By then, Kakashi had already leaped aside and drawn a kunai. He surveyed his surroundings, ready for an attack.
Just then, from somewhere far away behind the thick mist, that man's voice rang out again, sounding as though he was on the verge of tears.
"Hey, Ranmaru, I ran into someone I know this time. I'm so happy. Let's give him a funeral. Boo-hoo-hoo, I'm so sad. Human life really is so fragile."
The man alternated between laughing and crying, giving everyone shrouded in the mist goosebumps.
"Yes, sir. I will certainly assist you. Your wish is my mission."
The voice was so faint that Kakashi would have missed it if his hearing hadn't been so keen.
"Hahaha, good! As long as you're with me, I'm happy. Woo-hoo! Ninja Art-Hidden Mist Technique! Let's hold a grand funeral!"
As soon as the man finished speaking, everyone discovered that the already thick mist around them had grown even denser. They could no longer see their own hands in front of their faces.
Kakashi felt the pressure mount, and a few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Before the enemy reached them, he gave his orders:
"Team 7, Team 10, form up with your respective squads and protect Mr. Tazuna."
Hearing Kakashi-sensei's instructions, the others, who had been at a complete loss, immediately responded and moved into the formations they had practiced.
Next, Kakashi lifted the covering over his left eye, revealing the eye beneath it. Unlike before, however, the eye behind the covering was an ordinary black one.
With a thought, Kakashi commanded, Sealing-release.
As his chakra shifted, Kakashi's left eye activated, becoming a Three-Tomoe Sharingan whose tomoe slowly rotated. (Shin Uchiha had placed a seal on Kakashi to help him control the Sharingan better.)
Once Kakashi activated his Sharingan, the