"The masked man?"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly.
He wasn't surprised that the other party had appeared on the battlefield. When two armies clash, encountering and fighting at any time and any place was perfectly reasonable.
What was puzzling, however, was that this guy seemed to have come specifically for him.
Kakashi didn't think he was so special that a member of the Akatsuki organization would target him.
But no matter what he thought, the enemy in front of him clearly had no intention of explaining. They were in a state of madness, determined not to stop until their goal was achieved.
Boom!
With a loud bang, the giant tree behind the masked man snapped in half. He himself shot forward like a cannonball.
"So fast."
Kakashi's eyes flickered red, astonished by the speed that nearly surpassed his ability to track.
What was even more perplexing, however, was why the opponent hadn't used that strange and troublesome Mangekyo Sharingan's eye technique? It would clearly have been more unexpected and harder to counter.
Although many thoughts flashed through his mind, his body only had time to adopt a defensive stance.
The next moment, a tremendous force crashed into his body, and Kakashi was sent flying, his speed even faster than the opponent's charge.
Boom boom boom…
Kakashi managed to adjust his body, snapping three or four trees before he finally stopped.
"This guy isn't just fast... his strength is also terrifyingly immense."
Kakashi spat out a mouthful of blood, but before he could catch his breath, the ferocious figure charged at him again.
The wind howled, the trees rustled, and in the swaying light and shadow, the figure continuously grew larger until it seemed to fill his entire field of vision. The overwhelming power almost extinguished his will to resist.
However, at this critical moment, Guy suddenly appeared from somewhere, his legs spinning like a top. "Konoha Fierce Whirlwind!"
A side kick hit the masked man squarely in the jaw. This time, he was the one sent flying, his face even slightly deformed.
"Guy, you're awake?" Kakashi was both surprised and delighted.
"I was awake the whole time, I wasn't asleep at all."
Guy grinned, revealing two rows of shiny teeth. "But it's quite a coincidence that I could make it to this fight."
"This battle probably won't be much simpler than the one against 'Wu' earlier. This masked guy gives off a really strange feeling right now."
Kakashi's expression was grave, and he said in a deep voice, "Don't be careless, be careful."
From the previous intelligence, the masked man shouldn't have had such superhuman strength and speed. The current situation was definitely due to some change in the Akatsuki that they didn't know about.
"I understand." Guy nodded, his gaze shifting upwards, where the masked man had already gotten back on his feet.
Completely disregarding the deformation of his face, the madman stared intently at Kakashi. "Damn you!"
With a roar, he lunged forward again, and Guy immediately met him.
Boom boom boom…
As their fists and feet collided, gusts of wind swept through the forest, and waves of energy erupted, causing continuous rumbling sounds that echoed through the woods, like thunder roaring in their ears.
Even though Kakashi possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, he now seemed like an ordinary person, barely able to track the movements of both fighters.
"He's really strong."
Kakashi's expression was heavy, and he muttered to himself.
Guy was one thing; he had cultivated the Eight Gates for many years and had recently accidentally entered that "no thought, no self" state, clearly gaining a lot. While his performance was surprising, it was understandable to some extent.
But what gave this masked man such power?
Kakashi didn't know that Obito, at the brink of death years ago, had merged with White Zetsu and had First Hokage cells transplanted by Uchiha Madara, making his physique comparable to anyone in the ninja world.
Not to mention, the fragments of "Wu"'s body contained a large amount of chakra and negative human emotions.
The former was secondary, but the latter was like a nourishing poison to an Uchiha. As long as they could withstand it, their mental strength would become even greater.
These two factors combined to create a peculiar chemical reaction, resulting in the terrifying improvement they were witnessing now.
Otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible to reach Guy's level in taijutsu in such a short period.
"But why isn't this guy using that space-time ninjutsu?"
Kakashi watched the battle for a moment, his expression a mix of surprise and suspicion.
The taijutsu practiced by the masked man was very familiar, clearly of the Uchiha style, known for its precision, sharpness, and lack of wasted movement. If it were combined with the ability to phase through solid objects, it would be even more difficult to deal with and impossible to guard against.
Yet, in their clashes so far, the opponent had only engaged in direct confrontation with Guy, not even using a single Mangekyo eye technique.
"Is he not having time to use it? Or does he also have issues with his eye power?"
Various questions arose, only to be dismissed by Kakashi.
