In just three seconds, only Yoruha's head remained above the ground.
However, the hidden attacker still didn't show up.
As expected, when the swamp finally submerged Yoruha's head, a puff of white smoke appeared.
The Yoruha trapped in the swamp transformed into a log.
"Heh, a substitution technique?"
"Quite the masterful application of the ninjutsu he's learned."
It turned out that Yoruha had used the Substitution Technique to evade the attacker's Earth Release.
At that moment, Yoruha's real body had already moved several meters away.
But he wasn't at ease at all.
His expression was grim as he stared toward where the attacker might be.
"This guy is way too strong. Right now, I don't stand a chance against him. Who is he?"
"I don't think I have any enemies."
"I don't even know many people in the village. Who would want to harm me?"
Yoruha was frustrated. The recent ninjutsu attacks were clearly meant to kill him.
What kind of grudge or hatred was this? He couldn't recall offending anyone this powerful.
While Yoruha was wracking his brain, trying to figure out who might be attacking him, a figure stepped out from the dark forest.
"Not bad, not bad. It seems you've already reached the level of a Chūnin."
Seeing this person, Yoruha became even more tense.
It was too dark, and the person was masked, so he couldn't recognize who it was.
But the presence this person exuded was immense—several times stronger than Yoruha's teacher.
"If this guy really wanted to kill me, there's no way I'd still be standing here."
"But what's his purpose?"
"This is the village. Would he really dare to kill someone in the open?"
Although ninjas often carried out assassination missions, this was the village, a place with order.
Even ninjas couldn't harm others at will here.
And with this person's strength, if he wanted to kill Yoruha, it wouldn't be so complicated.
Yoruha was fully aware that this person could kill him instantly.
While Yoruha was deep in thought, the person had already approached him.
"I don't think I've offended you, have I?" Yoruha asked, still refraining from making a move. He wanted to know who this person was.
The attacker glanced at Yoruha and said calmly, "Come with me."
With that, the person turned and began walking away.
In that instant, Yoruha had the urge to turn and run.
But considering the vast difference in their strength, he abandoned the idea.
"He probably doesn't want to kill me; otherwise, I'd already be dead after that last attack."
"But what does he want?"
Unable to figure it out, Yoruha hesitated for a moment before following.
There was no other choice—he couldn't match this person, who could easily kill him.
Resistance was futile.
Moreover, Yoruha wanted to know who this person was and what his purpose might be.
Under the cover of night, the two walked one after the other, separated by about ten meters, until they reached the back mountain of Konoha.
When they entered the back mountain, Yoruha initially didn't want to follow. But in the end, he went along.
He had deduced that this person probably wouldn't kill him.
They arrived at the lake Yoruha and his team had cleaned the day before.
Under the moonlight, the person's white hair made Yoruha narrow his eyes.
"Could this guy be Kakashi Hatake?"
Yoruha carefully observed the figure, and the resemblance became more apparent.
"No way… I don't think I've offended him. Could it be that Sensei Tōichi offended him during his time in the Anbu?"
"And now he's here to teach me a lesson?"
"Revenge on my teacher?"
After guessing that the person was Kakashi, Yoruha became convinced it was because Mokumoto Tōichi had offended Kakashi during his time in the Anbu, and Kakashi was retaliating against him to send a warning.
However, since the person was likely Kakashi, Yoruha also concluded that he wouldn't be in any real danger.
And as it turned out, the person was indeed Kakashi.
Earlier that day, Kakashi had been leading Naruto and Sasuke on a mission—though it was mostly Naruto and Sasuke completing the task while Kakashi read his book on the sidelines.
Kakashi was, after all, a devoted fan of Jiraiya's novels.
When they reached the lakeside, Kakashi removed his mask.
Yoruha breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, it really is Kakashi."
Confirming it was Kakashi, Yoruha stayed silent. He wanted to know what kind of grudge or issue Kakashi might have with his teacher.
After all, Kakashi's attacks just now would have left any ordinary Genin as a corpse.
Yoruha didn't hold it against Kakashi. He understood that if Kakashi was acting out of revenge for his teacher, then Kakashi must have already gauged his strength.
Otherwise, someone like Kakashi wouldn't attack randomly.
Kakashi wasn't some kind of villain.
In fact, Yoruha found himself curious, wondering what sort of conflict existed between his teacher and Kakashi during their Anbu days.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
After a long silence, Kakashi was the one to break it.
"Yoruha, your performance just now wasn't bad."
Yoruha didn't respond.
He simply stood there, watching Kakashi strike a contemplative pose by the lake.
Not getting the reaction he expected, Kakashi felt a little awkward.
But as an elite Jōnin, he quickly composed himself.
"Are you wondering why I attacked you?"
"I imagine Kakashi-sensei wouldn't attack me just because he was bored, right?" he replied.
Kakashi looked slightly embarrassed.
Yoruha didn't seem particularly curious about his intentions.
In fact, he wasn't flustered like he had been earlier when defending against Kakashi's attacks. Instead, he appeared remarkably calm—even calmer than Kakashi himself.
Not even Sasuke would act this way.
Sasuke's usual composure came from his prideful and aloof demeanor.
But Yoruha's calmness seemed genuine, as if everything were under his control.
In truth, Yoruha had no idea what was going on. His composure came solely from the fact that it was Kakashi, and he was confident that Kakashi wouldn't harm him.
Yoruha's understanding of Kakashi put him completely at ease.
He also believed that Kakashi's actions must have something to do with his teacher.
After all, Yoruha had never had much interaction with Kakashi before.
But his teacher, being a former Anbu ninja, might have had some history with Kakashi.
Not seeing the reaction he was hoping for, Kakashi felt a tinge of disappointment.
Nevertheless, he didn't forget his purpose for being there.
Turning around, Kakashi stood under the moonlight, his silver hair shining conspicuously.
"My earlier attacks would have been impossible for an average Chūnin to defend against. This shows that your strength has already surpassed that of most Chūnin," Kakashi said.
"But that's about it. If I had increased the intensity of my attacks, you would've been defeated."
Yoruha nodded. "That's correct. Kakashi-sensei is a Jōnin, and I can sense that you could have defeated me from the start."
"I don't have any chance of resisting you."
"I'm well aware of that."
Yoruha had no doubts about it.
He understood very clearly that if Kakashi truly wanted to take him down, he wouldn't even have the chance to fight back.
Although the rank difference between Chūnin and Jōnin was technically just one level, the disparity in strength was like heaven and earth.
During the mission in the Land of Waves, two Chūnin had been nothing but clowns before Kakashi. He'd used them and then instantly eliminated them.
Yoruha wouldn't be foolish enough to think he could challenge Kakashi just because he was praised for having Chūnin-level strength.
Read 80+ Chapters at:
[email protected]/ChakraMaster