Chapter 5: Clashing Ideals
The river was still. A thin mist hovered above the surface, swirling gently in the morning air.
Vergil stood at the water's edge, his coat billowing slightly with the breeze. His eyes were closed, his posture flawless,one hand gripping Yamato's sheath, the other resting lightly on the hilt.
Then, a single movement.
The blade slid a fraction out of its sheath, gleaming in the light for a mere instant before he pushed it back in with a quiet click.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, SLASH.
Dozens of invisible cuts erupted across the water's surface, sending thin waves crashing outward. The mist above was cleanly severed, dispersing as if cleaved by an unseen force. Even the trees across the river bore fresh, razor-thin marks along their trunks.
The ANBU watching him from a distance let out an impressed whistle. Even they had never seen swordsmanship like this.
Vergil exhaled slowly, opening his eyes.
"That's quite the technique," a voice drawled behind him.
He turned, already knowing who it was. Kakashi Hatake, orange book in hand, one eye lazy but piercing. The Copy Ninja.
Leaves shivered faintly in the trees, ANBU shadows shifting closer.
Vergil studied him. The slouch, the casual tone, a mask. This man was dissecting him.
"What do you want?" Vergil asked, voice steady, edged with steel.
Kakashi snapped his book shut, tucking it away. "You're the talk of the village. A swordsman this skilled, no ties, showing up out of nowhere? Makes people twitchy." He paused, eye narrowing. "Skills like that don't wander. Who sent you?"
Vergil smirked faintly.
"Why are you in Konoha?" Kakashi pressed, tone hardening.
Vergil hummed, tilting his head slightly. Then, after a moment of silence, he spoke, his tone laced with amusement.
"I was hired to annihilate the Fourth Hokage's legacy."
The air grew heavy in an instant.
Kakashi's demeanor shifted. The lazy attitude disappeared, replaced by something cold and serious. His eye narrowed dangerously. The Fourth's legacy?
Naruto.
In a single motion, Kakashi pulled up his headband, revealing his Sharingan. His stance changed, his muscles tensing in preparation for combat.
Vergil merely chuckled. He could see the immediate conclusion Kakashi had jumped to.
From the trees, his ANBU surveillance team suddenly appeared, weapons drawn.
"So you're finally revealing your true colors," one of them said, their voice laced with disappointment and suspicion.
Vergil didn't respond immediately. He merely placed a hand on Yamato's hilt, his smirk never fading.
Kakashi took a step forward, his voice unwavering. "I won't allow you to touch the Fourth's legacy."
Vergil's eyes gleamed with something unreadable. He wasn't taking this seriously. If anything, he looked amused.
The tension crackled like a storm about to break.
The fight was inevitable.
Chapter 6: Storm of the Blade
The riverbank was silent, save for the gentle ripple of water and the rustling leaves overhead. Mist clung to the air, a thin shroud over the tension brewing beneath it. Eleven figures stood poised, Kakashi Hatake at the forefront, his Sharingan blazing red, flanked by ten ANBU guards, their weapons glinting in the morning light.
Across from them, Vergil Sparda grinned, a chilling smirk that didn't reach his piercing blue eyes. His coat billowed faintly in the breeze, one hand resting on Yamato's hilt, the other gripping it's sheath. The air around him thrummed with quiet menace.
Kakashi's voice cut through the stillness, low and resolute. "I won't allow you to harm the Fourth's legacy."
Vergil tilted his head, his grin widening ever so slightly. "Foolishness, Kakashi. Foolishness." His tone was ice-cold, dripping with disdain. "If you wish to stop me… then come. Prove your might."
The ANBU tensed, hands tightening on kunai and blades. Kakashi's eye narrowed, his posture shifting, casual facade gone, replaced by the lethal focus of the Copy Ninja.
And then, in a heartbeat, the storm broke.
--
Kakashi moved first, vanishing in a blur of speed. Two ANBU flanked him, their chains whipping through the mist toward Vergil's legs. Another pair leaped skyward, kunai raining down in a deadly arc.
Vergil's smirk didn't falter. "Too slow."
With a flick of his wrist, Yamato slid an inch from its sheath, SHING! and a slash erupted. Invisible slashes tore through the air, shredding the chains mid-flight and scattering the kunai into useless fragments. The mist parted violently, revealing Vergil unmoved, his stance pristine.
The airborne ANBU landed, only to find a barrage of Summoned Swords, streaking toward them. Spectral blue blades materialized in a flash of light, striking with pinpoint precision, one pierced an ANBU's shoulder, pinning him to a tree; another grazed a second's thigh, forcing him to stagger back.
Kakashi reappeared at Vergil's side, tanto slashing for his ribs. Vergil used Trick Dodge and he vanished in a blur of blue, rematerializing behind Kakashi. Yamato flashed out in a Rapid Slash, a lightning-fast dash that carved a shallow trench through the riverbank's earth. Kakashi twisted, his Sharingan tracking the move, and parried with his tanto just in time, sparks flew as steel met demonic blade.
"Impressive," Vergil said, his voice a frigid monotone. "But not enough."
--
Four ANBU charged in unison, two from the left with kusarigama, two from the right with katanas. Their teamwork was seamless, chains arced to bind Vergil's arms while blades aimed for his chest and throat.
Vergil exhaled sharply, blue flames igniting along Yamato's edge .With a single Yamato Combo, he spun the sheath in his off-hand, deflecting the chains with a burst of azure fire. The flames licked outward, forcing the kusarigama wielders to leap back, their weapons scorched.
