Chapter 161 United (3k)

But what Kakashi didn’t expect happened: Muzuki, who was in front of him, also vanished into white smoke just like his Shadow Clone did earlier, and no bell fell to the ground.

“It’s a Shadow Clone!”

Kakashi’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he immediately tried to slash behind him, but as soon as he had that thought, a cold Kunai was pressed against his neck.

“When you use the Shadow Clone tactic yourself, you should also consider whether the enemy is using the same tactic,” Muzuki, who appeared behind Kakashi, said.

“After all, I’m not always in your line of sight, am I?”

Kakashi remained silent. Just earlier he had lectured Obito not to be reckless, and now it was his turn to be lectured.

Hearing that Kakashi was criticized, Obito rushed to the scene immediately to mock him.

“The enemy has already disappeared from your sight, and you actually charged directly without observing carefully. If Muzuki-sensei were an enemy, you would already be dead,” Obito said unceremoniously.

Seeing that Kakashi also failed, Obito felt the pain in his body lessen considerably.

It didn’t matter if he failed; it was good that Kakashi hadn’t succeeded either.

“At least I took down Habsheng-captain’s Shadow Clone, which is better than you being knocked down without even touching him,” Kakashi retorted instantly when he heard Obito use his own words against him.

Muzuki smiled without speaking. With the current Kakashi, Obito, and Might Guy, if he didn’t hold back, his Shadow Clone could easily take care of all of them.

Because Kakashi was specifically instructed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, although Muzuki didn’t think Hiruzen Sarutobi would be bored enough to spend several hours watching them snatch bells, he still didn’t expose too much of his strength to be cautious, in case Hiruzen Sarutobi saw something with his Telescope Jutsu.

He had already sensed the surroundings with Byakugan and Perception Ninjutsu beforehand, and there were no Anbu monitoring.

“After all, Kakashi isn’t his son, so he shouldn’t care to that extent,” Muzuki thought to himself.

“Because I wasn’t facing a Shadow Clone at all! I lasted for a while when I faced Muzuki-sensei’s true body, but you couldn’t do anything as soon as Muzuki-sensei’s true body appeared,” Obito retorted.

“Maybe the one who knocked you down at first was also a Shadow Clone,” Kakashi sneered.

“Absolutely not!” Obito vehemently denied Kakashi’s words.

“You agree, right, Guy?” Obito saw that Might Guy had also come over and tried to pull Might Guy into his camp.

“There’s no point in discussing this, is there? Everyone failed,” Might Guy said.

He felt that whether it was a Shadow Clone or the true body, they were all defeated and couldn’t get the bell, so everyone was the same.

Might Guy’s words were unexpected by Obito; Might Guy directly formed his own faction without helping anyone.

“It’s good to summarize failures, but you should pay more attention to your own shortcomings,” Muzuki stopped their argument.

“There’s still some time before sunset, so you still have a chance.”

“Actually, your strengths are not weak among your peers. You might as well try teamwork. The power generated by cooperation can make one plus one greater than two,” Muzuki reminded them.

This classic bell-snatching exercise is actually a test of teamwork. As long as the students cooperate, the instructor will hold back to a certain extent. How could three newly graduated Genin possibly snatch something from a Jonin?

Muzuki starting with this classic exercise was also to encourage Kakashi, Might Guy, and Obito to interact more, and to make Kakashi realize that his teammates were no longer the same as before.

Hearing Muzuki’s words, the more mature Kakashi basically understood Muzuki’s implied meaning. He had been a Chunin for over two years and was quite clear about these things.

“It seems we have no choice but to cooperate.” To complete the bell-snatching mission, Kakashi decided to grudgingly cooperate and get the mission done first.

On the other side, although Obito was very reluctant, he quickly adjusted his mindset and walked up to Kakashi, saying:

“Kakashi, now you should know if one person can do it, right? Let’s cooperate. The three of us will attack together.”

“Let’s burn our youth together!” Might Guy also invited Kakashi.

“Cooperation is fine, but I must be the one to formulate the battle plan,” Kakashi said expressionlessly, ignoring Obito’s previous words.

“Why should it be you? Can’t we discuss it together?” Obito said, somewhat unconvinced.

“Is two years as a Chunin enough?” Kakashi said lightly.

“Your arrangements are too crude. If Habsheng-captain hadn’t been serious, you wouldn’t have had any chance at all.”

Kakashi directly used his Ninja rank to pressure them, and Obito couldn’t think of how to retort for a moment. He only regretted not meeting Muzuki sooner, otherwise, he would at least be a Chunin.

However, it was impossible for Obito to be convinced by Kakashi, so Obito said:

“Don’t lose even after using your battle plan.”

“Then we’ll talk about it if we lose,” Kakashi replied calmly.

If they still lost after doing all this, Kakashi could only say that Muzuki had no intention of letting them pass this training from the start.

Then Kakashi guided Obito and Might Guy in setting traps, and then meticulously explained the upcoming battle plan to Obito and Might Guy.

