"Do you know Kakashi?"
Guy took a few steps toward Kakashi, passing by Itachi and stopping beside him. He asked tentatively.
He was very interested in this "Arganzo," but not so much in Itachi.
"Kakashi? Who's that? I don't know him," Kakashi replied flatly.
He spoke with an expressionless face, not betraying the slightest emotion—calm and composed as ever.
"Uh… this…"
Guy, staring intently at Kakashi's face, felt disappointed when he heard Kakashi's response.
He had hoped to uncover something but couldn't figure out a thing.
---
"Guy, they came all this way to save us. Stop bombarding them with questions—it's rude," said Kurenai, standing nearby. Her face showed some displeasure as she addressed Guy.
"Oh…"
Hearing Kurenai's words, Guy, who had been about to continue asking questions, lowered his head in disappointment.
It had been so long since he last saw Kakashi, so long since they had a man-to-man duel...
"I'm sorry for my rudeness… Thank you for coming to rescue us," Guy said, bowing deeply to the two of them, his tone sincere.
"It's nothing, really…"
Seeing that Itachi remained silent and disinterested in interacting with them, Kakashi reluctantly accepted Guy's bow, scratching the back of his head with one hand and waving dismissively with the other.
A flash of insight crossed Guy's eyes before it quickly disappeared.
He stood up as though nothing had happened, taking a deep look at this so-called "Arganzo."
---
"How did you convince that stubborn Mizukage to let us go?"
As they walked along, Itachi and Kakashi led the way while Guy and Kurenai followed two steps behind.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward, so Kurenai stepped forward to walk beside Kakashi, looking at him as she asked the question.
In her mind, she imagined the handsome face hidden beneath Kakashi's mask. She found the thought amusing.
To put it simply, she was full of fantasies about what Kakashi looked like under the mask.
"You'll have to ask Asura about that. I'm not sure," Kakashi replied, feeling a bit uneasy under Kurenai's gaze.
Her stare gave him goosebumps.
He didn't like that kind of look—it was familiar, eerily similar to someone else's gaze.
---
"You're his teammate. Surely you know what he did?"
Kurenai glanced at Asura, who returned her look with an apologetic expression before she turned her gaze back to Kakashi.
Itachi observed this scene and felt a subtle mix of emotions.
People nowadays, he thought, are a bit shallow…
After all, Kakashi hadn't even revealed his face.
What if the face under that mask was ugly or covered in scars?
That would be… a bit awkward.
---
Later that night, the four of them sat around a campfire, leaning against the trees.
Since their group had grown, Kakashi didn't use Wood Style to create shelter.
Instead, the four of them camped under the open sky.
Guy soon began doing one-handed push-ups beside the fire, moving at an incredible speed, like an emotionless machine pounding away.
"What's for dinner?"
Watching Guy train, Kurenai sharpened her nails with a kunai, while Kakashi softly asked Itachi.
Deep down, he was hoping to have Itachi's delicious roasted chicken again.
Just thinking about the aroma made his mouth water.
---
"Whatever you want to eat, go get it yourself," Itachi replied, clearly annoyed.
Hearing this, both Kurenai and Guy, still doing push-ups, perked up their ears, intently listening to their conversation about food.
Everyone wanted to eat, but nobody wanted to do the work, pretending they weren't hungry…
Such is human nature.
"Uh…"
Disappointed, Kakashi's face fell. Not being able to eat that roasted chicken was a great tragedy.
But the hunger gnawing at his stomach left him no choice but to let go of his dream meal.
At that moment, all he wanted was to fill his stomach with something tasty.
---
"Aganzo, are you going to look for food? Let me join you."
Just as Guy saw Kakashi preparing to look for food alone and planned to use the opportunity to chat, Kurenai moved even faster than him. In an instant, she stepped in front of Kakashi, leaving Guy speechless.
He silently thought it was a pity.
"Alright, fine."
Kakashi thought for a moment and did not refuse. Having someone to help was better than doing all the work himself.
"What kind of food are we looking for? Do you actually know how to cook? That's so impressive..."
Kurenai moved closer to Kakashi, less than a fist's distance away. The faint fragrance from her body drifted into Kakashi's nose, making him feel slightly distressed.
This kind of youthful scent was quite alluring.
However, his mind quickly conjured up another figure. The fragrance was slightly different but still carried the same captivating aroma. This brought a mix of bittersweet emotions to his heart.
After all, Kakashi was someone whose life was already full of bitterness.
"Just something simple," he replied.
