Kakashi: This Knife Just Won't Stop, Will It?

Trading injury for injury looked foolish.

But Kenichi Amamiya had his own confidence.

Hashirama Senju's Sage Body had brought him more than just talent. It had also given him the First's terrifying physique. Kenichi Amamiya had tested it before; injuries that were not too serious could heal rapidly on their own.

It made Kenichi Amamiya sigh. No wonder Kishimoto had never written the First's exact cause of death. He was simply too powerful; there was no way to decide how he could have died.

All he could do was vaguely say that he had sacrificed himself for the village.

Watching the Root ninja pull back, Kenichi Amamiya hesitated no longer. A large amount of Lightning Release Chakra gathered in his hand, and amid piercing birdsong, he charged forward once more.

"I can't see clearly." Kenichi Amamiya narrowed his eyes. The speed was too fast; he could not fully make out the other man's movements.

Only after obtaining the Sharingan could one make the fullest use of the ninjutsu Chidori.

Kenichi Amamiya vaguely saw the other man seem to raise something. He instinctively twisted his body.

Then pain burst from his shoulder as it was pierced by a sharp weapon.

But Kenichi Amamiya did not feel that he had gotten the worse end of the deal. This time, his Chidori had successfully struck its target.

Watching the Root ninja fly backward, Kenichi Amamiya pulled the sword from his shoulder, turned, and immediately left.

There was not enough time. The fight had already cost him some time, and the enemy might have further reinforcements behind them.

He could certainly go up and kill the man, but if other Root ninja arriving afterward held him up, it would not be worth it.

So, after confirming that the other man had no ability to continue tracking him in the short term, Kenichi Amamiya took off without hesitation.

In just that short time, the wound on his shoulder had already begun to heal. Before long, he probably would not even need to go to the hospital.

If he went to the hospital then, the Doctor would probably say, "Good thing you came quickly, or the wound would have healed already."

After shaking off that Root ninja, Kenichi Amamiya's escape route became much smoother. Danzo had not sent another Root ninja after him.

He had probably thought that a mere Chunin could be easily dealt with by a Jonin. That made things much easier for Kenichi Amamiya.

After running for an entire day, Kenichi Amamiya finally found a place to forge traces of his escape. Then he swiftly left and headed for another location.

"I don't know where Teacher went either, but I think the most likely place is there." Kenichi Amamiya scratched his head as he quickly darted between the tree trunks.

Although leaving the village this time had been somewhat sudden, and Teacher had not even had time to tell him where they would meet, it had to be somewhere far from Konoha. Besides, Kenichi Amamiya only knew of one laboratory.

It was the place where the Hyuga Illegitimate Child had been imprisoned last time.

So that was most likely the location.

As Kenichi Amamiya drew closer, he became more cautious. This was a place only he and Teacher knew about, but if anything went wrong, it would be troublesome.

What if Jiraiya had followed Teacher out here?

Being cautious was never a mistake.

"I heard you defeated a Root Jonin? Very good." A familiar voice came from behind him. Kenichi Amamiya turned around in delight and saw his Teacher, looking as he always did.

"Teacher, you weren't injured, were you?" Kenichi Amamiya examined his Teacher. His breathing was steady, and there were no visible signs of injury.

"Just a Jiraiya." Orochimaru revealed a faint smile, then turned and opened the door to the Underground Laboratory.

Kenichi Amamiya hurriedly followed. He had now truly defected from Konoha. He just wondered what rank they would assign him. Teacher would definitely be S-Rank.

"...List Orochimaru and Kenichi Amamiya as Konoha Rogue Ninja. Orochimaru is an S-Rank Rogue Ninja. Kenichi Amamiya is a B-rank Rogue Ninja." In the Konoha building, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his brow and spoke irritably.

The earlier events had caused a tremendous shock. The battle between the Sannin had been witnessed by half of Konoha, and Orochimaru's defection, along with that of his disciple Kenichi Amamiya, was now an established fact.

He could only handle it according to procedure.

"..." Kakashi lowered his head without saying anything. Even now, his mind was still in a daze. In the blink of an eye, his Teacher and Teacher's Wife had died, and then the friend he had acknowledged had become a Rogue Ninja?

It was as if someone had stabbed him in the heart. Before the wound could heal, they stabbed him again.

"B-rank? That brat is not B-rank. He defeated a Root Jonin!" Danzo slapped the table angrily.

He had originally thought dealing with a mere Chunin would be effortless. Once they brought out Kenichi Amamiya's corpse to take the blame, there might even have been room for some other turn of events.

Instead, the boy had escaped and severely injured one of his subordinates.

According to Tanuki, while fighting that brat, he had suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. His breathing had immediately become labored, his vision had started to go dark, and his entire body had seemed to feel unwell.

Even after quickly pulling away to ease it, he had been struck by the boy's Chidori. If not for the swift support from his Root Comrades afterward, he would have been left there for dead.

"A Jonin? You're saying Kenichi Amamiya defeated a Jonin?" The Third took a drag of his pipe. This time, he was truly somewhat surprised.

He had met Kenichi Amamiya before. The boy had only recently become a Chunin, and his talent could only be called quite ordinary. Becoming a Chunin at that age—Kakashi had already been a Jonin when he was that old.

So the Third had always believed that Kenichi Amamiya was merely an assistant researcher doing odd jobs in the laboratory. He had not expected him to be capable of defeating a Jonin.

"Yes, and he used that brat's Chidori." Danzo said sarcastically.

Kakashi's eyes darkened. No wonder they had called him here. So this was the reason.

"...The Hatake Family has rendered great service, and Kakashi did not know at the time. This Matter need not be mentioned again." The Third gave Danzo a deep look. His Old Friend was becoming increasingly shameless.

The Hatake Family had only Kakashi left as its sole surviving descendant, yet Danzo still had his sights set on him. This old man had gone too far.

"Hmph." Danzo snorted coldly but said nothing further.

"Then, designate Kenichi Amamiya an A-Rank Rogue Ninja." The Third stamped the Hokage's seal, thereby settling the matter.

However, the Konoha Higher-ups did not immediately release the wanted notices. One of the Sannin, Orochimaru, becoming a Rogue Ninja would have a major impact on Konoha.

It could also expose Konoha's weakness. They would conceal it for as long as they could.

Thanks to Dark Star Emperor for the reward of 2,000 Qidian Coin