"Hoo, ho…"
Everyone present gasped for breath.
After a long battle, their spirits had reached their absolute limit.
If you wanted to subdivide it, Kakashi was in the worst condition. Now she was only hanging on by a single breath. Lin was better; she had been using Water Style techniques to support her teammates and had avoided serious injuries, but her chakra reserves were nearly depleted.
The last remaining Root spy was in the best condition. Though lightly injured, he had not experienced the same brutal combat and was the type sent by Root specifically to ambush the Seventh Squad.
His target remained Kakashi. In his judgment, Kakashi posed the greatest threat—yet Kakashi could barely stand.
Thus, Lin was left to face him alone.
"Water Style: Water Prison Technique!"
A surge of water materialized, encasing the Root spy firmly.
But even as Lin maintained the prison, she herself was nearing exhaustion. She bit into a ration pill hidden in her mouth, forcing herself to refine chakra as she rushed to block in front of Kakashi.
Drawing a kunai from her pouch, Lin hurled it at the restrained spy.
Even bound, the Root spy managed to shift slightly, avoiding fatal injury. However, the kunai struck his thigh and waist, causing blood to pour from the wounds.
In the next moment, the spy shattered the Water Prison with a burst of chakra.
Using Body Flicker, the Root ninja instantly closed the distance between himself and Lin, kunai flashing in hand.
Lin remained calm. She quickly formed seals and used the newly refined chakra to unleash a new jutsu:
"Water Style: Water Burst!"
The saliva in the Root spy's mouth condensed unnaturally before erupting into an explosion.
Caught completely off-guard, the spy lost balance and staggered back. It wasn't a water arrow or prison—it was saliva bursting within his mouth, bypassing his natural defenses.
After all, who would think to fortify their mouth with chakra?
The spy's mouth filled with blood, teeth shattered and broken.
Despite the pain, the Root operative reacted swiftly. As he fell, he tucked into a roll, escaping Lin's interception. Channeling chakra to his soles, he sprang forward—straight toward Kakashi.
Hidden in the shadows, Ma Jia and White Fang watched closely. Although both were powerful enough to eliminate a special jōnin instantly, stepping in would expose their identities, which they wanted to avoid.
The true growth of a ninja required facing life-and-death situations.
Without despair, there could be no true progress.
War was filled with unexpected variables; survival hinged not on protection but personal strength.
"Too bad Obito is still stunned," Ma Jia muttered internally. "Otherwise, the three of them might have been able to finish this off themselves."
Obito's inability to act was a critical flaw. In Ma Jia's opinion, it wasn't a lack of talent or effort, but weak willpower.
Willpower was directly linked to the soul. Without a strong will, even great talent would never mature. And without soul growth, unlocking the Sharingan was near impossible.
"Maybe… Obito needs training to sharpen his will," Ma Jia pondered.
His mind briefly wandered because he knew White Fang was also watching. Otherwise, he would never have dared to be distracted at such a moment.
Meanwhile, the Root operative closed the final distance to Kakashi, kunai raised to strike.
Lin, realizing the danger, tried to intercept him. But exhausted as she was, she couldn't match the spy's speed. Seeing the enemy step closer and closer to Kakashi filled her with guilt and desperation.
Her body, drained of chakra and stamina, could barely respond.
Despite the claims that ration pills restored strength quickly, the truth was that their effects were gradual, and excessive use brought side effects. The ration pill Lin had swallowed was her fifth today—more than her body could safely handle—severely limiting the replenishment effect.
Kakashi, lying weakly, struggled to move. Fighting two special jōnin alone, suffering grave injuries, expending chakra with Chidori—his body had long since reached its absolute limit.
Watching helplessly as the enemy approached was agonizing. Though it was mere seconds, time stretched infinitely for him.
Kakashi desperately tried to lift his arms, to move, but nothing responded.
Even before the enemy struck, his spirit broke. His vision blurred.
Is this… death? I'm not willing...!
"No!" Lin screamed internally, overwhelmed by helplessness.
Unlike Kakashi, Lin's injuries were lighter, but she was even more drained of chakra.
In that instant, Lin burned the last of her chakra, overdriving her body.
Frantic chakra flow to her feet boosted her speed explosively.
Suddenly, Lin moved faster than the special jōnin—matching even a regular jōnin.
As Namikaze Minato's student, she had learned the Body Flicker Technique. Although its strain on the body was heavy, in critical moments, a burst of speed could change fate.
This was one of the few life-saving techniques Minato had passed to them.
Performing a pure physical flicker at this moment shredded Lin's foot meridians, causing immense internal injury.
Seeing this, Ma Jia grew anxious.
You fool, you'll cripple yourself!
Without immediate medical attention, she risked spending the rest of her life in a wheelchair.
But survival came first.
Lin reached Kakashi's side just as the Root spy prepared to strike, positioning herself as a human shield.
I must protect my comrades, Lin thought.
Kakashi's pupils dilated with shock and regret. His heart ached with helplessness. Yet he had no strength left to act.
His eyelids fell heavily.
I'm sorry... everyone...
At that final moment, a flash of white light illuminated the battlefield.
It was the light of a blade.
That was Kakashi's final conscious image before he collapsed completely.
White Fang had taken action.
Before the Root spy's kunai reached Lin, a brilliant white slash cut through the air.
Who—?! Lin barely had time to think before overwhelming exhaustion claimed her consciousness. She collapsed, unconscious.
White Fang's speed was beyond comprehension. Appearing between Lin and the Root operative in an instant, he swung his blade cleanly.
The Root ninja's body was sliced clean in half—the cut so smooth it gleamed under the moonlight.
The spy's eyes widened in disbelief.
At that instant, he understood he had been facing a monster far beyond him.
But Ma Jia wasn't satisfied.
No! I can't let him die!
This Root agent had attacked the Seventh Squad—clearly under Danzo's orders. But this event wasn't recorded anywhere in the "original future" Ma Jia remembered.
If he died now, they would lose a chance for crucial information—information Ma Jia needed to reshape the coming war.
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Your feedback is always welcome. if you spot any errors or have questions, feel free to let me know so I can address them.