Kakashi Hatake Eliminated

Observation Haki at full power!

Suspended in midair, Shihōin Naraku clearly "saw" the two men charging toward him.

Without anything to push off from, he flipped over in midair.

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

In an instant, Shihōin Naraku spewed a vast firestorm from his throat. Blazing flames surged like seawater, pouring down and blotting out the sky.

In a split second, the surroundings became a sea of fire.

The surging waves of flame swept forward like an army of thousands. The roaring fire carried scorching heat, as though it would set the earth itself ablaze.

Terrifying heat rushed toward Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, burning hot enough to make their breathing catch. The air around them had already been scorched to an unbearable, hellish heat.

The enormous sea of fire enveloped every direction, leaving them no way to dodge.

"Naraku's Fire Release... how could it be this ridiculous?!"

Kakashi Hatake stared at the scene before him in utter disbelief. "And why can Naraku unleash such terrifyingly powerful Fire Release without making hand seals?"

Kakashi knew that familiarity with a Ninjutsu's seals allowed someone to cast it faster or simplify its hand seals.

But Shihōin Naraku had not made any hand seals at all when unleashing his Fire Release. Kakashi Hatake had seen that perfectly clearly.

"Aaaah-!"

An angry roar rang out. Might Guy stomped hard, leaped into the air, and frantically swung his fists at the sea of fire sweeping toward him.

Bang, bang, bang...

Opening the first six gates of the Eight Gates Formation had granted Might Guy tremendous strength and terrifying speed. He swung his fists without stopping.

His high-speed punches rubbed violently against the air, generating cannonball-like masses of fire. At the same time, the shock waves formed by striking the air carried those fireballs into a furious collision with the pouring sea of flames.

At that moment, countless flames and shock waves blossomed in midair like a peacock spreading its tail, with terrifying damage hidden beneath their beauty.

"Morning Peacock!"

The relentless shock waves blasted a passage straight through the sea of fire surging toward them like ocean waves.

"Nice work, Guy!"

Crackle...

Lightning flashed, and Kakashi Hatake charged out.

All around them, the flames furiously unleashed their scorching power, reducing every obstruction to ash.

As a result, the people outside the training ground could now see the three figures fighting fiercely.

"Look, over there!"

"Who's fighting whom?"

"Seriously? Kakashi and Guy are teaming up against Naraku?"

"Who unleashed that Fire Release?"

"It has to be Naraku. Fire Release is his specialty. Kakashi doesn't have that much chakra, and Guy isn't good at Ninjutsu at all! He's the only one who could unleash Fire Release on that scale!"

"Hiss..."

"..."

Crack!

Shihōin Naraku poured chakra into both feet. Branching cracks suddenly spread across the ground beneath him, and then he stamped down with all his strength.

Boom!

A deep crater blasted open. Holding Kurikara, Shihōin Naraku shot toward Kakashi Hatake in an instant, like a cannonball smashing through the air.

"Hinokami Kagura: Blue Heaven!"

Kurikara traced a beautiful circle of flame from above. Picturesque rings of fire closed around Kakashi Hatake one after another, sealing off every position.

Shhk!

The Lightning Blade in Kakashi Hatake's hand suddenly pierced down into the earth. He crouched, and Might Guy appeared from behind him as though he had teleported, delivering a brutal kick toward Shihōin Naraku.

The pitch-black blade tip abruptly accelerated, rising from the ground and stabbing toward Might Guy's ankle with a chill. Might Guy's speed surged again. With nothing to push off from in midair, he forcibly twisted his body and stepped toward the ground, avoiding the blade as it sliced through the air.

Might Guy landed on both feet and bent his knees slightly. Gripping his nunchaku tightly in both hands, he unleashed his strength and charged at Shihōin Naraku, who was within arm's reach. The nunchaku whistled through the air toward his abdomen.

Crack!

Bang!

Kakashi Hatake, who had burrowed underground at some point, burst out, aiming his Lightning Blade at Shihōin Naraku from below.

Got him!

The two men joined forces, putting Shihōin Naraku in danger!

"Hinokami Kagura: Raging Sun Red Mirror!"

Shihōin Naraku held the pitch-black Kurikara, a spark flickering along its edge. The straight blade turned, blossoming like a red sun reflected in a mirror. Two slashes tore through the air, aimed down at Might Guy!

At the same time, using the force of his slashes, Shihōin Naraku tilted his body and dodged the Lightning Blade of Kakashi Hatake as he emerged from underground.

Turning that momentum to his advantage, Shihōin Naraku swung his right leg like a long whip as his body tilted, kicking Kakashi Hatake hard in the side. Before his opponent could fly away, Naraku deftly planted his right foot on Kakashi's body and pushed down hard!

Clang!

Thud!

The blade collided with the nunchaku, sending sparks flying!

With a dull thud, Kakashi Hatake was pinned beneath Shihōin Naraku's foot.

Holding Kurikara, Shihōin Naraku held back Might Guy's swinging nunchaku with one hand while pinning Kakashi Hatake beneath his right foot. The three began a contest of strength!

Everyone outside the field was dumbfounded!

What kind of ridiculous sight was this?!

"Naraku is this strong? He's actually this strong?!"

"Young people these days really are incredible. Each one is more surprising than the last!"

"I can't believe it. Even seeing it with my own eyes, I can't believe this is real."

"Kakashi and Guy aren't weak, but even working together, they're being overpowered like this?"

Kurenai Yuhi was too shocked to speak, but to her surprise, she noticed an envious expression on her lover Asuma Sarutobi's face.

"What's wrong? Are you envious that they get to fight?"

"No, I just envy the possibility they have of breaking past their limits!"

Asuma Sarutobi made no attempt to hide his envy. Watching the three struggling against one another in the distance, he said, "Even Jonin aren't all the same. I'll never be able to reach the level of those three. The paths they've taken lead to limits that others could never break through in their entire lives."

Although there were no precise divisions of Kage Level strength, Kurenai Yuhi, despite also being a Jonin, was completely incomparable to Might Guy and Kakashi.

The same was true of Asuma Sarutobi. He was confident he could fight either of them individually, but he would never be the ultimate victor.

As for Shihōin Naraku, Asuma suspected that he had long since surpassed the limits of a Jonin and reached a new tier of strength.

"The talent these people have really is terrifying!"

Shihōin Naraku enthusiastically pitted his strength against Kakashi and Might Guy, but suddenly, he felt the resistance beneath his foot lessen. Only then did he discover, to his surprise, that Kakashi had already passed out.

Oh no!

I got too carried away fighting...

With a light flick of his right foot, he sent Kakashi Hatake flying out of the field. Asuma Sarutobi hurriedly jumped up and caught Kakashi.

"Hiss..."

Tattered clothes, burn marks, bleeding wounds, and an unconscious Kakashi Hatake.

"Was this Ninja sparring or a fight to the death?!"