“I had a Shadow Clone arranged beforehand to keep an eye on Habsheng-captain. The one sitting over there now is a Shadow Clone; his true body has already hidden. Later, I’ll arrange for a Shadow Clone to lure Habsheng-captain’s Shadow Clone over, and his true body will definitely follow. Then we’ll…”

“Pay attention, and make sure not to do anything unnecessary,” Kakashi instructed after explaining.

Then Kakashi told Obito and Might Guy to hide, and his own true body also hid, directing his Shadow Clone to lure Muzuki.

When the Shadow Clone Muzuki was lured by the Shadow Clone Kakashi into the trap area, Shuriken immediately shot from all directions towards the Shadow Clone Kakashi and the Shadow Clone Muzuki.

The Shadow Clone Kakashi knew his mission and didn’t dodge, turning back to use Lightning Release Ninjutsu to delay Muzuki. Instantly, both Shadow Clones were pierced and dissipated.

“That’s a very good tactic. If it weren’t a Shadow Clone, it would have been dangerous,” Muzuki quietly said to Kakashi, who was observing his surroundings.

Heaven knows how surprised Kakashi was at that moment; Muzuki had quietly approached him again!

Kakashi used Body Flicker Technique to instantly get to the ground, creating some distance from Muzuki. Muzuki’s compliment just now had truly sent cold sweat trickling down Kakashi’s back.

However, Muzuki didn’t rush to attack, jumping down to the base of the tree and continuing to smile, “This time is very good. You learned from the last lesson.”

Although the situation was somewhat unfavorable, Kakashi, who had faced true life-or-death crises, was still able to remain calm. He carefully observed Muzuki and immediately shouted:

“This isn’t the true body, it’s a Shadow Clone! Don’t come out yet, keep waiting for the right moment!”

He remembered that Muzuki had rested on the grass, and even if he shook off the grass roots and dust, he couldn’t be so clean that there wasn’t a speck of dirt. Yet, the Muzuki in front of him looked as if he had changed into a brand new, identical set of clothes.

Then Kakashi cautiously stared at Muzuki. Whether it was the true body or a Shadow Clone, Muzuki was difficult to deal with; his speed was too fast.

“Are you really okay by yourself? Have you forgotten how you failed not long ago?” Muzuki continued to rush towards Kakashi, throwing a punch as he spoke.

Muzuki’s speed was very fast, and his strength was not small. Even with Kakashi’s full effort, it was very difficult, and he quickly took two punches and a kick, appearing very disheveled.

“Coming out now would lead to failure. As long as they stay hidden, there’s still a chance to snatch the bell,” Kakashi retorted.

If they exposed everyone’s whereabouts just to defeat a Shadow Clone, then the planned combination attack would be completely useless, and they would have no chance of winning in a frontal battle.

It would be better for him to hold back Muzuki’s Shadow Clone now, letting Might Guy and Obito continue to hide and search for Muzuki’s true body, which might give them a sliver of hope.

Kakashi’s thoughts were good, but holding back Muzuki proved to be more difficult than he imagined.

His rich combat experience and quick, precise, and ruthless sword techniques were completely useless in front of Muzuki. Muzuki seemed to see through all of his attacks. Kakashi hadn’t even touched Muzuki’s clothes, yet he had already endured countless attacks from Muzuki.

Muzuki was much stronger than Kakashi had imagined, so strong that Kakashi couldn’t quite understand why a Ninja of this caliber would be a teacher at the Ninja Academy. With this strength, wouldn’t doing missions earn him money hand over fist?

Kakashi grew increasingly tired, while Muzuki’s offensive became fiercer and fiercer. He was gradually reaching his limit.

Even as the dust on his body accumulated, Kakashi still had no intention of calling Obito and Might Guy out.

He still held the same thought: not coming out meant there was still a possibility of success; coming out would ruin everything and only lead to failure.

For the mission, he could abandon his teammates, and he could also abandon himself, let alone that this wasn’t even a real fight to the death.

Thwack!

Muzuki seized Kakashi’s opening, knocked the short blade out of Kakashi’s hand, and then threw a punch at Kakashi.

Just as Kakashi braced himself for a heavy blow, a passionate voice rang out.

“Leaf Great Whirlwind!”

Might Guy, who had somehow snuck up, delivered a lightning-fast whirlwind kick towards Muzuki, forcing Muzuki back and saving Kakashi from danger.

Kakashi, who had been rescued, didn’t smile. Instead, he frowned and asked:

“Didn’t I say not to come out? If you expose your position now, there will be no hope of success.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but I know that I don’t train just to train. This power is meant to protect what I want to protect!” Might Guy said, staring intently at Muzuki.

“Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!”

Then a ferocious fire dragon suddenly appeared, flying straight towards Muzuki. When Muzuki attempted to dodge, it also turned and charged, successfully forcing Muzuki back a bit further.

“What a joke! If it’s a victory gained by abandoning comrades, I, Uchiha Obito, don’t need it!” Obito continued to throw Shuriken at Muzuki.

Seeing that Obito had also come out, Kakashi’s frown deepened. In his mind, this training was doomed to fail.

However, he wouldn’t give up directly. Since it had come to this, he would make one last effort.

More to come, finishing writing today.