sprawled on the ground.

"Sigh, who told me to be so kind? I'll send you on your way."

Only after personally sending each Root ninja to the afterlife did Kakashi continue forward.

When he reached the area from his memories, Kakashi saw the bizarre giant snake lurking in the darkness.

Why was it bizarre? Because it had a thick head of black hair, making it look somewhat like Sasuke's flashy hairstyle.

Sasuke Snake had no scales. Looking closer, one would discover that it was actually a bizarre aggregate made up of countless tiny snakes.

The giant snake opened its mouth and spat dozens of little snakes at Kakashi.

"Sword Technique: Heaven-Severing!"

While Kakashi was defending himself, the giant snake had already raised its enormous head before smashing it heavily down at him.

Standing beneath the shadow, Kakashi remained utterly unfazed. He even leaped into the air and charged straight at the giant snake.

"Pseudo-Senjutsu: Heavenly Thunder!"

The massive bolt of lightning pierced straight through the giant snake's neck. Unlike in his memories, it did not recover again. It simply died on the spot.

"Hm? This feeling?"

Kakashi focused on the giant snake's remains, his Sharingan narrowing slightly.

"This is... Senjutsu Chakra!"

"There's actually residual Senjutsu Chakra in this experimental giant snake!"

The Kakashi from his memories had never come into contact with Natural Energy, so he naturally could not sense Senjutsu Chakra. Now, however, he was exceptionally sensitive to Natural Energy, allowing him to detect that faint residual trace of Senjutsu Chakra.

Could Orochimaru have begun researching Senjutsu long ago?

Then this giant snake probably had some connection to Ryūchi Cave. After all, they were both little snakes with hair...

This was truly an unexpected gain!

His Sharingan carefully observed the structure of the Senjutsu Chakra, and Kakashi occasionally let out a sound of amazement.

"With such a complex structure, it's fortunate that I didn't rashly try to fuse Natural Energy with the chakra in my body back then."

Otherwise, he might really have gotten himself killed!

After memorizing the internal structure of the Senjutsu Chakra, a powerful current of chakra surged from Kakashi's body and dispersed it.

"It's better not to leave something like this in the world."

After destroying the Senjutsu Chakra, Kakashi did not rush to attempt cultivating it. Instead, he quickly got up and headed back.

Yamato might need his help!

Rushing back to Konoha, Kakashi went straight to the entrance of the Hokage's office.

"Kakashi-senpai, why are you here? Shouldn't you be carrying out a mission?" Uzuki Yugao asked in surprise.

Kakashi waved to Yugao. "Yugao, I need to see the Third immediately. Go inform him for me."

Since Uzuki Yugao was here, there was an eighty percent chance the Third was inside the office.

Sure enough, Uzuki Yugao nodded and entered the office. A moment later, the Third's voice came from within.

"Come in, Kakashi."

After entering the office, Kakashi dropped to one knee. "Lord Third, I was assassinated by Root ninja at Orochimaru's base!"

"What?" The Third slammed his hand against the desk in fury. As Kakashi completed one mission after another with outstanding results, his importance in the Third's heart had steadily grown.

Hearing that Danzo had actually sent people to assassinate Kakashi, the Third was furious.

What was Danzo doing? Did he not know Kakashi was one of his direct subordinates?

"Not only that, Lord Third. That Wood Release ninja I mentioned to you before may be in danger right now."

"A ninja capable of using Wood Release carries special significance for Konoha. I believe we must protect him."

Seeing the Third suddenly fall silent, Kakashi gritted his teeth and continued, "The jinchūriki is already four years old. We may need Wood Release sealing techniques."

At last, Kakashi persuaded the Third. He put on his Hokage hat and rose to his feet.

"In that case, we'll make a trip to Root together."

The Third had not been this enthusiastic in his memories. Was it because he had become increasingly important in the Third's eyes? Kakashi guessed.

Still, it was a bit of a pity. With the Third following him the entire time, he would have to abandon his plan to cause a scene in Root.

"Come to think of it, this is my first time coming to Root. In principle, I'm not allowed to interfere in Root's affairs," the Third said with some emotion.

Kakashi caught the implication immediately. The Third was emphasizing that, in order to help him, he was even willing to violate his principles.

"Thank you, Lord Third." Kakashi said in an ingratiating tone, "But I believe you have the authority to take charge of all matters in the village, great and small. After all, you are the Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Kakashi without saying anything further, then stepped directly through Root's gates.