"Little devil of the Uchiha... you're courting death!"
Loess was furious—completely unhinged. Both of his subordinates had just been killed by this damned Uchiha brat!
Earlier, Loess had managed to keep his rage in check—barely—when it was just the death of Yuanmu, a comrade he respected but didn't share a deep bond with. He still needed intel, still wanted to understand what Konoha's objective was.
But this time, it was different.
The second Iwa-nin who died wasn't just a teammate—he was a childhood friend. Someone who had stood by Loess since the Academy days. The emotional toll shattered any last bit of restraint Loess had.
He didn't care about the mission anymore. He didn't care about gathering intelligence. All he wanted now was to kill this Uchiha.
The rage radiating from Loess was nearly palpable. His chakra flared wildly, and even Kakashi, who had planned to take advantage of the chaos with his Chidori, was caught off guard by the sheer speed of Loess' response.
Just as the piercing cry of Chidori rang out, Loess had already crouched down, pressing both palms into the earth. His chakra surged into the ground—swift, deliberate, devastating.
A massive earthen wall surged upward—a full ten meters high—rising just in time to intercept Kakashi's charge.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
It was a basic Doton technique by name, but in Loess' hands, it became something far more formidable.
Chidori tore through the wall… but not entirely. And before Kakashi could celebrate—or react—Loess had already circled around using the momentary cover, his massive fist flying forward.
The punch didn't just crush the wall behind it—it crushed Kakashi.
The force hit him square in the chest. Bone cracked audibly. Blood sprayed mid-air as Kakashi flew back, crashing to the ground like a rag doll. His chest was caved in—utterly shattered.
For a moment, Kai Uchiha stood stunned.
Was this it? Was Kakashi really going to die like this?
"Kakashi!!"
Rin Nohara's scream echoed across the battlefield. She sprinted toward him—but was intercepted by a brutal kick from an Iwa-nin who had been watching for just that.
Her recklessness broke the delicate defense the team had been holding. Imai Kenta, who had been trying to keep things together, was suddenly thrown into disarray.
Kai didn't even need to look—he knew what was going through Kenta's head right now.
If it weren't for Rin, Kenta might have tried to kill her himself just to get her out of the way...
But even Kenta didn't have time for those thoughts now. The Iwa-nin who had stopped Rin turned his attention back to Kenta, launching a relentless assault.
Kenta was struggling. New wounds opened with every passing second.
Kai Uchiha observed in silence. He never paid much attention to his teammates. He didn't feel any emotional ties to the "characters" of this world—why would he? He was just trying to survive.
And yet... he'd already saved Kakashi twice.
He thought things were finally going according to plan.
But now? Kakashi was likely dying, taken down by the man who would one day be known as the father of the Fourth Tsuchikage. Life in this world was cruel and fragile—even someone like Kakashi, Konoha's "eternal little cockroach," wasn't immune.
Aya Hyuga was critically injured. Rin was pinned down. Kenta was on his last legs.
This… this had to be the moment Minato-sensei was waiting for. The "critical moment" he mentioned before the mission.
Kai didn't have time to think. Loess, having dispatched Kakashi, now turned his attention to Kai—his killing intent locked on.
That look. That chakra. It screamed one thing:
"You die here today."
I have to call Minato-sensei. There's no other way out of this.
Kai's body flickered out of range as he activated the Body Flicker Technique, pulling distance between himself and Loess. In the same motion, he drew the kunai marked by Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique and poured chakra into it.
Nothing happened.
No golden flash. No savior.
Too far? Not enough chakra? Or is Minato-sensei busy fighting somewhere else?
Even while dodging Loess' relentless attacks, Kai's mind was racing. He remembered clearly—Loess had appeared in the Fourth Shinobi World War as commander of the Second Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces. He'd once gone toe-to-toe with a tailed beast-empowered Kinkaku and held his ground. He'd used his Earth Release mastery to suppress the Ten Tails itself!
And now, even though this was the younger version of that man, the sheer strength he wielded was undeniable.
Each punch from Loess shook the ground. Every strike looked like it could shatter bones—even pulverize a human body.
If it weren't for his Sharingan's dynamic vision, and his skill with the Body Flicker, Kai was certain he'd already be a smear on the ground.
He tried countering. Kunai. Shuriken. Explosive tags.
Nothing worked.
Loess didn't dodge anymore. He just tanked the attacks, his chakra cloaking his body like armor. Before, he might've avoided injury. Now, he didn't care.
Kai was running out of options.
Unless he could get in close, unless he could land a precise, lethal strike the way he had against Yuanmu… he had no chance.
But Loess had no openings now. His chakra protected every inch of his body—no blind spots, no weaknesses.
And time was running out.
Kai's Sharingan picked up Kakashi's pulse—it was faint. Too faint. If this dragged on, reinforcements from Iwagakure would arrive. Kenta was about to fall. Aya was out.
He clenched his fists.
He'd had enough.
Kai's eyes sharpened, madness gleaming in his blood-red Sharingan.
"If you won't let me go… then I'll make sure you lose everything!"