"What on earth happened to you?"
The Fourth Raikage's voice carried both shock and disbelief as he stared at Kakashi Hatake. What he was witnessing defied everything he knew about strength, chakra, and the limits of a shinobi's body.
If Kakashi had been a Jinchūriki, perhaps it could have been explained. But he wasn't.
Recovering from near-fatal injuries in mere moments…
Regaining strength beyond his previous peak…
Displaying a sudden qualitative leap in chakra control…
None of it made sense.
"This isn't something a 'genius' can explain," the Raikage muttered under his breath.
Kakashi, meanwhile, slowly raised his hands, examining them as though they belonged to someone else.
"What… is this feeling?"
His voice was quiet, almost disbelieving.
For the first time in years—perhaps since childhood—his body felt light. The constant burden of the Sharingan draining his chakra was gone. The exhaustion that had plagued him in every prolonged battle had vanished as if it had never existed.
Instead, there was clarity.
A profound, almost serene clarity.
The world around him had changed.
The grass beneath his feet seemed to breathe.
The wind whispered in currents he could now follow.
Even the earth pulsed faintly, like a living organism.
Tiny motes of light floated through the air—natural energy—gently drifting toward him, entering his body without resistance.
Kakashi lifted his head and looked at the Raikage.
"Perhaps… my friend is watching over me," he said softly.
Then, without warning—
Lightning surged.
Purple-blue chakra wrapped around his body once more, but this time it was steadier, more refined. His left eye spun, the three tomoe twisting and merging—
The Mangekyō Sharingan emerged.
"Let's begin again," Kakashi said calmly.
"The second round… Fourth Raikage."
The Raikage's lips curled into a fierce grin.
"Good. No matter what tricks you've gained… I'll crush them all the same."
The Second Clash
"Boom—!"
The ground shattered beneath their feet as both figures vanished simultaneously.
This time, everything was different.
Previously, Kakashi had struggled to follow the Raikage's speed. Each movement had been a gamble, each exchange a desperate calculation.
Now—
The Raikage's movements were clear.
Every muscle contraction, every shift in weight, every surge of lightning chakra—Kakashi saw it all.
His body responded naturally, almost instinctively.
They collided again.
Blue lightning and violet energy tore across the battlefield, ripping through the air like opposing storms. Shockwaves burst outward, flattening grass and throwing nearby shinobi off their feet.
But this time—
Kakashi wasn't falling behind.
He matched the Raikage step for step.
Punch met blade.
Kick met counter.
Lightning clashed with lightning.
From the outside, it looked unreal.
The Konoha forces, who had moments ago been on the brink of despair, stared in disbelief.
"Kakashi… he's holding his own!"
Morale surged instantly.
As long as someone could hold back that monster—the Raikage—the battlefield could still be won.
Meanwhile — The Forest Behind the Battlefield
Far from the main clash, a far more terrifying presence had emerged.
Killer Bee had fully transformed.
The Eight-Tails—Gyūki—towered over the forest, its massive octopus-like body coiled among shattered trees. Ink-black chakra surged outward like a tidal wave, warping the air and bending the surrounding forest under its immense pressure.
Aoki Yoru felt his heart tighten.
This… is the true power of a Tailed Beast.
One wrong move—and they would all die.
He brought his hands together, closing his eyes briefly.
Spiritual energy surged outward.
Natural energy began to gather.
"Kenta. Yui," he said quietly, "buy me time."
Both nodded without hesitation.
Kenta's Limit
Kenta stepped forward, his body already battered from earlier combat.
His muscles were torn.
Blood stained his clothes.
His breathing was ragged.
But his eyes burned with determination.
"Then I'll go all out."
Veins bulged across his body as chakra exploded outward.
"The Sixth Gate… Gate of View—OPEN!"
A violent red aura erupted from him, replacing the earlier green steam. The air distorted under the heat. The ground beneath his feet cracked instantly.
Aoki Yoru's eyes widened.
Sixth Gate…?
Even in the original timeline, opening the Sixth Gate required years of training and extreme talent.
Kenta… you really are a monster.
"BOOM!"
Kenta vanished.
A crater remained where he had stood.
In the next instant, he appeared above the Eight-Tails' massive head.
His leg ignited with friction and chakra.
Then—
"BAM!"
The kick landed.
Even the Eight-Tails' iron-like skull dented slightly under the impact.
The Eight-Tails' Fury
"INSOLENT INSECT!"
The Eight-Tails roared in fury.
Its tentacles lashed wildly through the air, each strike powerful enough to crush boulders. The forest trembled under its assault.
But Kenta moved like a streak of crimson lightning.
He twisted, dodged, spun—slipping through gaps no human should have been able to navigate.
Every so often—
He struck again.
Not devastating damage…
But unbearable humiliation.
The Eight-Tails grew more enraged with every second.
Yui's Final Technique
While Kenta drew the beast's attention, the battlefield changed subtly.
Mist.
At first, it was faint—barely noticeable.
Then it thickened.
Yui stood at the edge of the battlefield, her face pale, her breathing uneven.
"This… is my limit…"
Her hands trembled as she completed the final seal.
"Kenta—get out of there!"
Kenta didn't hesitate. He retreated instantly.
Yui's eyes sharpened.
"Water Release: Vapor Explosion!"
In an instant—
The mist transformed.
Superheated steam erupted violently, enveloping the Eight-Tails entirely. The air screamed as temperatures spiked. Visibility vanished.
"ROOOOOAR—!"
The Eight-Tails howled in pain.
Steam burned its skin, invaded its eyes, and disrupted its senses. Even its massive body recoiled under the assault.
Aoki Yoru's Resolve
Aoki Yoru opened his eyes.
Natural energy surged around him, wrapping his body and blade.
"This is it."
He stepped forward slowly, raising his sword.
"I won't let you fire that Tailed Beast Bomb… not toward the camp."
Behind the steam, a dark sphere began to form.
A Tailed Beast Ball.
Black… dense… catastrophic.
Yui's face paled.
"The camp… it's right behind us…"
Aoki Yoru didn't look back.
"Leave it to me."
He raised his blade.
"Sage Art… Sage Might Entwined Flow."
The energy condensed.
Then—
He swung.
The Strike That Split the Battlefield
A massive cyan blade aura tore through the air.
It cut through the steam.
Through the pressure.
Through the forming Tailed Beast Bomb.
"BOOM—!"
The energy sphere was split in half before it could stabilize, detonating harmlessly in the air.
But the attack didn't stop.
The blade aura struck the Eight-Tails directly.
"SHRRRR—!"
A deep, massive wound opened across its body.
Dark red blood sprayed violently into the air.
The Eight-Tails screamed—a raw, primal sound that shook the forest.
Witnesses in Shock
At the edge of the battlefield, elite shinobi had arrived.
Among them were Dodai and Maruboshi Kosuke.
They had come expecting to contain a disaster.
Instead—
They stood frozen.
What they saw made no sense.
First, a boy wrapped in red chakra had battered the Eight-Tails head-on.
Then, a girl had scorched it with high-pressure steam.
Finally—
A teenager had split its attack… and wounded it with a single strike.
Dodai's voice trembled.
"…What… are we looking at?"
Kosuke didn't answer.
Because there was no answer.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't even elite-level combat.
This was something else entirely.
A Battlefield Beyond Reason
The Eight-Tails writhed in pain.
Kenta collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath.
Yui staggered, nearly falling from exhaustion.
Aoki Yoru stood firm—but even he was breathing heavily.
They had done the impossible.
But—
It wasn't over.
The Eight-Tails' chakra surged again, darker and more violent than before.
The real battle… was only just beginning.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)