Chapter 501: A Thoughtless Knife

Shisui focused Chakra into his eyes, and the blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared, sweeping over Yokogawa Tsutomu’s entire body at an extremely fast speed.

Yokogawa Tsutomu’s current body was extremely bizarre; Shisui couldn’t see anything that could be called an eye on Yokogawa Tsutomu, yet Yokogawa Tsutomu possessed normal, or even sharper, eyesight.

Shisui believed that Yokogawa Tsutomu might have eyes, but they were simply undetectable by ordinary means.

“Even the Sharingan can’t detect it? Then normal visual Genjutsu won’t work,” Shisui realized, having pushed his ocular power to the limit without finding the location of Yokogawa Tsutomu’s eyes.

Shisui felt a hint of trouble; this meant his Genjutsu would be useless in this battle.

“If Zorua wasn’t so weak, I could summon him to try,” Shisui thought.

Zorua had been trained for too short a time and couldn’t be used in high-intensity combat.

“Those who can’t break Genjutsu, close your eyes,” Shisui quietly reminded his comrades, then began forming hand seals to use Genjutsu.

Although he couldn’t trap Yokogawa Tsutomu in Genjutsu, he could deal with the other Grass Ninja, which would eliminate some unstable factors.

No one could guarantee that the Grass Ninja wouldn’t attack them under Yokogawa Tsutomu’s threat.

“Nirvana Temple Technique!”

As Shisui activated his Chakra, phantom-like feathers rained down from the sky; both the Grass Ninja preparing to obey orders and those preparing to help Kakashi and his team felt an intense wave of sleepiness upon seeing the feathers, collapsing into slumber.

After the Ninjutsu ended, only three Grass Ninja remained standing on the field; the rest had all fallen under Shisui’s Genjutsu.

Shisui was not surprised by this outcome; even with the boost from the Bent Spoon, Nirvana Temple Technique was still a wide-range Genjutsu with a broad area of effect but weak individual impact.

“Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Crimson!”

Obito concentrated a large amount of Chakra in his throat, spewing out a sheet of flames, then swiftly threw Shuriken.

The Shuriken passed through the flames, turning into small fireballs, which flew towards Yokogawa Tsutomu like a net of fire.

Kakashi swiftly dashed forward, holding two Kunai glowing with lightning in each hand.

“A bunch of good-for-nothings! You’ll all become food for the box later. The new Grass Ninja Village doesn’t need good-for-nothings.”

Upon seeing this, Yokogawa Tsutomu snorted coldly, his large wings rapidly flapping, transforming into a black shadow that dodged Obito’s barrage of fire.

Although his physical body was strong now, taking Ninjutsu head-on was still somewhat unwise; he would dodge if he could.

“Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!”

Shibi Aburame, while running, pushed the Chakra in his body to its limit; a large number of parasitic insects surged out of Shibi Aburame’s body like a black mist, rushing towards the attacking Yokogawa Tsutomu.

Yokogawa Tsutomu was too fast; to hit him, they had to coordinate their attacks.

Yokogawa Tsutomu, seeing through Shibi Aburame’s attack intention, increased his flying altitude, dodging the insect swarm that resembled black mist.

“Shadow Imitation Technique!”

Nara Suzaku immediately activated his secret technique, sending his shadow shooting towards Yokogawa Tsutomu’s shadow.

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

But something unexpected happened to Nara Suzaku; Yokogawa Tsutomu rapidly flapped his wings, swiftly retreating to the extreme distance unreachable by the Shadow Imitation Technique.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!

At this moment, Kakashi, who had circled behind Yokogawa Tsutomu, finally made his move; four lightning-infused Kunai pierced the air, shooting towards Yokogawa Tsutomu’s wings.

Shisui stared at Yokogawa Tsutomu; wing injuries would affect his speed, and then it wouldn’t be so easy for Yokogawa Tsutomu to dodge their attacks.

Yokogawa Tsutomu seemed to have 360-degree vision; even with Kakashi behind him, he still agilely twisted his body, easily dodging the lightning Kunai.

“Does he have an ability similar to the Transparent World?” Kakashi frowned slightly; for Yokogawa Tsutomu, with such a large body, to dodge so perfectly was too bizarre.

Kakashi, who possessed the Transparent World, knew how difficult an opponent with such an ability could be.

“Fire Release: Ghost Lantern!”

Dragon Gate, having finished concentrating his Chakra, boldly made his move, condensing over thirty ghostly fireballs to attack Yokogawa Tsutomu.

Boom!!

Several fireballs struck Yokogawa Tsutomu, causing explosions and leaving scorched marks on his body.

“This is…?” Kakashi was a bit confused.

