I'm Sorry, Might Guy—I Apologize

To ninja, great power was like a drug. Once they started using it, they could never break free of it again.

If Kakashi had initially used the Sharingan only to see this world clearly for Obito, then once he grew accustomed to the power of the Sharingan, he could no longer cast it aside.

He had already grown used to the boost the Sharingan provided. Without it, Kakashi's combat strength would decline.

The Three Tomoe Sharingan possessed three abilities: insight, copying, and dynamic vision.

Once Kakashi became accustomed to using these three abilities, his own insight and reaction speed would decline.

It was like getting used to ordering takeout and becoming too lazy to go out to eat anymore. o(╯□╰)o

Convenient abilities made people abandon certain instincts.

But that could not really be considered harmful. Abilities like the Sharingan and Byakugan were, in themselves, a part of one's own power.

It was like ninjutsu and chakra. Once a ninja lost their ninjutsu and chakra, they were essentially just slightly stronger ordinary people.

It was simply that the Sharingan placed too great a burden on Kakashi. Combined with his neglect of training over the years, it had prevented him from breaking through to Kage level.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

With Naruto and Sasuke watching nearby, Hinata was not worried that the sounds of their Gentle Fist exchange would cause anyone to misunderstand.

Kakashi's test was meant to assess teamwork, so with Naruto and Sasuke not participating, Hinata had no desire to snatch Kakashi's Bells.

Even though, in close combat, the Bells hanging from Kakashi's waist were practically within Hinata's reach.

Besides, even if Hinata took the Bells, if Kakashi later told the three of them to decide who got them, Hinata would not know what to say.

She could not exactly hypocritically say, "Naruto and Sasuke can have the Bells. I'll go back to the Ninja Academy for another year," could she?

That was not the style of Miss Hinata!

Rather than obediently competing for the Bells, she might as well give Kakashi a satisfying beating.

Kakashi had clearly noticed this as well, but he did not know whether Hinata had forgotten in the excitement of their sparring or had already seen through the truth behind the test.

And fighting Hinata was truly exhausting. Kakashi could already feel a delay in the flow of chakra within his body.

Unless he used ninjutsu or activated the Sharingan, Kakashi was really going to lose today.

With that in mind, Kakashi decided to give Hinata an opportunity.

He would first let Hinata take one Bell, then have Sasuke and Naruto compete for the other. After that, he would see how they performed.

Kakashi deliberately exposed an opening.

Hinata ignored him.

Kakashi exposed another opening.

Hinata still ignored him.

Kakashi was mentally exhausted. Wasn't this supposed to be a game of snatching Bells? Why was she refusing when he was practically handing one to her for free?

Did she really want to beat him up that badly?

Kakashi exposed yet another opening.

Hinata: "..."

Hinata was not an idiot. Kakashi had repeatedly exposed an opening at his waist, so naturally, she understood what he was trying to do.

You brought this on yourself!

Hinata reached for the Bells, and Kakashi rejoiced inwardly. Finally!

It did not matter if Hinata took one Bell. Later, Kakashi could casually use a few ninjutsu techniques and let Naruto and Sasuke see how formidable he was.

Then he only needed to calmly say a couple of cool lines, such as, "One of a ninja's combat principles is ninjutsu. Today, I'll let you see it for yourselves."

That way, Kakashi would surely be able to recover the dignity he had lost.

Just as Hinata was about to touch the Bells, she suddenly extended one finger and jabbed Kakashi in the waist.

And the organ located there—was the kidney!

Awooo—

Kakashi let out a miserable cry, clutched his waist, and rapidly retreated. After several flashes, he disappeared into the woods.

He had no face left to show anyone.

And being embarrassed was one thing, but could a man's kidney be hit so casually?

Kakashi was not even married yet. He could not help deeply worrying about the happiness of his future marriage.

Hinata stared blankly at her finger. I think I hit the wrong place. That spot...

Oh no!!!

Hinata wailed, "What will happen to Might Guy in the future?!"

She had struck Kakashi's kidney. She had truly wronged Might Guy!

Naruto quickly ran over to Hinata's side, scratching his head in confusion. "Hinata, what's wrong with Teacher Kakashi?"

Sasuke understood human organs fairly well. The Ninja Academy had taught that course too, after all. That location counted as a vital spot.

The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched. He swore that he would never spar with Hinata again, and it would be best not to make her angry either.

After all, internal organs could not be trained, while the Gentle Fist was specifically designed to strike internal organs.

But could a man's kidney be hit so casually?

Hinata and the others waited for about five minutes before Kakashi suddenly appeared on a tree branch at the edge of the woods. He first gave Hinata a deep look, but in order to preserve his dignity as a teacher, Kakashi still looked completely unconcerned as he said lightly, "It seems your strength is quite impressive. Then I should get a little more serious too."

Hinata lowered her head to look at her hands, then suddenly said excitedly, "I think I've discovered the true essence of the Gentle Fist. The Gentle Fist is really amazing!"

When Hyuga Hiashi had taught Hinata the Gentle Fist in the past, he had always told her to strike the enemy's chest, since the heart was in the chest and that was the true vital point of the human body.

But after accidentally striking Kakashi's kidney today, Hinata had discovered the ultimate essence of the Gentle Fist.

Kidney Strike!

Naruto and Sasuke immediately retreated more than ten meters away from Hinata.

Cold sweat trickled down Kakashi's forehead. He swore that, no matter what, he could never fight Hinata in taijutsu again.

Absolutely not!

Kakashi said lightly, "Then the real test begins now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi's hands flew through seals at a speed nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye.

In barely more than a second, Kakashi spat out a massive fireball that bore down on the three of them, though its primary target was still Hinata.

Naruto shouted, "Hinata, run!"

Fortunately, Naruto and Sasuke had already moved away from Hinata beforehand, so they could easily avoid the Great Fireball Technique.

Run?

Ordinary players relied on skill, paying players relied on equipment, and cheaters relied on basic attacks.

At best, Kakashi was an ordinary player who specialized in skill, only gifted a top-tier piece of equipment by some cheater.

Could I, the mighty Otsutsuki Hinata, really lose to a mere Kakashi?

Eight Trigrams—Mountain Breaker

Four twos!

If the Twenty Gods Vacuum Attack was the Royal Flush in Hinata's hand, then Mountain Breaker was her four twos.

Mountain Breaker possessed astonishing penetrating power. It was far more than simply stacking two Air Palms together.

Simply put, the difference between Air Palm and Mountain Breaker was like the difference between gunpowder and explosives: their formulas differed, and so did the amount used.

A Chakra Ray directly pierced through the Great Fireball and shot straight at Kakashi.

This was deadly!

Cold sweat trickled down Kakashi's forehead. With a leap, he dodged Mountain Breaker. He planned to first deal with Naruto and Sasuke, those two troublesome nuisances, before slowly playing with Hinata.