But in any case, this was a good thing for the current situation. Through the Mangekyo Sharingan, Kakashi could see that Guy was gradually gaining the upper hand.
Speed and strength were temporary improvements, but experience, technique, and combat awareness... these required time and accumulated battles.
Otsutsuki Kaguya, the "Ancestor of Chakra," had, in the original timeline, been deceived and manipulated by seemingly inferior techniques due to this very reason, leading to her defeat by enemies far weaker than herself.
Moreover, in the current situation, Guy was still stronger, and the Eight Gates were being opened one by one.
"Sixth Gate: Gate of Joy: Open!"
Guy's aura became more intense and ferocious, his skin turning crimson. Wild gusts of wind lifted his spiky hair, and his hands ignited with invisible flames.
"Morning Peacock!"
Countless punches were thrown, creating phantom images that resembled raging fire.
At first, the masked man could still block and counter, but soon he was completely at a disadvantage, taking countless hits in an instant.
"Now, Guy, quickly dodge!"
A tear of blood flowed from Kakashi's eye, his pupils shimmering with an eerie light. Taking advantage of Guy's momentary dodge, he immediately activated his eye technique, targeting the masked man.
The air twisted into a vortex, and the masked man's body was distorted along with it, almost instantly swallowed whole.
[fuzzy]To eliminate this great enemy for the village, Kakashi had used all of his power without holding back.
Seeing the enemy disappear into thin air, Kakashi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But almost at the same time, a figure appeared in front of him, and a hand reached out toward his left eye with lightning speed. A mad whisper echoed in his ear,
"You are not worthy to use this eye!"
The sudden change happened in an instant. Even Guy didn't have time to stop it, let alone Kakashi, who was in a weakened state.
After a sharp pain, the gift from his friend was gone. Along with it, the ghostly figure disappeared.
To eliminate this great enemy for the village, Kakashi had poured all his strength into this attack, not holding back any of his eye power.
Seeing the opponent disappear into the air, Kakashi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, at almost the same moment, a figure materialized in front of him. A hand shot out like lightning towards his left eye, accompanied by a frantic whisper that almost echoed in his ear...
"You're not worthy of using this eye!"
The sudden turn of events happened in an instant, and even Guy was too late to intervene, let alone the weakened Kakashi.
After a wave of intense pain, the gift from a friend was gone. Along with it vanished the opponent's ghostly figure.
"Kakashi, are you alright?"
Guy arrived too late, but he didn't dare to crouch down to check on him. Most of his attention remained on their surroundings, wary of the opponent's reappearance.
But his occasional peripheral vision caught sight of the half-closed eyelids, the vacant eye sockets... what greeted his sight was utterly shocking.
"That bastard!"
Guy's anger flared, and he clenched his fists.
...
In the Kamui space.
The man Guy had called a bastard was standing on a platform, gazing blankly at the eyeball in his hand.
The fiery rage that had burned just moments before seemed to be doused by a bucket of cold water, leaving only a damp, warm afterglow.
"What have I done?"
The anger towards Kakashi was replaced by deep regret the moment he retrieved his eye. Obito had regained some of his sanity.
This act was undoubtedly the greatest betrayal of his past self, and even for the current Obito, it was a powerful shock.
But no matter how strong the shock, after the peak passed, it would begin to recede. The negative emotions belonging to the Box of Bliss began to regain the upper hand.
"You won't control me again!"
Obito's face contorted, and he roared up at the sky.
His spirit was strong, but the angrier one became, the further they strayed from reason. In this state, it was merely using poison to fight poison.
The Uchiha clan possessed strong mental fortitude, and with the fluctuation of emotions, their strength could even increase. However, like the traditional Mangekyo Sharingan, they were not very durable.
Obito could temporarily suppress the other party with an explosive burst of strength, but afterward, he would still be controlled by "Wu's" chakra.
"Damn it!"
Obito himself had anticipated this outcome. His eyes sharpened, and the mask on his face shattered instantly. He reached into the eye socket and directly grabbed the Sharingan.
Discarding it carelessly on the ground, Obito replaced it with Kakashi's left eye.
Instantly, the tomoe flowed, twisting into the same pattern. Obito's eye power surged, completely suppressing "Wu's" chakra.
"Get out!"
Obito roared, pushing all the chakra that didn't belong to him to one side of his body. He pulled his left hand on his right, tearing apart the White Zetsu clone that was almost inseparable from him.
Snap!
