"Your true form is really difficult to deal with..."
Kakashi stood calmly, his eyes fixed on Yagura, who was encased within his own Water Prison Technique, using it defensively to remain unharmed. A wry smile tugged at the corner of Kakashi's lips as he glanced at the mirror image of Yagura standing beside him.
And just like that, he reached out and gently patted the image on the head.
With Yagura's height being only around 143 cm, it was oddly convenient to do so.
At that moment, the real Yagura—who was in the process of dismantling the Water Prison—caught sight of this scene and immediately froze. His eyes twitched with irritation, and a vein nearly popped on his forehead.
That warm smile... those crescent-shaped eyes... that casual head-pat...
It was nothing short of a blatant provocation!
Gone was the calm, gentlemanly demeanor Yagura had maintained throughout the fight. His eyes burned with fury.
"You're looking for death!" he shouted, his voice sharp as a kunai.
"Water Style: Water Doppelgänger Technique!"
Yagura swiftly formed a seal with one hand. Instantly, a water clone identical to him appeared beside him. In the next breath, both the original and the clone sprang into action.
The clone darted toward the mirror image Yagura while the real body closed the distance with Kakashi!
Yagura moved with astonishing speed. He launched a roundhouse kick aimed squarely at Kakashi's chest.
Kakashi blocked the kick just in time—but Yagura wasn't done.
Using the momentum from his rotation, he twisted mid-air, and with a sharp cry, he swung his coral staff straight at Kakashi's head.
Clang!
Kakashi swiftly drew his sword, deflecting the staff with practiced ease. The sharp clang of metal echoed, and the thrill of combat stirred his spirit. The clash of pure taijutsu sent sparks flying.
But then Yagura suddenly twisted his wrist, seizing the staff in reverse grip.
In the blink of an eye, the coral staff spun like a cyclone—and an enormous swirling mass of water spiraled into existence around them!
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. Was that… ninjutsu?!
His instincts screamed. With a powerful leap, he somersaulted backward, narrowly escaping the expanding vortex of water.
But Yagura didn't relent.
He soared high into the air, staff raised, and roared, "Coral Rising Strike!"
Boom!
The ground where the coral staff landed trembled.
Suddenly, massive chunks of coral surged out of the earth, stair-stepping upward in sharp, jagged rows—targeting Kakashi mid-air!
What kind of move is this?! Kakashi's heart pounded. He had never seen a technique like it. He twisted in the air, analyzing the terrain as coral spikes rapidly climbed toward him like a hungry beast.
Swish!
"Flying Thunder God!"
In a flash of blue lightning, Kakashi vanished from mid-air.
He reappeared at a marker he had placed earlier—well outside the growing coral terrain.
He wasn't about to test the power of that technique on his own body.
Unfortunately, the mirror image of Yagura wasn't as lucky.
Engaged in battle with Yagura's water clone, he was caught off guard by the ambush of rising coral. Coral shards erupted from his limbs, immobilizing him instantly. Before he could react, the water clone brought its staff crashing down on his head—shattering him like glass.
Kakashi took in the scene grimly.
What a bizarre technique. He narrowed his eyes. The unknown… is always the most dangerous.
Swish!
Without warning, both Yagura and his clone used the Water Flicker Technique, appearing simultaneously on either side of Kakashi in a coordinated ambush!
"Coral Palm!"
Two right palms, glowing with chakra, struck Kakashi's chest and back in perfect unison.
Bang!
The impact was devastating.
From the point of contact, colonies of coral burst forth across Kakashi's body, rapidly expanding and enveloping him completely—encasing him like a statue in a grotesque coral sculpture.
"Got him!" Yagura grinned triumphantly. Anyone who had been struck by his Coral Palm never escaped. Victory was certain.
Sizzle...!
Suddenly, a crackling sound echoed.
The Kakashi imprisoned in coral disintegrated into a ball of lightning—surging through Yagura's palm and zapping his entire body!
A lightning clone!
