Trading injuries seemed foolish.
But Kenichi had his reasons.
Senju Hashirama's Sage Body granted him not only extraordinary talent but also the First Hokage's monstrous physical constitution. Kenichi had already tested it: minor wounds healed rapidly on their own.
This made Kenichi wonder why Kishimoto had never specified the First Hokage's cause of death. The man was simply too powerful—how could he have died?
Instead, Kishimoto vaguely attributed it to self-sacrifice for the village.
Seeing the Root ninja retreat, Kenichi didn't hesitate. He gathered a massive amount of Lightning Release Chakra in his hand and charged forward again, the ear-splitting cry of a bird ringing through the air.
"I can't see him clearly," Kenichi muttered, squinting. The ninja's speed was too great; he couldn't fully track his movements.
Only with the Sharingan could one truly master the Chidori.
Kenichi vaguely saw the ninja raise something. Instinctively, he twisted his body.
Then a sharp pain stabbed through his shoulder as a blade pierced his flesh.
Kenichi didn't feel like he'd lost out. His Chidori had struck its target perfectly.
Watching the Root ninja fly backward, Kenichi pulled the sword from his shoulder, spun around, and immediately bolted.
Time was running out. The fight had taken longer than expected, and there might be reinforcements on their way.
He could easily finish the ninja off, but getting bogged down by more Root members would be a disaster.
Once he was sure the ninja couldn't pursue him anytime soon, Kenichi didn't hesitate to flee.
In just a few moments, the wound on his shoulder had already begun to heal. He probably wouldn't even need to go to the hospital.
If he did go later, the doctor would probably say, "Good thing you came right away! It's practically healed already!"
After shaking off the Root ninja, Kenichi's escape went smoothly. Danzo hadn't sent another one after him.
He probably figured a Jonin could easily handle a mere Chūnin. That made things much easier for Kenichi.
After running all day, Kenichi finally found a spot to fake his escape trail, then quickly left for another location.
"I wonder where Teacher is. I bet he's most likely still there," Kenichi muttered, scratching his head as he weaved swiftly through the trees.
Though their departure from Konoha Village had been sudden, and Teacher hadn't had time to tell him where to meet, there was only one underground laboratory Kenichi knew of outside the village.
It was the place where they'd once imprisoned the Hyuga Clan's bastard child.
That was the most likely spot.
As Kenichi approached, he grew increasingly cautious. Even though this place was supposed to be a secret known only to him and Teacher, it would be a disaster if anything went wrong.
What if Jiraiya followed Teacher here?
Better safe than sorry.
"I heard you defeated a Root Jonin? Impressive," a familiar voice said from behind. Kenichi turned around eagerly and saw Teacher, looking just as usual.
"Teacher, are you hurt?" Kenichi asked, scrutinizing Orochimaru. His breathing was steady, and there were no visible injuries.
"Just that fool Jiraiya," Orochimaru replied with a faint smile before turning and opening the door to his underground laboratory.
Kenichi hurried after him, now fully committed to defecting from Konoha. He wondered what rank they would assign him. His teacher would undoubtedly be S-rank.
"Classify Orochimaru and Kenichi as missing-nin from Konoha: Orochimaru as an S-rank missing-nin, Kenichi as a B-rank missing-nin," Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen said irritably, pinching the bridge of his nose in the Hokage's office.
The recent events had sent shockwaves through the village. The battle between the Three Great Sages had been witnessed by half of Konoha, and Orochimaru and his disciple Kenichi's defection was now undeniable.
He had no choice but to handle it by the book.
Kakashi stood with his head bowed, silent and dazed. In the blink of an eye, his teacher and Teacher's Wife had died, and the friend he had trusted had become a missing-nin.
It felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart, and before the wound could even begin to heal, they stabbed him again.
"B-Rank? That brat's no B-Rank! He defeated a Jonin from Root!" Danzo slammed his fist on the table, fury burning in his eyes.
They had assumed taking down a mere Chūnin would be child's play. They planned to use Kenichi's corpse as a scapegoat, hoping to exploit any potential twists that might arise.
Instead, the boy had escaped and severely wounded one of their ninja.
According to Tanuki's account, during the fight, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. His breathing became labored, his vision darkened, and his entire body seemed to be malfunctioning.
Even as he desperately retreated to recover, the boy's Chidori struck him. If not for the swift support from his Root comrades, he would have been killed right there.
"A Jonin? Are you saying Kenichi defeated a Jonin?" The Third Hokage took a long drag on his pipe, genuinely surprised this time.
The Third Hokage had met Kenichi before. He was a newly promoted Chūnin with only mediocre talent. Kakashi had already been a Jonin at that age.
The Third Hokage had always seen Kenichi as a lab assistant, never imagining he could defeat a Jonin.
"Yes, and he even used that brat's Chidori," Danzo sneered.
Kakashi's eyes darkened. So that's why they called him here. This was the real reason.
"The Hatake Clan has served Konoha loyally. Besides, Kakashi wasn't aware of this at the time. Let's not dwell on it," the Third Hokage said, casting a sharp glance at Danzo. His old friend was losing all sense of decency.
Kakashi was the last surviving member of the Hatake Clan, yet Danzo was still targeting him. The old bastard had gone too far.
"Hmph," Danzo scoffed, but remained silent.
"Then Kenichi is officially designated an A-Rank Missing-nin," the Third Hokage declared, stamping the Hokage seal to finalize the matter.
However, Konoha's leaders didn't immediately issue the arrest warrants. They decided to keep the information under wraps for the time being, knowing that Orochimaru, one of the Three Great Sages, becoming a missing-nin would have a significant impact on Konoha.
It would also easily expose Konoha's vulnerability. They figured they should keep it hidden for as long as possible.