ALL NOVEL Chapter 8: 8
Chapter 13
Kakashi vs. Haruka The Spiritualist
The battlefield was eerily silent as Kakashi stood facing Haruka Ueno. Her presence exuded an unsettling calm, her figure illuminated by the shifting glow of elemental chakra and spiritual energy. Haruka moved with a serene grace, as though the battle itself was beneath her. Kakashi, by contrast, was tense but focused, his Sharingan spinning slowly as it tracked her every movement.
Haruka's voice broke the silence. "You carry the weight of many lives on your shoulders, Copy Ninja Kakashi. Yet, your gaze is clouded by hesitation. Why do you fight? To atone? To protect? Or simply to survive?"
Kakashi said nothing, his hand tightening around his lightning-charged tanto. His stance spoke volumes, he was ready for anything.
"Silent as the grave," Haruka murmured. "Very well. Let us see if your resolve matches your reputation."
Haruka's hands moved fluidly, forming intricate seals that seemed to blur together. A gust of razor-sharp wind surged forward. Kakashi leapt back, his Sharingan predicting the attack's trajectory, but the wind changed course mid-flight, slicing toward him like a living blade.
"Raiton: Raikō Ken!" Kakashi's tanto flared with lightning as he slashed through the wind, dispersing it with a burst of energy. He dashed forward, closing the gap between them in an instant, and brought his blade down.
Haruka raised her hand, and a wall of water rose to meet the attack, solidifying into ice just as Kakashi's blade connected. Sparks flew as the lightning clashed against the ice, but before he could press the attack, Haruka melted into the water, her form flowing across the ground like a river.
Kakashi spun, his Sharingan tracking her reformation behind him. He was already moving when she unleashed a volley of fireballs, dodging the first two and countering the third with a water jutsu of his own. Steam hissed and billowed around them as the fire and water collided.
"You're quick," Haruka said, her voice echoing unnaturally through the mist. "But quickness alone won't save you."
---
Kakashi barely had time to react as chains erupted from the ground, glowing with spiritual energy. He flipped backward, avoiding the chains as they lashed at him like whips, but one caught his arm, searing into his skin with a burning heat.
Gritting his teeth, Kakashi formed a one-handed seal. "Doton: Doryūheki!" A massive earthen wall rose between him and Haruka, forcing the chains to retract.
---
Haruka didn't wait for him to recover. She clapped her hands together, and a glowing sigil appeared beneath her feet. The ground rumbled as jagged pillars of stone shot upward in a wide radius, forcing Kakashi to leap and weave through the treacherous terrain.
Kakashi retaliated with a flurry of kunai, each one wrapped with explosive tags. Haruka deflected them with a wave of water, but the explosions obscured her vision for a split second, long enough for Kakashi to close the gap.
He appeared behind her, his tanto glowing with Raikiri's deadly power. "Got you!"
But his blade passed through empty air as Haruka dissolved into fire, reappearing several meters away. She smiled faintly. "A commendable effort, but predictable."
Kakashi didn't falter. He reached into his pouch, pulling out ninja wire, infusing it with chakra. In a blur of motion, he flung the wire toward her, the strands weaving into a complex trap that encircled her.
"Predictable, huh?" Kakashi smirked as he tugged on the wire, activating the chakra embedded within it. The trap pulsed with electricity, sparking violently as it closed in on Haruka.
For the first time, Haruka's serene expression flickered with surprise. "Impressive," she admitted. But then her eyes glowed with an unnatural light. "However, I am far from finished."
She clapped her hands, and the sigils on her body flared brightly. The five elements swirled around her, converging into a massive spiritual construct, a towering figure composed of fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning. Its glowing eyes locked onto Kakashi, and with a deafening roar, it lunged forward.
Kakashi dodged its first attack, a sweeping blow that left a crater in the ground. His Sharingan analyzed the construct's movements, searching for a weakness. But the entity was relentless, its elemental form constantly shifting to counter his attacks.
"Damn it," Kakashi muttered, sweat dripping down his face. He formed another set of seals. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" A massive water dragon surged toward the construct, colliding with it in a burst of elemental energy.
The construct staggered but didn't fall. It retaliated with a blast of wind and fire, forcing Kakashi to retreat. He landed on a nearby rock, breathing heavily. "This thing's tough. I need to find a way to disrupt her control over it."
---
Haruka floated above the battlefield, her eyes glowing as she directed the elemental construct. "You've done well to last this long, Kakashi. But all things must end."
Kakashi's gaze hardened.
"Yo, Kakashi!" Guy landed beside him, his body bruised but his grin unshaken. "Looks like you could use a hand!"
Kakashi let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Took you long enough."
