Chapter 492

Shisui condensed chakra in his eyes, revealing the blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan, and swept it across Yokogawa Tsutomu's entire body at extreme speed.

Yokogawa Tsutomu's body was now extremely bizarre; Shisui could not see anything on him that could be called eyes, yet Yokogawa Tsutomu possessed normal—even keener—vision.

Shisui thought that Yokogawa Tsutomu might have eyes, just ones ordinary eyes could not detect.

"Even the Sharingan can't find them? Then ordinary visual genjutsu won't work." Shisui found that even pushing his dojutsu power to the limit, he still couldn't locate the position of Yokogawa Tsutomu's eyes.

Shisui felt a hint of trouble; this meant his genjutsu could not be used in this battle.

"If only Zorua weren't so weak, I could summon it and give it a try," Shisui thought.

Zorua had been trained for too short a time to be useful in high-intensity warfare.

Kakashi drew the White Fang short blade from his back and let out a long breath.

But in their team, there were as many as five ninjas who could be considered elite among jōnin—the lineup was almost too luxurious.

Kakashi and the others seized the chance to attack again, but it still had no effect.

"Old man scapegoat, watch out!" Obito shouted, his Sharingan catching Yokogawa Tsutomu's movement.

Although Muyue was inside the box, theoretically close to them, Kakashi still wanted to deal with Yokogawa Tsutomu as much as possible through their own strength.

He feigned an attack on Obito, who was not far from Kakashi, and the moment Kakashi used the Earth Style: Mud Wall, he turned his head and swung his claws straight at Kakashi.

Bang!

A summoning array appeared, white smoke flashed, and a slug slightly larger than an adult human emerged in front of Rin Nohara.

As Shisui's chakra activated, phantom-like feathers fell like rain from the sky. Whether they were Grass Ninja about to follow orders or those trying to help Kakashi's group, seeing the feathers, an intense drowsiness surged up and they fell asleep on the spot.

"Lady Slug, do you know any information about this monster?"

If Muyue hadn't gravely injured him with that punch, he would have been even faster and stronger.

"Die, you damned white-haired brat!" Yokogawa Tsutomu condensed chakra in his throat, spat out a chakra ray that shattered the earthen wall, and at the same time rapidly swung his sharp claws toward Kakashi.

Obito felt that his attack being dodged wasn't due to his thoughts being read, but because in the previous battle, his role had been the type to attack and force positional changes.

"What is this?" Kakashi was a little puzzled.

Rin Nohara was slightly stunned; this demand was too harsh. Human emotions are often involuntary. Seeing such a ferocious monster, watching claws that could easily tear through city walls come hurtling at you, it's inevitable to feel fear. It's just that for some people it's so faint that even they themselves can't detect it.

After the technique ended, only three Grass Ninja remained standing on the field; all the others had fallen to Shisui's genjutsu.

Kakashi quickly flashed forward, holding two kunai crackling with lightning in each hand.

"If even undetectably faint fear can be read, then it wouldn't be impossible for all of us to have our thoughts seen through." Kakashi didn't feel embarrassed, only that Yokogawa Tsutomu's ability was hard to deal with.

"Rin, a slug's words mean it can heal, right?" Kakashi asked.

"Thank you, Lady Slug." Rin hurriedly thanked her and then relayed the information to her teammates.

But something unexpected happened to Nara Suzaku: Yokogawa Tsutomu flapped his wings extremely fast, retreating to the maximum distance the Shadow Imitation Technique could not reach.

The longer the current battle situation dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for them. Kakashi prepared to go all out.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Claw Red!"

"Ryūhi, you're asking for death!" Yokogawa Tsutomu roared in fury, immediately raising his claws and bursting at full speed toward Ryūhi's location.

This time, even Rin Nohara, who had been looking after Uzumaki Karei, joined the attack, yet still couldn't hit Yokogawa Tsutomu.

"I have to take out that white-haired brat first—he's far too troublesome." Feeling his body gradually recover, Yokogawa Tsutomu prepared to change targets and kill Kakashi first.

No one could guarantee that under Yokogawa Tsutomu's threat, those Grass Ninja wouldn't turn on them.

He had only wanted to defeat his opponent, surpass Kakashi in the mission, and earn praise from Muyue and Rin Nohara.

Even though Yokogawa Tsutomu was flying in the sky, his shadow was still on the ground.

At that moment, Kakashi, who had circled behind Yokogawa Tsutomu, finally acted. Four lightning-charged kunai pierced the air, shooting toward Yokogawa Tsutomu's wings.