Dragon Gate’s attack timing just now was good, but it shouldn’t have hit Yokogawa Tsutomu, because in terms of timing, Kakashi’s attack timing was even better.

“Dragon Gate, you’re looking for death,” Yokogawa Tsutomu roared, immediately raising his sharp claws and bursting with full speed to strike at Dragon Gate’s location.

“Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!”

Kakashi, with the Transparent World activated, anticipated Yokogawa Tsutomu’s movements, forming hand seals in advance to raise a giant dog-headed Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall in front of Dragon Gate.

Rumble!

Yokogawa Tsutomu’s giant sharp claws struck the Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, instantly creating spiderweb-like cracks on it.

Dragon Gate, having reacted, had no time to thank Kakashi and immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to change his position.

The next moment, the Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall shattered, and the spot where Dragon Gate had just stood became a crater.

Whoosh!

Kosuke Maruboshi concentrated Chakra in his feet and unleashed a Draw the Sword (Battojutsu – drawing sword slash).

Yokogawa Tsutomu instantly raised his sharp claws to block the incoming long sword, then swung his other hand towards Kosuke Maruboshi.

“Backpack Uncle, watch out!” Obito, his Sharingan seeing Yokogawa Tsutomu’s movement, shouted a warning.

Kosuke Maruboshi, a seasoned warrior, naturally wouldn’t be easily injured like this; he expressionlessly reduced his strength, using Yokogawa Tsutomu’s force to flash back and dodge the attack.

Kakashi and the others seized the opportunity to launch attacks again, but still without effect.

Even Rin Nohara, who was looking after Hana-rei Uzumaki this time, made her move, but still failed to hit Yokogawa Tsutomu.

However, Yokogawa Tsutomu also couldn’t easily injure Kakashi and his team, because every time Yokogawa Tsutomu attacked, Kakashi could use Ninjutsu to support them in advance.

“I need to deal with that white-haired brat first; he’s too troublesome,” Yokogawa Tsutomu felt his body gradually recovering and decided to change targets to kill Kakashi first.

If Muzuki’s punch hadn’t severely injured him, he would be faster and stronger.

“Why did Dragon Gate’s attack hit him that one time? What was the reason?” Kakashi’s mind raced, seeking the answer to the question.

Although they were still evenly matched now, this was based on two premises: first, they were at their peak condition, and second, Yokogawa Tsutomu had been injured by Muzuki.

However, Kakashi and his team’s combat power wouldn’t last long due to excessive use of secret techniques, while Yokogawa Tsutomu, relying on his strong regenerative ability, was gradually recovering to his peak.

With one side weakening and the other strengthening, the balance would soon be broken, and then they would be in danger.

“Summoning Technique!”

Seeing the battle intensify, Rin Nohara decided to let Katsuyu take care of the unconscious Hana-rei Uzumaki, allowing her to focus more on the battle.

Clang!

A summoning formation appeared, a white mist flashed, and a Katsuyu slightly larger than an adult appeared in front of Rin Nohara.

“Katsuyu-sama, please help me take care of this sister and keep her safe,” Rin Nohara requested.

Unlike other sacred lands, Shikkotsu Forest essentially only has one Katsuyu; how strong a Katsuyu the contractor can summon depends on their Chakra. The more Chakra, the larger and stronger the split body Katsuyu Sage will create.

Therefore, every Shikkotsu Forest contractor summons a clone of Katsuyu Sage; facing the legendary Katsuyu Sage who has lived for thousands of years, Rin Nohara chose to treat her with the respect due to an elder.

“Rin, no problem, leave it to me,” Katsuyu Sage agreed, then saw the giant black monster, showing a surprised expression.

“Rin, how did you encounter Satori? With your current strength, even its puppet is probably not an opponent.”

Katsuyu Sage, as an ancient being who existed during the Six Paths Sage’s era, immediately saw through Yokogawa Tsutomu’s true nature.

“Katsuyu-sama, do you have any information on this monster?”

Rin Nohara showed a joyful expression; information played a significant role in Ninja battles. If they knew about Yokogawa Tsutomu, perhaps they could uncover the secret of his bizarre dodging.

Katsuyu Sage nodded, “Satori can see through the hearts of those who fear. Even if there’s a slight thought like ‘this guy is pretty scary’ in one’s heart, that inner thought will be sensed by Satori. Only by fighting without a trace of fear can this situation be avoided.”

Rin Nohara was slightly stunned; this requirement was too stringent. Humans often couldn’t control their emotions. Seeing such a ferocious monster, seeing sharp claws that could easily tear through city walls, it was inevitable to feel fear, though for some, it would be so small that they themselves couldn’t detect it.

“Thank you, Katsuyu-sama,” Rin Nohara quickly thanked her and then relayed the information to her teammates.

