Slow.
As Kakashi was about to swing his sword, Yokokawa Tsutomu's movements slowed within his gaze.
In a state of No Thought, No Thought, Kakashi didn't ponder this; he merely performed the action he had repeated countless times in training.
Crackle!!
Kakashi's Chakra instantly transformed into Lightning Attribute Chakra, enveloping him in dazzling lightning light.
The shining lightning light flowed into the sharp White Fang Short Blade from his wrist, extending into a blade of lightning.
"No, is his next action really to slash?" Yokokawa Tsutomu sensed something amiss.
Normally, he should be able to sense Kakashi's movements beforehand.
Yokokawa Tsutomu wanted to rapidly flee from Kakashi's side, but it was already too late; in the instant he had the thought, Kakashi swung out the Lightning Blade, executing the ultimate Thoughtless Slash.
Boom!!
Purple electric light flashed, and a Thunder Slash swiftly struck Yokokawa Tsutomu who was trying to escape.
When the slash, seemingly capable of tearing everything apart, hit Yokokawa Tsutomu, he let out an incomparably painful scream.
His body was mercilessly severed by the Thunder Slash, every cell it touched was consumed by the terrifying lightning.
Boom boom!
The powerful force ravaged the ground around Yokokawa Tsutomu, causing an explosion.
At the center of the slash, Yokokawa Tsutomu turned into two halves, his body sliced waist-deep.
"When did this guy become so strong?" Obito gaped in disbelief at the scene.
Yokokawa Tsutomu, who had just trapped so many of them in such a difficult battle, was actually cut in half by Kakashi in one slash.
Obito wanted to accuse Kakashi of cheating.
Previously in the Chunin Examination, they unexpectedly encountered a Hidden Mist Jonin, and a heavily injured Kakashi instantly defeated the Jonin in one slash; this time again a heavily injured Kakashi instantly took down Yokokawa Tsutomu.
Is it that you, Kakashi, have a bloodline limit of gaining a power boost when heavily injured?
"Such a powerful slash, this is combining Lighting Release and swordsmanship to forge his own path." Maruboshi Kosuke expressed surprise.
As an experienced ninja, he had gone to war with White Fang; although White Fang cut down ninjas like slicing vegetables, he might not be able to unleash such a slash in a battle with such a monster.
Although it can't be said that Kakashi has surpassed White Fang, it does show that Kakashi is not merely following his father's path.
"Impressive." Aburame Shikuro raised his sunglasses, praising.
If he faced such a powerful slash head-on, he certainly wouldn't escape death.
"Is this the difference between Grass Village and Konoha?" Ryuhi's expression was complex upon seeing Yokokawa Tsutomu being cut in half.
Indeed, he just wanted to kill Yokokawa Tsutomu, but seeing him turn into a monster and then being slashed by a young ninja like Kakashi still made him sigh inwardly.
Yokokawa Tsutomu calculated everything and even ventured with the entire Grass Village to grow stronger, yet he was no match for Konoha's elite squad.
"Breath of Thunder Chakra Mode?" Shisui observed and made a guess.
That slash from Kakashi was absurdly powerful, but if it was combined with Transparent World, Breath of Thunder Chakra Mode, and the powerful Lighting Release Blade Technique taught by Mokgetsu, such power would be understandable.
After all, with such an accumulation, swinging a single slash might exhaust all of Kakashi's Chakra.
As Shisui predicted, Kakashi didn't remain cool for even three seconds before falling backward in a daze.
Nohara Rin immediately activated Medical Ninjutsu while rushing towards Kakashi.
Seeing this, Obito quickly used Instant Body Jutsu to support Kakashi, preventing Nohara Rin from needing to lift him.
Feeling the intense pain in his body, Kakashi frowned; during the swing he didn't feel anything, but now realized how serious his abdominal injury was.
Without treatment from Nohara Rin and Katsuyu, he might have gone into shock immediately after completing the Thoughtless Slash.
Severely injured combined with excessive Chakra depletion, this condition was too dire.
"In that case, Thoughtless Slash can't be used in an internal battle." Kakashi shook his head inwardly.
He must rely on the support of Breath of Thunder Chakra Mode to use Thoughtless Slash, and the enormous cost allows him to swing only one slash.
Indeed, even without using any ninjutsu while in peak condition, after using Thoughtless Slash once, he would nearly lose combat capability.
But the other disciples aren't foolish; they won't actively engage Kakashi in a duel. They would certainly choose to deplete Kakashi's Chakra, rendering him unable to use Thoughtless Slash afterward.
Not only in internal battles but in normal warfare timing is crucial.
Because Kakashi's activity ceases after one slash, he can only rely on teammates' support afterward; hence the slash must be critical, either heavily injuring the enemy if not outright slaying.
"Breath of Thunder Chakra Mode is an excellent gain." Kakashi didn't feel diminished by the experience.
Stacking Breath of Thunder Chakra Mode on top of Transparent World raises his power and speed to a new level, also greatly enhancing Lighting Release Ninjutsu.
Overall, the journey to Grass Village boosted him significantly; if given the chance to perfect Thoughtless Slash, defeating Might Guy becomes feasible.
"Kakashi, are you doing this on purpose? You can't use ninjutsu unless severely injured, isn't it?" Obito couldn't help but tease, looking at Kakashi's abdominal wound.
Seeing Kakashi's inexplicable rapid advancement in strength, Obito felt distressed, wondering how the next civil war could be fought like this.
The best outcome would be for Kakashi and Might Guy to meet in the first round, then he would face Shisui. That way, he might avoid punishment, but still miss out on becoming the strongest disciple.
