Chapter 129
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At some point, the intense commotion caused by Anger of the Heavens had completely faded. On Katsuragi Mountain, most of the Tsuchigumo Clan's land had returned to a state of calm.
Except for the area around Sasuke.
However, with the arrival of Gensou, the battle that was about to erupt again was momentarily put on hold.
Kakashi signaled for the Konoha team to temporarily stand down.
During the brief pause, Hinata, who could use her Gentle Fist and Byakugan for some healing, lightly tapped Kiba's body with her hands, dispersing the remaining Lightning Release chakra within him. She gently asked, "Kiba, how do you feel now?"
Kiba moved his body a bit and patted his chest, "Pretty good! Thanks, Hinata."
Kiba rejoined the group.
Ahead, Kakashi looked seriously at the man who had suddenly appeared next to Sasuke.
Dressed in the same Uchiha blue robes, wearing a white spiral mask, and possibly possessing a Sharingan under it, this was the person who had easily defeated Chiriku, according to reports.
Kakashi had initially wondered if this person might be Gensou, but seeing the difference in body type, he knew it wasn't.
"Who are you?" Kakashi asked.
Not wanting to be known as someone who coveted the power of the Sharingan, Gensou had disguised himself deliberately, hoping to confuse the shinobi world.
"I think Konoha already knows a bit," Gensou replied, looking at Kakashi.
As he spoke, Gensou remembered an old task he had from the system, something he had neglected for a long time.
[Main Quest: Bell Test]
[Quest Description: As a newly graduated shinobi, the host was exceptionally placed into another three-person team due to the limited number of new genin. Congratulations to the host for joining Team 7 with Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura under the guidance of Kakashi Hatake. Please showcase your abilities during Kakashi's bell test. The quest reward will be based on the host's performance.]
After "graduating" from the academy, this main quest involving the bell test with the team's Jonin instructor was pretty standard. Ever since the Third Hokage had trained the Legendary Sannin, it had become a tradition in Konoha for Jonin to have their new students try to take bells from them.
As for "inserting" himself into the main trio of characters, that was a typical plot device from Naruto fanfics written over a decade ago.
In truth, this was a very simple quest. All Gensou needed to do was find Kakashi and have a fight.
But Gensou had been preoccupied with matters of the soul over the past half year and hadn't given this task much thought.
While the system was becoming increasingly important to him, Gensou was very clear about one thing: whether it was a main quest or a side quest, completing them was fine as long as it didn't interfere with his own progress.
But becoming a "slave" to the system, running around completing tasks just to grow stronger, held no appeal to him.
Without the system, Gensou was still Gensou.
And even with the system, everything should still revolve around him.
Fortunately, while the system occasionally acted up, it had never complained about his attitude.
So the task could remain incomplete for as long as it needed.
After all, his beginner task to defeat Naruto had been hanging there for over fifty years, through many academy graduations, and it was still possible to complete it.
Letting the bell test quest hang for a few months was no big deal, especially since Kakashi was still alive.
And now, Kakashi had conveniently come to him.
At this moment, unaware of Gensou's thoughts, Kakashi continued, "You must be a member of the Uchiha Clan. I don't know why you've attacked the Fire Temple and the Tsuchigumo Clan, but there's still room to resolve this. The Uchiha are part of Konoha. If you have any grievances, you can return to Konoha. I'm sure Lady Hokage would be willing to accept you back."
Kakashi didn't have time to delve into why there was another Uchiha besides Sasuke and Itachi. In his analysis, this Uchiha was likely under Gensou's orders.
After all, Sasuke had once followed Gensou, and it was unlikely he would "defect" again. If they could bring this Uchiha back to their side, it would be a good opportunity to weaken Gensou's power.
If not...
Kakashi exchanged a glance with Guy, who understood immediately.
"Konoha? The Uchiha?" Gensou chuckled dismissively.
He didn't answer the question, instead passing it to Sasuke.
Sasuke did not disappoint, firmly declaring, "The Uchiha are the Uchiha! Konoha is Konoha."
Seeing Sasuke's stance, Kakashi knew there was no room for negotiation.
Just as he was about to signal for an attack, the buzzing sound of insects suddenly filled the air.
Everyone turned to see a swarm of kikaichū carrying two people as they flew in.
Shino, who had been silent until now, raised his sunglasses slightly and explained, "My insects found members of the Tsuchigumo Clan and brought them here."
Soon, the unconscious figure of En and Tonbee were brought over.
As the genjutsu was dispelled and they woke up, En, noticing Tonbee beside him, anxiously shouted at Gensou, "What have you done with Hotaru!?"
Gensou, uninterested in answering, patted Sasuke's shoulder and said, "It's time to go."
Their task was complete; there was no reason to stay and play games.
Sasuke nodded.
Seeing this, En quickly turned to the Konoha ninjas and shouted, "These two came for the Tsuchigumo Clan's forbidden technique! Konoha ninjas, you must stop them!"
Even without En's urging, Kakashi had already signaled for an attack and charged at Gensou and Sasuke.
Gensou, seeing this, casually formed a few hand seals and said:
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Chakra gathered in Gensou's throat, and as he exhaled, a massive wave of flames surged forward like a tsunami, engulfing the charging Konoha ninjas.
"What a powerful Fire Release technique!"
Kakashi's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly slammed his hands on the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
A massive earthen wall rose up, but this time, Kakashi didn't have time to carve a dog's face on it.
Crack, crack! In an instant, the earthen wall crumbled under the force of the flames, and the sea of fire continued to surge forward.
"This should be enough," Gensou thought as he watched the rolling flames, confident that having fought Kakashi would complete the main quest when the time came. He had no interest in lingering any longer and grabbed Sasuke's shoulder, ready to leave.
Suddenly!
The sharp sound of space being distorted and torn echoed through the air.
Gensou's eyes narrowed slightly, and he changed his mind, throwing Sasuke aside.
The next second, he raised his arm.
BOOM! A violent explosion erupted from the point where Gensou stood.
(End of Chapter)