**Chapter 262: Crushing**
"Ugh!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes suddenly widened.
Although the Fire Release he spat out had blasted the rock away, his mouth was now smeared with a ring of black.
So close!
Just a little closer, and he would have burned himself.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glared at Kakashi, and one thought filled his mind: *You gotta be kidding me.*
*Bang!*
At that moment, Kakashi hit Sarutobi Hiruzen on the head with a flick of his fingers.
"Ugh!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen clutched his head, crouching down in pain, tears almost welling up.
"You… you…"
He looked at Kakashi in agony, his finger trembling as he pointed at him.
At the same time, his heart was filled with shock.
*Damn it!*
*Damn it! This bastard, how can he be so strong?*
*He's not even 27 yet!*
The people around them were also stunned.
*What was that?*
*Did they see it wrong?*
*The young Hokage facing off against the former Hokage looked like an adult disciplining a child.*
*This is just...*
*Swoosh!*
Using the Body Flicker Technique, Sarutobi Hiruzen swiftly distanced himself from Kakashi, covering his head with one hand and pointing at Kakashi with the other.
He was furious!
"Kakashi, you…"
"The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stop using these underhanded tricks."
Kakashi's voice was calm as he said, "You know, I could've killed you just now."
"Fine, fine!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He coldly glared at Kakashi and said in a frosty tone, "Such quick Body Flicker, who did you learn it from? Uchiha Shisui or Uchiha Itsuki?"
Kakashi responded indifferently, "My teacher, the Fourth Hokage, the Hokage who sacrificed himself for the Leaf Village. All the previous Hokages, including the Fourth, sacrificed themselves for the Leaf, didn't they? You get that?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened even more.
He intended to mock Kakashi, but now he was the one being mocked.
Quickly, he formed hand signs.
"Lightning Release… Thunderstorm!"
With a loud roar, Sarutobi Hiruzen unleashed a powerful Lightning Release technique.
Seeing this, Kakashi remained nonchalant. Lightning flickered lightly in his hand as he reached out and grabbed the bolt of lightning.
*Boom!!!*
*Bang!*
After the deafening crash, Kakashi stood unscathed in his original spot.
"Impossible!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen almost screamed.
*How could he so easily neutralize my technique with just a little chakra?*
"Why not?"
Kakashi casually said, "It's just lightning. If you direct it into the ground, it's fine. Why dodge or take it head-on? You'd have to be crazy."
"You… you…"
A chill crept into Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.
Kakashi's strength was beyond his imagination.
"It seems you're scared."
Kakashi said coldly, "If that's the case, then it's my turn."
*Swoosh!*
Kakashi transformed into a blur and quickly approached Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened as he said, "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
From the center of Sarutobi Hiruzen, fireballs shot out in all directions.
This jutsu covered a wide area, perfect for dealing with a speedster like Kakashi.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen was disappointed.
Kakashi was even faster, skillfully avoiding every dead angle of the attack.
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could react, Kakashi had already appeared in front of him.
*Bang!*
A dull thud sounded, and Sarutobi Hiruzen's vision went black as countless stars danced before his eyes.
Kakashi had punched him in the face.
One punch, then another.
One punch after another.
The short Sarutobi Hiruzen, in front of the tall Kakashi, was like a broken doll, being lifted and pummeled.
The surrounding people winced, their faces twitching.
The sensation of each punch landing was hard to watch.
But…
The one being beaten was once the Hokage of the Leaf!
Kakashi, is venting your anger really okay like this?
Now, the people around understood: Kakashi was avenging his father.
Though they could sympathize, their emotions were still complicated.
Especially Nara Shikaku, who was starting to sweat.
*Is Kakashi really this strong?*
In his heart, Shikaku had always been modest, considering that Akimichi Itsuki was part of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio.
Kakashi had often referred to Itsuki as the strongest in the Leaf.
Despite Itsuki's own denials, hearing it from Kakashi so many times had given Shikaku a bit of pride.
