The electric arc condensed to the thickness of a needle and instantly pierced the fingers of Mujo, the lord of Hozuki Castle.
The arc spread rapidly, leaving half of Mujo's body paralyzed.
Mujo had reacted too hastily, and his fire release chakra could not counter lightning release chakra.
As a result, Mujo suffered heavily in that high-speed clash.
The palm that had taken the impact was almost completely charred.
His arm, too, bore numerous scorch marks.
These injuries were still within what Mujo could endure.
Although his hand was ruined, there was still a chance for it to "regenerate."
A hand destroyed by lightning release chakra was different from a limb torn off directly by the Sharingan's Kamui.
The former still had hope of "regeneration," while the latter lacked the conditions for it altogether.
Naturally, Mujo had no attention to spare for such things.
After that single exchange, he dragged his half-paralyzed body away and fled.
Kakashi Hatake "emerged" from the very spot where Mujo had just been standing.
Electric arcs wreathed Kakashi Hatake's entire body. His shinobi uniform was torn to tatters, leaving him looking thoroughly bedraggled.
Clearly, he had not escaped Deidara's earlier attack "unscathed."
At that moment, he could not spare the effort to pursue Mujo.
His objective on this trip was precisely those boys who had fallen into danger.
Having made his choice, Kakashi Hatake had resolved to keep them safe.
Raising his arm, Kakashi Hatake tried to catch Choji, who was still being dragged through the air.
However, the ground beneath him once again became a "swamp" of white clay.
Kakashi Hatake could not help sighing. Facing two Kage-level fighters at once was still too much for him.
With no other choice, Kakashi Hatake rapidly formed hand seals and unleashed a ninjutsu.
"**Earth Release: Earth