Kakashi found it hard to offer any real judgment on Hyūga Hizashi as a person.
His willingness to sacrifice himself to spare Konoha from further war certainly earned Kakashi's respect.
However, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to agree with the technique involved.
But now clearly wasn't the time to debate with Hyūga Hizashi whether this technique qualified as one of those "perverse and ingenious skills."
Besides, Kakashi wasn't the type to stick his nose into other people's business.
If he had to say anything, it would be something like, "You're right... night."
As waves crashed against the shore's rocks, a small wooden boat that had set out from the Land of Fire docked on the sandy beach.
Stepping onto the soft sand, Kakashi's dark eyes scanned his surroundings.
It had to be said, the night view of the Uzumaki Clan's homeland was a sight that people in Konoha could never experience.
Under the night sky, the vast ocean's ripples reflected the bright moon above, and the salty sea breeze brushed against Kakashi's face, while crabs scuttled across the sand at his feet.
If possible, living here for a while from time to time would be an extremely pleasant thing.
"There's no danger nearby."
As soon as he stepped ashore, Hyūga Hizashi fulfilled his duty as a sensory ninja, his pair of pure white eyes perceiving everything within eight kilometers.
Every detail of the surrounding scenery was laid out before him.
"Alright, let's find a place to rest tonight. Everyone must be tired. We'll take turns on watch and head to our destination first thing tomorrow morning."
Jiraiya waved his hand and walked toward the land not far away.
The few of them didn't light a bonfire.
Instead, they simply ate their dry rations with the water from the skins they carried, restoring some energy, and then found a place to rest right there.
Kakashi naturally did the same.
While on a mission, if there were enemies around, lighting a bonfire would be tantamount to openly announcing, "I'm right here."
Leaning against a large tree, clutching White Fang in his arms, Kakashi rested against a rock.
The night passed without incident.
When Kakashi woke up, the four of them, like four precision machines, continued toward their destination without a single superfluous word.
These were habits unique to ninjas who had survived wars.
They did nothing unnecessary.
If it were the young ninjas of Naruto's generation from the original story, they would probably cause some trouble along the way.
Kakashi and the others arrived at a ruin from the former Uzumaki Clan, where all they could see were dilapidated walls.
"No one nearby."
Hyūga Hizashi looked around and said.
"Hmm."
Jiraiya nodded, opened the mission scroll in his hand, and said:
"According to the intelligence, the sealing grounds are located beneath the pond behind the Uzumaki Shrine."
"Kakashi possesses Water Release chakra, so Hizashi will first use his Byakugan to scout. Once it's confirmed safe, Kakashi will enter the water."
"If you encounter an unexpected situation, do not hesitate to detonate the explosive tag directly to send a signal."
Jiraiya spoke as he led the way.
"Yes, I understand."
Kakashi nodded upon hearing this.
The sealing grounds were a pond, which was also the main water source for the Uzumaki Clan's freshwater needs.
This also meant it was easy to find.
In less than ten minutes, the four of them arrived at their destination without delay.
The pond was still, its surroundings lush and green, showing signs of having been tended to by humans.
However, a long time had passed since it was last cared for, and weeds had overgrown around the pond.
"It's right below here."
Jiraiya looked at the pond before him with a grave expression.
"Byakugan!"
Hyūga Hizashi didn't hesitate, veins bulging around his eyes, his pair of pure white eyes staring directly into the depths of the pond.
"A barrier underwater is blocking my Byakugan."
Before long, Hyūga Hizashi retracted his gaze and spoke with a solemn expression.
Jiraiya pondered for a moment, then bit his finger, formed hand signs, and uttered a low cry:
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Along with a puff of white smoke, a small toad appeared before him.
"Gamakū, go down and see if there's anything there."
The unknown barrier in the pond was currently blocking the Byakugan's reconnaissance, so Jiraiya naturally couldn't let Kakashi go down easily. Therefore, Jiraiya chose to summon a toad first to test the waters.
"OK!"
As the small toad made an OK gesture, it then plopped directly into the water with a splash.
However, in less than three minutes, the small toad resurfaced, blowing bubbles.
"Ribbit, it's too cold down there, I can't take it, ribbit."
With Gamakū's complaint, it directly dispelled the Summoning Jutsu in front of Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's mouth twitched at this sight.
"Honestly..."
Jiraiya helplessly pressed his hand to his forehead.
"Alright, I'll go down."
Kakashi now took off his clothes, his upper body bare, and prepared to enter the water, carrying only White Fang and his ninja tool pouch.
"Be careful."
"If you encounter an unexpected situation, do not hesitate to send a signal and come up immediately."
Listening to Jiraiya's words, Kakashi formed a single hand sign at his chest and calmly said:
"Water Release: Breath-Holding Technique."
This was a technique that allowed ninjas to operate underwater for extended periods.
It could last for about half an hour.
Although Kakashi had lost his Sharingan, the ninjutsu he had copied with the Sharingan wouldn't be lost because of it.
While not as exaggerated as copying thousands of ninjutsu as in the original story, Kakashi could use over three hundred ninjutsu across all five chakra natures.
For example, this Breath-Holding Technique was a technique used by a Water Release ninja Kakashi had encountered before.
Using this technique, a ninja could operate underwater for about forty minutes; if it was during combat, this time would be halved.
And Jiraiya had chosen Kakashi to go underwater precisely because of Kakashi's almost all-around ability, with no apparent weaknesses.
Aside from the common misconception that Kakashi had insufficient chakra.
But now, this sole weakness was constantly being compensated for by the golden finger's effect.
As soon as he entered the water, Kakashi felt a bone-chilling cold invade his skin.
It was no wonder that small toad couldn't withstand the cold of the pond; even a human youth like Kakashi, whose body was many times larger than the toad's, felt the pond was cold.
Fish swam past Kakashi in the water. Kakashi dove all the way to the bottom of the pond but did not detect the barrier that Hyūga Hizashi had mentioned earlier.
His dark eyes scanned the surroundings. Using White Fang, he swept away the mud and weeds at his feet. Kakashi originally intended to just clear the mud to see if there were any foreign objects beneath, but at this moment, an anomaly suddenly occurred.
White Fang in his hand suddenly buzzed loudly, and a flash of blade light burst from the gap in its sheath!
This is... Kakashi's gaze narrowed slightly. He almost instantly sensed the abnormality around him.
Chakra.
The ubiquitous chakra in the surroundings was being shielded by some means!
He had delved deep into the bottom of the pond without detecting any abnormality.
According to prior intelligence, the iron coffin sealing Uchiha Hikari was a unique device of the Uzumaki Clan, capable of absorbing natural chakra to replenish the chakra needed for the seal!
And the surroundings were filled with natural chakra gathered by the iron coffin. White Fang in Kakashi's hand was a ninja blade crafted by the Ninja Cat Clan using a remnant of White Fang's blade combined with the Ninja Cat Clan's chakra metal. To allow the wielder to use White Fang more smoothly, special formations were also added.
At this moment, under various coincidences, Kakashi felt an inexplicable force attracting White Fang in his hand!
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