Chapter 067: Speed

Faced with Kakashi's interrogation, Haku was very calm.

He said, 'We are acting on the lord's orders to crush Konoha, overthrow the Daimyo, and take control of the Land of Fire.'

Hatake Kakashi couldn't help but widen his eyes and blurt out, 'Has Igarashi Chiba gone mad?'

Haku's gaze turned cold. With a shunpo, he appeared before Hatake Kakashi, an ice-forged kunai in his hand, thrusting it toward Kakashi's eye.

Hatake Kakashi was terrified, because Haku's speed was too fast; he had no way to dodge.

The next second, the ice-forged kunai pierced Hatake Kakashi's eye, but no blood splattered. With a puff, Kakashi turned into a cloud of smoke and vanished without a trace.

It turned out that this was not his real body, but his shadow clone.

Haku looked around and casually threw the ice-forged kunai. The kunai let out a sharp whistle as it pierced through a large tree. Hatake Kakashi jumped down from the tree.

'Next time you show disrespect to the lord, I will kill you.'

Hatake Kakashi glanced warily at Haku and said slowly, 'A thousand ninja may be formidable, but they cannot crush Konoha. You are only throwing your lives away. Haku, you should go back and advise Lord Igarashi. Does he truly want to drive the children he raised into a dead end?'

After hearing this, Haku couldn't help but say, 'How arrogant, Hatake Kakashi.'

'What?'

'A thousand ninja cannot crush Konoha? Is Konoha really that strong?' Haku shook his head. 'I don't believe it.'

Hatake Kakashi laughed in anger. 'I don't know who is being arrogant now. If a thousand ninja could crush Konoha, Konoha would have disappeared during the First Shinobi World War.'

'Konoha has stood from the past to the present. It absolutely cannot be crushed by a mere thousand ninja. You are only going to your deaths.'

Haku glanced at Hatake Kakashi, then turned and walked away. 'Go back and tell the people of Konoha: if they surrender, we will spare their lives.'

Hatake Kakashi watched Haku's retreating figure and murmured, 'Madmen, a bunch of madmen.'

Crack!

At that moment, a crisp sound came—the sound of a foot snapping a twig.

Hatake Kakashi started, whipping his head around to look at the nearby woods. 'Who's there?'

From the shadow of a large tree, a man slowly walked out.

Hatake Kakashi saw him and immediately became fully alert. 'You, Uchiha Shisui.'

Uchiha Shisui looked at Hatake Kakashi, who was poised to strike at any moment, and shook his head. 'I am not your enemy.'

'Is that so?' Hatake Kakashi didn't believe it. This was one of Konoha's top S-class wanted criminals, alongside Uchiha Itachi, a formidable enemy.

His clan had been wiped out in Konoha; he couldn't believe Shisui didn't hate the village.

Uchiha Shisui said, 'Go back and tell the Hokage: do not underestimate these thousand ninja. They have all learned several terrifying seal-less jutsu. When these jutsu are used in combination, even an ordinary genin can easily kill a ninja of the same rank.'

'What?' Hatake Kakashi was greatly startled.

Uchiha Shisui continued, 'Some talented genin can even use these seal-less jutsu to kill chunin, even elite chunin. Though they number only a thousand, their strength is extraordinary. You must treat them as an army of ten thousand ninja.'

With that, Uchiha Shisui vanished instantly, leaving only a grim-faced Hatake Kakashi.

Soon after, Hatake Kakashi also disappeared.

Then the ground split open, and a black figure slowly grew out of the earth. His pitch-black face showed no expression, but his eyes were very solemn.

'Who is this guy named Igarashi? He actually wants to attack Konoha. It seems I must make sure those Akatsuki guys are ready. I absolutely cannot let the Nine-Tails fall into their hands.'

…

Meanwhile, after rushing back to Konoha, Hatake Kakashi quickly reported his conversations with Haku and Uchiha Shisui to the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, in full detail.

After hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen again summoned Konoha's high-ranking officials and had Hatake Kakashi repeat the account.

The head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hiashi, couldn't help but say, 'Uchiha Shisui is nothing but a rogue ninja of Konoha. Can his words be trusted? Could this be a diversion from the enemy?'

Nara Shikaku shook his head. 'By normal logic, if Uchiha Shisui were an enemy, he would want us to underestimate them, so they could catch us off guard. There's no reason for him to make us take them seriously and increase our vigilance. That would only make attacking Konoha harder for them.'

Utatane Koharu couldn't help but look at Sarutobi Hiruzen. 'Hiruzen, tell me: is Uchiha Shisui your man?'

This remark surprised everyone present.

Hyuga Hiashi glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, his eyes flickering a few times, but he said nothing.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe and said slowly, 'At this point, I won't hide it any longer. Uchiha Shisui has always been my man. He was acting on my orders, infiltrating Igarashi Chiba's side to gather information about him, because I felt Igarashi Chiba was not a simple person.'

Everyone fell silent, each gaining a new understanding of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

This man, known as the Shinobi no Kyoukan, had not grown old yet.

Mitokado Homura thought for a moment and said, 'Since Uchiha Shisui is your man, can you have him find out what kind of seal-less jutsu Igarashi's subordinates use to make them so strong?'

Hatake Kakashi's heart stirred. 'I've seen one of those seal-less jutsu.'

Everyone's attention turned to Hatake Kakashi.

Hatake Kakashi said, 'It's a jutsu similar to the Body Flicker Technique, but it requires no hand seals and is faster. One of Igarashi's subordinates, a ninja named Haku, who is the commander of this attack on Konoha, used it to easily kill my shadow clone.'

'My shadow clone didn't even have time to react before he was killed. That speed is truly terrifying. It reminded me of my teacher's speed.'

These words weighed heavily on everyone present.

Everyone knew who Hatake Kakashi's teacher was.

The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

The Yellow Flash of the Shinobi World. His Flying Thunder God Technique was terrifying to the extreme; he once killed over a hundred ninja in an instant, making all the great ninja villages fear him.

If that seal-less jutsu could truly rival the Flying Thunder God, even if only a fraction as effective, then Konoha was truly in danger.