Nara Kazuki had clearly forgotten one important detail.
The Crawling Shadowflame effect specified: targets with soul instability or mental issues suffer double the impact.
While Kakashi's soul was relatively intact,his recent emotional turmoil from Rin Nohara's deathhad left him with traces of mild depression.
Thus, when Kazuki's Great Fireball Jutsu locked onto Kakashi—Kakashi froze.
In an instant, countless whispers flooded Kakashi's mind.
"Kakashi, why were you just standing there and watching?!" Obito's voice—etched into Kakashi's soul—screamed out.
"Kakashi, live on... carry our will..." Rin's soft voice, bittersweet.
"Kakashi, it hurts so much... why? Why did you do this to me? Weren't we comrades?"Rin's voice grew heavy with sorrow.
Next, through the haze of illusion, Kakashi saw—
"Kakashi, you've disappointed me. You were never a great shinobi, never worthy of being my son. I am ashamed to call you my child!" Sakumo Hatake's furious voice thundered through him.
Kakashi opened his mouth, desperate to respond. But the whispers drowned him out—Obito's, Rin's, Sakumo's voices blending into a cacophony. His own voice was missing entirely.
"Watch out!" Kazuki's shout jolted through the illusion.
A wave of intense heat snapped Kakashi back to reality.
He opened his eyes in shock—the hallucinations were gone.
Before him was a burst of dissipating flame—Kazuki's Shadow Clone had taken the hit, shielding him. And Kazuki himself was gritting his teeth in pain nearby.
Kakashi quickly pieced together what happened.
He had agreed to help Kazuki test his newly "refined" Great Fireball Jutsu. Kazuki, worried about hurting him, had set a Shadow Clone nearby.
And it was that clone which saved him.
If not for Kazuki's caution,Kakashi would have taken the Fireball head-on—surviving, maybe,but definitely not unscathed.
"Kazuki!"Kakashi rushed over.
Kazuki waved him off,though his burns were clearly hurting.
How does Naruto use so many Shadow Clones without dying of exhaustion? Kazuki grumbled mentally.
"You froze just now—why?" Kazuki asked once the worst of the pain had faded.
"I... I don't know," Kakashi said hoarsely. "I heard voices—my father's, Rin's, Obito's..." His face was still clouded with pain.
Kazuki nodded knowingly.
So that was the effect of the whispers.
Bringing out a target's emotional weaknesses and amplifying them—even Kakashi had been stunned into immobility. In combat, a single instant of hesitation could be fatal.
Originally, Kazuki had thought the whisper effectwould be some eerie cosmic murmuring, like an eldritch being's voice driving mortals insane.
He hadn't expected something so personal—memories, regrets, the inner demons each shinobi carried.
This was far more dangerous.
Especially against Obito.
Kazuki could already imagine it: during the Fourth Hokage's battle against Obito, if he could hit Obito with Crawling Shadowflame at the right moment... Obito would freeze, haunted by Rin's voice. And Minato's Rasengan would land cleanly.
"What kind of jutsu is this?!" Kakashi asked, shaken but curious.
Kazuki shrugged. "A genjutsu-hybrid I designed to make evading attacks harder. Didn't expect it to work this well."
Kakashi twitched at his casual tone.
Still, remembering how unprepared he'd been, he had to admit—this move was very effective.
"I want to try again." Kakashi insisted, gritting his teeth.
He refused to believe he could be taken down so easily by an illusion.
As a Jonin, he had extensive training in genjutsu defense.
Kazuki hesitated. He didn't want to hurt himself again by shielding Kakashi.
After some bargaining, Kakashi agreed to create his own Shadow Clone as a decoy.
"Alright. But be careful," Kazuki warned.
Kakashi nodded seriously. He even brought out his Sharingan.
Kazuki noted the gleam in Kakashi's left eye, and suddenly recalled—
Technically, Kakashi's Sharingan had already evolved into a Mangekyō Sharingan after Rin's death.
He just didn't realize it yet.
At Rin's death, both Obito and Kakashi awakened Mangekyō Sharingan simultaneously. But while Obito understood, Kakashi remained unaware, only much later unlocking Kamui without realizing the connection.
Kazuki debated telling him.
But no—knowing too soon might only cause Kakashi to overuse it and go blind faster.
Better to leave it for now.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Kazuki shouted,his hands flashing through seals.
Kakashi stared sharply, Sharingan spinning.
He would not fall for it this time!
Then came the searing pain.
Kakashi's Shadow Clone exploded—having thrown itself in the way of the Fireball.
Kakashi stumbled back, gritting his teeth.
Why does it hurt so much?!
Even though he avoided the second blast, Kakashi felt as if he'd been barbecued alive.