The Tenseigan started from the Hyuga main family.

This time, Kakuzu had clearly learned his lesson and did not use ninjutsu to try to slow down the movement of the water clones. Instead, he continued to relentlessly pursue them and close the distance.

The two Earth Grudge Monsters flanked the water clones, one on the left and one on the right. Kakuzu, who retained both earth and water attribute hearts, followed closely behind the water clones, intending to form an encirclement and leave the water clones with nowhere to escape.

Regardless of the situation on the main side, the matter must have been settled by now, right?

Let's try to see if we can use the remaining chakra from the Water Clone to crush another Kakuzu's heart.

Lightning Release: False Darkness!

Just as the Earth Grudge Monster was advancing almost in tandem with its Water Clone, blue lightning flashed again in front of the mask.

The only difference is that this time, several lightning spears were condensed, each with flashes of electricity, forming a vast lightning net that not only covered the location of the water clone but also blocked the space for escape in front and behind.

The water clone's gaze sharpened, and his hands began to form hand seals, preparing to unleash a water-style ninjutsu for defense. Suddenly, he frowned and stopped what he was doing.

Most of the attention was focused on Kakuzu, which is why the water clone only noticed the three familiar chakra fluctuations now.

Why did they get here?

A black shadow flashed before their eyes, and a familiar figure stood in front of the water clone—it was Kakashi.

Lightning Release: Lightning Blade!

Kakashi's hands were enveloped in dazzling lightning, which he used to block the incoming lightning spear. He slid back a step due to the enormous impact, and then they were locked in a stalemate.

"what!"

With a low shout, Kakashi made tearing motions with both hands to the left and right, completely shattering the Thunder Spear, which had consumed most of its power.

"You've ever been chased and left in such a sorry state?"

With one hand in his pocket, Uchiha Sasuke leaped down from the top of a tree in front of him and spoke.

"Our Seventh Squad has come to rescue you!"

Naruto Uzumaki stood upside down on a tree branch, his legs planted firmly on it, and waved to his water clone with a big smile on his face.

Who asked you to save them?

The water clone's lips twitched a few times, hoping the main body would arrive quickly.

Otherwise, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki might have fallen into the hands of the Akatsuki organization much earlier.

Chapter 28 Akatsuki's Trench Coat

"This is a battle that neither of you can interfere with. Get out of here!"

Although he knew the chances of persuading Naruto and Sasuke were slim, the water clone immediately reminded him.

"After Kakashi-sensei's special training, we are no longer the same as before. Although the enemy in front of us looks strange, how could he be a match for the future Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto?"

Before the arrogant Uchiha Sasuke could refute, Naruto had already released the chakra beneath his feet, tumbled down from the tree, and landed in front of his water clone, retorting with a face full of indignation.

"You two, follow Hinata Zechen's orders and go meet up with Sakura first."

Before Hyuga Zechen could speak, Kakashi, who was standing in front of him, spoke with an extremely grave expression. He even pulled up the headband covering his left eye, revealing his scarlet Sharingan.

This is a formidable enemy whose strength far surpasses that of Zabuza the Demon!

By using the Twin Lightning Blades to block the Lightning Release: False Darkness attack, Kakashi immediately gained a direct assessment of Kakuzu's combat strength.

Although Naruto and Sasuke's strength has improved after special training and they have reached the level of Chunin, if they face a strong enemy, the aftershocks of the battle alone would be enough to overwhelm them.

"Don't look down on me, Kakashi-sensei!"

At this moment, Naruto, caught up in his passion, was unwilling to listen to Kakashi's advice. He immediately formed hand seals and shouted.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

A dense cloud of white mist rose up, and hundreds of shadow clones instantly surrounded the area. Then, the shadow clones rushed towards Kakuzu in an astonishing number.

"Are all the younger generation so rude these days?"

Such a terrifying amount of chakra even made Kakuzu take notice. Instead of immediately using a large-scale ninjutsu to clear the area, he used taijutsu and the black lines spewed out by Earth Grudge Fear to shatter the approaching shadow clones one by one.

It was all just for show!

As soon as they clashed, Kakuzu figured out the true strength of the Shadow Clone Technique.

What use is a taijutsu skill level of a genin, even if it's the most numerous?

"What exactly happened?"

Seeing that Naruto had used numerous shadow clones to hold off the enemy, Kakashi took two steps back, stood side by side with the water clones, and asked.

"All of Kado's wealth has fallen into his hands, and even Zabuza's Executioner's Blade has become his spoils of war."

Just one sentence was enough to make Kakashi's expression change slightly.

No wonder Zabuza didn't appear; he must have encountered a third-party enemy. With even his Executioner's Blade in enemy hands, his fate is probably grim.

Do you know who they are?

Seeing Kakuzu casually wave his hand and wipe out a series of shadow clones, and the two Earth Grudge Monsters charging into the shadow clone group and sweeping away everything in their path as if it were empty, Kakashi, who had been frowning, spoke up again.

"The other party claims to be named Kakuzu, and says he once fought against the First Hokage. Those two monsters were separated from his body, and each can unleash powerful ninjutsu of a different element..."

He fought against the First Hokage?

Kakashi took a deep breath, clearly shocked by the news.

Are you alright?

With Zabuza's fate unknown and the mission to the Land of Waves already completed, Kakashi naturally had no desire to fight such a formidable enemy.

