https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-524-The-Mysterious-Power-of-the-Rinnegan/12558783/
Chapter 523: Malicious Intent Towards Kakashi
Chapter 523: Malicious Intent Towards Kakashi
Huff!
Kakashi inhaled deeply, concentrating his Lightning Breath and focusing it further, entering the Lightning Breath Chakra Mode.
Tendrils of electricity crackled around Kakashi's body, the light pulsating with his breathing rhythm like dancing lightning snakes, enhancing his physique and increasing his strength and speed.
As his breathing deepened, the lightning aura around Kakashi became more dazzling, and a powerful aura emerged, dispersing the dust and smoke around him.
Upon sensing the tremendous change in Kakashi, Girimei Mangetsu halted his advance, gripping his longsword tightly and beginning to retreat.
Although Kakashi often used the Lightning Breath Chakra Mode as a supplementary technique for his Void Blade, this mode was, in fact, an extremely powerful ability in its own right.
It not only revitalized and enhanced his physical capabilities but also improved his Lightning-nature chakra control, allowing him to use Lightning Release techniques without hand seals and with increased potency.
However, chakra-related issues meant that Kakashi always had to make trade-offs, carefully calculating which abilities would be most effective in battle.
Swoosh! Swoosh!!
Just as Girimei was pondering Kakashi's technique, Kakashi swiftly threw two kunai toward him at incredible speed, infused with Lightning-nature chakra!
Clang!
Boom!
Girimei Mangetsu slashed his sword toward the incoming kunai and made a gun-hand seal, shooting out droplets of water to intercept them.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Without any hand seals, Kakashi suddenly spat out a sharp bolt of lightning at Girimei Mangetsu.
Boom!
Girimei Mangetsu hadn't expected Kakashi's next attack to come so quickly. He tried to dodge using Water Transformation, but he was still affected by the lightning.
Due to the nature of the lightning, Girimei couldn't maintain his fully transformed state, and the parts of his body that were hit suffered severe damage.
"He actually hid a seal-less Lightning Release technique," Girimei Mangetsu said, his face twisting in pain as he felt the pain coursing through his body.
He knew that Kakashi was proficient in Lightning Release, and he had been cautious of it. But he hadn't expected Kakashi to be able to execute a seal-less Lightning Release so quickly; the intelligence he had on Kakashi didn't include this ability.
Girimei Mangetsu didn't have time to think too much. He retreated with difficulty and then raised his hand to release a ninjutsu.
"Water Release: Water Hail!"
Countless water droplets, like raindrops, formed and flew out from the palm of Girimei's hand.
"Lightning Flash: Lightning Speed!"
Kakashi wasn't one to give his opponents any chances. He immediately followed up with his strongest technique, aside from the Void Blade.
He gathered all his strength, his body tensing like a drawn bowstring.
Boom!!
With a thunderous roar, all the power exploded at the moment of Lightning-nature chakra release, and Kakashi shot forward like a bolt of lightning, leaving a charred trail on the ground.
Bang!
Before Girimei Mangetsu could even see Kakashi's figure clearly, Kakashi had already reached him, pressing the White Fang, enveloped in boundless lightning, against his neck. Girimei could clearly feel the dancing arcs of electricity on it.
"I lost..." Girimei Mangetsu's eyes widened in disbelief that he had lost so decisively in the first round.
He felt extremely frustrated, as there were many more applications of Water Transformation he hadn't gotten the chance to display, along with several techniques he hadn't used.
However, Girimei also felt a sense of resignation, as Kakashi's strength and combat abilities were indeed formidable, beyond what he could overcome at this moment.
"Kakashi Hatake wins!" the referee announced.
"That speed is quite interesting. If it were a bit faster and stronger, there might be a chance to snatch first place from Nagato," said Danzo with a hint of regret, shaking his head.
Based on Kakashi's performance, he was undoubtedly a super genius. But since Kakashi was a few years older than Nagato, he was at a disadvantage in terms of training time; otherwise, the outcome of the Youth Ninja Competition might have been different.
Danzo really wanted to see a dark horse emerge in the competition and steal first place from under Sora's nose, as the expression on his face would undoubtedly be hilarious.
