Slayer: Look directly at the Seraph, standing on the sun

Seeing the knife destroyed in the hands of an unknown Iwa ninja, Zhang Hai's heart clenched, and an uncontrollable surge of violent emotion rushed to his head.

In that instant, he almost lost control of his body, wanting to rush out and slit the throat of that Iwa ninja with a kunai.

"Damn it..." Zhang Hai's fingers dug deep into the tree trunk, his knuckles turning white from the force. He gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the impulse. Reason told him that this was an inevitable step in Kakashi's growth; only when the old beliefs were shattered could new power awaken.

But he still felt heartbroken, for White Fang, and for this cruel ninja world.

In the center of the battlefield, Kakashi, having lost his weapon, showed no sign of retreat. Looking at the broken hilt in his hand, his eyes grew even colder. He casually tossed the broken sword aside, his Sharingan in his left eye spinning wildly, capturing every subtle movement of his enemy.

He slowly lowered his center of gravity, gripped his right wrist tightly with his left hand, and a massive amount of lightning-attribute chakra began to gather wildly in his palm.

"Zizzizi..."

A piercing crackling sound of electricity rang out, like a thousand birds chirping simultaneously. Blue-white arcs of electricity exploded in his hand, illuminating his dust- and tear-stained face.

That's Chidori.

The technique, once considered "unfinished" because its speed made it impossible to see the enemy's counterattack, has now been completed with the addition of the Sharingan's dynamic vision.

Kakashi raised his head, his Sharingan glowing brightly red, and he transformed into a bolt of blue lightning, launching a final, deadly attack on the Iwa ninja.

The cries of a thousand birds echoed across the sky, and blue-white lightning traced a mournful path across the dim battlefield.

In Kakashi's vision, the world became clearer than ever before. The movements of the Iwa ninja wielding their twin swords were dissected into slow-motion frames in his Sharingan, every muscle contraction, every flow of chakra revealed. He was no longer a reckless boy hampered by speed, but a hunter who controlled lightning.

"I see!"

Kakashi ducked, dodging the fatal slash, and the lightning in his hand pierced the Iwa ninja's heart like a sharp blade. Blood splattered, the enemy's astonishment froze on his face, and then a cold corpse fell to the ground.

But this victory came all too bitterly.

Back in the crumbling earthen cell, Obito's voice was so faint it was almost inaudible.

"Rin... I'm entrusting this to you, Kakashi..."

Half of the boy's face was already swallowed by shadow, a sign of life slipping away. Before Kakashi could say another word, the ground began to shake violently. The arriving Iwa ninja reinforcements joined forces to unleash "Earth Release: Earth Split Palm," causing the earth to surge like waves, and countless boulders crashed down, completely burying the small space.

"Obito—!"

Kakashi and Rin were thrown back by the shockwave, and could only watch helplessly as the pile of rubble completely swallowed their companion's figure.

However, high in the distance, Zhang Hai's Sharingan caught a scene that was imperceptible to ordinary people. Just as the boulder completely closed, a faint and chilling chakra fluctuation flashed by. Obito's aura did not dissipate with death, but rather seemed to be instantly ripped away by something, leaving only a lifeless earth substitute smashed to pieces.

"As expected..." Zhang Hai sneered inwardly, "So they still made their move."

He ignored Kakashi and Rin, who were crying out in despair on the battlefield. He sensed that the golden chakra was approaching at an extremely fast speed—Minato Namikaze was about to arrive, and he didn't need to worry about the safety of these two.

There is only one goal now.

Zhang Hai closed his eyes and formed a strange hand seal. Back when he first encountered Obito, he had secretly used the principles of the Spirit Transformation Technique to plant an extremely hidden mark deep within Obito's soul. At this moment, this mark was moving rapidly underground with that chilling chakra, its direction pointing directly to the deep mountains to the north.

"Want to run?"

Zhang Hai's figure flashed, transforming into a shadowy shadow, and he silently followed. He didn't run on the ground, but instead used chakra to leap between tree trunks, minimizing his movements and maintaining a subtle distance from his target at all times.

The tracking lasted all night.

Finally, the soul mark stopped in a desolate, lifeless mountain range. Here, jagged rocks lay scattered, not a blade of grass grew, and the air was thick with the smell of decay. Between two steep cliffs, a massive entrance, resembling the ribs of some colossal beast, could be vaguely seen, leading to a bottomless abyss.

Just as Zhang Hai approached the entrance, his connection with Obito abruptly ceased.

“A barrier…” Zhang Hai stopped behind a giant rock, not surprised. “It can isolate my spiritual senses. It seems this is the old ghost’s lair—the Mountain Graveyard.”

He did not rush in rashly. Facing Uchiha Madara, even an old man with one foot in the grave, the slightest carelessness could lead to utter destruction.

Zhang Hai lay in wait in a secluded cave a few kilometers from the entrance. He remained hidden there for three whole days.

For the past three days, he remained motionless, like a stone, adjusting his breathing and chakra flow. He honed his spirit to a blade-like sharpness, sweeping away all physical fatigue. More importantly, he mentally rehearsed his confrontation with Madara, especially the battle of souls.

“That old guy can only survive on the chakra supplied by the Gedo Mazo now; his body is already decayed. His strongest abilities, besides his eyes, are his use of Yin-Yang Release and spiritual power.” Zhang Hai slowly opened his eyes, a confident light flashing deep within them. “But in the realm of the soul, I, with my Spirit Transformation Technique, will never lose to a frail old man.”

On the third day at dusk, two figures appeared at the agreed location on time.

One was clad in a black robe, hunched over yet exuding a chilling aura—it was Sasori of the Red Sand, who controlled Hiruko; the other was tall, masked, with eyes that revealed a thirst for money and hearts—that was Kakuzu.

"They actually chose such a remote place." Scorpion's hoarse voice came from the puppet. "Zhang Hai, if this target doesn't have enough artistic value, I'll be angry."

“Value?” Zhang Hai emerged from the shadows, his expression more serious than ever before. “This target may overturn your understanding of ‘strength’.”

Kakuzu narrowed his green eyes, surveying the desolate landscape around him: "I don't care about strength, I only care about the bounty. What valuable prey could there be in this godforsaken place?"

“What if I told you that a ghost who should have been dead for decades lives here?” Zhang Hai lowered his voice, his tone chilling.