"Is that so..."
Jiraiya lowered his head, his tone tinged with dejection.
But just as Kakashi's hand was about to touch him, Jiraiya raised his eyes.
"What is this?!"
Kakashi's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly raised his hands to shield himself.
"Shinra Tensei!!!"
A massive shockwave shattered the office and the entire building, dealing a devastating blow to the central hub of power in the Vast Ocean Realm.
Moments later, though few of those working there were ordinary people, the scene was still one of devastation. The destructive power of Shinra Tensei was simply unreasonable, especially in such a confined space—no matter how strong a ki practitioner was, they could only endure it.
Kakashi was the first to react. Though he couldn't protect the others in the office building, he managed to evade unscathed, having once fought an enemy with similar abilities.
With his workplace destroyed and his subordinates injured, Kakashi's face darkened as he glared at the epicenter of the disaster, now shrouded in smoke and dust.
"How did you obtain this power, Jiraiya?" Kakashi demanded coldly.
At that moment, Jiraiya emerged from the smoke, his purple eyes glaring icily at Kakashi.
Those eyes—the strongest kekkei mōra in the ninja world, the Rinnegan.
"There's nothing more to say, Kakashi. From the moment you submitted to that evil god, this world was already twisted. Now, I will correct this mistake."
As he spoke, a red shadow appeared above Jiraiya's eye sockets, and a horizontal pupil emerged within his purple Rinnegan.
In an instant, Kakashi recognized Jiraiya's current state. It was astonishing—Jiraiya, who had once struggled to fully master Sage Mode, now activated it with ease.
Even someone as powerful as Kakashi couldn't help but feel troubled.
As a shinobi, Jiraiya's combat abilities were undoubtedly exceptional.
But Kakashi was no slouch either. Instantly, he activated the Mangekyō Sharingan in both eyes, enhanced by divine power.
"The guy in front of me is a Shadow Clone?!"
The moment he activated the Mangekyō Sharingan, Kakashi's perception abilities reached their peak.
Kakashi became alert—if what was before him was an illusion, then where was the real Jiraiya?
"Sage Art: Toad Shadow Concealment Technique!"
"Sage Art: Frog Cry!"
Jiraiya, empowered by natural energy, had received tremendous enhancements in all aspects. Using the earlier smoke and dust as cover, he concealed himself in the shadows, sneaking up behind Kakashi, and attempted to confuse him with a Frog Cry genjutsu to capture him alive.
After all, resisting Ye Wen, the great demon, wasn't a task for one or two people alone. Jiraiya believed it necessary to rally the entire ninja world's strength, and Kakashi was indispensable to that effort.
Though Kakashi lacked detailed information on these techniques, the principles remained the same. Once known as the Copy Ninja, Kakashi had profound expertise in ninjutsu, and even under the new cultivation system, the theories of old techniques still applied.
Although genjutsu had been severely weakened in later years, there was no denying its effectiveness when used by two people against one opponent. A well-executed genjutsu could easily create a pause in an enemy's movements, and if not dispelled in time, it could trap them completely.
Because of this, genjutsu was largely banned later on, except for those derived from the Sharingan or the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
When facing a genjutsu user, one could either avoid it beforehand or dispel it immediately.
But Kakashi's approach was far more refined. The essence of genjutsu lay in Yin Release. Even with the enhancement of Sage Chakra, the Kamui Sharingan could greatly resist genjutsu. Still, Kakashi felt it wasn't enough and immediately reinforced his soul with divine power.
Even so, Kakashi still felt a wave of dizziness.
"What a terrifying genjutsu. In the entire Vast Ocean Realm, aside from myself, there should be fewer than five people capable of withstanding this technique head-on."
Jiraiya's expression darkened. He hadn't expected his carefully prepared killing move to be so easily resisted.
Kakashi was, after all, his disciple's disciple. Jiraiya had once felt a twinge of pity, but driven by his inner madness and obsession, he pushed those feelings aside. He had to go all out to capture Kakashi.
"Sage Art: Great Rasengan!"
The Shadow Clone, which had been an illusion until now, sprang into action. After all, the advantage of Shadow Clones was that they were physical entities capable of independent combat.
Moreover, Jiraiya was familiar with the current ki-based cultivation system of the ninja world. Compared to the fragile shinobi of the past, their defenses had improved significantly. Against this attack, they might sustain serious injuries at worst—just enough for him to subdue Kakashi.
Without turning around, Kakashi had already sensed the massive, condensed chakra behind him. At the same time, the real Jiraiya moved in.
"Sage Art: Rasengan!"
Perceiving the large and small Rasengans, Kakashi instantly understood Jiraiya's battle plan—to crush him with the Great Rasengan while using the smaller Rasengan to block any possible escape routes.
A normal Shadow-level expert would likely sustain severe injuries against such thunderous attacks. But alas—
Kakashi moved at high speed, and Jiraiya quickly followed up, smashing the Rasengan toward him.
Jiraiya's face lit up with joy, thinking his plan was about to succeed. But then something strange happened.
Jiraiya's prized Rasengan passed straight through Kakashi's body as if he were nothing more than a mirage.
After Uchiha Obito was taken into custody, he quietly served his sentence. Rin Nohara, out of past friendship, visited him several times.
But the more she visited, the more Obito regretted the countless wrongs he had committed. In the end, on a certain night, he took his own life, leaving behind a letter of repentance for Kakashi and entrusting his right eye to him.
When the letter reached Kakashi's hands, his face was filled with melancholy as he recalled those dark days. In the end, Kakashi replaced his own right eye with Obito's.
To let his once-close friend see the new world.
And now, the terror of dual Kamui was unleashed.
If Jiraiya had paid more attention to Naruto's affairs, he might have discovered Uchiha Obito's information in Konoha's secret archives.
But alas, Jiraiya, obsessed with finding the "Child of Destiny" and retrieving Orochimaru, had lost his way.
In the next second, as their positions shifted, Kakashi suddenly spun around and delivered a powerful kick.
Enhanced by divine power and the ki cultivation system, Kakashi's physical strength was now so terrifying that even without opening the Eight Gates, he possessed power comparable to the seventh gate.
"Ugh!"
Jiraiya, the fragile ninja clinging to the old era, coughed up a mouthful of blood.
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