Mei Terumi didn't know what kind of lofty words the person in charge had spoken after she left. Of course, even if she did know, she wouldn't have cared.
She simply followed the slave transport cart Kakashi was on, quietly moving into the eastern part of the Land of Water.
The eastern part of the Land of Water belonged to the wealthy district, where upper-class residents lived. Many of these upper-class people, perhaps because they often didn't treat others as human, had produced many perverts.
Most of the war orphans being transported here were specifically sold to these perverts for their amusement.
Kakashi sat in the cart, sensing Mei Terumi hanging closely behind him. He knew it was no longer possible to proceed according to the original plan.
He found the right moment and suddenly struck. Forming hand seals, a spike of earth shot out from the ground around him, piercing precisely through the fence surrounding the slave cart.
BOOM!
A large hole appeared in the fence. Kakashi charged through it, and with a few instant movements, vanished into the wide streets of eastern Water Country.
This sudden incident caused a huge commotion. Many slave carts had to stop.
Seeing Kakashi attempting to flee, Mei Terumi, relying on her immense strength, instantly activated her body's movement and followed without hesitation.
The two figures raced through the city, quickly leaving the eastern part of the Land of Water and reaching the forests near the western outskirts, close to the Hidden Mist Village.
In fact, with Kakashi's speed, he could easily shake off Mei Terumi's pursuit, but he chose not to.
Doing so would have consequences: Mei Terumi would report to the village, and countless elite Mist ninja would come searching. At that point, he would be trapped.
So his plan was to, before things escalated, find a secluded spot and deal with Mei Terumi, buying himself some time to hide.
Anyway, the technique he just used was a Earth Release ninjutsu. Even if the Mist ninja investigated the traces, they would find little useful information, and might even mistakenly think he was a spy from the Stone Village.
Then he could continue his investigation of the Hidden Mist Village by other means.
Thinking this through, Kakashi stopped on a large tree. Moments later, Mei Terumi's figure appeared at incredible speed.
Mei Terumi stood on another tree, and the two faced each other in a standoff.
A gust of wind blew, and the air around them grew heavy. Mei Terumi was the first to break the brief silence.
"Why aren't you running anymore? Your speed is fast enough. I almost lost you."
Kakashi replied, "Of course, it's because I'm going to deal with you here."
Mei Terumi, a genius with her own pride, although it had been severely shaken during the Chunin Exams by Rin Nohara, had since recovered over the long passage of time.
She felt slightly annoyed by the young man's posture in front of her, but still smiled, "Little man, you're about my age, right? I'm getting more and more curious about what you look like under your transformation technique."
"Anyway… once we start fighting, you won't have the energy to maintain your transformation. Why not let me see your true face now?"
Kakashi thought she had a point.
Maintaining a transformation technique required extremely precise chakra control, which was difficult to sustain in an evenly matched battle.
Only if one side was vastly superior, or the other side wasn't planning to fight seriously and intended to flee, could they maintain it while engaging.
Kakashi considered himself stronger than Mei Terumi, but not strong enough to completely toy with her.
Moreover, this battle couldn't make too much noise. If other Mist ninja noticed, all his previous efforts would be wasted.
He decided to use his full power and end the fight within moments.
Having thought this through, Kakashi made no hesitation and immediately dispelled his transformation.
With the transformation gone, his identity would inevitably be exposed. He absolutely could not let Mei Terumi leave.
He pressed his thumb on a chakra point in his chest, activating the Third Gate of the Eight Gates almost immediately.
At the same time, he quickly pulled out a scroll. With a "bang," the scroll summoned the ninja tool he had hidden.
Grabbing the tool, lightning began to flicker along his hands and flow onto the blade.
Kakashi's Tool Technique, Lightning Blade Slash.
In an instant, Kakashi's body slashed toward Mei Terumi without hesitation. Enhanced by the Eight Gates and Lightning Release, his speed reached the extreme, leaving only an afterimage behind.
The moment Kakashi dispelled his transformation, Mei Terumi recognized the Konoha genius who had kicked her butt during the Chunin Exams. Her expression instantly grew serious.
She hadn't expected the enemy's identity to be even trickier than she imagined. She might outpace most same-age ninja, but having seen Kakashi in action during the Chunin Exams, she knew this one would be difficult.
Kakashi's genius far exceeded hers. Even the strength he displayed in the final battle with Uchiha Obito during the Chunin Exams was already stronger than her present self after some period of training.
Moreover, she was improving. But would Kakashi wait for her to catch up? On top of that, as a speed-type ninja, he countered her jutsu-based style that required casting time.
So, with her rich combat experience, the moment she saw Kakashi's true face, a sense of danger immediately rose in her heart.
Without a hint of luck, while Kakashi was opening the gate and summoning the tool, she formed hand seals with both hands, preparing her killing move.
"Boiling Shield, Acid Mist Technique!"
This move was aimed not at Kakashi directly, but to envelop the surrounding area.
However, the next moment, Kakashi was ready and thrust forward. Unlike the Chunin Exams sparring match, this was a life-or-death battle. Kakashi had unleashed his full power.
Mei Terumi instantly lost sight of Kakashi, thinking, "So fast," while secretly feeling relieved.
Fortunately, she had already created a layer of corrosive acid mist around herself. It partially blocked Kakashi's vision and prevented him from thrusting directly at her.
She only hoped that Kakashi matched her mental image of a "high attack, slightly weaker defense" normal ninja, and wasn't like Rin Nohara. Eeckless, extremely resilient, capable of attacking through her acid mist.
Otherwise, today would be dangerous.
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