Guy cracked his knuckles, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Haruka and the towering construct behind her. "You just focus on her. Leave the big guy to me."
---
Chapter 14:
Guy, breathing heavily, stood shoulder to shoulder with Kakashi, their gazes fixed on Haruka. She floated serenely above the ground, her form flickering with an ethereal glow. The markings of her ritualistic sigils circled her feet, shimmering in colors that shifted like the tides. The air around her seemed alive, charged with the power of all five chakra natures, blending seamlessly with her spiritual energy.
Naruto crouched in the shadows, Katen Kyōkotsu resting on his shoulder. He observed intently, ready to step in if his sensei or Guy faltered, though he respected their strength enough to hold back for now.
---
Guy wiped the blood from his lip, his eyes burning with determination. "Kakashi, this one is a lot tougher than that brute I just dealt with. She's on a whole other level!"
Kakashi nodded, his Sharingan focused on Haruka's every movement. "She's not just strong, Guy. She's smart, she's testing us, probing for weaknesses. We can't give her an opening."
Haruka smiled serenely, her voice calm and melodic. "Weakness? Such a mortal concept. Strength and weakness are but illusions in the grand weave of life." She raised her hands, chakra swirling as five elemental orbs,fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning, manifested around her. "But if you wish to test your resolve, I shall grant you the gift of enlightenment."
With a wave of her hand, the elemental orbs shot toward them at blinding speed.
Kakashi and Guy leaped apart as the orbs collided with the ground, erupting into explosions of raw elemental energy. Fire scorched the earth, water surged in crashing waves, and jagged rocks erupted like spikes from the ground. Kakashi countered with a swift earth wall, blocking the worst of the debris, while Guy used his incredible speed to weave through the chaos.
"Dynamic Entry!" Guy launched himself at Haruka, his kick blazing with chakra. She shifted into her wind element, her body dissolving into a gust of air. Guy's attack passed harmlessly through her, and she reappeared several meters away.
"Your strength is impressive," Haruka said, "but brute force alone will not touch me." She extended her hand, summoning chains that shot toward Guy, glowing with spiritual energy.
Kakashi intercepted, throwing a flurry of lightning-charged shuriken to sever the chains. "We'll see about that," he muttered. His Sharingan spun as he analyzed Haruka's movements.
Guy landed beside Kakashi, his fists clenched. "This isn't working. I'll have to up the tempo!" He crossed his arms over his chest and shouted, "The Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit, Open!"
Guy launched himself at Haruka with renewed speed.
Haruka fused with her earth element, her body becoming as solid and unyielding as stone. Guy's punch connected, sending shockwaves through the battlefield, but she remained rooted, absorbing the force.
Before she could retaliate, Kakashi appeared behind her, his tanto glowing with lightning chakra. He slashed at her back, but Haruka shifted into her fire form. She reformed behind them, her hands forming seals.
---
Kakashi's mind raced as he dodged the spirit's relentless attacks. "She's too versatile. Every time we counter one element, she switches to another. If this keeps up, we'll run out of chakra before she does."
Guy landed beside him, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead. "Got any bright ideas, genius?"
---
As Guy charged the construct, opening the Sixth Gate to gain an edge, Kakashi rushed toward Haruka, his tanto at the ready. She greeted him with a serene smile. "So, you wish to challenge me directly. Bold, but foolish."
Haruka unleashed a barrage of blasts, but Kakashi weaved through them with his Sharingan, closing the distance. Their blades clashed, her spiritual energy meeting his lightning chakra in a brilliant display.
"Why fight, Kakashi?" Haruka whispered. "Your heart is heavy with pain. Wouldn't it be easier to let go, to accept the balance of the world?"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "I've already lost too much. I won't lose anyone else."
---
Despite his best efforts, Haruka's spiritual form proved almost untouchable. Kakashi dodged another elemental attack, panting heavily. His Sharingan glowed with intensity, and he hesitated, his hand reaching for his left eye.
"No… not yet," he muttered. The memory of Rin's death flashed through his mind, the moment he'd awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. The strain, the trauma, it was a power he dreaded to use.
But as Haruka prepared a final, devastating attack, Kakashi's resolve hardened. "I didn't want to resort to this…"
---
Before Kakashi could activate Kamui, a shadow flickered across the battlefield. Naruto stepped forward, Katen Kyōkotsu drawn. "You've done enough, sensei. Let me handle this."
Haruka's calm facade finally cracked, her eyes narrowing as she sensed Naruto's overwhelming spiritual energy. "So, the shadow in the wings finally reveals himself."
Naruto smirked, his blades spinning lazily. "You've had your fun. Now it's my turn."
Tbc