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Chapter 371: The Intensifying War
Chapter 371: The Intensifying War
Might Guy clenched his fist, let out a roar, and unleashed the fourth gate of the Eight Inner Gates.
If one were to divide the stages of the Eight Inner Gates, the first three gates could be considered the initial stage, the fourth to sixth gates the middle stage, and the final two gates the late stage.
The first three gates could be considered the safe zone of the Eight Inner Gates, as using them wouldn't cause any harm to the body. However, things change from the fourth gate onwards; it is only after the fourth gate that one truly enters the state of the Eight Inner Gates, experiencing a significant boost in both speed and strength. But due to the immense pressure, there is also a risk of injury.
As the Gate of Hurt was opened, Might Guy's chakra surged, and he felt his physical strength rapidly increasing to the point where even his body felt the strain.
"So he can now properly open the fourth gate," Kakashi noted, his expression turning grave as he sensed the sudden surge in Might Guy's aura.
Although Kakashi hadn't trained in the Eight Inner Gates, both he and Might Guy were disciples of Mu Yue, and they often fought together. As such, Kakashi had some understanding of the Eight Inner Gates and knew that with each gate opened, speed and strength increased to varying degrees.
Kakashi had once defeated Might Guy when he had opened the fourth gate, but he didn't naively assume that this Might Guy, with four gates open, was the same as the one during the Chunin Exams.
"Konoha Great Hurricane!"
Might Guy channeled his power and laughed loudly as he rushed towards Kakashi, kicking out with his signature Hurricane Kick.
With the boost of the fourth gate of the Eight Inner Gates, Might Guy's speed and strength had increased significantly. Merely by running at full speed, he created a fierce gale that sent pebbles and dirt flying.
Fortunately, Kakashi, with his activated Perception Senjutsu, saw through Might Guy's attack and dodged even before he could launch it.
Unfazed by his missed attack, Might Guy continued with an even fiercer offensive, his expression unchanged.
He was no stranger to having his attacks seen through. After all, both Itachi and Obito possessed the Sharingan, which granted them strong perceptual abilities that could predict his movements.
"You can dodge one attack, but what if I attack thirty times in succession?"
Might Guy's strategy was to attack at such a rapid pace that Kakashi would be forced into a defensive rhythm.
Under the relentless assault of Might Guy's high-intensity attacks, Kakashi soon found himself facing a Hurricane Kick that left him with no choice but to take the blow.
Might Guy had sacrificed some strength for speed, but he was still in the state of the fourth gate of the Eight Inner Gates, and his skilled Earth Release: Stone Breath added a boost to his attacks. Even without using his full strength, his attacks were not something an ordinary ninja could withstand.
Boom!
Kakashi, forced to take the blow, felt an incredibly powerful force hit him, and he was sent flying backward, unable to control his retreat.
"What immense strength!" Kakashi's expression shifted slightly.
He had assumed that the pursuit of speed would result in weaker attacks, but he hadn't expected Might Guy to maintain such formidable strength while moving at high speed.
Kakashi was glad that he hadn't stubbornly tried to match Might Guy's strength head-on. When Might Guy had first opened the fourth gate, Kakashi had contemplated matching his physical strength with his own body-activating technique.
He had thought that by using his lightning-attribute chakra nature to activate his body, he could also unleash considerable power and perhaps match Might Guy.
But after taking that kick, Kakashi abandoned that idea. Even with the activation of his body to enhance his strength, he might not be able to match Might Guy's straightforward yet powerful kick.
"The Stone Breath, which enhances the body to its limits, combined with the Eight Inner Gates, which unleashes additional power... Together, they amplify his taijutsu too much," Kakashi thought.
The combination of the Stone Breath and the Eight Inner Gates gave Kakashi the feeling that one plus one equaled more than two.
If this were a life-or-death battle, Kakashi would have tried his best to stall for time. Maintaining his Lightning Release: Lightning Breath and Perception Senjutsu drained his stamina, but the pressure of the Eight Inner Gates was even greater on Might Guy, so dragging the fight out would favor Kakashi.
