The moment Itachi saw the Byakugan, his pupils contracted sharply, and his fingers trembled slightly.
He suddenly looked up, his gaze towards Saint Mi instantly changing.
Despite his young age, his mind was far more mature than his peers; he clearly understood what it meant for those eyes to appear in Saint Mi's possession.
However, Saint Mi had already turned to the other side: "This is troublesome. Can't you just pretend not to see me and let me leave?"
The wind suddenly intensified, and several figures silently descended.
Anbu Ninja approached from the rooftops on both sides, their gazes beneath their masks as cold as knives.
The silver-haired man leading them wore no mask, a face covering obscured the lower half of his face, and his forehead protector was pulled down on one side, revealing only his right eye. The short sword on his back gleamed coldly under the moonlight.
"Kakashi Hatake..."
Itachi whispered the name, instinctively shielding Izumi behind him.
Saint Mi also seemed surprised to see Kakashi.
At this time, the younger Ninja in the Village should have been gathered for evacuation.
This was a direct order from Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Saint Mi chuckled, "Kakashi, you're not guarding Uzumaki Kushina, but instead came to stop me? Her child has already been born, right?"
Kakashi's pupils sharply contracted: "How do you know? Is the Nine-Tailed rampage related to you?"
Saint Mi: "No, it's not. I'm just a rogue Ninja who wanted to leave the Village during the chaos, and I happened to pick up a few things."
Upon hearing this, Kakashi's gaze turned cold: "The Village raised you... Why betray it?"
Saint Mi: "You actually dare to ask me such a question? At least you should have brought someone from the Hyuga Clan; you're not qualified enough."
"What do you mean?"
"It seems you, a new Anbu member, haven't witnessed Konoha's dark side yet." Saint Mi looked up, the Nine-Tailed in the distance roaring at the sky. "After tonight, those old guys hiding in the shadows will jump out."
Kakashi's sword was unsheathed three inches: "What exactly are you talking about?"
"Then I'll make it clearer," Saint Mi withdrew his gaze. "Minato Namikaze will die, and Kushina will also die. How weak will the Konoha you cherish become then...?"
"Nonsense!" Kakashi sharply interrupted Saint Mi. "You are surrounded. Do not resist; surrender quietly and await your fate. Considering our past relationship, I don't want to kill you..."
A nearby Anbu Ninja snorted coldly: "Stubborn! He's only a Chunin; take him down!"
Kakashi's expression changed slightly; he was about to call out to his comrades, but it was already too late.
Before he finished speaking, two cold gleams suddenly flashed from behind Saint Mi.
Two Anbu Ninja had somehow crept close to Saint Mi, drawing their short swords, their blades pointing directly at Saint Mi.
They completely disregarded Itachi and Izumi, who were standing in the line of attack.
Itachi's pupils sharply contracted, and his right hand quickly reached for his hidden Ninja tool pouch.
Under the crisis, Itachi's reaction was a beat too slow; he had not yet graduated from the Ninja Academy at this time.
Even a genius needs time to grow.
But before Itachi could even pull out a shuriken, Saint Mi's voice came from behind him: "Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!"
Boom!
Amidst a thunderous roar, violent Chakra transformed into an invisible shockwave that swept through.
The two attacking Anbu Ninja were sent flying backward faster than they had arrived, crashing heavily through the wall behind them, and fell silent amidst the flying debris.
"Be careful! He was hiding his strength!"
Kakashi's warning had just sounded when the remaining Anbu Ninja simultaneously attacked.
Amidst flashing blades, they encircled him from different angles, blocking all of Saint Mi's escape routes.
Saint Mi merely chuckled: "Close-quarters combat with the Byakugan? That's truly courageous."
His figure suddenly blurred, leaving only an afterimage in his original spot.
"Not good!" An Anbu Ninja cried out in alarm, but it was too late.
Saint Mi appeared like a ghost beside him, his right hand with five fingers spread, Chakra condensed into a blue lion's head form.
"Gentle Fist: Twin Lion Fists!"
The lion's head roared, tearing through the air, drilling in at an incredible angle, and heavily slammed into the Anbu Ninja's chest.
Even before actually touching the opponent's body, the Chakra erupted with immense power.
The person didn't even have time to scream before flying over ten meters away like a broken kite.
The remaining Anbu Ninja had not yet adjusted their formation when Saint Mi's palms, as if locked on, surged towards them.
Under the Byakugan, nothing could be hidden!
Saint Mi's palms were covered in violent Chakra, his movements fluid and graceful; each strike seemed precisely calculated, accurately hitting the opponent's vital points.
Crack!
A series of continuous striking sounds combined into a succession of sharp impacts.
When Saint Mi stood still again, all the attacking Anbu Ninja had fallen to the ground, incapacitated.
The entire process took no more than three seconds.
He brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeves and turned to look at Kakashi, who was the only one still standing.
"Now, are you still going to stop me?" Saint Mi said. "Or do you want to try it yourself?"
His response was the brilliant lightning in Kakashi's hand.
Lightning suddenly appeared, coalescing in Kakashi's hand, emitting a chorus like a thousand birds screaming, illuminating the surrounding night.
Kakashi's forehead protector, which had covered his eye, had been pulled up at some point, revealing a similarly deep red left eye.
It was also a Sharingan!
Kakashi instinctively used the strongest Ninjutsu he currently possessed.
Saint Mi's series of attacks just now, even with his Sharingan, he could barely make out the afterimages.
Kakashi didn't know why Saint Mi's strength had increased so rapidly; he only knew one thing.
The current Saint Mi might even be stronger than him!
"Chidori!"
Amidst the sharp roar of thunder, Kakashi's figure transformed into a blue streak of light, rushing towards Saint Mi.
"If it's just Chidori, I'm truly being underestimated..."
However, as if he had already anticipated his movements, Saint Mi's calm chuckle came.
"Let me show you the extent of these eyes after evolution."
Kakashi, with his Sharingan, could clearly see the opponent's movements during the Chidori's charge.
If that's the case, just don't let him get close.
Saint Mi calmly assumed the Gentle Fist stance, his hands tracing a perfect arc in front of his chest.
With a low shout, immense Chakra surged from his palms, forming a visible, fan-shaped shockwave.
"Eight Trigrams Empty Palm: Mountain Crusher!"
Boom!
The air twisted and deformed under immense pressure. Wherever the shockwave passed, the ground was scraped away, engulfing Kakashi's charging figure.
The lightning in Kakashi's hand disintegrated the moment it touched the shockwave.
After only half a second, in sheer horror, he was sent flying.
Rumble!
The building behind him disintegrated under the shockwave, bricks and rubble swept into the air and then heavily crashed down.
After the dust settled, the original street had become a ruin, and Kakashi's figure was buried beneath the rubble, nowhere to be found.
A moment later, silence returned.
Behind Saint Mi, Uchiha Itachi watched this scene, dumbfounded.
With just one strike, the entire street in front of him was completely destroyed.
What terrifying power this was!
Saint Mi withdrew his stance, turned, and gently tapped the forehead of the already stunned Izumi: "We will meet again."
After speaking, Saint Mi looked at Itachi again.
"Don't forget what I told you."
Before he finished speaking, his figure had vanished from the spot, leaving only the two stunned Uchiha children behind.
...
In the distance, the Nine-Tailed's massive body gradually dissipated.
At the same time, the villagers' cheers also rang out.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Fourth Mizukage has acted!"
"..."
In the ruins, a dust-covered hand reached out from the rubble.
Kakashi struggled to crawl out, his face mask soaked with blood.
"Hyuga... Saint Mi..."
After saying that, Kakashi could no longer hold on, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