Seeing this, Yokogawa Tsutomu snorted coldly, rapidly flapping his huge wings, turning into a black shadow that dodged Obito's barrage.

Rin Nohara immediately did the same, splitting off a small slug and placing it on Kakashi's back.

Yokogawa Tsutomu was too fast; to hit him, they had to join forces against the enemy.

Boom!!

Kakashi deliberately controlled his thoughts, and his attacks gradually became more aggressive.

Seeing the battle growing fiercer, Rin Nohara decided to let the slug take over caring for the unconscious Kato Rin, so she could focus more on the fight.

"Nirvana Temple Technique!"

Kakashi, who had opened the Transparent World, knew how troublesome an opponent with such abilities could be.

The slug immediately exerted its healing ability, and Rin Nohara used the slug to remotely apply medical ninjutsu on Kakashi.

"Fire Style: Demon Lantern!"

Unlike other sacred lands, Shikkotsu Forest essentially has only one slug; how strong a slug a Shikkotsu Forest contractor can summon depends on their chakra—the more chakra, the larger and stronger the split body the Slug Sage will produce.

Seeing through Aburame Shiki's attack intent, Yokokawa Nu pulled up high to dodge the insect swarm that looked like black mist.

However, Yokokawa Nu couldn't easily hurt Kakashi and the others either, because every time Yokokawa Nu launched an attack, Kakashi could support with ninjutsu in advance.

Normally, one elite jonin leading two special jonin is enough to carry out an S-rank mission.

Kakashi wanted to give Yokokawa Nu a weakness that could be exploited to seriously injure him, while also creating an attack for himself that could turn the tide.

Their team was truly strong—even excluding Mugetsu, a powerhouse renowned throughout the ninja world, they were still formidable.

"A similar ability to the Transparent World?" Kakashi frowned slightly. Yokokawa Nu's body was so large, yet he could dodge so perfectly—it was too unnatural.

"Shadow Imitation Technique!"

"Little Rin, no problem. Leave it to me." The Slug Sage agreed, then saw the huge black monster and showed a surprised expression.

But Kakashi and the others couldn't sustain their combat power for long due to the heavy consumption of secret techniques, while Yokokawa Nu relied on his body's strong recovery to gradually return to his peak.

Yokokawa Nu's huge claw struck the earth wall, instantly creating spiderweb-like cracks across it.

"What the hell? There's no way I'm afraid of this ugly thing." Obito couldn't help but complain.

With the Transparent World activated, Kakashi predicted Yokokawa Nu's movements and formed hand seals in advance to raise a huge dog-headed earth wall in front of Tatsuhiro.

"Slug-sama, please help take care of this lady and make sure she doesn't get hurt." Rin Nohara requested.

He had thwarted Yokokawa Nu's attacks many times; if Yokokawa Nu wasn't stupid, he would definitely prioritize killing him.

Although Kakashi couldn't read minds, with the Transparent World he could predict Yokokawa Nu's movements in advance, so this earth-style wall he performed was for himself.

Rin Nohara had only recently contracted with the slug, so Kakashi was still not very clear about the slug's abilities.

Rumble!

After all, since Kakashi could defend others in advance, there was no reason he couldn't defend himself.

Although he couldn't make Yokokawa Nu fall under genjutsu, he could deal with the other Grass ninjas, effectively removing some unstable factors.

"Secret Technique: Insect Jade!"

Compared to the other two sacred lands, the slug's support ability is somewhat more outstanding. According to Tsunade, once Rin Nohara reaches her level, with the slug's support, she could even treat an entire ninja unit by herself—its healing ability is quite exaggerated.

Although his physical body was very strong now, it was still unwise to take ninjutsu head-on; he would dodge whenever possible.

The earth wall carved with a huge dog head rose rapidly.

"Why did Tatsuhiro's attack land that time? What was the reason?" Kakashi's mind frantically searched for the answer.

Although they were still evenly matched now, this was based on two premises: one, they were at their peak condition, and two, Yokokawa Nu had been injured by Mugetsu.

"Little Rin, how did you encounter Satori? With your current strength, even if it's just its puppet, you're probably no match."

Yokokawa Nu instantly raised his claw to block the incoming longsword, then swung his other palm toward Maruboshi Kosuke.

Nara Suzaku immediately used his secret technique to shoot his shadow toward Yokokawa Nu's shadow.

"Place one of the slugs on me and be ready to heal at any time." Kakashi said while observing the situation with the Transparent World.

Noticing Kakashi's state, Yokokawa Nu, who had been disguising his attacks as indiscriminate, decided the time had come.

