But he could only catch sight of Leimu, not make out his movements, which put Kakashi Hatake at a disadvantage. They clashed repeatedly, with Kakashi Hatake remaining on the defensive throughout, because he knew full well that Leimu's burst of power had to have a time limit. As long as Kakashi Hatake endured until then, victory would be his.
But Leimu was too fast, and at that speed, even Kakashi Hatake could not avoid taking two slashes. Fortunately, neither wound was fatal, but they still affected his fighting strength.
Kakashi Hatake was beginning to lose patience. He feared Leimu would defeat him before he could outlast the time limit, and now he wanted to take a gamble.
At that moment, he thought of Ye Feng and the effortless way he had redirected his opponent's attacks. Kakashi Hatake closed his eyes, repeatedly recalling the movements from Ye Feng's fight with Hyuga Junin.
Seeing Kakashi Hatake close his eyes, Leimu felt a surge of delight, because he was also nearing his limit. Whether he could win would come down to this one move.
Leimu charged at Kakashi Hatake at his greatest speed, swinging both blades. Just as he reached him, Kakashi Hatake suddenly opened his eyes, ducked low, and lunged forward. At the same time, he swept his right hand in from the side, seemingly trying to knock Leimu's blades away.
But Kakashi Hatake had underestimated Leimu's strength in this state. His right arm only deflected the attack, and it still struck Kakashi Hatake's back, making him cough up a mouthful of blood.
But Kakashi Hatake had already reached the point of no return. He endured the attack, and a Rasengan actually appeared in his left hand. He drove it straight into Leimu's abdomen, and that blow also made Leimu cough up