The katana pair pressed their attack, blades whistling through the air. Vergil countered with Aerial Rave, a mid-air flip launched him above them, Yamato slashing twice in rapid succession. One ANBU's blade snapped in half; the other ducked, only to catch a Summoned Sword, as it materialized and struck, sending him sprawling into the river.
Kakashi seized the moment, hands flashing through seals, Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu. The river surged, a serpentine mass of water roaring toward Vergil with jaws agape. The remaining ANBU scattered, repositioning for a follow-up.
Vergil's eyes narrowed. "Pathetic."
He planted his feet, Yamato gleaming as he unleashed a slash. A massive energy wave tore forward, its blue fire warping the air. The water dragon split down the middle, its halves crashing harmlessly into the banks, steam rising where fire met liquid. The shockwave rattled the trees, sending leaves cascading down.
--
Kakashi darted through the steam, Raikiri crackling in his right hand. The electric hum filled the air as he closed the distance, aiming to pierce Vergil's chest. His Sharingan spun, predicting every twitch of his foe's muscles.
Vergil's response was instantaneous, activating doppelganger. A spectral duplicate of himself shimmered into existence at his side, mirroring his stance. As Kakashi thrust, the real Vergil sidestepped with Trick Up, teleporting skyward, while the Doppelganger met the Raikiri head-on. Yamato clashed with the lightning-charged hand, blue fire flaring against white electricity, then the clone dispersed in a burst of light, forcing Kakashi to stumble back.
"Scum," Vergil intoned from above, descending with Aerial Cleave. Yamato slashed downward, a concentrated arc of blue fire trailing the blade. Kakashi rolled aside, the strike gouging a smoking crater into the riverbank.
Three ANBU capitalized, hurling a flurry of shuriken laced with explosive tags. Vergil's Summoned Swords answered, dozens of spectral blades rained from the sky, intercepting each projectile mid-air. Explosions lit up the mist, but Vergil emerged unscathed, teleporting with Air Trick to the center of the trio.
Yamato Combo C followed, a relentless storm of slashes, too fast to track. One ANBU collapsed, disarmed and dazed; another caught a glancing blow across the chest, his armor splitting; the third blocked with a kunai, only for it to shatter under Yamato's edge.
--
Kakashi's voice rang out, sharp and commanding. "Formation Delta!" The six still-standing ANBU regrouped, two summoning Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to whip the mist into a blinding vortex. The other four flanked Vergil, chains and katanas striking from all angles.
Vergil's Doppelganger reappeared, splitting his presence. The real Vergil faced the wind, unleashing a Judgment Cut that carved through the gusts, dispersing them with a howl of sliced air. The Doppelganger engaged the flankers, Rapid Slash darted through two, blue fire trailing as their chains snapped, while Summoned Swords, pinned the others back.
Kakashi emerged from the chaos, lightning Hound snarling from his hand, a bolt of electricity shaped like a beast, bounding toward Vergil.
Vergil didn't flinch. "Weak."
With a flick of Yamato, he unleashed the Summoned Swords, a circle of spectral blades forming around him. They spun outward, colliding with the Lightning Hound, in a burst of sparks and shattered light. The hound dissipated, and Vergil teleported with Trick Down, landing behind Kakashi.
Upper Slash, followed, Yamato flashed upward, blue fire igniting the strike. Kakashi twisted, his tanto deflecting the blow, but the force sent him skidding across the water's surface, ripples exploding outward.
--
The remaining ANBU rallied, desperation in their eyes. Two charged with katanas, one unleashed Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu, and the last summoned a kusarigama chain to bind Vergil's legs.
Vergil's Doppelganger intercepted the fireball, Judgment Cut sliced it into embers, the clone standing firm. The real Vergil faced the melee, Yamato Combo B igniting with blue fire. He sent one ANBU flying with a scabbard strike, then fired a Summoned Sword that exploded on impact, knocking the second out cold.
The chain wielder's kusarigama lashed out, but Vergil's Trick Dodge evaded it, teleporting to the ANBU's side. A single slash severed the chain and sent the ninja sprawling into the river.
Kakashi, panting slightly, his exhaustion showing, formed seals again. Earth Release: Mud Wall erupted, a thick barrier rising between him and Vergil. From behind it, Shadow Clones burst forth, three Kakashis wielding tantos, rushing in unison.
Vergil's voice was a frigid whisper. "This ends now."
He raised Yamato. Judgment Cut, three rapid distortions slashed outward, each cutting a clone apart. The real Kakashi leaped over the crumbling wall, Raikiri blazing once more, aimed for Vergil's heart.
Vergil met it head-on. Rapid Slash surged forward, Yamato clashing with the lightning in a blinding explosion of blue and white. The riverbank trembled, water spraying as the two forces collided, then Kakashi staggered back, his tanto cracked, his breathing heavy.
The ANBU lay scattered, some unconscious, others clutching wounds, all disarmed. Kakashi stood alone, Sharingan flickering as chakra drained.
--
Vergil sheathed Yamato with a deliberate click, his smirk returning. The battlefield fell silent, save for the lapping waves and the ANBU's ragged breaths.
Kakashi glared, hand trembling on his weapon. "Why… stop now?"
Vergil tilted his head, his voice cold and amused. "Relax, Copy Ninja. I was joking."
The words hung in the air, sharp and absurd. Kakashi's eye widened, the Sharingan spinning in disbelief. The ANBU froze, confusion replacing their pain.
Vergil turned slightly, coat swaying as he walked toward the trees. "The Fourth's legacy is safe… for now. Consider this a test of your worth." His grin widened, a glint of mockery in his eyes. "You barely passed."
And with that, he vanished into the mist, leaving Kakashi and the ANBU battered, bewildered, and alive.