"Danzo, why are you suddenly smiling? Could it be that the Rain Ninja's contestant is about to appear? I seem to remember that no Rain Ninja made it to the knockout rounds, or did I remember wrong?" Kakuzu, sitting to Muyu's left, asked curiously.
Danzo's face, which had been wearing a slight smile, suddenly froze, and he resumed his usual expressionless look.
Since Danzo was invited to attend the Youth Ninja Competition as a guest, many Rain Ninjas had participated in the hopes of impressing him.
Whether due to a lack of strength or simply bad luck in encountering strong opponents, all the Rain Ninjas had fallen in the preliminary rounds, with none advancing to the knockout stages.
For Danzo, this was somewhat embarrassing.
As he compared himself to Sora, the Rain Ninja Village to the Leaf, the outcome was disappointing. Sora had sent Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan, all of whom had advanced, while the Rain Ninja Village, despite sending more contestants, had none left in the running for the next generation's top ninja.
With a detached expression, Danzo stared at the combat arena where the next match hadn't started yet, hoping for the battle to begin and end quickly so he could return to the Rain Ninja Village. He felt uncomfortable in this city of Six Paths.
Seeing that the referee had declared the winner, Kakashi sheathed his White Fang and headed back toward the contestants' resting area.
When Kakashi reentered the resting area, many of the ninjas inside were still replaying Kakashi's lightning-fast slash in their minds.
"What's going on?" wondered Terumi Mei, feeling dazed. "I've been training hard for so long, but the gap seems to have only widened."
During the Chunin Exams, she had felt that Kakashi was just decent, stronger than her but not unbeatable.
But now, Terumi truly felt intimidated by Kakashi's strength.
Putting herself in Kakashi's position, she knew that she wouldn't have been able to dodge Kakashi's lightning-fast slash.
The only way Terumi could think of countering it was by releasing her Mist Hide Technique beforehand.
She was highly skilled in this technique, and most of the exploration methods in the ninja world couldn't penetrate the concealment provided by her Mist Hide Technique.
"How could this be?" Terumi Mei felt depressed.
At this moment, she felt like she was back in the exam, where Kakashi had scored 75 points while she had only managed 70.
After working hard for a long time, she improved her score to 80, only to find that Kakashi had scored 95.
While Terumi had indeed made progress, the gap between them had also grown.
"As expected of Kakashi; his strength has increased, but he's still so stable."
"Obito could learn a thing or two from him," Yahiko remarked.
Obito scoffed, "He's just showing off. He wouldn't last two more swings."
Given Kakashi's chakra levels, two more swings would probably leave him needing to be carried off the battlefield.
"Hatake Kakashi... What's his relation to the White Fang of Konoha, Sakumo Hatake?" Sasori's eyes narrowed as he considered the resemblance between Kakashi and the legendary White Fang.
Prior to the tournament, Sasori hadn't paid much attention to any of the participants, so he hadn't bothered to learn about this unfamiliar Konoha ninja.
Now, as he studied Kakashi's features, he noticed a striking similarity between the young ninja and the White Fang.
The White Fang of Konoha was the one person Sasori hated above all else, as he blamed him for the death of his parents and the loss of their warmth.
Learning puppet techniques to kill the White Fang and avenge his parents had been one of Sasori's driving motivations.
However, fate had intervened, and by the time Sasori had mastered the art of puppets, news of the White Fang's suicide reached Sunagakure, dashing Sasori's hopes for revenge.
Sasori had sunk into a deep depression, feeling that his life had lost its purpose without his arch-nemesis.
"The son of the White Fang, huh? Good. Your father took my parents from me, so I shall take your life in return." Sasori's dormant thirst for vengeance ignited within him.
At this moment, he cast aside all thoughts of the valuable chakra knife; avenging his parents was far more important.
Although Kakashi had closed his Transparent World, he had a keen sense for danger and suddenly detected a faint hint of murderous intent. Instinctively, he scanned the room.
Many of the ninjas inside were still reeling from Kakashi's dazzling display, and their gazes lingered on him. Kakashi committed each of their expressions to memory but couldn't pinpoint the source of the threat.
"This isn't the right place," Sasori decided, forcing himself to remain calm and suppress his killer instinct.
He was surrounded by a multitude of talented young ninjas, and there were even Jonin from the Ninja Sect present. Sasori wasn't sure if he could successfully assassinate Kakashi under their watchful eyes.
