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The white torrent of the Daytime Tiger swept across the battlefield. Too fast, too savage—those at the forefront had no chance to evade.
CRUNCH!!
The tiger's maw clamped onto the Susanoo's skeletal ribs. Just for an instant. Then cracks spiderwebbed across the bones, shattering them completely under the overwhelming force!
"…" Obito himself passed through the assault like a breeze, letting the white tide and Susanoo debris ravage the area around him.
"KAKASHI!!" Might Guy's shout was raw with exertion.
Shwoop!
Kakashi flashed into the air above. Hanging inverted, he unfurled a scroll. A rain of kunai fell, clinking and clattering to form a circle around Obito's feet.
Obito's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "These kunai… are they all Flying Thunder God markers?"
Shwoop!
Even as the thought formed, Kakashi's hands formed a seal. Flying Thunder God. He emerged from a kunai at Obito's heel.
The White Light Chakra Short Sword swept out in the same motion. The unique, soul-burning chakra flame—White Hatred Flare—coated the blade. A clean, direct slash aimed straight for Obito's masked face.
Knowing an opponent as sharp as Kakashi wouldn't waste a move, Obito kept his body intangible but still shifted his stance within the phasing state.
Swoosh!
The blade passed through, the very tip grazing the space where his face was.
A cold laugh echoed in Obito's mind. Heh. So what? It still phased through. All bluster.
The next instant, he ceased his retreat. Seizing the opening as Kakashi recovered, his war fan lashed out.
THWACK!!
Kakashi was sent flying. Obito stowed the fan. His hands flew through seals. Fire gathered in his throat. A vortex swirled in his eye. All in one fluid motion.
—Fire Style: Blazing Wild Dance!
A storm of crimson flames, twisted and amplified by Kamui's spatial distortion, erupted into a raging tornado. It roared toward Kakashi's tumbling form.
Flames closed in. Kakashi bit down on his short sword. Hands formed another seal.
Shwoop!
He vanished, reappearing by a distant kunai. He clutched his shoulder—aching from the fan's blow—and fixed his silver gaze on Obito's mask.
The flames died down. Obito lowered his hands. "I thought you had some killing move," he said, his voice an eerie monotone. "I even bothered to dodge. How disappointing."
Then. A single drop of crimson blood fell. It dripped from where the white mask met his chin. It splattered onto his black glove.
"…?"
The soft plip drew his attention. He looked down.
"Blood? Where…"
A sharp, stinging pain blossomed on his right cheek, beneath the mask. His pupils shrank to pinpricks.
"…His attack just now. It wounded me? Impossible. It phased through!!"
Kakashi saw his reaction. He let out a deep, shaky breath.
So. The White Hatred Flare is effective against him. I was afraid his right eye's Kamui could evade even an attack on the soul…
An attack… on the soul.
Comprehension dawned. Obito's gaze lifted back to Kakashi. This time, it was utterly cold. "They say that was the technique of Konoha's White Fang. Lost after his death. Kakashi… don't tell me you…"
Kakashi lifted the short sword from his teeth, holding it ready at his side. His voice rang clear and firm. "White Hatred Flare. The secret technique of my Hatake clan. Once, I chose to master your Sharingan and abandoned this family art. Now, I've taken it up again. And I won't hoard it. In the recent exchange of secret scrolls between the villages, this jutsu was included. A future will come where ninja who master this art will walk the earth. They will all become the natural counters to that proud phasing ability of yours!!!"
Obito gave a cold, mirthless laugh. "The shinobi world… has no future."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He's serious. The Akatsuki's goal was tailed beast collection. They doubtless had a plan to use that power. If his words weren't an empty threat… if they didn't stop Obito completely here and now, he would only descend further into becoming an irredeemable sinner.
Crackle! Zap!
Vivid blue lightning coiled around Kakashi's right palm. The flickering white flame of the Hatred Flare danced around its edges.
"The best way to save him… is to eliminate the Obito standing before me now!!!"
His resolve crystalized. Kakashi shot forward.
Obito watched him close the distance. Watched his eyes. More precisely, the look in them.
Killing intent. Sincere. He wants to kill me. He genuinely believes he can kill me.
Heh.
A low chuckle escaped from behind the mask. It held notes of bleak sorrow. And simmering anger.
"Arrogant. I haven't even gotten serious, and you've already forgotten your place."
SLAM!!!
His palm smashed against the ground.
—Wood Style: Hell's Uprising!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! Grotesque, spear-like trees erupted in a frenzy, their tips mercilessly piercing the earth. Kakashi was in their midst. In the next second, he'd be a pincushion.
"What…!?"
At that exact moment—Might Guy charged in, heedless of the danger. He snatched Kakashi away, carrying him clear of the forest of death.
Wooden spears erupted toward them. Guy reignited the Seventh Gate. Another Daytime Tiger roared forth, obliterating the wooden assault.
"Kakashi, face reality. The you of right now isn't his match. Besides… White Hatred Flare consumes the soul. Maintaining it for too long… the consequences are like the Eight Gates. And it still might not be enough to truly finish him."
"If it can stop Obito," Kakashi said, his voice steady, "my life is a small price to pay."
"I understand your resolve," Guy said, his expression grave. "I know the history between you two. The need for a conclusion. I shouldn't interfere too much. But he spoke of the world's future. He's clearly plotting something. So I can't stand aside. If someone must sacrifice themselves to hold him here… Kakashi, let me be that vanguard."
Kakashi's eyes widened. "You… you don't mean…"
Guy yanked down the zipper of his green jumpsuit. His eyes held the determination of one walking through fire.
"If I have to… I'll become the Crimson Beast right here, right now!"
Obito's masked gaze shifted.
Might Guy. Master of the Eight Gates. My knowledge of the final gate's power comes only from Madara's accounts. It's said the previous generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was nearly wiped out by Guy's father, Might Duy. And Duy was just a genin. If the Gate of Death's power scales with the user's base ability… letting him open it here would indeed be dangerous…
His hand drifted to his chest, touching the torn remnant of the Scroll of Seals hidden there.
…Regardless, the true 'technique' I came for is already in hand. My contingency plan, for that slim chance the Nine-Tails hunt fails. The Ten-Tails' revival is assured. No need to test fate here. Enough.
"Kakashi. Might Guy. Just wait quietly for the world's end…"
Shwoop!
The vortex from his right eye swallowed him whole.
"…" Might Guy slowly lowered the thumb he had raised to his chest. His gaze remained fierce. Unyielding.
"If that day truly comes… I will stop you. Even if it costs me my life…"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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