The entire battlefield was instantly blanketed by a white mist so thick it was impossible to see through.
'Is there not a single Wind Style ninja here?'
Caught in the thick fog, Motomu immediately became alert.
He absolutely could not use more than one-third of his chakra; once he crossed that red line, a certain snake would be forcibly sent back to Ryuchi Cave to die due to the unstable summoning.
Furthermore, every single one of his Pokémon moves consumed a massive amount of chakra.
If he could avoid fighting, he would.
At most, he would stick to safe techniques he could release dozens of times in a row, like his fists or the Psychokinesis Cannon.
The fog grew thicker as the Mist Ninjas used their Hidden Mist Jutsu, and its range expanded accordingly.
Motomu also knew something else clearly.
The teams nearby who hadn't secured a scroll yet would definitely want to come and 'mediate' if they saw this much commotion.
They were less than a three-minute walk from the entrance of the Forest of Death.
As for his own team...
Obito was slightly lacking in strength. While he could temporarily stall Hozuki Mangetsu, he was by no means capable of defeating him.
Unless he suddenly popped off and awakened a Two-Tomoe Sharingan, but that was just wishful thinking.
As for Kakashi, he could shred that team of Cloud Ninjas in under five minutes.
To be safe, I'll help Kakashi secure his scroll first.
Once we have the scroll...
If we can leave, we leave immediately.
If not, we can always find another opportunity to snatch one later.
His strategy was set.
Stripping off his upper garment, Motomu took a deep breath.
Thump-thump!
His heartbeat began to pulse like a drum.
Blackish-gray sparks hissed out from his tightly closed mouth and nose.
As the technique activated, Motomu felt his chest become literally scalding hot.
[FLAME CHARGE: ENVELOPE THE BODY IN FAINT FLAMES AND CHARGE THE OPPONENT. SPEED INCREASES BY 1 POINT WITH EACH USE UNTIL THE FLAMES EXPIRE.]
'What power!'
His theory on increasing the purity of 'Lidiao' was definitely the right path!
Just as he was covered in flames and preparing to use Arm Thrust to burst forward and kick a Cloud Ninja to death...
A faint, almost inaudible buzzing sound pierced through the mist and reached Motomu's ears.
Something was flying toward him.
'Is that... the sound of Parasitic Giant Insects?'
The moment the question arose in his mind, a purple, fine, powder-like substance began to spread through the distant fog like ink.
Everywhere it passed, the chakra-laden mist was devoured clean.
Memories of this substance surfaced in Motomu's mind.
The Aburame clan's Rinkaichu.
Rinkaichu and ordinary Parasitic Giant Insects were entirely different abilities.
Being nano-sized, they parasitized the cells of living organisms.
Once infected, even by a tiny amount, the opponent would be like someone struck by an incurable virus.
Unless they amputated whatever part was infected, they wouldn't survive.
And those who possessed these poisonous insects were rare.
In the original story, only Aburame Torune, a subordinate of Danzo, was seen using this secret technique.
But the timeline didn't match up.
It definitely wasn't Torune.
Motomu watched the approaching insect cloud that seemed targeted directly at him.
He didn't have time to care who the opponent was anymore.
To avoid involving Kakashi and Obito, Motomu quickly turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.
The purple insects made a sharp turn and once again locked onto him.
Just as Motomu suspected, this massive insect cloud, which was multiplying by consuming chakra, was coming for him!
Anything that looked like it belonged to Root, Motomu instinctively blamed on Danzo.
He kicked up a gale, breaking through the mist.
Shrouded in flames, Motomu could clearly see the surrounding Forest of Death and the insects relentlessly pursuing him.
Having devoured chakra to reproduce, the number of insects was significantly higher than before.
They covered the sky like a purple tide surging toward him.
'I can't find the user... these Rinkaichu are troublesome!'
Activating his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Motomu scanned his surroundings but found nothing.
There wasn't even a trace of a chakra signature from a person.
The caster clearly intended to hide behind the scenes and slowly grind him down.
It just so happened that his chakra was currently acting up.
Though his flame shroud temporarily prevented the nano-insects from getting close, he couldn't afford to waste time here.
The enemy's identity was unknown, and there was no telling how much chakra they had.
He absolutely couldn't get bogged down in this fight.
...
On the other side of the battlefield.
The three-way fight continued.
Kakashi delivered a lateral slash. Blood sprayed from the blade onto the ground, and the longsword engraved with the name 'Hatake' became gleaming white once more.
Beside him, the headless corpses of three Cloud Ninjas lay on the ground, a testament to the brutal battle that had just occurred.
Collecting the Earth Scroll from the leader's waist, Kakashi exhaled a breath of turbid air.
Lightning flickered across his legs.
In the next second, he appeared beside the Mist Ninja fighting Obito.
Without giving the opponent any time to react, Kakashi's longsword, which he had just sheathed, erupted in a blinding white light as he drew it again.
One of the Mist Ninjas besieging Obito was cut down instantly.
The pressure on Obito lightened significantly.
The soreness from keeping his Sharingan active in the thick mist surged. In the brief moment he blinked due to a slight lapse in focus...
Hozuki Mangetsu, laughing maniacally, emerged from a puddle that had unknowingly accumulated on the ground before him.
The Silent Killing technique was quietly launched.
The Executioner's Blade swung in a wide arc without making a sound.
The Reaper's Scythe was already at Obito's neck, ready to harvest his life.
At that critical moment, Kakashi—eyes glowing white, right hand gripping the hilt, and left hand braced against the blade—blocked Obito's path once again.
As Hozuki Mangetsu's heavy blade fell, Kakashi used his left hand to push against the back of his father's blade.
As he exerted force, the thin blade rotated to deflect the impact while parrying the greatsword, naturally sliding toward Hozuki Mangetsu's neck.
This change in technique was so fast that a normal person could never have reacted.
However, as a genius of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Hozuki Mangetsu's talent in swordsmanship was equally impressive.
Upon feeling the incorrect feedback from his sword hilt, he immediately used the Hydrification Technique and vanished into thin air.
Seeing the opponent liquefy and hide in the water, Kakashi didn't hesitate. He stabbed his longsword into the puddle on the ground.
A massive amount of lightning chakra was channeled through the blade into the water. Hozuki Mangetsu, who was trying to escape at the end of the puddle, let out a series of screams.
Wisps of faint smoke smelling of grilled meat rose from his solidifying body.
"Good job, Kakashi!"
Seeing this opportunity, Obito was overjoyed. He began weaving signs to finish him off with a Great Fireball.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Dozens of kunai and shuriken shot through the thick mist toward the two of them.
Obito clicked his tongue. His Sharingan expertly locked onto every single weapon.
He hooked a kunai from the pouch at his lower back.
Amidst a flurry of sparks, Obito easily parried every attack.
With energy to spare, he looked up.
Another squad of Mist Ninjas was vaguely emerging from the Hidden Mist Jutsu.
Just as he was about to ask Kakashi for his opinion...
Kakashi's weak left hand gripped his shoulder tightly.
"Go! We need to regroup with Motomu first."
Obito felt the trembling hand on his shoulder.
He could clearly sense that Kakashi's condition was wrong.
Obito's high battle instinct allowed him to judge the situation instantly.
"Retreat! There are too many of them this time. We'll spare his life for now."
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
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