Chapter 645: Cut Down with One Slash

"What are your thoughts on Konoha's request?"

The Third Mizukage turned to Yagura Karatachi and Elder Genji and asked.

"I think we should refuse. Konoha doesn't have good intentions. Those kids are no pushovers." Yagura Karatachi spoke.

If Kirigakure could win, sending a few elite jonin to guide Konoha's ninja wouldn't be a problem.

The issue is that Kirigakure might not be able to win.

He had been on the battlefield during the final battle and had some understanding of Obito and the others' strength.

"I think we can try to agree." Elder Genji held the opposite opinion from Yagura Karatachi.

Of course, this wasn't because Elder Genji was confident in Kirigakure's ninja strength and believed they would definitely not be defeated.

Although he hadn't been on the battlefield, he had seen the intelligence reports.

"We are now quite far behind Konoha in strength. Since we have already started learning from Konoha, why not take this opportunity to give our village's ninja a boost?"

"Letting them see the gap between Kirigakure and Konoha with their own eyes might actually be more beneficial for their growth."

After the Third Great Ninja War ended, the Third Mizukage voluntarily proposed halting the village's high-pressure policy, known as the Bloody Mist policy.

Why did Kirigakure implement the Bloody Mist policy? Wasn't it to strengthen the village's ninja, believing that training ninja through slaughter starting from the academy would make them stronger?

Facts proved Kirigakure wrong. The cruel Bloody Mist did not make Kirigakure much stronger; its strength was completely inferior to Konoha's.

Since the policy for training ninja in the village had already changed because of Konoha, Elder Genji felt that losing a bit of face at the exchange event wouldn't be a big problem.

"Elder Genji's reasoning makes sense." The Third Mizukage nodded, agreeing with Elder Genji's opinion.

Then the Third Mizukage entrusted this matter to Elder Genji. Soon, only the Third Mizukage and Yagura Karatachi remained in the Mizukage's office.

"Yagura, you need to change your impetuous nature." The Third Mizukage sighed and said bluntly.

Yagura Karatachi was too proud, so the first thing he noticed was not other things, but face.

Was the face of the Five Great Ninja Villages important? Of course it was. But losing a few jonin in battle—how much face could that lose? It wasn't like the Mizukage had been defeated by some prodigy.

As a former super prodigy and now a famous strongman in the ninja world, Yagura Karatachi had the capital to be proud. But as a Mizukage, this was not acceptable; he thought too little.

"Third-sama, I understand." Yagura Karatachi obediently nodded.

If anyone else had said this to him, he would have gotten anxious. But since the Third-sama was grooming him as his successor and even tried to excuse him after his defeat, this advice must have been for his own good.

……

The first three days of the exchange event were mainly for chunin-level exchanges.

There were individual battles and team battles.

In the individual battles, Anko performed outstandingly, defeating many Kirigakure chunin older than herself.

In the team battles, Anko's team also performed relatively well.

Besides that, Hayate Gekko's team also did decently, cleanly defeating the Kirigakure team.

There were also Kirigakure teams that performed well and defeated Konoha teams, but overall, whether in individual or team battles, Konoha had more outstanding ninja.

Faced with the excellent performance of their own ninja, even a strict ninja like Shinku Yuhi couldn't help but show a smile.

As for the Kirigakure ninja, they weren't exactly furious, but their expressions were far from pleasant.

Such a gap among the young chunin indicated that not only this generation but also the next generation of Kirigakure lagged far behind Konoha. This was undoubtedly painful for them.

Besides combat, there were also theoretical exchanges, discussing ninjutsu application and combat experience.

However, this took place on the third day.

On the fourth day, it was time for the jonin-level exchanges.

The jonin exchanges had no team battles, only individual battles. The participating jonin could freely challenge their desired opponents.

Mei Terumi, Mangetsu Hōzuki, and Kisame Hoshigaki all took part in the jonin exchange battles.

"Hatake Kakashi, I've been training hard just for you. I hope you don't disappoint me." Mangetsu Hōzuki raised Samehada and challenged Kakashi.

At the last Youth Martial Arts Tournament, Kakashi had swiftly defeated him with overwhelming force, which left Mangetsu Hōzuki, who had been called a "prodigy" and "genius" all his life, feeling extremely unwilling.

To defeat Kakashi, he greatly intensified his training, and every time he made progress, he would seek out his clan elders for actual combat, trying every means to make himself stronger faster.

