Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 134: Kakashi, Whose Life is Filled with Failures

Seeing Hagoromo Gengetsu arrive, Sasuke finally breathed a sigh of relief. He dispelled the lightning energy from his sword and relaxed completely, disregarding everything else. With Gengetsu here, nothing in front of him was a problem anymore.

This indeed proved to be true. Facing the encroaching attacks of Kakashi, Kurenai, and the other Konoha ninjas, Hagoromo Gengetsu quickly formed hand seals and cast:

"Fire Release: Hiding in Ash and Dust Technique!"

A large amount of scorching hot ash rapidly spread out from Hagoromo Gengetsu and Sasuke, obscuring them from view and spreading like mist in all directions.

Kakashi, the closest, sensed the danger and halted his steps. The Uchiha ninja by Sasuke's side had a mastery of fire release far beyond his expectations.

"Retreat!"

Seeing the perilous hot ash approaching, Kakashi and the others swiftly retreated.

Meanwhile, within the ash, Hagoromo Gengetsu looked toward the rapidly approaching blue figure on the horizon. He then glanced at Hotaru, who was looking at them with a complicated expression in the arms of a guide ninja.

Having accomplished his tasks and obtained what he sought, Hagoromo Gengetsu wasted no time. To avoid Might Guy opening all Eight Gates in a fit of anger, he placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. Using the Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique, the two quickly sank into the ground, moving like earth dragons through the mountain and soon disappearing without a trace.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fierce fist winds quickly dispersed the scorching ash. Guy, who had rushed back, wasted no time in dispersing the Hiding in Ash and Dust Technique with high-speed punches.

However, Sasuke and the others were already gone.

"Huh? Where did the enemy go?"

Guy scratched his head in confusion.

Having learned from Hinata that Sasuke and the masked man had used Earth Release to escape, now beyond the range of her Byakugan, Kakashi sighed and explained to Guy:

"They've already left."

"Shall we chase them?" Guy clenched his fists, full of fighting spirit.

"After this lesson, tracking Sasuke and the masked man will become very difficult. Besides..."

Kakashi shook his head, recalling the battle scenes with the other Sharingan wielder by Sasuke's side. That individual had displayed strength far beyond their initial estimates.

"Another Uchiha Itachi?"

With such a person, coupled with Sasuke's rapid growth in strength, their current team configuration would likely yield no results even if they managed to catch up. It could even result in heavy losses.

"Although I'm reluctant to say this, I'm sorry, everyone. This mission to bring Sasuke back has once again ended in failure."

Pulling down his forehead protector to cover his Sharingan, Kakashi looked up at the sky and calmly stated the reality.

At this moment, he felt that his life was filled with failures.

His mother had died early from illness; his father had committed suicide; two dear friends had perished, one to save him and the other by his own hand; his beloved teacher had died.

Now, even his student had chosen to leave, turning away no matter how hard he tried.

It seemed that failure was the main theme of his life.

Sometimes, Kakashi wondered how he had managed to persist until now.

Then, a familiar voice rang in his ears:

"The journey of youth is not only about passion but also filled with regrets. Savoring and confronting these regrets, the fire of youth will burn even brighter!"

Looking over, Kakashi saw Guy cheering him on loudly.

Indeed.

In his darkest moments, there was always this friend who, despite others' odd looks, continued to be himself and pulled him back from the brink of despair.

Kakashi shook his head, dispelling the gloom in his heart. He then said to Guy: "Guy, you still have the Eight Gates open. Close them quickly."

Even with Guy's superhuman physique, maintaining the Seventh Gate for long was taxing.

"Almost forgot. As expected of my lifelong friend, Kakashi. Thanks for the reminder."

Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs-up and deactivated the Eight Gates.

In the next moment, his body shuddered, sweat poured out, and he began gasping heavily.

Kakashi stepped forward to support the exhausted Guy.

"I'm fine. Youth does not allow retreat. I can still do a thousand sit-ups, a thousand frog jumps, a thousand..."

Guy tried to prove himself again.

Kakashi ignored his nonsense, continuing to support him while calmly asking Kurenai, who had just confirmed that Neji was not in any life-threatening condition:

"What's the deal with the girl from the Tsuchigumo clan?"

Although the mission to bring Sasuke back had failed, Kakashi still needed to investigate Sasuke and the other Uchiha's sudden appearances and actions, hoping to glean useful information.

Kurenai, having questioned Hotaru when she was brought in, replied:

"Hotaru is now the bearer of the Tsuchigumo clan's forbidden jutsu. Sasuke and the masked man invaded the Tsuchigumo clan for this forbidden jutsu. But strangely, the masked man didn't strip the jutsu from Hotaru, merely had her repeatedly use it before leaving her unharmed."

"So, the forbidden jutsu of the Tsuchigumo clan is still with Hotaru?"

"Yes."

"That's odd. Could it be that he used the Sharingan to copy the forbidden jutsu?"

Kakashi glanced at Hotaru, who was near the guide ninja.

Having earned the title of Copy Ninja, Kakashi knew well that while the Sharingan was potent in replicating jutsu, forbidden techniques were generally difficult to duplicate.

The masked man could have easily taken the jutsu or abducted Hotaru, yet he chose neither, leaving as suddenly as he arrived.

From a regular ninja's perspective, Kakashi couldn't understand it.

On the other side, noticing Kakashi's gaze, Hotaru shrank back slightly, hiding a scroll within her clothes.

Although her grandfather and the arriving Konoha ninjas believed the man to be malicious, she felt otherwise.

From beginning to end, he never took the forbidden jutsu from her, merely having her use it repeatedly.

While exhausting, she had benefited from the many secret medicines she was given.

Moreover, that man had gifted her a chakra training scroll for water nature transformation before leaving, as a reward for her help.

Such a person did not fit the greedy and evil image of someone seeking forbidden jutsu.

Also, his parting words made sense: having a coveted forbidden jutsu without the ability to protect oneself would only lead to a tragic end.

Depending on others was less reliable than relying on oneself.

Recalling the splendid yet dangerous battles she had witnessed, Hotaru made a decision to study the contents of the training scroll he had left her.

After all, since he had given her the scroll, addressing him as "teacher" should be fine, right?