From a corner, Kai quietly lowered his head.
He never expected that one casual joke he'd made years ago would stick with Sasuke this long.
That's right — the "Second Pillar" explanation…
He'd said it offhandedly back then.
Ever since, Sasuke had stopped minding when Kai called him Second Pillar.
But now…
The kid was proudly declaring it in public.
With that serious tone, no less.
It was the kind of thing that made listeners curl their toes in secondhand embarrassment.
Thankfully, nobody was paying attention to Kai.
All eyes were fixed on the battlefield.
"Interesting fight between kids."
Kakashi tugged down his mask slightly, watching the center of the street with thoughtful eyes.
Beside him, a figure in bright green suddenly bounded over.
"Indeed! Such youthful passion!" Guy declared enthusiastically. "I hope the ultimate move I taught Lee ahead of time helps him win this battle!"
"…Wait," Kakashi froze, his face darkening instantly.
"You taught him the Eight Gates already?"
"He's eight years old! You taught it this early?!"
Guy shook his head slowly.
"But… the Uchiha kid over there is only ten."
That single sentence silenced Kakashi.
After a moment, Kakashi abruptly turned toward Yamato.
"Hey."
Yamato: ???
He jolted upright instinctively and snapped to attention.
"Yes, senpai!"
"Prepare to step in," Kakashi said flatly. "Restrain those two brats if things escalate. Otherwise we'll end up rebuilding Konoha's interior too."
"Understood!"
Tenzo—now going by Yamato—nodded and began forming hand seals, ready to suppress the fight with Wood Release.
But just then, a sticky, casual voice came from behind him.
"Eh, let's keep watching."
Yamato froze. Turning around, he immediately bowed deeply.
"Jiraiya-sama!"
Nearby, Kakashi and Guy also straightened and saluted.
"Jiraiya-sama… you were drawn here as well?"
"Relax, relax." Jiraiya waved a hand lazily, his gaze never leaving Naruto.
"I just want to see how much power this kid can handle on his own."
He'd originally planned to leave the village again.
But thinking about Naruto…
He couldn't help turning back.
As Minato's orphan, the boy deserved someone watching over him. Jiraiya was already considering taking Naruto along on a journey.
Still…
His eyes drifted briefly toward the Hokage Tower.
The corners of his toad-like eyes narrowed.
Something about that place felt… off.
Jiraiya trusted his instincts as a sensory ninja.
"What could it be…? Don't tell me the old man's cooking up something reckless again…"
He muttered to himself, then shook his head.
If the old man really was scheming…
There wasn't much he could do.
Rescue someone in front of Uchiha Kai?
He didn't think he was that strong.
Join forces with the Third to take Kai down?
Even less likely.
So he might as well focus on the son of his student instead.
BOOM!
At that moment, a furious shout erupted from the front of the crowd.
"Gourd freak! Let me show you the power of youthful passion!"
With that roar, Rock Lee shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
As for one-on-one fairness?
Under Kai's teachings, they'd never learned what that meant.
They only knew one universal truth—
Strength in numbers.
"Three against one?!"
Kankuro's brow furrowed in irritation.
"Oi, Konoha. Your local ninja sure have terrible manners."
His fingers jerked sharply, chakra threads snapping tight as he redirected his puppet.
"SWISH—"
The massive Crow puppet sliced through the air, emerald arm-blades flashing as it intercepted Lee.
At the same time, with another twitch of his fingers—
The Black Ant puppet behind him silently opened its jaws.
SHHHK—SHHHK—SHHHK!
The moment it opened, it fired.
Inside were countless poison needle launchers—dense enough to make anyone's scalp prickle.
"Toxic…"
Lee's eyes sharpened.
"But take the leader first!"
A cold gleam flashed in his gaze as he instantly shifted direction and attacked from the flank.
With only taijutsu, dodging that many needles head-on wasn't guaranteed.
"Eight Gates — Gate of Opening, OPEN!"
In the next instant, violent chakra erupted from his body.
"Gate of Rest — OPEN!"
BOOOOM!
Green vapor exploded outward like flames, blasting off Lee's body.
His skin flushed red from the strain.
Muscles bulged, veins rising like coiled dragons beneath his skin.
"So fast…"
Sasuke's lightning-charged form flickered slightly as he felt the surge beside him.
At this distance, he could clearly sense the overwhelming physical power radiating from Lee.
That was raw human potential pushed to the brink.
Instinctively, Sasuke turned to watch—
Scarlet slowly gathering in his eyes.
"Leaf Shadow Dance!"
Lee's already blistering speed skyrocketed under the Eight Gates.
The green blur streaked through blades and poison needles like a shooting star.
"Damn… he's coming for me?!"
Kankuro's face sank as he hurried backward, yanking the Crow puppet back in front of him just in time.
BANG!
Lee's flying kick smashed into the puppet.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The hard puppet body rang under the barrage of kicks, its massive frame sent tumbling skyward.
But that was only the beginning.
Lee had something far more terrifying coming.
He ripped the bandages from his arms—
And charged upward after it.
Primary Lotus!
Launching into the air, he wrapped the puppet in bandages and spun downward violently—
BOOOOM!
The ground cratered three meters deep on impact.
The Crow puppet's sturdy head caved in halfway.
"…Gulp."
Kankuro swallowed hard, suddenly very aware that if that attack had landed on him instead—
He'd already be lying there, finished.
"Hmm?"
"Wind Style — Sickle Weasel!"
Seeing her brother pushed into a corner, Temari's eyes narrowed slightly.
Her giant three-star fan snapped fully open.
WHOOOOOO—!
A violent gale roared to life instantly.
Across the street, visible razor-sharp wind blades formed in the air—
Like the scythes of death, shrieking as they sliced forward.
Their target:
Rock Lee—
And Sasuke, who'd been watching.
She intended to split the battlefield.
These two… she'd handle herself.
"Pfft—cough—"
Sasuke spat out the sand still in his mouth just as his Sharingan caught the incoming wind blades.
A look of disdain crossed his face.
"So you're picking me first?"
"I don't hit women," he scoffed, forming hand seals, "but you asked for it."
He inhaled sharply, chest swelling several times larger.
"Fire Style — Great Fireball Jutsu!"
ROOOAR!
A massive orange fireball over ten meters wide surged forward, colliding head-on with the gale.
Did wind fuel the fire—
Or fire empower the wind?
For a brief moment, the two forces clashed, tangled, and canceled each other out midair.
Then—
A superheated shockwave burst outward.
BOOOOM—WHOOSH—
The next second—
Second Pillar was sent flying.
The blast slammed Sasuke into a wall, where he slid down helplessly.
Lying on the ground, he blinked weakly.
Pain screamed through his body, inside and out.
Only one thought remained in his mind:
So just now…
I got blown away… by a blond girl?
Damn blondes!
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