“What the hell? There’s no way I’m afraid of this ugly monster,” Obito couldn’t help but retort.

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

Obito felt that his attacks being dodged wasn’t due to his inner thoughts being read, but rather because his role in the battle was to force movement.

“If even imperceptible fear affects it, then it’s not impossible for all of us to have our inner thoughts read,” Kakashi didn’t feel ashamed, only finding Yokogawa Tsutomu’s ability difficult to deal with.

At this point, Kakashi roughly guessed why Yokogawa Tsutomu couldn’t dodge Dragon Gate’s Fire Release.

Dragon Gate couldn’t possibly feel fear towards Yokogawa Tsutomu right now; he only felt anger and regret.

Kakashi could easily guess Dragon Gate’s emotions. If one day Obito were to turn into some powerful monster, no matter how strong Obito became, or how special his abilities were, Kakashi wouldn’t feel fear. He would only want to kill Obito, while feeling regret about it.

“Rin, Katsuyu’s words mean she can heal, right?” Kakashi asked.

Rin Nohara had only recently contracted with Katsuyu, so Kakashi wasn’t very clear about Katsuyu’s abilities yet.

“Yes, Katsuyu-sama herself has some healing ability, and she can also transmit Chakra through Katsuyu-sama for healing,” Rin Nohara nodded and replied.

Compared to the other two sacred lands, Katsuyu’s support abilities were more outstanding. According to Tsunade, once Rin Nohara reached her level, with Katsuyu’s assistance, she could even heal an entire Ninja army by herself; her healing capabilities were incredibly exaggerated.

“Put a Katsuyu on me and be ready to heal at any time,” Kakashi said while observing the situation with his Transparent World.

The longer the current battle dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for them. Kakashi was preparing to take a gamble.

Although Muzuki was inside the box, theoretically very close to them, Kakashi still wanted to try and defeat Yokogawa Tsutomu with their own strength.

After all, Muzuki wasn’t idle; according to current intelligence, the entity inside the box would only be more troublesome and difficult to deal with than Yokogawa Tsutomu.

Rin Nohara immediately complied, splitting off a Katsuyu and placing it on Kakashi’s back.

Kakashi drew the White Fang Short Blade from his back and exhaled a long breath.

Their team was truly strong. Even excluding Muzuki, the renowned strong person in the Ninja World, they were still very powerful.

Shisui, Obito, and himself, although their sustained combat ability was average, they were absolutely elite Jonin in the short term, and their output capability was even stronger than Kosuke Maruboshi and Shibi Aburame.

While Rin Nohara and Nara Suzaku’s individual combat power was average, the role they could play in a chaotic battle was much stronger than that of ordinary Jonin.

Normally, an elite Jonin with two Special Jonin would be sufficient to undertake an S-rank Mission.

But in their team, there were five Ninja who could be considered elite Jonin; the lineup was simply too luxurious.

How could they, like this, be defeated by a monster’s puppet?

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

He had disrupted Yokogawa Tsutomu’s attacks multiple times; if Yokogawa Tsutomu wasn’t foolish, he would definitely prioritize killing him.

Kakashi wanted to give Yokogawa Tsutomu an opening that could severely injure him, while also creating an attack for himself that could reverse the situation.

After sensing Kakashi’s state, Yokogawa Tsutomu, who had been feigning indiscriminate attacks, felt that the time was right.

He feigned an attack on Obito, who was not far from Kakashi. The moment Kakashi used Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, he turned his head and swung his claws towards Kakashi.

Although Kakashi couldn’t read inner thoughts, with the Transparent World, he could anticipate Yokogawa Tsutomu’s movements in advance, so he used this Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall for himself.

A giant dog-headed Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall quickly rose.

“Die, you hateful white-haired brat!” Yokogawa Tsutomu concentrated Chakra in his throat, spitting out a Chakra ray that shattered the Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, while simultaneously swinging his sharp claws at high speed towards Kakashi.

He hadn’t used this ability until now because he wanted to catch Kakashi off guard and kill him.

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

Kakashi pushed the speed of Thunder Breathing to its limit, but still couldn’t perfectly dodge, and a large, gushing wound appeared on his abdomen.

Katsuyu immediately unleashed her healing ability, and Rin Nohara, using Katsuyu, remotely cast Medical Ninjutsu on Kakashi.

Kakashi ignored his wound; he didn’t think about the injury or Rin Nohara’s healing effect at all.

Kakashi was now pushing the Transparent World to its limit; his mind was not thinking about anything at all. He had no emotions at all, neither fear nor joy, absolutely nothing.

This was Kakashi’s plan; he would use the pressure from Yokogawa Tsutomu to unleash that thoughtless, emotionless strike.