Roooar!!
Following Kongō, a second Titan beast was summoned.
A monster roughly the same size as Kongō—Godzilla—emerged onto the battlefield. The moment it appeared, it tilted its head back and unleashed an ear-splitting roar, shaking the earth and rattling the very air.
Kongō was unmatched in raw strength, though his speed and agility were only average. With the axe in his hand, however, his combat ability rivaled that of a special jōnin, and with the durable body of a Titan, he might even surpass one.
Godzilla, on the other hand, looked bulky and heavy, but in truth possessed terrifying speed. With just the explosive power of its muscular legs, it could propel its entire massive body forward in the blink of an eye.
The sight of Godzilla caused the ninken, who had been gnawing at Kongō, to freeze in terror. Their faces went pale, tails tucked between their legs, they fled yelping without daring to look back.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Hmm? What's this? Instead of saving yourself, you let your summon rush to rescue another summon? So… the one I caught just now wasn't your real body, was it? A Shadow Clone? Or maybe another summon using Transformation Jutsu?"
Indeed, Godzilla didn't rush to pull Aoyama free. Instead, it stormed toward Kongō, slashing through the steel wires wrapped around its comrade's legs with its claws.
"Rooaar!!"
Freed, Kongō swung his axe wildly, immediately charging after the fleeing ninken. To him, those dogs seemed like better prey than Kakashi himself.
Godzilla's eyes glowed with a feral, murderous light. Its powerful legs bent low, preparing to unleash a burst of explosive speed to strike Kakashi down and rescue Aoyama.
Aoyama growled, "I'm like Guy—I can't use ninjutsu worth a damn. I barely passed the graduation exam with Transformation Jutsu. You really think I'd be able to pull off Shadow Clones?"
Kakashi paused, realizing Aoyama might be right. It was common knowledge—both Aoyama and Maito Gai were "ninjutsu idiots," prodigies only in taijutsu and weapon use. If not for that, they might never have even graduated from the Academy. Relieved that the one before him was indeed the real Aoyama, Kakashi let out a quiet breath.
But in the next moment—something was off.
The wind behind him shifted. His Sharingan caught the movement. Instantly, Kakashi dodged as Aoyama's fist swung toward his back.
Boom!
The Aoyama trapped underground dissolved into smoke—just a Shadow Clone.
Although his strike had missed, the feint forced Kakashi into an opening. The seven remaining hounds, terrified by Godzilla's presence, broke formation and scattered, abandoning Kakashi entirely.
Aoyama smirked. "Truth is, I can use Clone Jutsu… and Shadow Clone Jutsu too. Surprised?"
"Rooooar!!"
Godzilla seized the chance and lunged at Kakashi. Energy crackled along its claws—one hit would shred his body into ribbons.
Kakashi slapped his hands to the ground. Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall! The ground erupted upward into a barrier, its carved dog-face smirking mockingly, but the wall successfully blocked Godzilla's strike.
"Phew… vicious as ever. When did you learn to deceive your opponents like that? If I hadn't reacted in time, you would've killed me just now."
Kakashi couldn't help but admit—Shadow Clones were frightening when used with cunning. With minimal risk, they could achieve maximum deception.
"That's what shinobi are, Kakashi," Aoyama said, closing the gap with a fist cocked back. "Masters of deception, assassination… and if necessary, betrayal. Betrayal is the most common trait among us."
His punch sliced through the air, carrying so much force it whipped the wind, tossing Kakashi's hair upward before it even landed.
At the last second, Kakashi swapped himself out with a log. Substitution Jutsu. His timing was perfect. But he forgot one critical factor—Godzilla. Without the hounds to support him, Kakashi couldn't face both Aoyama and the Titan at once.
"Rooooar!!"
Godzilla's roar forced Kakashi to retreat, unwilling to test whether its claws could tear through flesh.
But missing his strike left Godzilla visibly frustrated.
The next moment, a flash of silver light cut through the air. A sword descended, aiming straight for Godzilla's head.
Hayate Gekkō—the special jōnin of the ANBU—emerged from stealth, unleashing a lethal strike with his kenjutsu. His clan's kekkei genkai, which allowed him to remain invisible, had kept him hidden until now.
Aoyama's eyes narrowed. So Kakashi wasn't bluffing after all. Hayate really was lying in wait.
Though Hayate's raw power wasn't overwhelming, his ability to conceal himself made him an exceptional assassin. Until the blade was swinging down, there had been no sign of him at all.
Kongō was still chasing the ninken and couldn't return right away. Even if he could, Kakashi was confident the hounds would delay him.
That left only Godzilla facing Hayate. Which meant—Aoyama was back to fighting one-on-one.
Exactly like at the start of the battle… but this time, the stakes were far deadlier.
Aoyama opened the Eight Gates, forcing his body into the Third Gate. Waves of chakra burst outward, violent and surging. Kakashi's face darkened—his Sharingan saw clearly the danger before him.
He knew the power of the Eight Gates well. Maito Gai had tested him countless times, and Kakashi understood all too well the risk of facing them. The Third Gate was still within the range of survivability, but anything beyond that would be disastrous.
Holding his breath, Kakashi sharpened his focus. One mistake, one lapse of attention, and Aoyama would end the fight in an instant.
Aoyama's voice cut through the tension. "Kakashi… you used to be called a genius. Everyone acknowledged your talent and believed you were destined for greatness. But ever since you took Obito's Sharingan, became the so-called 'Copy Ninja,' your strength hasn't really improved, has it?"
Almost every one of their generation admired Kakashi's brilliance. He graduated early, completed mission after mission, and became a jōnin when his peers were still genin.
Back then, Kakashi's natural talent made him the envy of all. But after receiving Obito's Sharingan… his growth seemed to halt. He was no longer the genius everyone whispered about, but just an ordinary shinobi with a famous title.
Despite being known as the Copy Ninja, his true strength hadn't advanced much at all.