Chapter 79: Witness
"Shadow Clone?"
Su Xiao landed from mid-air and stopped his advance toward Kakashi. In his perception, the three-headed dog was clearly a solid entity, yet the moment his blade struck down, an unusual sensation emerged.
"Roar!"
A howl came from beneath his feet. One of the dog's heads burst through the ground, snapping at Su Xiao's calf.
"Earth Release: Earth-Spear Pillar."
Not far away, Kakashi slammed his hand against the ground, and a stone pillar rose beneath Su Xiao.
The pillar's force was immense and sudden, throwing off Su Xiao's balance and tilting his body sideways.
With a crunch, the three-headed dog's massive jaws clamped onto Su Xiao's calf. Several fangs shattered as it failed to bite into his leg, instead striking a hardened energy shield.
Dragon-Slaying Flash reversed in his hand, shifting from a standard grip to a reverse grip.
Zzzzzt~
The sharp crackle of lightning rang out. While Su Xiao was locked in combat with the three-headed dog, Kakashi charged forward, lightning surging in his hand as he thrust toward Su Xiao's chest.
Su Xiao ignored Kakashi, merely forming a 150-point energy shield in front of him as he stabbed downward into the ground with his reverse grip.
Most of the blade sank into the earth, followed by a muffled grunt. The strike hit the three-headed dog underground.
Gripping the hilt with both hands, Su Xiao twisted it. Cyan Steel Shadow energy clung to the surface of Dragon-Slaying Flash, and two screams echoed from below—those of Inuzuka Tsume and her ninja dog.
Over a dozen energy spikes sprouted from the blade's tip, and the sounds from underground ceased.
Pulling out the bloodstained longsword, Su Xiao turned his gaze to Kakashi.
Kakashi stood about a meter away, his palm pressed against the energy shield in front of Su Xiao. The moment Su Xiao dispelled the shield, he slashed at Kakashi.
As a close friend of Might Guy, Kakashi was no slouch in taijutsu. He leaned back, narrowly dodging the blade.
The longsword grazed past Kakashi's nose, the Cyan Steel energy stinging his cheek.
After evading that perilous strike, Kakashi's expression soured. He had closed in on Su Xiao to save Inuzuka Tsume, but he had failed. Worse, now it was difficult to create distance.
Kakashi wasn't ruthless enough. If he had been, he could have ignored Inuzuka Tsume. She had sought revenge, believing she could hold her own in close combat with Su Xiao.
But in actual battle, Inuzuka Tsume realized otherwise. The enemy's blade speed was astonishingly fast, and his swordsmanship was exquisite. Once locked in melee, retreat was impossible.
Inuzuka Tsume paid for her recklessness, dying beneath the soil at Su Xiao's feet. Kakashi also paid for her recklessness, now trapped in close quarters with Su Xiao.
Su Xiao swung his longsword in rapid succession, leaving silver streaks in the air.
Kakashi retreated step by step, miraculously dodging four of Su Xiao's strikes. He now held a kunai, his face slick with cold sweat.
Ding, ding, ding...
Dragon-Slashing Flash clashed with the kunai, sparks flying as the kunai's edge chipped into a noticeable notch. Kakashi blocked over a dozen of Su Xiao's strikes, which surprised Su Xiao somewhat.
"Inch Severance."
Su Xiao's slashing speed suddenly increased to a dizzying pace, and Kakashi's pressure skyrocketed.
With every slash, blade aura flew out. Within seconds, Kakashi's green vest was shredded, crisscrossing sword wounds covering his chest.
After a few more exchanges with Kakashi, Su Xiao sensed something off. Kakashi seemed battered up close, but he wasn't being killed instantly—a stark contrast to their last fight.
Su Xiao observed Kakashi's changes closely. He noticed that Kakashi's veins bulged on his face, and his chakra flow was extremely fast, as if he had removed his body's limits.
"Is this... the Eight Gates?"
Su Xiao finally understood why Kakashi could hold out in melee for so long. Kakashi had opened the second gate, the Gate of Rest, which was also his limit.
Given Kakashi's relationship with Might Guy, Su Xiao wasn't surprised that Kakashi could open the gates.
Even with the second gate open, Kakashi's close-combat ability was still not on Su Xiao's level.
Su Xiao sidestepped, raised his longsword above his head, and after a quick charge, slashed downward.
The diagonal strike was heavy and fast, and Kakashi instinctively raised his kunai to block.
With a clink, the kunai snapped. The longsword struck Kakashi directly.
Pfft, blood sprayed. The blade cut across one side of Kakashi's face, the wound trailing down his chest to his abdomen.
From Su Xiao's angle, he could faintly see Kakashi's beating heart.
Kakashi's black mask was sliced open. Before blood gushed from his cheek wound, Su Xiao caught a glimpse of Kakashi's face.
The lower half of Kakashi's face was normal—no oversized lips or buck teeth.
Cyan Steel energy invaded Kakashi's body, causing him to wince in pain as his body stiffened.
Su Xiao wouldn't miss such an opportunity. He slashed at Kakashi.
But at that moment, a strong sense of crisis surged.
Boom!
The kunai in Kakashi's hand suddenly exploded. The blast engulfed Su Xiao in flames, and a powerful shockwave surged toward him. Though he formed an energy shield in front of him the instant of the explosion, it was still a bit too late.
When the flames receded, blood seeped from Su Xiao's arm. A fragment of the kunai had lodged into his limb.
As for Kakashi, one of his arms was blown off, and one side of his face was covered in burns.
If Su Xiao had activated the shield a second later, he would have been either killed or severely injured.
It wasn't the kunai in Kakashi's hand that had exploded. Kakashi had pre-wrapped an explosive tag around the kunai's handle. After being gravely wounded by Su Xiao's blade, he knew it was a death sentence and decisively activated the tag.
This explosive tag was no ordinary item. It was a special tag developed by the Second Hokage, with five times the power of a standard one. Only high-ranking Leaf ninja could obtain it in the ninja world.
"Huff... So this is how it ends."
Kakashi spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Let's go to hell together."
Kakashi looked at Su Xiao not far away, a smile spreading across his bloodied face.
Su Xiao's pupils contracted sharply. A sense of crisis came from below.
"Lightning Shield..."
Kakashi pressed his remaining arm to the ground, channeling lightning into the earth. This was a developing no-hand-seal jutsu, consuming massive chakra. If he still had his Sharingan, he couldn't have used this technique in combat.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
A desperate shout came from afar. Hearing that familiar voice, Kakashi, who had been ready to die with his enemy, paused. The voice was too familiar—it was his student, Naruto.
Clang!
A blade aura flashed. Kakashi's movements froze, and the lightning in his hand dissipated.
Su Xiao looked at the ground beneath him. He had already sensed Kakashi's attack. The ninjutsu wasn't faster than his blade aura. He had won.
Kakashi collapsed with a thud. His head was severed, and he died instantly.
There was no notification of World Source gain. A pale-gold treasure chest dropped to the ground.
Su Xiao stepped forward, picked up the chest, and stored it away. Then he pulled the kunai fragment from his arm.
The sight of Kakashi being decapitated fell into Naruto's eyes. Naruto stood frozen, his eyes wide, as if unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
"Kakashi... sensei?"