A powerless Kakashi didn't want to talk to Obito and rolled his eyes to show his speechlessness.
"The injury is so severe, thank goodness for Lady Katsuyu," Nohara Rin said as she reached Kakashi and immediately began treatment.
At this moment, Ryuhi also walked beside them. Seeing Kakashi still capable of such rich expressions, he breathed a sigh of relief.
If Kakashi couldn't make it, he would have to sacrifice himself with the Dragon Life Rebirth to extend Kakashi's life.
After all, who knows if Blazing Sun Mokgetsu would blame the Grass Village for the death of his disciple? Losing such a super genius, Konoha's attitude towards the Grass Ninja would head into the unknown.
Ryuhi walked to Yokokawa Tsutomu's corpse, recalling the times they considered each other opponents and progressed together.
Ryuhi shook his head, suppressing his chaotic thoughts, and began forming hand seals to use Fire Release.
The commotion here had already attracted the attention of the entire Grass Village. However, because Yokokawa Tsutomu's appearance was too terrifying, no civilians dared to approach.
To give Yokokawa Tsutomu a final bit of dignity, Ryuhi prepared to use Fire Release to burn him to ashes, preventing him from dying as a monster.
"Fire Release: Ghost Lantern!"
Just as Ryuhi used hand seals to activate Fire Release, Yokokawa Tsutomu's upper body suddenly moved, with a large hand grabbing Ryuhi, flying towards the Box of Bliss.
This unexpected change shocked everyone present.
"Such strong vitality, not dead even after this," Nara Suzaku exclaimed in surprise.
He couldn't believe Yokokawa Tsutomu had such an abnormal vitality, as Kakashi's recent slash had completely severed his body without any loose ends.
"Cough cough, no need to panic, everyone. He must be severely injured," Kakashi struggled to say.
If Yokokawa Tsutomu still had his previous combat abilities, he could easily take advantage of Kakashi's weakness to launch a surprise attack on them.
Kakashi surmised that Yokokawa Tsutomu survived relying on some monster characteristic but wasn't much better off in his current state.
Shisui quickly used Instant Body Jutsu to appear beside Kakashi, reopening his Sharingan, focusing intently on Yokokawa Tsutomu.
Yokokawa Tsutomu stopped above the Box of Bliss, with his claws still tightly gripping Ryuhi.
"Ryuhi, it's time to sacrifice for the Grass Ninja. Use Dragon Life Rebirth on me. That way, I can regain my strength to kill all these Konoha ninja," Yokokawa Tsutomu commanded.
"The Grass Village won't forget your sacrifice. I will reward your family and descendants."
Ryuhi sneered, "You're dreaming, monster. You think you deserve to share my life."
Bam!
Enraged, Yokokawa Tsutomu raised his arm, slamming Ryuhi hard in front of the Box of Bliss.
"Why do you always oppose me? I'm making the Grass Ninja great! I'm the leader of the Grass Village!" Yokokawa Tsutomu shouted.
"Monster, you'll regret this," Ryuhi remained defiant.
Seeing this, Kakashi and the others swiftly refined their Chakra. Aburame Shikuro continuously incubated more insects with Chakra, while Nara Suzaku thoughtfully positioned himself not too close or too far from Yokokawa Tsutomu.
Since Yokokawa Tsutomu was grabbing Ryuhi, Kakashi and his team weren't too anxious.
They surely wouldn't risk their lives for a ninja from another village they're not familiar with, especially since the Grass Ninja's cooperation with Hidden Rock to attack Konoha was confirmed.
"Box of Bliss, please help me heal, or control Ryuhi to use Dragon Life Rebirth on me," Yokokawa Tsutomu had no choice but to seek help from the Box of Bliss.
However, Yokokawa Tsutomu felt uneasy because the Box of Bliss remained silent, no matter how hard he tried to contact it.
"I wonder what's happening on Teacher Mokgetsu's side," Shisui said, using his Sharingan to look at the Box of Bliss, but unable to see inside through the darkness.
Shisui speculated that the space inside the box might be different in size compared to the outside. Otherwise, with Mokgetsu's strength, battles in this box would certainly be more noticeable.
"What is this?" Uzumaki Karei awoke and looked bewilderedly at the chaotic surroundings.
Nohara Rin noticed this and explained the situation to Uzumaki Karei through the Katsuyu on Kakashi.
"If you won't help me, then I'll kill all your family members!" Yokokawa Tsutomu grabbed Ryuhi, threatening him.
With the Box of Bliss unresponsive, he could only find a way to help himself.
"Then do it," Ryuhi said calmly.
Although it felt apologetic to his family, given the whole Grass Village, even if Yokokawa Tsutomu spared his family, the upcoming Konoha Ninja Squad would treat all Grass Ninjas equally with death.
"Do you think I'm bluffing?" Yokokawa Tsutomu once again aimed his claws at Ryuhi's body, intending to use the lives of his family members to force Ryuhi to heal him.
Nara Suzaku and Aburame Shikuro prepared to intercept with hand seals.
If Yokokawa Tsutomu really regained his strength, the outcome of the battle would be uncertain.
Just as Yokokawa Tsutomu flapped his wings to fly, a golden figure swiftly appeared above him.
Kakashi, Shisui, and the others brightened, as Obito, in Breath of Flame Chakra Mode, quickly withdrew; Yokokawa Tsutomu's fate was sealed.
PS: Another chapter is coming soon, and it will conclude the battle. The publication should be before two o'clock.