After the five ninja swords were returned by Konoha, Hōzuki Mangetsu, with his outstanding talent and strength, became the youngest member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Upon hearing that someone was going to challenge Hatake Kakashi, many shinobi from the Mist subconsciously turned their eyes toward Hōzuki Mangetsu.

A few years earlier, Kakashi had earned the moniker "Raiga" on the Kirigakure battlefield. Jōnin of the Mist who had fought in the war or paid attention to battle intelligence had all heard of Kakashi, well aware that he was a powerful genius.

Hōzuki Mangetsu remained unmoved; he had trained hard precisely for this moment.

"Challenging the hardest level—that's very much his style." Terumī Mei was not surprised. She swiftly averted her gaze and surveyed the many Konoha jōnin.

She had no intention of challenging any of the three—Kakashi, Obito, or Might Guy.

The reason was simple: she thought she would most likely lose. For someone who aspired to become the Mizukage, at an event like this exchange meet, she wanted to avoid defeat as much as possible.

"If you haven't given up by then, I can fight you," Kakashi replied.

Hōzuki Mangetsu was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said. My first opponent won't be you," Kakashi answered calmly.

Hōzuki Mangetsu grew angry. As a prodigy, when had he ever been treated like this?

He glared at Kakashi, needing to know who could possibly make Kakashi turn down his challenge.

"Kid, too bad—his opponent is me." At that moment, Hoshigaki Jūzō, carrying the Executioner's Blade, stepped forward and said.

Hōzuki Mangetsu frowned. He remembered that Hoshigaki Jūzō's name was not on the exchange meet's list.

They were both members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but Hoshigaki Jūzō was not a newly rising genius like him; he was one of the original members of the Seven Swordsmen, a powerful jōnin who already had considerable fame before the Third Shinobi World War began.

For such a jōnin to participate in an exchange meet was somewhat inappropriate.

Although Kakashi might be much stronger than Hoshigaki Jūzō, Kakashi and his group were still young—only thirteen years old.

"Then I'll go first," Kakashi said.

He had come to hone his swordsmanship, and members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were perfect for that.

Obito and Might Guy both nodded. As for Hoshigaki Jūzō, they didn't have a strong desire to challenge him.

The two came to the dueling ground and sized each other up.

"At least it's not that monster Might Guy," Hoshigaki Jūzō thought to himself.

Back then, Might Guy's Sixth Gate burst and the "Iwa no Ko" Chakra Mode had left an incredibly deep impression on him.

Despite being a kid who didn't look that old, a single taijutsu blow had shattered his defensive jutsu, broken his Executioner's Blade, and grievously wounded him.

Before that, he had never seen such an absurdly pure taijutsu user.

After that battle, Hoshigaki Jūzō often dreamed of that flash of golden light that cut through everything.

If he had to fight Might Guy, he would rather fight Yagura Karatachi. Either way he would lose, but losing to Might Guy was more shameful.

"The Executioner's Blade…"

More than Hoshigaki Jūzō himself, Kakashi was sizing up the sword — the Executioner's Blade.

The Executioner's Blade lived up to its name "great sword"; the blade alone was larger than Kakashi's entire body.

"White Fang should be enough," Kakashi judged in his mind, then gripped the hilt of White Fang with his right hand.

Hoshigaki Jūzō gripped the Executioner's Blade tightly, his body tense, ready to strike at any moment.

"Fight — begin!"

At the referee shinobi's command, the two burst their chakra simultaneously and vanished from their spots.

Swish!

Clang!

The two ninja swords clashed fiercely, producing a crisp metallic ring as sparks flew in all directions.

Hoshigaki Jūzō's gaze sharpened. He burst his chakra again and, leveraging the advantage of the Executioner's Blade's massive size, tried to overwhelm Kakashi.

Kakashi, expressionless, focused his breathing to enhance his physical abilities, then used Lightning Release chakra nature transformation to activate his body. His small frame erupted with immense power.

Hoshigaki Kisame not only failed to suppress Kakashi, but was himself pushed back half a step by the sudden burst of Kakashi's power.

Zzzzt!!

Kakashi seized this opportunity and swung his blade in a fierce slash.

As an experienced jōnin, Hoshigaki Kisame reacted instantly, raising the Decapitating Carving Knife horizontally in front of him.

Clang!

The Decapitating Carving Knife shuddered violently, and a very noticeable notch appeared where White Fang had struck.

Knowing he must not fall into Kakashi's offensive rhythm, Hoshigaki Kisame immediately channeled all his chakra, exerted his physical strength to the utmost, and rapidly swung the Decapitating Carving Knife.