Just now, Tatsuhiro's attack timing was good, but it shouldn't have hit Yokokawa Nu; in terms of timing, Kakashi's attack was even better.

Thus, every Shikkotsu Forest contractor summons a clone of the Slug Sage. Facing the legendary Slug Sage who has lived for over a thousand years, Rin Nohara chose to treat her with the respect due to an elder.

The battle-hardened Maruboshi Kosuke naturally wouldn't be injured so easily. Expressionless, he reduced his power and used Yokogawa Nuto's own force to execute a backward dodge, evading the attack.

As an ancient entity that had existed since the era of the Sage of Six Paths, the Slug Sage saw through Yokogawa Nuto's foundations at a glance.

Shisui, Obito, and he himself—though their sustained combat ability was average—were absolutely elite jonin in short bursts. In terms of pure output, they were even stronger than Maruboshi Kosuke and Aburame Shiki.

How could they, of all people, be defeated by a monster's puppet?

"A bunch of trash. Soon you'll all become fertilizer for the box. The new Kusagakure has no need for trash."

The shuriken passed through the flames, turning into small fireballs that hurtled toward Yokogawa Nuto like a net of fire.

Kakashi pushed Lightning Breathing to its utmost speed, yet he still couldn't dodge perfectly. A large gash opened on his abdomen, gushing blood.

Several fireballs struck Yokogawa Nuto, causing an explosion and leaving a charred black mark on his body.

Shisui stared at Yokogawa Nuto. If his wings were injured, it would affect his speed. Then, dodging their attacks wouldn't be so easy for him.

Shwoosh!

Maruboshi Kosuke concentrated chakra in his leg and swung out a draw cut.

"Yes, Lady Katsuyu herself has a certain healing ability. Additionally, we can transmit chakra through her for treatment." Nohara Rin nodded in reply.

Ryuga could not possibly feel fear of Yokogawa Nuto now. At this moment, he felt only anger and regret.

As he ran, Aburame Shiki pushed his internal chakra to the limit. A vast swarm of parasitic insects surged from his body like black mist, charging toward the oncoming Yokogawa Nuto.

The Slug Sage nodded. "Wu can see into the hearts of those who fear. Even if there's a single thought like 'this guy is pretty scary,' that inner thought will be sensed by Wu. Only by fighting with not a shred of fear can this situation be avoided."

With one side waning and the other waxing, the balance would soon be broken. When that happened, they would be in danger.

Kakashi ignored the wound. He didn't think about his injury or the effect of Nohara Rin's treatment.

Ryuga, having reacted, had no time to thank Kakashi. He immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to relocate.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

"Those who can't dispel Genjutsu, close your eyes." Shisui warned his companions in a low voice, then began to form hand signs to use Genjutsu.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"

Nohara Rin showed a delighted expression. Information played a considerable role in a ninja's battle. If they knew Yokogawa Nuto's information, they might uncover the secret of his bizarre dodging.

Kakashi could easily guess Ryuga's emotions. If one day Obito fell to darkness and became some powerful monster, no matter how strong Obito grew or how special his abilities, Kakashi wouldn't feel fear. He would only want to kill Obito, and at the same time feel regret.

Obito concentrated a large amount of chakra in his throat, spewed a sheet of flames, and then swiftly flung out his shuriken.

Having completed his chakra concentration, Ryuga struck out fiercely. He condensed over thirty demon-faced fireballs and launched them at Yokogawa Nuto.

He had been holding back this ability just now because he wanted to take Kakashi by surprise and kill him.

Swish swish swish!!

Although Nohara Rin and Nara Suzaku were average in individual combat, the role they could play in a melee was far greater than that of ordinary jonin.

After all, Mu Yue wasn't idle. According to current information, the presence inside the box would only be more troublesome and harder to deal with than Yokogawa Nuto.

The next moment, the earth wall shattered, and the spot where Ryuga had just stood turned into a crater.

Shisui wasn't surprised at this result. Even with the support of the Bent Spoon, the Nirvana Temple Technique was still that large-area Genjutsu with wide range but weak effect.

Yokogawa Nuto seemed to have 360-degree vision. Even with Kakashi behind him, he nimbly twisted his body and easily dodged the lightning-enhanced kunai.

At this point, Kakashi roughly guessed the reason why Yokogawa Nuto couldn't dodge Ryuga's Fire Style.

Now Kakashi was pushing the Transparent World to its limit. In his mind, he wasn't thinking about anything. At this moment, he had no emotions—neither fear nor joy—none at all.

This was Kakashi's plan: he would use the pressure Yokogawa Nuto gave him to execute that no-thought, no-mind slash.