Chapter 27: Madness
"Uchiha brat, you're courting death!"
Kitsuchi, consumed by rage, had completely lost it. Both of his subordinates had been taken down by this damned Uchiha kid!
If the death of the first one didn't affect him too much—given that they weren't particularly close and he still wanted intel on Konoha—then the second death was a completely different story.
That was Genboku, his childhood friend, someone he had grown up with. His real friend.
At this moment, Kitsuchi didn't care about gathering intel anymore. He only wanted one thing: for this Uchiha brat to die.
The fury of a rampaging Kitsuchi was beyond terrifying. Kakashi had planned to take advantage of a brief distraction to ambush him with Chidori, but Kitsuchi's reaction speed was beyond anything Kakashi had anticipated.
The instant the Chidori's sharp screech rang out, Kitsuchi crouched down and slammed both palms to the ground. His powerful chakra surged into the earth.
In the next moment, a ten-meter-high wall of stone burst from the ground—blocking Kakashi's Chidori perfectly.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.
Though a basic Earth Release technique, in Kitsuchi's hands it became incredibly formidable.
However, lightning beats earth. Kakashi's Chidori easily pierced through the stone wall. But instead of feeling victorious, Kakashi's expression turned grim.
Because the moment his Chidori burst through the wall, Kitsuchi had already sidestepped the attack—and simultaneously launched a counterpunch.
That terrifying punch shattered his own Earth Release technique into rubble and landed squarely in Kakashi's chest!
The sound of bones fracturing echoed through the air. Kakashi was sent flying, blood spraying everywhere, and slammed violently into the ground. His chest caved in slightly—he looked like he was on the brink of death.
Uchiha Kei was stunned by the sight.
Is Kakashi really going to die like this?
"Kakashi!!"
Not far away, Rin Nohara screamed as she noticed the scene. She tried to run to him, but a nearby Iwagakure shinobi kicked her away.
Her rash move ended up exposing their defense line, throwing Imai Kenta into deeper trouble as he was forced to react. The coordinated defense of their team collapsed in an instant.
Kei didn't need to look to know: Kenta was probably more furious at Rin than at the enemy shinobi right now.
If he weren't worried about Kei going rogue or calling Minato, Kenta might've actually taken the chance to eliminate her himself.
But at this point, Kenta gave up on protecting her entirely. If Rin drew the enemy's attention and died, so be it.
Still, the enemy shinobi returned his focus to Kenta after knocking Rin away. He was intent on stopping anyone from reaching Kakashi.
And Kenta wasn't doing so well. His wounds were piling up, and he was nearing his limit.
Kei silently observed everything. He never truly cared about his teammates, and certainly not about the lives of any canon characters.
After all, how could he worry about others when he wasn't even sure he could survive himself?
He'd already saved Kakashi twice by accident. He thought things were finally getting back on track.
But then Kakashi was nearly killed in one punch by the future father of the Fourth Tsuchikage. The fragility of life struck Kei hard—but even more than that, it was the unexpectedness of it all.
Was Kakashi, the "eternal cockroach," really going to die here?
Still, Kei had a plan. With Kakashi on the verge of death and Ayaka Hyuga severely wounded, surely this counted as the "dire moment" Minato had mentioned, right?
Unfortunately, there was no time to think things through.
Kitsuchi, after disposing of Kakashi, charged straight at Kei—his overwhelming killing intent and chakra made it clear: "You must die today."
I have to summon Minato now... This situation is already beyond saving... Kei muttered internally.
He quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to widen the distance and took out the kunai Kakashi had entrusted to him, channeling chakra into it.
He didn't know Kakashi's current status, but if he didn't act fast, their whole team might get wiped out.
But luck was not on Kei's side this time.
Even after infusing chakra into the kunai—nothing happened.
Too far away? Needs more time? Or is Minato busy right now?
While dodging Kitsuchi's relentless attacks, Kei pondered the issue.
Kitsuchi had always left a deep impression on Kei from the anime and manga.
He remembered that during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kitsuchi led the Second Division of the Allied Forces and had once punched a tailed-beast-transformed Kinkaku across the battlefield.
He even faced off against the Ten Tails, using powerful Earth Release techniques like Earth-Style: Mountain Jutsu to suppress the Gedo Statue and the Ten Tails.
Even if this wasn't his peak, he was already showcasing glimpses of his future strength.
Each punch he threw now cracked the earth, and Kei knew: if one of those landed, he'd die on the spot.
If not for his Sharingan's high-speed perception and proficiency with the Body Flicker Technique, Kei would've been turned into a bloody smear already.
He tried to counterattack, but it was no use.
Kei's limited offensive abilities were useless against a berserk Kitsuchi.
Earlier, Kitsuchi would at least dodge Kei's kunai or shuriken. Now? He didn't even bother.
He wasn't worried about getting hurt anymore. He just wanted to kill.
Kei couldn't touch him. The only way would be to close in and land a kunai in his heart—just like he did to Genboku earlier.
But now, Kitsuchi had chakra cloaked around his entire body, leaving no openings.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more anxious Kei became.
With his Sharingan, he could see that Kakashi really was on the verge of death. And soon, Iwagakure reinforcements would arrive.
Kenta's situation was already dire—like a cat playing with its prey, and the prey was nearly dead.
As Kitsuchi closed in again, Kei's eyes burned with madness of his own.
If you're so determined to kill me... then I'll make sure you lose all your teammates too!