Kakashi's previous display of speed had been too fast. Unless Sasori could deliver a killing blow, Kakashi could easily escape using his lightning-quick movements.
In that case, even if Sasori managed to strike, he would have to face the combined might of the Ninja Master Sou Yuusai and the demigod Danzo, making a clean getaway unlikely.
He needed to find a more opportune moment, just as he had when he killed the Third Kazekage.
"Who could it be?" Kakashi wondered, considering the potential sources of the murderous intent. "Someone from Kirigakure, Iwagakure, or Kumogakure?"
Logically, it was more likely to be one of the ninja villages that were currently at war with Konoha.
Among the Great Ninja Villages, Kakashi suspected Kirigakure the most. After all, he had slain numerous shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Mist on the Eastern Front, and it was possible that some of them had been friends or family to the competitor from Kirigakure.
Additionally, Team Kakashi was more well-known in Kirigakure than in the other ninja villages, so it wasn't out of the question for Kirigakure to take advantage of the tournament to attempt an assassination.
However, Kakashi remained unperturbed by the discovery of the threat. After all, his four teammates were by his side, and Mu Yue wasn't far away.
Anyone who wanted to kill him, even if it was Mizuho Han and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen combined, wouldn't stand a chance.
"Be vigilant. Someone might be plotting against us Konoha ninjas," Kakashi wrote as he took a seat beside his teammates.
Obito's eyes widened as he read the message, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Kakashi silenced him with a slight shake of his head and a finger to his lips.
With the enemy hidden and their intentions unknown, they couldn't afford to expose their awareness of the threat.
Gengetsu moved his gaze inconspicuously across the room, scrutinizing each contestant for any signs of suspicious behavior.
Yahiko tensed, ready to gather her chakra and engage in combat at a moment's notice.
"We're in a strong position here, so there's no need to worry too much," Kakashi added, writing another message.
Yahiko nodded in agreement. With Might Guy and Gengetsu on their team, they were essentially a squad of five elite Jonin.
The tournament proceeded in an orderly fashion.
After Kakashi's match, a shinobi from Iwagakure faced off against one from Kumogakure, with the latter emerging as the narrow victor.
Next up was Gengetsu's battle against another shinobi from Iwagakure.
Gengetsu easily won this match by using his Sharingan genjutsu, causing his opponent from the Rock Village to succumb without much of a fight.
This outcome left Mangetsu, sitting in the audience, feeling dejected. While several Iwagakure shinobi had advanced to the knockout rounds, most of them had lost in the first round.
Next up was a familiar face—Asuma Sarutobi, who had come to the tournament with them.
Kakashi felt that Asuma was in a bit of an awkward position.
While Asuma wasn't exactly weak, having dispatched his opponent in the first round without much difficulty, he also wasn't particularly strong compared to their team.
Although his strength was a bit lacking, Kakashi predicted that Asuma would likely make it to the quarterfinals.
Asuma had drawn a favorable lot, ensuring that he wouldn't face any formidable opponents until the final eight.
Everything was relative; while Asuma didn't measure up to their team, he was still quite capable compared to most of the other competitors.
Another ninja Kakashi had previously suspected, Kurenai Yuhi, had also advanced to the second round.
In the second-to-last match, Obito activated his Blaze Chakra Mode right from the start and swiftly defeated his opponent from Iwagakure with a wide-area fire jutsu.
In the final match of the first round, a shinobi from Grass Village faced off against one from Frost Village, with the former ultimately proving more skilled.
Kakashi couldn't help but marvel at the disparities in strength among the competitors. Some were facing off against the likes of Nagato and Might Guy in the first round, while others were battling shinobi from minor villages in the second. Obito's luck with the draw had been incredible.
And so, the first round of the knockout stages came to an end.
Since the later matches would be held while the earlier competitors rested, there was only a short break before the second round commenced.
Half an hour later, the second round officially began, starting with a match between Nagato and the first competitor from the long list.
PS: I was too tired today and almost fell asleep while writing. It's ridiculous; I almost dozed off with my fingers on the keyboard!
I think it's the aftermath of staying up late yesterday. I'll only do one chapter today and try to make up for it tomorrow.
(End of Chapter)
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