Moreover, neither Naruto nor Sasuke could afford to fail, which made Kakashi consider retreating.

"My main body is still nearby fighting that guy's companions; this is just a water clone. You guys retreat first, I'll cover you."

Kakashi's eyelids twitched, and he glanced at the water clone in surprise. Then he nodded, stretched out his arms and grabbed Naruto and Sasuke respectively. Ignoring their struggles, he directly used the Body Flicker Technique to take them more than ten feet away in the blink of an eye.

"Don't even think about escaping!"

Having already cleared out a third of the shadow clones using his taijutsu, Kakuzu saw Kakashi trying to leave and, after a low shout, a large number of black threads suddenly emerged from the ground and instantly wrapped around Kakashi's legs.

Clearly, the fight with Naruto's shadow clone was just a cover; Kakuzu silently repeated his old trick, embedding black threads into the earth before launching a sudden attack.

Black threads also shot out from under the feet of the water clone, but Hyuga Zechen, who had anticipated this, leaped up and flipped over to avoid the attack.

"Water Release: Big Explosive Water Wave!"

After calculating the remaining chakra in his body, the water clone's chest suddenly bulged, and an incredibly large amount of water gushed out from its mouth, instantly forming a huge ellipsoidal water prison covering an area of ​​several kilometers, engulfing Kakuzu and the Earth Grudge Monster.

"Aren't water clones supposed to only possess one-tenth of the original's strength? How can they unleash such an amazing water-style ninjutsu?"

As Sasuke Uchiha witnessed this scene with his Sharingan in motion, he clenched his fists, his eyes filled with disappointment, directly experiencing the enormous gap between himself and Hyuga Sawatatsu.

Taking advantage of Kakuzu's distraction, Kakashi successfully freed himself from the black threads binding his legs. He glanced at the vast, shimmering water prison, the contents of which were obscured, and then began to run away at breakneck speed once more.

Ten breaths later, the remaining chakra could no longer sustain the massive flow of water. The unrestrained waves surged in all directions, leaving only a depth of no more than knee-deep in the same spot.

"Is he yet another fool who's willing to sacrifice his life to cover his comrades?"

Slightly disheveled, Kakuzu had a black thread in his mouth and spoke with a mocking tone.

At the other end of the black silk thread was the water clone, whose limbs and neck were tightly bound. Now, the black silk thread, which had become as tough as iron, lifted the clone high, with its legs dangling in mid-air.

"I'll take your eye roll!"

Before the clone could speak, Kakuzu, fearing that things might get complicated, manipulated the black silk threads wrapped around his neck to extend upwards, inserting them into his eye sockets, attempting to gouge out his pair of white eyes, worth hundreds of millions of taels.

However, as the water splashed, the water shattered completely, and the glistening droplets slid down the black threads and dripped onto the ground.

Kakuzu's body instantly stiffened, his eyes staring blankly at the empty black threads, and in his pale green eyes, anger instantly materialized.

No wonder the opponent refused to engage in direct combat from beginning to end, no wonder my companion left him alone to cover the retreat without hesitation. It turns out that I was being tricked by a water clone all along.

-----------------

"Kakashi-sensei!"

In a grove of trees a kilometer away from the Land of Waves Bridge, Sakura, her face showing a mixture of anxiety and disappointment, was overjoyed to see Kakashi descending from the sky, each holding a companion in one hand.

Sakura knew perfectly well that Kakashi's excuse for staying to protect the mission objective was just a nice pretext. Ultimately, it was because her current strength was far beyond that of Sasuke and Naruto, making her unsuitable for combat.

"You three wait here for a moment, don't move. I'll go back and check again..."

Kakashi was still somewhat worried, so after giving a few words of advice, he turned around and prepared to return to the battlefield.

The next moment, footsteps sounded not far away, and under Kakashi's wary gaze, Hyuga Zechen walked over, holding an Akatsuki trench coat in his hand.

"Open your white eye!"

Seeing the increased wariness on Kakashi's face, Hyuga Zechen smiled faintly and activated his Byakugan to prove his identity.

"Are you okay?"

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief and looked Hyuga Zetsu up and down.

"Yes, we've encountered a very formidable opponent, one with a blood feud with your Hatake family."

Kakashi looked stunned, a big question mark appearing on his forehead.

"Kakuzu's companion is named Sasori of the Red Sand."

Hinata Zechen pointed to the Akatsuki trench coat in his hand.

"He escaped; these are his clothes."

Chapter 29 Advice for Class 7

"Sasori of the Red Sand, the genius puppeteer of Sunagakure, didn't he disappear along with the Third Kazekage before the Third Shinobi World War?"

Kakashi pondered for a moment, then immediately recalled this genius who had once been hailed as the hope for the rise of Sunagakure.

Sasori's parents died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang, causing a huge sensation in both Konoha and Sunagakure. Even though Kakashi was young at the time, he knew about it.

Hinata Sawatatsu shook his head.

"Let's go back to the village first and then discuss it in detail. If they join forces and come back, it will be very troublesome."

Kakashi did not object to Hyuga Sawa's suggestion.

After taking one last look at the unscathed bridge in the Land of Waves, the group of five sped off towards Konoha, concluding their mission in the Land of Waves.