"Yes, your courage is commendable."
Menma nodded approvingly. "As a reward for your bravery, I'll allow you to disguise your identity during the operation."
"..."
Zabuza was speechless.
So, you were planning to have us attack the daimyo openly, without any cover?! These people from the Otherworld Empire are truly fearless.
But, it made sense.
To them, the daimyo was nothing more than a historical term. There was no reverence, no fear—just another obstacle to remove.
Just then, Menma's expression changed slightly. He turned his head, his sharp gaze locking onto something in the distance. Closing his eyes, he focused his senses.
"Someone's coming," he muttered. "And their strength is considerable."
Using Kagura's Mind's Eye, he extended his perception further.
In the distance, a masked figure was moving swiftly in their direction. And he wasn't alone.
"There are six of them," Menma analyzed. "They're heading straight for us. Two of them are Elite Jōnin. Among the other four, one is a standard Jōnin, another is a Special Jōnin, and the remaining two are Chūnin-level or lower."
Opening his eyes, Menma raised his hand. A shimmering water mirror materialized in midair.
"These individuals are wearing masks," he explained, focusing his chakra to project the images from his mind onto the mirror. "This is what they look like."
Zabuza and Kakashi—both the White Kakashi and Black Kakashi—stared at the technique in astonishment.
What kind of ninjutsu was this?
No hand seals, no visible effort—just raw visualization and chakra projection.
Then, something else caught White Kakashi's attention. His face darkened.
"Wait... these two..."
His eyes locked onto two particular figures. One had orange hair, the other black.
"The orange-haired one is Yamanaka Fū, and the black-haired one is Aburame Tōgen. They're both from the Root Organization—Danzo's subordinates!"
Kakashi knew them well.
Born from powerful ninja clans, their teamwork was nearly perfect. If they worked together, even he might struggle to take them on.
And with four more enemies in the mix? This wasn't going to be easy.
"They must be coming for us," Black Kakashi said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "The Land of Waves is too remote for this to be a coincidence."
Had their movements been exposed?
No, that was unlikely.
If the Empire's invasion had been discovered, the response wouldn't be six Root members. It would be the Five Kage leading a full-scale counterattack.
That meant the Root team was targeting something else.
He turned toward White Kakashi. "It seems they're after you."
White Kakashi frowned.
Was Danzo targeting him, Naruto, or Sasuke?
All were possibilities.
Menma, however, remained unfazed. He turned to Zabuza and Haku with a grin.
"I'll leave these guys to Captain Kakashi," he declared. "You two come with me. We're going to assassinate the daimyo."
"...!"
Zabuza's eye twitched violently.
He should have known—there was no escaping this mission.
The Land of Waves – Forest Path
Six masked Root ninjas were moving swiftly through the dense forest.
"Stop!"
Yamanaka Fū, the team leader, suddenly raised his hand.
The group halted instantly.
"What's wrong?" Aburame Tōgen asked.
Fū's brows furrowed. "...Someone's ahead."
A strange unease settled in his chest.
This mission shouldn't be difficult, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Then, the soft sound of footsteps echoed from the path ahead.
A solitary figure emerged from the shadows, walking toward them without any attempt to conceal himself.
His silver-white hair was unkempt, and a mask covered his face. A Konoha forehead protector was slanted over his left eye, obscuring it from view.
A Short Sword was strapped to his back.
Fū's eyes widened slightly.
"Hatake... Kakashi?"
What was he doing here?
Did he know they were coming?
And why was he alone?
"Yo," Black Kakashi greeted casually, his eye curving slightly with amusement.
His disguise was perfect—he looked and sounded exactly like White Kakashi.
Meanwhile, hidden in the trees, White Kakashi, Obito, Senju Hashirama, and others observed the scene.
"What's he going to do?" White Kakashi whispered. "Will he use ninjutsu or swordsmanship?"
Obito scoffed. "Against them? Please. Not a single one is Kage-level. He could wipe them out in an instant."
"..."
White Kakashi twitched slightly.
Since when was Kage-level considered so insignificant?!
Did these Otherworld Empire people even realize how ridiculous they sounded?
Black Kakashi vs. Root
Back on the path, Fū exchanged a glance with Tōgen. They had already planned for this.
If Kakashi appeared, the two of them would engage him, while the other four would proceed with their primary objective—capturing Uzumaki Naruto.
The team leader gestured, and the other Root members nodded before moving off into the forest.
But—
"Sorry," Black Kakashi interrupted, raising his right hand.
His two fingers subtly traced an arc in the air.
"This road is blocked."
A thin chakra slash flickered from his fingers—barely visible at first.
But then—
FWOOOOSH!
The slash expanded instantly, stretching over ten meters wide.
In an instant, the dense forest split apart.
Swish!
The massive chakra wave silently cut through trees, rock, and earth as if they were paper.
Within moments, a dozen massive trees collapsed, crashing to the ground with a deafening roar.
The Root ninjas froze in shock.
Their escape route was completely destroyed.
"..."
Even Fū and Tōgen were speechless.
What kind of technique was that?
No hand seals. No blade.
Just a simple gesture—and an entire section of the forest was gone.
Black Kakashi lowered his hand.
"Now then," he said, tilting his head. "Shall we begin?"
Fū clenched his teeth.
They had severely underestimated this man.
He wasn't just Hatake Kakashi.
There was something different about him—something deadly.
"Formation!" he ordered.
The Root ninjas drew their weapons, preparing for battle.
But deep down, Fū felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Fear.
To Be Continued…
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