*My team is the strongest!*
In the end, Itsuki had to humble him, pointing out that Jiraiya was still in the Leaf.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo were also formidable opponents.
Only then did Shikaku restrain himself a little.
But now…
Watching Kakashi effortlessly deal with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shikaku had a doubt.
*Could Itsuki even beat Kakashi?*
*Kakashi's been hiding his strength so well.*
*He's absurdly strong.*
*Is Uchiha Itsuki stronger than him? That's still unknown.*
No!
Looking at the bigger picture, Uchiha Itsuki is probably stronger.
Black lines appeared on Shikaku's forehead.
Every time he doubted Uchiha Itsuki, he remembered the fear that came with being dominated by him.
*That was real fear!*
*If you're not afraid, he has ways to make you afraid.*
*Bang!*
With a final kick to Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, Kakashi sent him flying.
"Ugh!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
Seeing this, the surroundings fell into silence.
Whether they were shocked earlier or not, now, all they felt was sorrow.
*This was the Hokage!*
Their former Hokage now lay on the ground like a beaten dog.
He was truly old.
Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen had made many mistakes, seeing the elderly man, once so respected as the Hokage, in such a pitiful state touched everyone's hearts.
They had once revered him so much!
They had worshipped him!
They had respected him!
But all of that had now crumbled.
"Hmph!"
Kakashi seemed to sense the shift in the atmosphere and snorted coldly. He said indifferently, "Sarutobi Hiruzen, does it hurt? My father and the Leaf ninja who died because of you didn't even have the right to feel pain."
"You deserve to die. Because of you, thousands of Leaf ninja lost their lives."
"Their sacrifices led to the growth of the Sarutobi clan. At its peak, your clan had nearly four thousand members. Sarutobi Hiruzen, can you tell me how you managed that?"
With a simple sentence, Kakashi once again nailed Sarutobi Hiruzen to the pillar of shame.
Coughing, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up, staring intently at Kakashi.
"How are you this strong?"
"Because of this."
Kakashi smiled faintly, not pretending, not hiding anything. He simply removed his eye patch.
"You…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen and everyone else were stunned.
What made Kakashi famous?
The Sharingan Kakashi!
The legendary Copy Ninja of Konoha.
However!
At this moment, beneath the eyepatch covering Kakashi's eye socket was a normal eye.
It was no longer the Uchiha's Sharingan!
"Where is your Sharingan?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was hoarse.
"I removed it a long time ago," Kakashi calmly replied. "That eye was only a hindrance, constantly draining my chakra. Once I took it out, my strength began to soar."
In fact, that eye belonged to Obito. If it wasn't Obito's Sharingan, why would Kakashi have kept it for so long?
A genius who became a Jonin at twelve would certainly have noticed what was holding back his progress.
Fortunately!
Uchiha Itsuki removed the eye for him and replaced it with a regular one.
So, Kakashi decided to replace the Sharingan completely, swapping it for an ordinary eye.
Once the Sharingan was removed, his power skyrocketed.
In no time, he broke into the Kage level, and then continued to rise even further.
Now, Kakashi himself didn't even know how strong he had become.
But...
He had probably surpassed his father.
He had surpassed that man!
"Is that so?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled bitterly.
No matter the reason, he knew he couldn't defeat Kakashi.
The gap in their power was painfully obvious.
Still!
He wasn't going to give up!
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Boom!"
Four Hiruzen Sarutobis appeared.
"Kakashi, you're an outstanding ninja. Under your leadership, I believe Konoha will recover and once again become the number one village in the shinobi world. But..."
Hiruzen was a living, breathing man. He couldn't sacrifice himself, nor his family, for the sake of others.
If it were just him, maybe he could consider it.
But now!
If he died here, his entire clan would surely face retribution.
Konohamaru...
Thinking of his grandson's face, Hiruzen's expression turned cold.
"Heh, you're overthinking this," Kakashi sneered. "All you need to do now is die. Don't think too much, understood?"
Hiruzen let out a low chuckle.
All five Hiruzens began forming hand signs.
Fire Release!
Water Release!