However, this was ultimately just a friendly spar between comrades, and the process of the battle was more important than the outcome. So, Kakashi chose to break the stalemate by unleashing his full power. He gathered a large amount of chakra and swiftly converted it into lightning-attribute chakra.
Zzzz!
Crackle! Crackle!
Dazzling yellow lightning enveloped Kakashi's body, strengthening him and augmenting his aura.
Kakashi gripped his White Fang ninjato, and the lightning running along his arms surged into the blade. The yellow lightning covered the short sword, extending into a lightning blade.
Kakashi's eyes locked onto Might Guy, and at that moment, his entire focus was on his opponent, ignoring the flowers and plants in the courtyard. Kakashi's body burst with power, and a brilliant yellow light radiated from him as an enormous amount of lightning-attribute chakra was unleashed.
At that moment, Kakashi's aura had reached its peak, and the sharp aura, like a blade, excited Might Guy, who laughed exuberantly.
"This move is just for you!" As he spoke, Might Guy swiftly pulled out his nunchaku.
Might Guy wrapped the chain of the nunchaku around his right hand, holding the handle with his left. Then, with his legs slightly apart, he twisted his body to the right, channeling all his strength and chakra into his index and middle fingers as he prepared to show Kakashi the results of his arduous training over the past month.
"Thunder Flash!"
Boom!
Accompanied by a thunderous roar, Kakashi brandished his blade and charged forward. His entire body resembled a dazzling yellow lightning bolt as he rushed towards Might Guy.
As Kakashi closed in on Might Guy at incredible speed, he brought down the lightning blade, executing an immensely powerful lightning slash.
"Blade-Catching Sword: Golden Horizon!"
In the instant that Kakashi lunged forward, Might Guy also moved. Dressed in his green bodysuit, he sprinted with such speed that he resembled a green flash of light.
Boom!!
The collision between the golden thread and the lightning strike created a massive impact. Under this terrifying force, the ground exploded, and billowing smoke obscured their figures.
The airflow generated by their techniques bent the flowers and trees in Kakashi's courtyard, as if a fierce wind had suddenly arisen.
Tap, tap.
Red blood dripped onto the ground, staining the yellow earth.
Looking at his fingers, which were still oozing blood, Might Guy exclaimed, "As expected of my best friend. My fingers, empowered by my full strength, can easily shatter steel."
"I'll win it back soon," Kakashi said, wiping away the blood on his chest.
He had lost.
Might Guy's Golden Horizon had broken through his Thunder Flash. Might Guy's fingers were severely injured by his slash, and his body suffered some damage due to Might Guy's timely retraction.
"Hahaha! This is exactly what I was hoping for!" Might Guy laughed loudly as he wrapped his fingers in bandages.
He couldn't wait for Kakashi to get stronger and challenge him again.
Kakashi sighed inwardly. It was not easy being the strongest disciple of Mu Yue.
After tidying up, the two of them went to the Konoha Hospital together.
...
"Maintain a rhythmic breathing pattern, and don't let it become erratic, no matter what the situation," Mu Yue continued instructing the Root Anbu ninjas on the Dark Inhalation technique in the training field.
The Root ninjas listened intently to Mu Yue's explanation, their full attention on her every word, with no one speaking or daydreaming.
The breathing technique did not require a threshold to access, and as they had already mastered half of it, they could feel the enhancement it brought. They were eager to fully master this mysterious physical technique.
"Teacher Mu Yue is so generous. This technique is worthy of being passed down as a clan secret," Sarutobi Shinji remarked during the break.
Before learning it, he had thought that the Dark Inhalation was a pretty powerful A-rank physical technique, but after personally experiencing the enhancement it brought, he believed it was a technique worthy of being a clan secret.
If he had developed such a powerful technique himself, Sarutobi Shinji would never have taught it to others. He would have kept it as a clan secret and, at most, passed it on to his disciples.