The White Zetsu, still clinging to flesh and blood, was thrown onto the platform, spreading out into a pool of liquid. It had strange fleshy tendrils and tentacles growing from it, looking like a plant yet also like some kind of animal.
"Hiss..."
Obito's body was covered in bloody wounds. He took a deep, sharp breath, but his gaze remained fixed on the pool of goo on the ground.
A strange premonition washed over him: if he touched it again, it would immediately crawl up, twist his will, and grant him power once more.
...
"Tsk... I didn't expect Obito to attack Kakashi and take back the eye that belonged to him."
Zetsu, hidden within the pitcher plant on the ground, witnessed the entire event and still found it hard to believe.
It had tried countless times to persuade Obito to do this, but it had failed. Yet, this had happened completely without warning.
"What did he encounter?"
Zetsu was utterly bewildered. With all its millennia of experience, it couldn't fathom what kind of coincidence could exist in this world.
As it pondered, Zetsu's expression suddenly changed, and it rapidly sank into the ground, daring not to linger for a moment.
A moment later, Orochimaru appeared beside Kakashi. He glanced in the direction Zetsu had disappeared and sneered, "He ran pretty fast."
When Guy saw Orochimaru arrive, his expression brightened. "Teacher Orochimaru, please take a look at Kakashi, his eye..."
"No need to say more."
Orochimaru waved his hand. "I know everything that's happened."
On his way here, he had already learned everything that had occurred here from the Genie Lamp, even what was happening in the 'Kamui space' at that very moment.
It could only be described as a series of coincidences that led to this point.
If Kakashi hadn't used 'Kamui,' if the enemy hadn't been 'Wu' from the Box of Bliss, if Obito hadn't been fighting with space-time ninjutsu... none of this would have happened.
Kakashi's collapse wasn't solely due to the loss of that Mangekyo Sharingan. It was partly due to his physical weakness after the battle, and partly because he might have understood something.
Both were space-time ninjutsu, both were Mangekyo Sharingan, yet located in different eyes... so many coincidences made it too easy for the parties involved to piece things together.
"Kakashi's condition isn't serious; he'll be fine after some rest."
Orochimaru's gaze shifted to the other side, where 'Wu,' now controlled by nearly thirty Jonin who had arrived later, was restrained.
This monster from the Box of Bliss had truly been underestimated.
Perhaps its combat power wasn't on par with that of a Tailed Beast and it was more easily countered by the Genie Lamp, even easier to handle than ordinary Tailed Beasts. However, its inherent characteristics were quite intriguing.
"This negative emotion is truly remarkable; it could even serve as a catalyst for an Uchiha."
Orochimaru licked his lips, subconsciously beginning to ponder the source of this phenomenon.
It was said that 'Wu' was a monster produced by the Box of Bliss after absorbing enough chakra spirit bodies of ninjas.
However, looking at the Pure Land, ordinary ninjas wouldn't possess such strong negative emotions. They were like raw iron; no matter how much you hammered it, it would only become ordinary steel, not orichalcum.
Not to mention, by the time they were absorbed into the Box of Bliss, they were already dead. What was mixed in 'Wu' was merely residual fragments.
Of course, even if they were alive, it wouldn't matter.
Ninjutsu, in the final analysis, were humans. And facing pain, humans would either endure it inexplicably or choose to escape. The former would raise their tolerance threshold, while the latter, after becoming numb, would simply ignore it, making it impossible to continuously generate negative emotions.
Escaping pain was human nature. Being unable to escape yet forced to endure pain above one's threshold was a third possibility: collapse. After that, it would be even less likely to provide any negative emotions.
Orochimaru understood human nature all too well.
Therefore, at this moment, he was deeply fascinated by 'Wu,' a product that seemed like an amalgamation of impurities.
Recalling how Tailed Beasts, despite living at the top of the food chain in the wild, inexplicably accumulated a great deal of anger and resentment, Orochimaru suddenly had a rather absurd guess.
"Regardless, let's seal this thing first."
Orochimaru pursed his lips, flashed before the crowd, and said, "Step back a bit."
Making space, Orochimaru used Sage Art to summon a White Zetsu clone from underground. "You guys really don't care about your lives, but at this moment, you're quite useful tools."
"Orochimaru, what are you trying to do?" The White Zetsu clone spoke defiantly, anticipating a grim outcome.
"What am I trying to do? Of course, something great! I'm going to help you become the Jinchuriki of 'Wu'."
Orochimaru's lips curved into a smile.