"Owww!"
Under the purple eagle's supervision, Yuzuru was struck by lightning day after day. With its feather on him, he could not dodge it even if he tried.
Only after more than half a month did the purple eagle finally call a halt.
He had thought it was over, but to his surprise, the purple eagle took him straight to the lightning pool.
This was Yuzuru's first time seeing the lightning pool, and he had to admit there was a reason it was called that.
The entire place was a mass of liquid lightning. Yuzuru could not help swallowing.
"Do I really have to go in?"
"What are you chickening out for? You've taken all those lightning strikes, and now a lightning pool scares you?"
The purple eagle irritably patted Yuzuru with its wing.
"How is that the same? If I actually go into that stuff, I'll lose a layer of skin even if I don't die!"
"That's why you shouldn't hold back on your Sage Mode. If you really can't take it, I'll come save you. In any case, the lightning pool will do you a lot of good. Judging by what happened before, your Sage Mode might even let you use lightning arts as well."
"All right, then. I'll give it a try. Keep a close eye on me, and don't mess up."
"Enough blabbering. In you go!"
Ignoring Yuzuru's stalling, the purple eagle tossed him straight into the lightning pool.
Just before he touched the pool, Yuzuru immediately switched into Sage Mode.
But it did not help much. The liquid lightning seeped into every opening, and waves of intense pain coursed through him as though countless invisible steel needles were piercing his body.
"Hmm, this kid really isn't bad. Make the most of it. The lightning pool is a good place."
Standing beside the lightning pool, the purple eagle quietly watched Yuzuru's every movement with its sharp eyes.
While Yuzuru trained, Konoha had begun fighting on multiple fronts.
Kirigakure had joined the war, while the Cloud Ninja had massed an army at the border. The situation was far from optimistic.
Kakashi followed Minato, operating on the battlefield with Obito and Rin, the two deadweights, in tow.
Kakashi had already been strong, and after gaining practical experience on the battlefield, he reached another level. His timing when using Ninjutsu, his combat awareness, and his swordsmanship all underwent tremendous transformations.
However, Kakashi paid little heed to orders from above. He only chose to carry out orders that involved fighting enemy ninja, striking ruthlessly and swiftly, often killing with a single slash, just like the Konoha White Fang of old.
Combined with his excellent Lightning Release, which his opponents struggled to withstand, this earned him the title of Konoha Blue Fang on the battlefield.
Without the psychological blow of Sakumo's death, Kakashi's strength improved rapidly. He had not neglected his swordsmanship; instead, it became even stronger with Lightning Release enhancing it. Coupled with his naturally keen powers of observation and outstanding mastery of Lightning Release, his strength had now fully reached the level of an elite Jonin.
He even had a trump card he had yet to use.
Elsewhere, Guy, Kurenai, and Shisui arrived at the Kirigakure front.
The Uchiha Clan's strength was beyond question, and Konoha High Command had simply pitted one clan against an entire village.
The problem was that the Kirigakure front was thick with moisture and shrouded in mist, putting the Uchiha Clan at an extreme disadvantage.
Even so, they held firm against the pressure head-on, preventing Kirigakure's army from advancing a single step.
"Shisui, what's wrong? You seem a little distracted."
Guy asked Shisui after they finished off the Kirigakure Ninja.
"I'm worried about Itachi. He's only four, but the clan leader has already taken him to the battlefield-and the Cloud Ninja front, the most dangerous one, at that."
Hearing this, both Guy and Kurenai fell silent.
"Four? That's way too early."
Guy could not help saying it.
"Itachi is a genius, but there's something wrong with the clan leader's way of training him. The cruelty of the battlefield is too much of a blow for a four-year-old."
Shisui's eyes were filled with worry for Itachi.
"Guy, are you all okay?"
Just then, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu arrived.
"Yeah, we're fine. We've completely wiped out the small enemy force here. Let's hurry back to camp."
"Heh heh heh, Konoha's geniuses. We can't let you go back just like that!"
Just then, seven different figures slowly emerged from the mist, each carrying a different Ninja Blade.
"Those distinctive Ninja Blades-it's Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!"
Genma Shiranui recognized them immediately.
"You know a thing or two. At least you'll know who killed you."
"Enough chatter. Finish them off. We still have a mission."
Facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the five of them had absolutely no chance of winning. Their opponents were all renowned elite Jonin, while they were students who had only recently graduated. No matter how talented they were, they were only Chunin or Special Jōnin at best.
Under the seven swordsmen's attacks, the five struggled desperately to defend themselves, and before long, wounds appeared on their bodies.
The gap in strength was too great. There was simply no way to fight them.
Just then, a green figure came rushing over from afar.
Might Duy officially made his entrance.
"Dad!"
Guy cried out in surprise when he saw his father.
"Guy, take your friends and go."
"But Dad, what about you?"
"Youth burns for this very moment-to protect those we love."
Might Duy gave Guy a thumbs-up.
"I understand."
Guy knew what his father was about to do, but he could not stop him, because his father was doing it so he could live.
And so, Konoha's Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf and the Eight Gates Released Formation made their first appearance in the Shinobi World.
Single-handedly, Might Duy kicked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist down to the Lucky Three.
In the end, Might Guy personally recovered his body. Because of this, Kirigakure's carefully prepared plan failed completely, and the Kirigakure front fell into a total stalemate.
Elsewhere, Minato clashed with the A-B Brothers several times, holding his own against both at once. His strength was undeniable.
Obito and Rin could only be placed under Kakashi's temporary leadership.
Everything seemed to have returned to the course history was supposed to take.
On the Rain Ninja front, Konoha, the Sand Ninja, and the Stone Ninja were locked in a chaotic melee. Konoha's battle lines were forcibly stretched, and its expenditure of resources was greater than ever.
But just then, the Third Raikage led his men into the Land of Earth, taking advantage of the chaos to plunder supplies. His barbaric actions and sudden raid provoked the Stone Ninja's anger, so Ōnoki reached an agreement with Konoha that neither side would attack the other, then mobilized ten thousand Stone Ninja to surround and intercept the Third Raikage.
The Third Raikage, hailed as both the Strongest Shield and the Strongest Spear, was ultimately worked to death in the Land of Earth.
Because of this, the pressure on Konoha eased considerably.
Just when it seemed everything was taking a turn for the better, shortly after dealing with the Third Raikage, the Stone Ninja tore up the treaty and sent a thousand Stone Ninja to launch a surprise attack on the Land of Fire. The battle of Kannabi Bridge was on the verge of erupting.
Kakashi led Obito and Rin to intercept them.
As for the result, the three of them were no match for three elite Jonin-level Stone Ninja.
Although Kakashi was formidable, this was his first time fighting three opponents of his own level at once.
The elite Jonin's means of feigning death also successfully fooled all three of them.
And so, what was meant to happen still happened.
It was hard not to suspect that someone was meddling behind the scenes. Otherwise, with Kakashi's current abilities, feigning death should not have fooled him.
Obito still "died in battle," leaving an eye for Kakashi before his death and asking him to protect Rin in his place. After all, if an Uchiha's body was discovered, someone might dig out the eyes. Rather than risk that, he might as well give it to Kakashi.
But at this point, both of Kakashi's eyes were intact, and he did not want to transplant this eye. Although he knew the Sharingan was powerful-after all, Obito had gained considerable strength shortly after awakening his eyes-it was still an eye belonging to the Uchiha Clan, and there would be too much trouble involved. He could only preserve it for now.
With no time to grieve for Obito, Kakashi and Rin immediately moved away from the cave, which was about to collapse.
Obito himself was also officially abducted, becoming a pawn.