Earth Release!
Wind Release!
Lightning Release!
Each Hiruzen used a different chakra nature.
Finally, all the forces converged.
"Five-Element Grand Bullet Technique!"
Boom!!!
The five powers merged into one, surging toward Kakashi like a tsunami.
Kakashi's expression remained indifferent. He didn't dodge or defend himself, just coldly watched the attack.
Boom!!!
The attack roared forward.
Boom!!!
The massive blast swept across the area.
The earth let out a mournful cry.
It felt like all of Konoha was trembling.
Torifu Akimichi's eyes widened in shock.
"Holy crap!"
He couldn't help but curse, "Damn Hiruzen Sarutobi! This attack... damn!"
Was this even a ninja's attack?
It was practically the attack of a tailed beast!
If Hiruzen had such power, why hadn't he used it until now?
In so many critical moments before, why didn't he use this?
What the hell!
Now he uses it against Konoha's Hokage.
As expected!
You never realize how much something hurts until the knife is at your own throat.
Now that Kakashi was trying to kill him, Hiruzen had pulled out all his trump cards.
He wasn't even human!
The usually calm Torifu Akimichi was now extremely furious.
At the same time, he was a bit anxious.
If something really happened to Kakashi, it could mean disaster for Konoha right now.
"Huff, huff!"
Hiruzen was panting heavily. The attack had consumed a huge amount of his strength, but his eyes were filled with excitement.
Kakashi was dead!
Konoha had lost its Hokage once again.
Considering the instability on the front lines...
The surrounding villages were eyeing them hungrily...
Could it be possible that he might retake the position of Hokage?
Even though his reputation was tarnished, survival was all that mattered to Konoha now, wasn't it?
As long as they could survive, they'd probably even call him father.
The Daimyo would likely be the first to stand up and support him.
Why hadn't he thought of this earlier?
If he had, he would've dealt with Kakashi long ago.
"Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"
At that moment, a low voice rang in Hiruzen's ears.
Suddenly—
Whoosh!
Hiruzen felt himself being pulled underground.
"You... you..."
Hiruzen stared dumbfounded at Kakashi, who had just reappeared.
"Your ninjutsu is indeed powerful,"
Kakashi stood in front of Hiruzen and said, "But no matter how strong a technique is, if it can't hit the enemy, what good is it?"
"Just like now, a simple Earth Release has rendered your powerful ninjutsu useless."
Kakashi's voice was soft, as though it could be blown away by the wind.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Hiruzen, trapped underground, roared in anger, "Earth Release could never counter my technique! You used something else! You must have!"
Kakashi smiled quietly without answering.
It was indeed impossible for a simple Earth Release technique to neutralize Hiruzen's mixed-element ninjutsu.
But!
He wasn't going to say that.
He wanted to watch Hiruzen suffer.
He wanted him to die in misery.
In fact, everything that happened today had been within Kakashi's expectations.
Even Hiruzen himself!
Hiruzen wasn't as weak as everyone thought.
It's just that after his numerous battles with Danzo...
And Danzo's final desperate attack did indeed injure him.
The only question was how badly.
The repeated injuries, along with Hiruzen's own chakra depletion...
Now, Hiruzen was only at seventy percent of his peak strength.
A nearly seventy-year-old ninja, with only seventy percent of his power, facing a prime Kakashi—the outcome had long been decided.
That's why this overwhelming situation unfolded before everyone.
Kakashi wasn't as strong as everyone imagined either.
He had only removed the Sharingan recently.
Though his strength had indeed reached the Kage level and surpassed the White Fang of the past, the time since he removed the Sharingan had been too short.
Give him more time, and he would truly become a peak-kage level shinobi.
But!
None of that mattered to Kakashi.
All he wanted was Hiruzen Sarutobi's life!
Danzo had already been killed by the Third Hokage.
Now, only Hiruzen remained, and Kakashi was determined to make him die in the most humiliating way possible.
As for Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado...
Those two were just side dishes, easily dealt with at any time.
Seriously.
(End of Chapter)