It was precisely because he couldn't do that that he admired Mu Yue.
Just then, the signal for Jonin to assemble was suddenly transmitted.
"Let's call it a day. Something must have happened in the village," Mu Yue said after a moment's thought.
Today was not the regular meeting day for Jonin, so this was an emergency Jonin meeting.
Several Anbu Jonin followed Mu Yue toward the Hokage Building.
Currently, they were considered to be off-duty, and during this period, the Anbu ninjas were equivalent to regular Konoha ninjas.
"Could something have gone wrong on the battlefield?" Mu Yue wondered, trying to guess the reason for the sudden meeting.
It was currently wartime, and the Jonin meetings were only held in emergencies, so Mu Yue's first thought was that something had gone wrong on the battlefield.
Whether it was the anime or the manga, there weren't many scenes of the Third Great Ninja War, only some major events, so Mu Yue couldn't tell if this was a result of her butterfly effect or something that had happened in the original story.
"It can't be because Tsunade won a bet, can it?" Mu Yue thought, recalling her dice game with Tsunade the day before.
"Jonin Mu Yue."
As Mu Yue entered the conference room, some of the Jonin greeted her with smiles.
"Jonin Akimichi..." Mu Yue smiled and greeted them one by one.
With the increasing number of tasks she undertook and the growing display of her strength, Mu Yue was no longer a minor figure among the Jonin. In the eyes of many, she was the rising star, second only to Namikaze Minato.
"Today, I'll get a nice rooster to make Beggar's Chicken. It's been several weeks since we last had it," Tsunade said as she walked up to Mu Yue.
"Do you want me to get some wine as well?" Mu Yue asked.
Tsunade usually liked to drink clear wine while munching on chicken legs.
"No need for wine. I already bought some, and I know how to pick the good stuff," Tsunade said proudly.
Although Mu Yue's culinary skills were divine, she didn't drink much, so she wasn't very knowledgeable about wine.
Their exchange attracted the attention of the other Jonin, as it sounded like a family discussing what to have for dinner.
Deidara, who had intended to chat with Mu Yue, quietly blended into the crowd.
He still vividly remembered the scene of Tsunade brutally beating Jiraiya when they were younger, and he was a bit afraid of her. She was the woman who dared to beat up his teacher!
Minato, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. He flashed a gentle smile and approached Mu Yue for a chat.
Once most of the Jonin had arrived, the Jonin meeting officially began. The four leaders, including Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat in high chairs, while the Jonin stood in the conference room.
"Today, the Village of Kirigakure from the Water Country has declared war on us," Hiruzen Sarutobi announced gravely, explaining the reason for the emergency meeting.
When he received this news, he was quite surprised, as it was unexpected.
The reason he hadn't agreed with Danzo's plan to use the Chunin Exams incident to extort a large sum of compensation from Kirigakure was that he was worried this action would anger them and cause them to participate in the Great Ninja War, which they rarely did, to target Konoha.
"Now that Kirigakure has declared war on us, does that mean we have three powerful ninja villages as our enemies?" A ninja frowned upon hearing this news.
This was indeed a terrible blow for Konoha.
While it seemed that Konoha was gloriously winning a two-front war, any ninja who truly understood the situation would not be so optimistic.
Although Konoha had gained the upper hand in the war, they had not inflicted heavy damage on Iwagakure or Kumogakure. Such a victory could only be considered a slight advantage.
If a war score had to be assigned, with 100% being the threshold for victory, Konoha's score against Kumogakure and Iwagakure would be around 10% at most.
With Kirigakure now entering the fray, Konoha would have to divert its forces to deal with Kirigakure, potentially losing their advantage on the other fronts.
"Even Kirigakure is joining the fray," Tsunade's expression turned serious, a rare occurrence for her.
She knew what this meant. Even if the three great ninja villages wouldn't unite to take down Konoha, it would still put immense pressure on the village, which no longer had the kind of unparalleled powerhouse her grandfather had been.
