Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Descent Into the Dragon Vein Core
"Kakashi!"
Just as Kakashi was riding the high of mastering Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, he heard Minato-sensei calling out.
"Yo!"
Kakashi turned and zipped next to his teacher in a flash.
"Did you just… use the power of the Dragon Vein?"Minato's sharp eyes caught something strange — a chakra signature unnaturally synchronized with the Dragon Vein's pulse.
"Hehe, yeah, I may or may not have jacked Anrokuzan's power source. Unlimited chakra buffet, anyone?"Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly — which was his way of saying oops, I did it again.
Bingo.
Minato's eyes lit up. He didn't have time to fully process what the heck Kakashi did or how — the more pressing concern was turning that advantage into victory.
"Kakashi, we can't drag this out."
"If we keep fighting like this, we're just playing into Anrokuzan's hands. We need to cut off his connection to the Dragon Vein."
"Since he's so desperate to kill Sara, she must know how to sever the link. You leave a few clones here to help us hold him off — and then go find her. Fast."
Minato's tone was calm and commanding, even with Anrokuzan's creepy puppet face looming in the distance.
"Roger, roger."With a flicker, Kakashi vanished toward Sara's location.
Even if he had unlimited chakra now, Kakashi knew his bones still screamed the same mortal complaints. Power might be infinite, but joints? Not so much.
"Sara!"
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
Sara blinked in surprise as Kakashi appeared beside her like a magic trick gone rogue.
"Can you cut off Anrokuzan's connection to the Dragon Vein?"
Kakashi wasted no time.
"Yes, if I can reach the Dragon Vein core, I can shut him down."
"Perfect. Hand off the evac duties to Masako. You and I are taking the express route."
Sara nodded and turned to Masako.
"Masako, please take care of everyone!"
"You can count on me, Queen!"
While they handled that, Kakashi got... creative.
"Magnet Style: Magnetization Technique!"
He casually tore off a few iron doors, magnetized them, and snapped them together like DIY IKEA ninja tech — forming a small, floating iron skiff.
"Sara, hop on."
Already familiar with Kakashi's bizarre travel choices, Sara leaped onto the platform with no hesitation.
Kakashi stepped onto his own flying iron tile, hovering beside her like a guy who just unlocked cheat codes.
"Alright, you be the GPS, I'll handle the turbulence."
As he gave the command, both metal platforms soared into the air, leaving onlookers bug-eyed and speechless.
Under Sara's guidance, they soon arrived at the central tower of Rōran — the gateway to the Dragon Vein core.
Boom!
Inside the dim spiral corridors of the central tower, Kakashi and Sara descended quickly.
Suddenly, the upper walls were blasted open by an enormous force!
Kakashi turned, chakra sparking — and there it was. The world's ugliest scorpion cosplay was back.
Anrokuzan had smashed through the tower wall, chasing them like a chakra-powered horror movie villain.
"Sara."
Kakashi's voice was tired. Not scared, just tired."Do you think this guy comes with an off-switch?"
Right as Anrokuzan charged again, Minato and the others appeared behind him — intercepting the behemoth.
Relieved, Kakashi followed Sara deeper underground.
"We're here!"Sara pointed toward a recessed panel in the wall, where an ancient mechanism sat.
"Wait... no!"
Sara's hands twisted the mechanism, but it didn't budge.
"What happened?"
Kakashi stepped over, scanning it.
"The impact earlier must've damaged the gears inside. I can't rotate it!"
Sara's brow furrowed, frustration clear.
Kakashi sighed.
"Alright then, step back. Like... way back. Fifty meters minimum."
Sara looked confused but obeyed. Honestly, she'd stopped questioning his methods three weird tricks ago.
Kakashi gave the battlefield above a quick glance. Minato and the others still had Anrokuzan's attention. Good.
"Time for a little unauthorized technique borrowing…"
His right arm ballooned in size, and with a grunt, he slammed his fist into the wall.
Boom!
The ten-meter-thick stone door exploded into rubble.
A mix of Expansion Jutsu and brute-force Taijutsu — just enough to violate a dozen clan secrets.
He spun around quickly, checking for witnesses like a kid caught swiping cookies.
Phew. No Minato. No camera scrolls.
Akamichi clan secret techniques were a no-go for outsiders. If word got out, the clan might demand penance... or marriage.
Kakashi marrying into the Akamichi clan?"I mean, I could elope with Rin," he muttered to himself."...wait, no, focus!"
This isn't a romantic drama — this is a deathmatch with a chakra vampire scorpion puppet!
"Hey, Sara. You definitely didn't see what just happened, right?"
"Uh… sure?"Sara blinked at him in confusion.
"Perfect. You're my favorite Queen right now."
He pointed toward the open corridor."Go sever that energy source. I've got a giant puppet to roast."
Sara nodded and dashed off toward the core of the Dragon Vein.
Meanwhile above, Anrokuzan roared:"Dragon Vein Dragon Fire!"
A massive stream of concentrated purple energy erupted from his mouth, hotter and denser than any of his previous attacks.
It wasn't chakra anymore — it was pure destruction.
The roaring beam scorched the entire battlefield. Buildings melted, stone evaporated — and several of Kakashi's Shadow Clones were vaporized on the spot.
Naruto's Shadow Clones didn't fare much better.
"Ugh, I'm out..."The real Naruto slumped to the ground, sweat pouring down.
Even with his stamina, all the clone feedback hit him at once like a chakra truck.
Kakashi, watching from the shadows, felt the drain too. His ten clones had dispersed, and the backlash hit like a rogue Rasengan to the brain.
"...Okay, mental note: never spam Shadow Clones unless you're Naruto or trying to impress someone."
Still, he gritted his teeth and stood tall.
Good thing he'd been training like a maniac since he was a kid.
After all — you don't get abs like this sitting around reading Icha Icha... even if that was the plan for tonight.
To Be Continued…