With its broad blade driven by immense force, every swing of the Decapitating Carving Knife carried formidable power, stirring the surrounding air with each motion.

But faced with Kakashi's agile footwork, all of Hoshigaki Kisame's attacks missed, as if he were swinging wildly in a daze.

Only those ninja familiar with Hoshigaki Kisame's combat habits knew that this was intentional on his part.

Suddenly, Hoshigaki Kisame changed tactics. No longer swinging wide and powerful, he wielded the huge Decapitating Carving Knife with astonishing dexterity, each stroke aimed at Kakashi's vital points.

However, Kakashi proved to be more troublesome than Hoshigaki Kisame had imagined—he seemed able to catch every minute change in Kisame's movements.

Each time, Kakashi used the flexibility of his katana to clash quickly and precisely with the Decapitating Carving Knife, neither retreating nor overextending, perfectly neutralizing Kisame's offense.

Whether it was a sudden fierce assault or a clever feint from Hoshigaki Kisame, Kakashi achieved maximum defensive effect with minimal movement, making Kisame feel incredibly frustrated—a sense of power with nowhere to go.

"Not bad swordsmanship, but if this is all you've got…"

Kakashi suddenly flashed backward, focusing his breath to the utmost, his right hand gripping White Fang's katana tightly.

"Thunderclap Flash: God Speed!"

Kakashi unleashed the nature transformation of his Lightning Release chakra; dazzling yellow lightning flickered across his body, energizing his physique and granting him tremendous power and lightning-fast reflexes.

With the blessing of the Transparent World, Kakashi perfectly concentrated every ounce of strength, distributing it reasonably to each part of his body.

Boom!!

A thunderous roar exploded as Kakashi shot forward like a streak of yellow lightning.

The watching ninja only saw Kakashi suddenly retreat, then vanish as a yellow light, leaving a charred trail on the ground.

Zzzzt!

The terrifying aura emanating from Kakashi made Hoshigaki Kisame's eyelids twitch wildly; relying on his rich combat experience, he instantly made a judgment—it was impossible to dodge.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Hoshigaki Kisame immediately raised the Decapitating Carving Knife to block in front of him.

Crack!

A yellow lightning flash streaked past, and a fine line appeared on the broad, thick blade of the Decapitating Carving Knife.

Clatter!

The Decapitating Carving Knife split in two; the broken half crashed to the ground, kicking up a puff of dust from its heavy blade.

Shing!

After the strike, Kakashi sheathed his blade directly, not even looking as he returned White Fang to the scabbard on his back.

"So fast!" Hoshigaki Kisame's pupils dilated sharply, his face full of shock.

In that instant when the Decapitating Carving Knife broke, his mind had already begun flashing back to his time at the Ninja Academy.

If Kakashi hadn't controlled the direction of his slash, he would have died without a doubt.

"This slash has become this powerful?!" Hōzuki Mangetsu's expression turned extremely grim.

It wasn't because that blade strike brought back his psychological trauma, but because he sadly realized he still might not be able to deal with that slash.

So, should he still challenge them?

"The son of White Fang—troublesome, even more so than his father," the Third Mizukage said with flickering eyes.

Any skilled ninja could see that in the battle just now, Kakashi only got serious at the very end; earlier, he had simply used pure swordsmanship to fight Hoshigaki Kisame without deploying his full strength.

In other words, if Kakashi had wanted, not to mention a single move, within half a minute Hoshigaki Kisame would have had no chance of survival.

Having the strength to kill the elite of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in half a minute, this is no longer what they call a genius.

A ninja who hasn't yet grown is a genius; the current Kakashi is undoubtedly a true powerhouse of the ninja world!

"Raiga Kakashi's strength is truly this terrifying!"

The watching Mist ninjas all showed expressions of extreme surprise.

The Mist ninjas knew of Kakashi's reputation as a genius, but many of them still remembered that just two or three years ago, Kakashi, together with his comrades, had to pay a huge price to kill a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

But now, Kakashi, by himself, can so easily defeat an elite of the Seven Swordsmen; how could they not be surprised?

"As expected of Kakashi," Rin Nohara said with a smile, her eyes shining as she looked at him.

"Always showing off," Uchiha Obito pouted.

Turning his back to the enemy and sheathing his sword, all his openings are exposed. Mastering the Transparent World is impressive, huh.

It's not his Kamui that can avoid all attacks.

"Hatake Kakashi wins." After the surprise, the referee ninja quickly announced Kakashi's victory.