Naruto: Becomes a Rebel Ninja After Annihilating the Hyuga Clan - Chapter 103
Life is long.
Y?gao was seventeen, soon to be eighteen.
But her life up to this point had been a thin accumulation of dreams and complaints, caught between the notions of “there’s still a long way to go” and “life is almost over.”
Her life was the pond filled with grasshoppers and leaves at the age of five.
It was the sweat and slogans of the ninja academy at ten.
It was the shy figure who confessed to her at fifteen.
It was the fist placed to his mouth when he coughed.
Her life, like that man’s, had been frail and sickly.
She never protected anyone, never successfully avenged anyone, and couldn’t prevent Konoha from falling into crisis.
So far.
It was nothing more than a repetitive cycle from one place to another.
Nothing more than a continuous sequence of missions.
And these missions, from her current perspective, were merely extensions of Konoha’s influence under the guise of “safety,” a giant’s steps towards the cliff, bringing no relief from conflicts, only futile internal strife within Konoha.
Even without Neiki’s provocation, the Uchiha rebellion would have happened, and without intervention, Konoha’s current situation wouldn’t be much better.
In such a cycle, her life remained weightless.
She hoped to die in the last moments of her life on the battlefield defending Konoha, but such lofty slogans couldn’t dispel the darkness in her heart. Her actions were merely a selfish desire to leave with some dignity.
Samui said she was seeking death.
But Y?gao felt it wasn’t about seeking death; it was about accompanying the burial — using her insignificant life to accompany Konoha, which was about to fall off the cliff.
The pessimistic signal that the reinforcements were blocked made it unbearable for her to see Konoha die before her.
But now.
Y?gao looked at Kakashi’s silhouette under the tree shade and sighed softly.
She had thought that dying so lightly would not matter to anyone, as too many people had died in this war. But even death could not accept her pale life. In her last moments, someone didn’t want her to let go.
“Sorry, Hayate… I’ll visit you next time.”
In the sky, Hayate Gekk?’s gentle smile shone like moonlight.
Ahead, Samui and the surrounding Kumogakure ninjas stared at Kakashi, full of anger.
The atmosphere was tense.
“Go now,” Kakashi whispered to Y?gao.
Y?gao sensed the sharp killing intent around her and saw something Kakashi was holding. She wanted to ask but refrained, swallowing her words.
“Be careful, don’t bring me back to life just to return to the afterlife yourself,” Y?gao instructed, receiving a reassuring nod from Kakashi.
She turned and retreated towards Konoha.
No one chased her. All the Kumogakure ninjas focused on Kakashi.
“That arm in your hands, where did you get it?” Samui’s icy voice validated her ice queen reputation.
“Oh, this?” Kakashi raised the still-bleeding arm, making sure the surrounding Kumogakure ninjas saw the clear “?” (Thunder) mark. “It’s a freshly acquired trophy.”
“Lord Darui… What have you done to Lord Darui?!” a Kumogakure ninja finally confirmed the authenticity of the arm, shouting in rage.
So, Darui had a high standing in Kumogakure…
Kakashi thought, scanning the gathering Kumogakure ninjas. His expression remained calm. “Guess.”
“Die!!” A Kumogakure ninja couldn’t hold back and charged at him.
No Kumogakure ninja could tolerate such provocation, especially since Darui held a high position in Kumogakure and was well-liked by all, much like the Fourth Raikage A.
Kakashi easily dispatched the attacking ninja with a few moves, but more Kumogakure ninjas quickly followed. Amid the chaos, Kakashi fought while retreating. Finally, he saw an opportunity, using a substitution jutsu to avoid Samui’s deadly strike. As the Kumogakure ninjas searched for him, Kakashi called out:
“I’m over here.”
When all eyes turned to him, he held Darui’s arm and darted towards another battlefield.
“Damn it!”
“Don’t run!!”
“This guy…”
Seeing many Kumogakure ninjas pursuing him, Kakashi sighed. Dodging the flying kunai, he pressed on his aching Sharingan.
“Let’s see how many more I can lead away.”
Kumogakure had the fewest missing-ninjas among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, not just because of the Raikage’s charisma, but also due to their rough management style. From top to bottom, Kumogakure functioned more like a mafia organization that respected strength above all. The strongest became Raikage, and they believed in the logic of “I’ll beat you until you obey.” This rough style made their internal atmosphere more relaxed, with camaraderie led by the Fourth Raikage.
Now that Darui, the second-in-command, was in trouble, the other Kumogakure ninjas couldn’t stand it. They knew advancing the front line to destroy Konoha was more important, but they couldn’t ignore Kakashi flaunting Darui’s arm on the battlefield.
“Looks like I’ll have to get serious,” Yomito looked at her injured arm, then at Asuma’s fierce determination, sighing lightly.
Her opponent’s combat skills had become more refined, or rather, finally revived. She had taken advantage of Asuma’s previously lazy style, thinking that was all he had.
Asuma smiled, understanding her identity, his smile mixed with resignation and a readiness to die. “Konoha is behind me; I can’t retreat. Come at me.”
Yomito was about to speak when she noticed something, looking up.
Asuma did the same.
“Hmm? What’s happening?”
Yomito listened intently to the approaching commotion, fully alert.
### Chapter 105: The Blue Beast of Konoha
A sound came from the bushes, followed by a figure darting out.
“Kakashi?” Asuma was startled.
“Retreat quickly,” Kakashi called out, turning and running in another direction.
“Wait…” Yomito noticed something familiar in Kakashi’s arms.