Mu Yue also wore a worried expression, as if she were concerned for Konoha.
"Has Kirigakure declared war on Konoha so soon? Could it be because of the Chunin Exams, or has Uchiha Madara used some underhanded method?" Mu Yue wondered to herself.
Unlike Kakashi's case, where there was a clear timeline due to his becoming a jounin at the age of 12, Mu Yue couldn't determine if the timing of Kirigakure's declaration of war on Konoha was due to her influence or if it was according to the original storyline.
For the time being, Mu Yue couldn't predict how Kirigakure would choose to wage war on Konoha.
Typically, after a declaration of war, both sides would engage in a period of testing each other's strength, rather than going all-out from the start. However, with Konoha still entangled with Kumogakure and Iwagakure, there was a possibility that Kirigakure might take advantage of the situation and directly commit their main forces for a swift and decisive strike.
Mu Yue hoped that Kirigakure would take their time, as Might Guy was not yet at his full potential. If things played out as they did in the original story, and he encountered the Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, it would be a troublesome situation.
He didn't have the ability to teleport himself from the central Fire Country, where Konoha was located, to the eastern or southern shores.
The eastern side of the Fire Country boasted a lengthy coastline, and as the Water Country lay to the east, the best route for an invasion from the Water Country would be to sail directly to the eastern shore of the Fire Country.
The southern part of the Fire Country was also coastal, but it was much smaller and easier to defend. Additionally, an invasion from the south would require a lengthy detour, taking more time.
As time passed, the meeting progressed.
Basically, the high-ranking advisors denounced Kirigakure's underhanded tactics, followed by Hiruzen Sarutobi rousing everyone's spirit with a speech about the Will of Fire and their love for the village. Then, they discussed countermeasures.
Since Kirigakure had not yet made any official offensive moves and was located on an island nation, there wasn't much Konoha could do at the moment besides strengthening their defenses along the southeastern shores.
"You should have followed my plan from the start. That way, we could have gained some benefits from this situation," Danzo said to Hiruzen with a displeased look after the meeting had ended.
During the Chunin Exams, the elders of Kirigakure were in Konoha, and Danzo believed that they wouldn't dare refuse to hand over the compensation.
"Don't be so high-handed. You should also listen to my opinions," Danzo criticized.
Hiruzen sigamed at Danzo, his eyes conveying his exasperation.
He hadn't expected Kirigakure to declare war so soon, but if they had followed Danzo's plan, Kirigakure would have sought trouble with Konoha even if they hadn't participated in the Chunin Exams incident.
Furthermore, if he were truly high-handed, Danzo's Root organization would have been disbanded long ago. The ANBU answered directly to the Hokage, and Danzo's Root was more like a small, personal ANBU division.
"There's no point in discussing this now that they've declared war. Let's focus on the matter at hand," Hiruzen said, taking a puff from his pipe to indicate that Danzo should get to the point.
Danzo certainly wouldn't have come to him just to complain; he must have something else in mind.
"In times like these, Konoha needs the Root organization, a strong Root organization," Danzo said, his voice heavy with his intentions.
When Danzo first received the news of Kirigakure's declaration of war, he felt anger—anger that even Kirigakure, the least prominent of the five great ninja villages, would dare to cause trouble for Konoha.
But his anger soon turned to joy because he saw this as a golden opportunity, a chance to strengthen the Root organization.
Given the dire situation, if Hiruzen were to restrict the development of the Root organization, it would be unreasonable. After all, he was doing it for the sake of Konoha.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed in thought, and finally, he nodded.
In the face of a potential crisis, they needed to utilize all available resources, and in certain aspects, Danzo's Root organization could be of great help and contribute significantly to the war effort.
Moreover, as the Hokage, he could always find a reason to weaken the Root organization after the war, as there were plenty of issues with Danzo's methods.
PS: This chapter is 5k words, only slightly longer than usual. I originally intended to write 8k words, but some family matters came up today, so I had to cut it short.
(End of Chapter)
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