Chapter 180: 180. Revenge
Sora arrived at Kakashi's room and found him pressing his left eye—the one with the Sharingan—tightly.
"Sensei Sora, you're back," Kakashi greeted, attempting to stand.
Sora gently pushed him back into his seat. He realized that news of Nohara Rin's death had not yet reached Kakashi. Based on Sora's understanding of his student, if Kakashi knew, he would be in a state of deep depression, not just physical discomfort.
Sora sat across from Kakashi and asked, "Orochimaru-sensei mentioned your condition isn't good. What's wrong?"
Kakashi shook his head. "It's nothing serious. A few days ago, my Sharingan suddenly felt a sharp pain and left a trail of bloody tears, then I fainted. Before that, I saw some..." he paused, frowning. "I saw some disturbing images."
Sora silently picked up the kettle, poured a glass of water, and took a sip. He understood Kakashi's condition perfectly. The sharp pain in Kakashi's Sharingan, followed by bloody tears and fainting, occurred because Obito had awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan. Since Kakashi's eye originally belonged to Obito, it had simultaneously evolved into Mangekyō. But Kakashi's chakra reserves were too limited to handle the sudden transformation, causing him to lose consciousness.
As for the disturbing images Kakashi mentioned, they must have been visions of Rin's death.
Sora placed his cup back on the table and said solemnly, "Kakashi, there's something I need to tell you. It's about your teammate, Nohara Rin..."
Kakashi's body suddenly trembled as he looked at Sora with disbelief.
Seeing Kakashi's expression, Sora knew his student had already guessed what had happened.
"Kakashi, Nohara Rin is dead."
Upon hearing these words, Kakashi's face turned pale. His entire body shook uncontrollably, his lips trembled, and his breathing quickened.
After a long silence, Kakashi finally asked in a hoarse voice, "Sensei... how did Rin die?"
"Rin was captured by Kirigakure shinobi," Sora explained. "They sealed the Three-Tails, Isobu, inside her body. She was being controlled to enter Konoha, where they planned to release the tailed beast to destroy the village. She was ultimately killed by her teammates."
Kakashi's right eye became bloodshot, and his hands clenched into fists. "Where was Minato-sensei? Isn't he the Yellow Flash? How could Rin be captured by Kirigakure ninja?!"
"He was performing other duties at the time," Sora replied. "He wasn't present at the scene."
Kakashi suddenly seemed to deflate, slumping against the back of his chair in despair. "Sensei... I suddenly feel so tired. My friends and family have died one by one. Why is this happening? What went wrong?"
Sora stared intently at Kakashi and said in a deep voice, "Kakashi, let's go."
Kakashi looked at him blankly, not understanding what Sora meant.
"Instead of letting you sit here questioning yourself," Sora said coldly, "it's better to take you to Kirigakure for revenge. The Mist shinobi killed your teammate, so you should kill ten or a hundred of them to vent your anger! Let's go—right now. I'll take you to Kirigakure."
Without hesitation, Sora took Kakashi to find Orochimaru and explained their plan to seek revenge in Kirigakure.
Orochimaru looked at the dejected Kakashi and did not refuse. "I'll give you fifteen days."
Fifteen days was just enough—six days to reach Kirigakure at top speed, plus the return journey. That meant Orochimaru had given them only three days to exact their revenge.
"That's enough!" Sora replied confidently.
He and Kakashi departed for Kirigakure immediately.
Six days later, they stood on the shores of the Land of Water. Five thousand meters ahead of them lay Kirigakure.
After entering the Land of Water, Kakashi's depression had disappeared, replaced by deep hatred.
"I know you're angry," Sora explained. "The purpose of this trip is retaliation—to vent your anger. But I don't want you to lose your mind and your life here, so I'll take the lead in this battle."
He continued firmly, "If you're in danger, or if the fight becomes unsustainable, I'll get you out immediately. Kakashi, I hope you can transform the anger in your heart into motivation to become stronger, rather than losing your mind and dying pointlessly, disappointing me."
Kakashi nodded. "Sensei, I am angry, but I'm also calm. My mind is clear, and I won't do anything irrational. I won't let you down!"
The corner of Sora's mouth turned up slightly. "I've always believed in you. After all, if I have children in the future, you'll definitely be their teacher."
Sora pulled out a high-quality ninja sword and tossed it to Kakashi. "Since your White Fang short blade was broken, you need a weapon to fight with. This ninja sword is yours now."
Kakashi caught the sword and secured it at his waist. "Thank you."
"Alright, let's begin!"
Sora and Kakashi charged forward, killing all the patrolling Kirigakure shinobi they encountered. By swiftly eliminating these scouts before they could sound an alarm, they managed to reach the vicinity of Kirigakure's main gate smoothly.
The Mist shinobi guarding the gate were momentarily stunned when they spotted Sora and Kakashi. When they noticed the Konoha forehead protectors, they immediately prepared for battle.
Sora had already completed his hand seals and leaped into the air.
"Fire Style: Meteor Blaze!"
He gathered almost all his chakra in his throat and spat out a fireball that resembled a falling meteor, aimed directly at the ground below.
When the fiery projectile struck, the entire ground shook violently. Flames spread rapidly, creating a sea of fire that engulfed the area.
With the massive amount of chakra Sora had released, Kirigakure immediately suffered heavy casualties.
A large number of shinobi emerged from the village and assembled opposite Sora and Kakashi.
"The Blood-Eyed Shura!"
Some Kirigakure ninja recognized Sora immediately.
These ninja were visibly excited. Whoever killed Sora would become instantly famous throughout the ninja world.
And it seemed there were only two opponents—Sora and the young ninja beside him. Even if Sora was powerful, they could overwhelm him with numbers.
After all, they had learned from Iwagakure's experience against the Third Raikage, who had fought to his death despite being outnumbered. Though Sora had wounded the Third Raikage, it was only a minor injury. Rumors suggested the Third Raikage had severely injured Sora in return.
Now Sora stood at the gates of Kirigakure. No matter how strong he was, the Kirigakure ninja believed they could kill him through sheer numbers.
The Kirigakure shinobi prepared to attack Sora, their weapons gleaming in the light of the raging flames.
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