She was about to inquire when numerous Kumogakure ninjas emerged from the bushes.
“Where did he run off to?”
“I sensed him over there!”
“That guy…”
“Yomito-sama!” Samui halted when she saw a familiar face.
“What’s happening?” Yomito asked.
Samui quickly explained the situation.
“Raikage-sama will be very angry. That ‘?’ mark was personally engraved by the Raikage on Darui’s shoulder…” Samui said, turning to look at Asuma, who was also stunned. She noticed the “?” mark on his waist and a glint of killing intent flashed in her eyes. “We might be able to exact some revenge…”
After hearing this, Asuma turned and retreated towards Konoha.
Continuing to fight alone was meaningless, especially since Kakashi seemed to have accomplished something significant. He couldn’t let Kakashi down.
With Konoha behind him, he decided to face the Kumogakure ninjas there.
Yomito sighed, feeling troubled by the chaotic situation. She decided not to pursue Kakashi, knowing that would play right into his trap. Ahead, Raikage and the Kumogakure ninjas were battling Konoha fiercely. They needed to support them quickly and couldn’t afford to be led around by Kakashi.
Recalling the hint in Asuma’s departing glance, she grinned and followed.
Their battle was far from over.
She never shied away from close combat.
…
“Who’s that? Why are so many of our people chasing him?” Killer Bee asked, wiping the blood from his mouth as he stood up again, looking at the distant commotion.
A Kumogakure ninja went to investigate and returned, looking furious:
“He’s holding Darui’s arm with the ‘?’ mark!”
The surrounding Kumogakure ninjas were stunned.
Here, Guy, who had been single-handedly fighting off ten Kumogakure ninjas, wiped the blood off his face and finally took a breath.
Killer Bee’s unique fighting style, using seven swords controlled simultaneously by different parts of his body, made him a formidable opponent. Despite Guy’s confidence as the “Blue Beast of Konoha,” even beasts get injured. Especially when using fists and feet against ninja swords, Guy, although dominating the fight, accumulated more and more wounds. Killer Bee’s incredible healing ability further tipped the balance against him.
Guy watched Killer Bee’s rapidly healing wounds, guessing that it must be some special kekkei genkai. To inflict significant damage, he needed stronger taijutsu or to open at least the seventh gate of the Eight Gates.
But doing so would mean he couldn’t fight for long.
Konoha’s strategy wasn’t to defeat the enemies outright but to hold out until reinforcements arrived. It was about endurance, not a quick burst of power. Even if he defeated these enemies, it wouldn’t significantly alter Konoha’s overall situation.
As he hesitated, a voice suddenly called out: “Guy, retreat quickly!”
Guy looked up, surprised. “Kakashi!”
He saw the mass of pursuing Kumogakure ninjas behind Kakashi and was stunned.
“Kakashi, you… how did you…”
Kakashi was about to speak when a long sword flew towards him. Kakashi dodged, and the sword pierced the tree, white strands of hair falling to the ground.
He turned to see a figure charging at him.
“Hand over the arm!” Killer Bee demanded.
He twisted mid-air like an octopus, his swords flashing with deadly light, aimed straight at Kakashi.
In this critical moment, a fierce white tiger leaped like a bolt of lightning, biting the octopus.
“Roar!!”
Guy’s figure brushed past Kakashi.
The seventh gate of the Eight Gates, Shock Gate!
Hirudora!
The resulting shockwave swept over several kilometers, toppling trees. The surrounding Kumogakure ninjas struggled to stand, and the rapid evaporation of sweat created blue steam, causing everyone to look on in horror.
“This…”
“What is… that?”
Kakashi, holding the “?” arm, landed behind Guy, pulling out a soldier pill from his pouch and swallowing it. He looked at Guy with a mix of resignation and anticipation.
His Sharingan was almost unusable.
His stamina and chakra were nearly depleted.
Kakashi didn’t know how long he could hold out.
He thought his end would come after stalling for a while, eventually caught by the enraged Kumogakure ninjas.
Undoubtedly, his fate would be grim then.
But to relieve the front line’s pressure, it was something he had to do.
He couldn’t avoid it.
He was prepared to die.
But now, seeing Guy who didn’t retreat but chose to transform into the White Tiger to save him, Kakashi realized he didn’t have to keep running.
Since Neiki and the Uchiha rebellion, a sense of crisis had filled every Konoha ninja’s heart. Kakashi was improving, developing new jutsu based on his Sharingan and using them to incapacitate Kumogakure’s second-in-command, who was a potential successor to the Raikage.
But clearly, as his eternal rival, Guy wouldn’t be left behind.
“How could I let you be the only hero!!”
With Guy’s roar, Killer Bee, wrapped in eight octopus-like tails, was still sent flying by the powerful punch, spitting blood as he lay on the ground.
A medic ninja rushed to treat him.
Guy and Kakashi exchanged glances.
An Eight-Tails jinch?riki?
Kakashi looked at the “?” arm in his hand. Obviously, capturing Killer Bee would be a more significant factor in relieving Konoha’s crisis than this arm.
But… looking at the mass of Kumogakure ninjas ahead.
To break through them and capture the Eight-Tails.
Is it possible?
Kakashi didn’t know, but it was clear Guy intended to try.
The air was boiling.
Guy, steaming all over, leapt over the closely watching Kumogakure ninjas, appearing above Killer Bee.
“This speed…”
“So fast!”
“Hurry, Lord Killer Bee is in danger.”
Without any communication, Guy’s foot came crashing down!!
Boom—
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