After a brief pause, Kakashi came back to his senses and spoke indifferently, his tone even colder than before. The air around him seemed to freeze over, emanating a frosty chill.
Kurenai felt the sudden drop in Kakashi's demeanor and was at a loss. She couldn't understand why his mood had shifted so suddenly.
After thinking it over, she concluded it might be because Kakashi didn't enjoy talking much, and she might have been too noisy.
With that in mind, Kurenai fell silent and followed quietly beside him, like a calm and steady companion.
Even though she felt a bit uncomfortable inside, her figure seemed lonely and frail from behind.
No one can be happy knowing they've annoyed someone else.
Especially for a beauty like her, who was always welcomed and adored wherever she went. She had never faced such cold indifference before.
---
The subtle emotional undertones between the two went unnoticed by both Itachi, who sat by the campfire, and Guy, who was doing push-ups.
After their voices and shadows disappeared into the distance, Guy pushed himself up and stood.
"Ashura! Let's have another sparring match! While they're off looking for food, let's go all out and have a sweaty duel!"
Guy raised a thumbs-up at Itachi, his pearly white teeth reflecting the firelight. His whole demeanor was a little comical.
Guy's words left Itachi momentarily stunned. His gaze, which had been vacant while staring at the fire, gradually sharpened.
Turning his head, he looked at the excited and energetic Guy, letting out a faint sigh.
"Fine..."
Itachi slowly stood up, using the heel of his right foot to kick the tree he had been leaning against. With a swift motion, he lashed out with his left leg, aiming a fierce kick at Guy's head, as if intending to take him down with one blow.
"Bring it on!"
Seeing this, Guy shouted and countered with a horizontal kick, his body twisting to meet Itachi's strike head-on.
Just as Itachi anticipated a direct clash of kicks, their legs barely missed each other.
Instead, both aimed at each other's exposed chest, seemingly willing to trade blow for blow.
---
Itachi clenched his right fist and prepared to block with his left hand. His legs moved without hesitation. In moments like this, hesitation would lead to defeat, and falling into a passive position would only result in taking more hits.
Itachi's quick reactions impressed Guy, who noticed that even at night, Itachi's vision remained sharp.
While Guy relied on 30% firelight and 70% muscle memory for his movements in the dark, Itachi seemed unaffected by the dim lighting.
Realizing this, Guy decided to take advantage of the situation. With a horizontal kick aimed at sending Itachi airborne, he planned to launch a series of follow-up attacks.
Itachi, however, was momentarily frustrated by Guy's sudden change in technique.
It was too abrupt.
With the distance already so close, if Guy's kick hit an unguarded part of his thigh, Itachi would be limping for days.
Guy's experience in hand-to-hand combat was evidently far superior.
While Itachi's combat instincts were honed, they lacked the same level of refinement. Suspended in mid-air, he had limited room to maneuver.
Even though his body was flexible and his eyes could see the attack coming, his movements couldn't override biological limits in the moment.
---
As Itachi calculated his next move, he didn't have time to channel chakra to reinforce his leg for defense. A sharp pain shot through his thigh, making him suck in a breath. If the kick had landed a bit higher, it could have been catastrophic.
However, the force wasn't as heavy as Itachi expected.
After a moment of numbness, the pain was quickly alleviated by his chakra.
Yet before he could recover, Guy's massive shoe sole filled his vision.
One attack flowed seamlessly into another.
Itachi's body transformed into a log—he had used a substitution jutsu.
If it were purely a hand-to-hand fight, he would definitely lose to Guy.
Guy specialized in taijutsu. Competing in that alone would be pointless.
Besides, Itachi couldn't activate his Sage Mode or use his Sharingan recklessly.
This undeniably affected his overall strength.
Seeing that Itachi had turned into a piece of wood, Guy was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure, landing firmly on the ground.
He stomped down, creating two deep craters in the earth.
His eyes scanned the surroundings, and his ears were keenly attuned to every sound.
Itachi's trace was already lost.
"Whoosh..."
A sudden gust of wind echoed. Guy's ears twitched, and he swiftly turned his body with lightning speed.
Watching Guy charge toward him like a torrent, Itachi didn't hesitate.
He kicked at the campfire, causing sparks to scatter, intending to extinguish the light source.
But what happened next surprised him. Instead of the fire going out, it spread into a pile of dry grass nearby...
The flames grew larger...
This was truly absurd.
In hindsight, he should have used a jutsu earlier. Even if it caused a fluctuation in chakra, he could have completed the technique before Guy got to him.
