Chapter 343: Kakashi's Dilemma

"Yu-sama, we're almost there!"

As they sped across the surface of the Land of Waves, Haku could vaguely see the shore in the distance.

"Mm..."

"You take Kimimaro and find a place to rest. I'll handle the rest on my own..."

Even without Haku's reminder, Yu's Observation Haki could sense the situation far ahead. Glancing at the pale-faced Kimimaro, Yu added, "Make sure you pay attention to the marks I've left. This country isn't large, and with my current Sensing ability, I can find you anytime..."

"Yes..."

Although hesitant, Haku and Kimimaro hoped they could stay to help Yu. Nevertheless, they obeyed Yu's orders.

"Good, then it's time for me to meet my old friend..."

After watching Haku and Kimimaro leave, Yu murmured to himself and lightly leaped into the air, stepping onto an invisible, transparent thread. "It's been so long. I wonder if you'll bring the future protagonists here, Kakashi..."

Land of Waves - Above the Heavy Mist in the Sky

Yu was using his Observation Haki to carefully search the land below. Although the Land of Waves had complex terrain, it wasn't very large. With his current second-stage Ultimate Observation Haki, it was easy for him to cover the entire country.

"I found it!!"

After a few minutes of Sensing search, Yu finally detected a battle taking place on a bridge under construction with several ninjas involved.

"This Chakra, it can't be mistaken..."

"Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, and Naruto Uzumaki, those two brats..."

Sensing the Chakra he had previously recorded with his Observation Haki, Yu quickly descended towards the bridge.

"Cling clang…"

Before he even landed, the sounds of clashing ninja tools reached Yu's ears.

"Indeed, as expected of Konoha's top technician, the Copy Ninja Kakashi..."

A ninja with green, parted hair and a rather handsome appearance, wearing a forehead protector of the Konoha missing-nin, and wielding a long sword crackling with golden lightning, was staring fiercely at the masked, silver-haired Hatake Kakashi. "More troublesome than I imagined…"

Both sides had some injuries and bloodstains, but it seemed that after a fierce battle, this Konoha missing-nin was completely at a disadvantage against Kakashi.

"Unfortunately..."

Breathing heavily, the green-haired Konoha missing-nin continued with a hint of sarcasm, "The outcome of this battle was doomed from the start. As long as I hold you back, those brats won't stand a chance against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist..."

"Damn it, Naruto and the others should be nearing their limit..."

Despite having the upper hand due to his superior skills, Kakashi's left eye, with its crimson Sharingan, revealed a hint of heaviness upon hearing his opponent's words. "I never expected that a simple C-Rank mission would lead to encountering Konoha's missing-nin Aoi Rokusho and such troublesome opponents like the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist..."

"Alright, hurry up and finish him off. Stop wasting time with him!!"

On the other side of the bridge, a tall man with long hair, shrouded in a large dark cloak, impatiently urged, holding two weapons resembling steel tridents. He was easily suppressing the three young brats in front of him. "My battle here is almost over... Don't you think so, Ranmaru..."

"Yes, Raiga is right!!"

At this moment, a childish voice from behind the long-haired man agreed with him. It turned out that there was even a child in the bag on the man's back.

"Aoi Rokusho, the Konoha missing-nin who stole the Sword of the Thunder God..."

Kakashi's crimson Sharingan pupils narrowed slightly, his expression growing more serious. "And Kurosuki Raiga, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. I didn't expect these two would be causing trouble together..."

Even though Aoi Rokusho wielded the Sword of the Thunder God, which he had stolen from Konoha, Kakashi could handle him easily with his strength. However, the presence of Kurosuki Raiga, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, fighting against his three students, who were like dead weight, made the situation extremely grave.

"Hatake Kakashi, I admired you back when I was in Konoha..."

"But don't you see that your three students are about to collapse? I advise you to give up quickly and hand over that old man to us..."

Holding the razor-sharp Sword of the Thunder God, the Konoha missing-nin Aoi Rokusho fixed his fierce gaze on his opponent, attempting to demoralize Kakashi with words.

Despite having three inexperienced students as a burden, the reputation of Copy Ninja Kakashi was well-known throughout the ninja world. If Aoi Rokusho could use words to persuade such an opponent to back down, he would be quite pleased.

Allies... or... the mission?

At this moment, Kakashi couldn't help but recall that his father, Konoha's White Fang, had once faced a similarly difficult choice.

"It seems you're still unwilling to give up..."

"In that case, Raiga-san, go ahead and kill all three of those brats!!"

Seeing Kakashi still refusing to back down, Aoi Rokusho, holding the Sword of the Thunder God, sneered coldly.

"Hmph, although killing three brats won't give me any sense of accomplishment..."

Upon hearing Aoi Rokusho's words, Kurosuki Raiga's fierce face broke into a cold-blooded smile. "But I'm still quite happy to hold a funeral for them!"

"Damn it..."

Facing the formidable and ruthless enemy, Naruto and Sasuke felt intense frustration and anger.

However, the overwhelming presence and murderous aura radiating from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist made it impossible for these three young ninjas, who were on their first official mission away from the village, to even move.

Lightning Burial: Lightning Feast!!

As Kurosuki Raiga finished speaking, the two Thunder Swords in his hands burst into a dazzling, violent lightning storm, ready to claim the lives of the three young ninjas before him!

"This is bad..."

"Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are completely unable to handle enemies like the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist..."

On the other side, Kakashi, who was desperately entangled by Aoi Rokusho wielding the Sword of the Thunder God, could not help but reveal a look of anxiety in his eyes.

"This Chakra... how is this possible?!"

"No! Raiga, we have to run quickly! Otherwise, we'll die here!!"

To everyone's surprise, just as Raiga was about to take the lives of the three young ninjas, the red-eyed boy Ranmaru on his back suddenly let out a terrified scream.

"Run? What are you talking about, Ranmaru..."

In such a dominant situation, Raiga was stunned to hear Ranmaru suddenly urging him to run. He looked puzzled at Ranmaru, knowing that the boy he had picked up on the road possessed a Kekkei Genkai with red eyes, allowing him to see through and perceive his opponent's Chakra.

Great Eruption!!

Suddenly, the mist-covered bridge was illuminated by an inexplicable red light, and a suffocatingly terrifying heat wave surged forth like a tidal wave.

Before the ninjas present could react, a massive, fire-red lava fist, as big as a house, emerged from the mist.

In an instant, it blasted Kurosuki Raiga and Ranmaru off their feet, incinerating the bridge's surface and surrounding railings into ashes with the terrifyingly high-temperature lava.

The few remaining people on the bridge stared in shock as Kurosuki Raiga and Ranmaru were smashed into the sea by a single punch. Even while in mid-air, they were already being melted away by the terrifying lava.

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