Yagura convulsed as the lightning paralyzed him.
And then—
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
A cold voice rang out from below.
Yagura barely had time to react before two strong hands gripped his ankles from beneath the ground.
His body was instantly dragged down—buried up to his neck with only his head above ground!
"Chidori!"
The real Kakashi emerged from the soil, crouched with precision, his right hand glowing with crackling lightning.
Shhkk—!
He lunged, piercing Yagura's skull with the full force of his Chidori!
Splash!
Yagura's form exploded into water.
Another clone?!
Kakashi's eyes sharpened—but it was too late.
"Water Style: Water Prison Technique!"
Yagura's voice echoed from behind. Before Kakashi could turn around, a spherical prison of water enveloped him, trapping him entirely!
When did this happen?!
Kakashi held his breath, thinking fast. During the moment he dove underground—when his vision was blocked—Yagura had substituted himself with a water clone!
Such terrifying battle awareness… Kakashi thought. Even when it seemed like a guaranteed victory, he never let his guard down. Is this the strength of a true Kage-level shinobi?
But Yagura wasn't done.
"Water Style: Five Eating Sharks!"
He slapped the surface of the Water Prison, infusing it with chakra.
In an instant, five ferocious shark-shaped water bombs formed and launched themselves at Kakashi inside the prison.
The sharks snapped with razor-sharp water-teeth, ready to tear him apart.
Kakashi responded swiftly, smashing one with a spinning kick, dispersing it into water.
But as soon as one shark shattered, another regenerated and attacked again!
Endless regeneration? As long as he maintains contact with the prison... Incredible.
Kakashi gritted his teeth. This is Kisame's technique… but Yagura is using it even better. So it's true—Yagura might have been the one who taught Kisame back then, before Obito took control.
But even so, Kakashi refused to stay trapped.
You can trap the body… but can you trap space itself?
Swish!
Just as the five sharks attacked again—
Kakashi vanished.
"Hatake Sword Technique: Sealing Thunder Slash!"
He reappeared beside Yagura in a flash—his speed amplified by Flying Thunder God.
With lightning enveloping his blade, Kakashi slashed downward in a deadly arc.
BOOM!
Yagura, sensing danger, instinctively dropped into the Water Prison, using it as a shield.
But the lightning blade tore through the prison like paper, splitting it open with a deafening crack!
Yagura twisted mid-fall, and with sheer willpower, barely avoided a direct hit to his heart.
Even so, a deep gash ran across the left side of his chest—bone visible beneath the wound.
His face contorted with pain.
But Kakashi wasn't done.
"Hatake Sword Technique: Thunderbolt Flash – Six Continuations!"
He moved again—faster than lightning—zigzagging through the air in a jagged pattern, blade slashing with each movement!
Yagura's eyes widened.
He quickly formed a single seal—his speed almost supernatural.
"Water Style: Water Barrier!"
A massive dome of water burst into existence around him—fifteen meters thick, with five shark bombs swirling inside the water wall!
A combined defense and offense—Water Barrier fused with Five Eating Sharks!
But Yagura paid a price.
Spurt—!
He coughed up blood, weakened by the speed and strain of the jutsu.
Even so, the rotating water wall held strong, slowing Kakashi's attack.
Kakashi halted his charge.
He couldn't afford to repeat the mistake of getting trapped in another water-based prison.
Instead, he watched—grudgingly impressed.
"Yagura Koji," Kakashi called out, lowering his blade.
"You've developed Water Style to such an extent... Of all the opponents I've faced, I would like to call you the strongest in Water Style."
Yagura, panting, had just steadied himself when those words reached his ears.
Pffft—!
He spat out another mouthful of blood—not from injury, but from sheer indignation!
"You want to call me the strongest?!"
"You damned Konoha brat—who do you think you are?!"
His face twisted in rage. That condescending tone—like a senior praising a junior—infuriated him more than anything else in the battle.
Worse than a head-pat.
patreon (Obito_uchiha)