Holding his breath and suppressing his chakra, Itachi's figure moved like a ghost, fading into the darkness.
Meanwhile, the surrounding flames gradually began to spread.
...
The forest was becoming increasingly illuminated.
Watching Itachi's figure disappear once more, Guy furrowed his thick brows.
He couldn't quite figure out what this "Asura" was up to...
Wasn't this Asura supposed to have excellent night vision and dynamic sight? Why resort to something like this?
The growing flames illuminated the forest, their light intensifying.
A forest fire seemed imminent...
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Itachi's voice echoed from all directions, reverberating through the forest.
The next second, streams of water surged from two directions, heading straight toward Guy, who stood amidst the scattered flames.
"Two?"
Hearing Itachi's voice, Guy was momentarily taken aback because the voice came from two directions.
Then, the jutsu manifested in both locations simultaneously.
The dense chakra shone as brilliantly as two stars.
Guy found himself in a predicament.
...
The rushing water violently broke through trees, sending them hurtling toward Guy.
But Guy didn't pay much attention. Leaping into the air, he landed gracefully atop the surging water, moving as if it were solid ground.
To him, this kind of water-style jutsu moved at a snail's pace.
Moreover, the strongest point of this technique was its frontal impact zone.
"Gate of Opening, Gate of Rest, Gate of Life—Open!"
Since Itachi was using jutsu and shadow clones, Guy activated three of the Eight Gates.
He was ready to take them down one by one, ending Itachi's evasive tactics and his use of these frustrating long-range techniques.
...
Reaching the source of the water streams, Guy saw Itachi, who was still spitting out a waterfall.
Without hesitation, he launched a kick toward Itachi.
Even if he couldn't land a hit, interrupting Itachi's jutsu would suffice.
Itachi's speed had noticeably increased since earlier.
Stopping his water spout, Itachi brought his hands together in a quick sequence of seals.
The movement of his hands was dazzling, almost like an illusion.
Seeing that Itachi was about to use another jutsu, Guy picked up his speed even further.
Hand-to-hand combat was so much more satisfying—why insist on playing like this? It was truly irritating.
...
"Water Style: Water Mirror Technique..."
Itachi stopped spitting water, and a mirror appeared in front of him.
In the mirror, Guy's rapidly approaching figure was reflected.
Guy was slightly taken aback. Why was Itachi creating a mirror at this moment? Did he want Guy to admire his heroic appearance?
But in the very next second.
The reflection in the mirror suddenly rushed toward him, breaking free from the mirror.
Its speed was no less than his own, and even its moves were identical to his, down to the smallest detail.
"An illusion? A trick?"
Guy was stunned, unable to make sense of what was happening. What in the world was this thing?
As he stood there, dumbfounded, the mirror version of himself launched a kick straight at his face. The sole of the shoe grew larger and larger in his vision...
By the time Guy snapped out of it, the sole of the foot was already right in front of his eyes.
…
"Bang…"
Even though he had no idea what had just emerged from the mirror, Guy clenched his fist instinctively and raised it to block the kick. His stance wavered under the force of the blow.
"This strength…"
Guy's body was sent flying backward. His mind reeled, utterly disoriented.
It was like he was fighting himself—completely absurd...
Noticing that Itachi and the mirror version of himself hadn't pursued him, Guy steadied himself as he landed on the ground, sliding back more than ten meters.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique…"
Guy kept his eyes fixed on the mirrored version of himself, strategizing his next move.
But before he could act, the reflection dissolved, and the mirror disappeared entirely.
In its place, a massive water dragon emerged behind Itachi.
First, its ferocious dragon head materialized, followed by the vividly detailed dragon body, covered in glistening scales. The water dragon grew longer and longer…
It looked as if it were about to ascend to the heavens, soaring into the sky…
…
As the water dragon grew in size and its imposing aura intensified, Guy's expression turned grim. A sense of unease crept over him.
A larger water dragon meant its attack power and range would be equally immense.
Guy had seen the Water Dragon Bullet Technique before, but after witnessing Itachi's other jutsu, he wasn't sure how powerful this one would be. Was it faster? Could he dodge it?
Just as these thoughts raced through Guy's mind…
"Moo…"
The water dragon let out a thunderous roar, reminiscent of a bellowing bull. The sound carried an air of authority that was impossible to ignore.
Its serpentine body coiled and twisted, its shimmering scales gliding fluidly. The sheer visual impact struck Guy to his core…
…
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