Leaving aside whatever plans Zabuza might make next, the battle currently playing on the light screen was at last beginning to move toward its final stage.
["No wonder it carries such terrifying power. This technique really is no ordinary jutsu. Looks like I'll have to get a little serious too."
After avoiding the aftershock of the One-Horned White Whale, Kakashi raised a hand and pushed up his forehead protector, revealing the long-hidden three-tomoe Sharingan beneath. Then, casting aside his usual lazy tone, he spoke with a completely different seriousness and focus:
"Naruto, leave this place to me now. Hurry and get everyone else back to the ship. Don't stay here any longer than necessary!"
Hearing Kakashi's order, Naruto did not delay for even a moment. He immediately used the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, creating more than a dozen clones. Together, they scooped up everyone still remaining at the scene and ran quickly toward where the ship was docked.
Sasuke, who had been locked in a stubborn fight with Fubuki Kakuyoku, saw this and instantly pulled back as well. He stopped tangling with his opponent and followed after Naruto, retreating from the dangerous battlefield with him.
In truth, Naruto and Sasuke were not the only ones choosing to withdraw.
Even their opponents, Doto Fuyumaguma and Fubuki Kakuyoku, stopped fighting at nearly the same time and scattered backward in different directions, showing no intention of lingering in the area.
As for why both sides had come to such a silent agreement to pull back—
the answer was actually very simple.
Hatake Kakashi and Nadare Rōga were both genuine elite jōnin.
Once ninja of that level began fighting with their full strength, the destruction they unleashed was far beyond what ordinary ninja could endure.
As for Doto Fuyumaguma and the others, they had only barely touched the threshold of true great-village jōnin through the aid of their Chakra Armor and the divine power granted by the Phantom Demon Emperor. They simply could not afford to clash head-on with top-tier elite jōnin, so naturally they had no desire to remain on the battlefield and bear the aftershocks.
Once everyone on both sides had withdrawn, Kakashi wasted no more time and rapidly began forming hand seals.
"Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale!!"
The instant the words fell, the sea behind Kakashi churned violently, and a gigantic horned white whale, even larger than the one Nadare Rōga had summoned earlier, burst from the water and charged forward with freezing force.
"Still the same old routine," Nadare Rōga said, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes. "Only knowing how to copy other people's jutsu?"
"But with the amplification of my Chakra Armor, there is absolutely no way I'll lose to you using the same technique!"
With that, he immediately pushed his Chakra Armor into overload mode.
"Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale!!"
In the next second, an even larger horned white whale leapt from the sea, carrying an even wilder and more violent momentum as it smashed directly toward Kakashi's whale.
"Won't lose to me?"
Kakashi's tone remained calm, without the slightest sign that he intended to challenge the attack head-on. Instead, he merely shook his head.
"Sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
"What do you mean?"
Hearing that, Nadare Rōga frowned.
But before he could think further, the two massive whales had already crashed violently into one another.
The shockwave from the collision alone whipped up monstrous air currents, making even the sky seem to tremble.
Yet what happened next was completely different from what Nadare Rōga had expected.
Under Kakashi's deliberate control, one of the white whales suddenly changed direction, dragging the other whale—thrown off course by the collision—along with it as both hurtled straight toward the nearby iceberg.
Boom! Rumble—!
Amid deafening thunderous noise, the two whales of solid ice completely smashed apart the enormous iceberg.
Howling winds tore across the sea, and the towering waves they stirred crashed again and again against the hull of the ship. Those aboard could only cling desperately to railings and ropes to keep from being blown away.
"Set sail!"
At that moment, Kakashi's voice cut through the storm and reached the ship.
The captain did not dare hesitate. He immediately got the vessel moving, using the impact and chaos from the collapse of the iceberg to drive the ship away at full speed, rapidly leaving the battlefield behind.
Watching the ship grow farther and farther away, Fubuki Kakuyoku and Doto Fuyumaguma, who had retreated moments ago, now quickly returned to Nadare Rōga's side. Seeing his darkened expression, they asked:
"Rōga, should we continue the pursuit?"
"..."
Nadare Rōga clenched his fists and remained silent for quite some time. Only after forcibly suppressing the rage boiling inside him did he take a deep breath and answer in his usual cool tone:
"No need. This time was only a simple first meeting."
"When they truly set foot on the soil of the Land of Snow with Princess Koyuki, I will personally lay down the Seven Spirit Release Gates. Then, under the witness of the Phantom Demon Emperor, we will properly 'welcome' their arrival."
...
The scene shifted.
The light screen's perspective moved to the ship carrying the film crew.
At that moment, the director was staring fixedly at the footage that had just been recorded, his face utterly unable to conceal his excitement.
This was a head-on clash between elite jōnin. Calling it rare footage would be an understatement—it was a treasure that could send the entire film world into a frenzy.
Though he had been born into a noble family, had seen many things commoners could never touch, and had even entered the profession of directing—a career only a select few could pursue—
even so, he had never in his life been able to witness a battle between top-tier ninja from such close range.
The overwhelming shock and thrill of it struck him so deeply that he could not help thinking: even if he died this very moment, having seen a spectacle like this with his own eyes, his life would already have been worth it. The journey would not have been in vain.
Of course, even more exciting than having witnessed the battle itself was the fact that with this utterly irreplaceable footage in hand, Princess Fūun would absolutely soar all the way to the top and claim the highest box-office record in film history.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the smile on the director's face could no longer be hidden, and he burst into joyous laughter on the spot.]**
In the real world, as viewers watched the battle on the light screen come fully to an end—and saw the director laughing without restraint—many of them immediately began discussing it in the comments.
—"This director is way too dedicated! I'm actually getting curious about his movies now. After some time passes, I'm definitely going to look up his earlier works and see if they're this compelling too!"
—"I don't understand a thing about film as some emerging industry, and honestly I don't care enough to follow it."
—"Same here! Compared to movies, I'm way more interested in Kakashi and the others' fight scenes. All I can say is, as expected of the elite jōnin known as the strongest beneath the Kage—when he fights seriously, the destruction he causes is genuinely terrifying. It's beyond imagination!"
—"Actually, there are quite a few ninja capable of that level of battle intensity. It's just that the combat style of modern ninja has changed. These days, it's more about intelligence and precise assassination, so few people use large-scale destructive ninjutsu like this anymore. After all, this isn't the era of the Third Great Ninja War, where every fight had to escalate into something this massive."
—"..."
The discussion continued heatedly, veering from Kakashi and Nadare Rōga's duel to the destructive power of ninjutsu, making the atmosphere especially lively.
And for the common people scattered across the ninja world—those who had never once had any contact with the world of shinobi—hearing the ninja speak and witnessing those world-shaking scenes on the light screen moved them deeply for the very first time.
A powerful yearning began to take root in their hearts.
Yes.
They too wanted to become ninja.
They too wanted to wield this kind of transcendent power with their own hands—the kind of force that could shake heaven and earth.
As for the quiet rise of this new dream among the common people, the daimyō of the great nations remained completely unaware.
Seated comfortably in their luxurious palaces, attended by maidservants, they regarded the contents of the light screen as nothing more than a novel form of visual entertainment. At most, they would offer a few remarks of admiration at the battles shown, before sinking once more into their pampered aristocratic lives.
They had no idea whatsoever that the seed of an idea—one that might one day alter the balance of the entire world—had already begun silently taking root among those at the bottom.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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