Battle Against Kakashi Hatake

The location for this duel had been set at the Chunin Exams' designated arena.

It was the place surrounded by enormous stands.

This place had been destroyed time and again by Orochimaru, Pain, Otsutsuki Momoshiki, and others, yet it had always been rebuilt in the end.

That alone showed just how important this venue was.

The reason this duel had been arranged here was not only due to the Uchiha Clan's efforts, but also to showcase the strength of Konoha ninjas to the villagers, merchants, and even the Daimyo.

After all, the entire Shinobi World was in turmoil now, and war could break out at any moment.

And at a time like this, it was all the more necessary to establish heroic figures and images of genius ninjas.

That would bolster people's confidence in Konoha's military strength.

What was more, Kyosuke was not only a member of the Uchiha Clan; he also bore the title of the Third Hokage's disciple's disciple.

Therefore, regardless of who won or lost this duel, the prestige of the Hokage faction led by the Third Hokage would rise considerably.

At such a crucial time, that would benefit Konoha's internal unity.

As for that, Kyosuke could only say that regardless of the Third Hokage's many other problems, his political skill was indeed exceedingly shrewd.

Not long after the Uchiha Clan arrived, the Hatake Clan arrived as well.

Of course, after the Second Shinobi World War, only Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi Hatake remained of the Hatake Clan.

So even calling it the entire clan was a stretch—it was only the father and son.

Yet when the two arrived, the previously boisterous venue suddenly fell silent for a moment.

Then whispers began to rise from all around the stands.

And the person they discussed was, for the most part, Sakumo, seated in the distance.

As for the content of those conversations, it was nothing more than condemnation.

Kyosuke looked up at those "ignorant" villagers, and a cold smile tugged at his lips.

Many Uchiha clansmen behind him wore the same expression.

Others might not be familiar with this feeling, but the Uchiha knew it all too well.

Even if everything had been orchestrated and planned by Konoha's upper ranks, weren't these "ignorant" villagers accomplices as well?

Examples of this were everywhere in Konoha.

The "brutal" Uchiha Clan, Hatake Sakumo who had "harmed Konoha's interests," Naruto Uzumaki who had "destroyed the village," and so on.

In Kyosuke's view, the loathsomeness of these fools sometimes made him want to slaughter them with his own hands.

Just as Kakashi was feeling angry and helpless because of those whispers, several loud shouts suddenly rang through the venue.

At the same time, they completely drowned out the villagers' murmurs.

"Go, Kakashi!"

"That's right, defeat him, Kakashi!"

"Kakashi, you can do it~"

Everyone turned toward the voices and saw several young kids in a corner of the stands, shouting themselves hoarse.

They were naturally Rin, Might Guy, Asuma, and the others who had come to cheer him on.

Kakashi saw them too. After staring blankly for a moment, he muttered softly, "Idiots."

Though he muttered "idiots," the relief on his face made it clear that his friends' cheers had worked wonders.

Having calmed down again, Kakashi turned his gaze toward his opponent.

That cold-faced boy.

At that moment, a jonin stepped into the arena and motioned to the two of them.

"Go. Defeat your opponent." Seated at the very front of the stands, the Second Elder spoke to Kyosuke with a stern expression.

"Good luck! Beat that guy to a pulp." Nagisa was visibly excited.

Fugaku nodded at him confidently without saying a word.

Kyosuke smiled faintly. After nodding to them all, he flashed into the center of the arena.

Today, he wore a black kimono, much like the outfit Uchiha Sasuke wore in the original story.

He had found the clothes at Orochimaru's home, then had them altered to fit before putting them on.

As for Kakashi, he still wore that ever-unchanging mask and short-sleeved shirt.

Looks like the Hatake Clan's finances aren't doing too well. Looking at him, Kyosuke couldn't help making a malicious jab in his mind.

"Listen. In today's match, if either side loses the ability to fight, or if I determine that they cannot withstand their opponent's attack, I will stop the match. Understood?" the jonin said as he looked at them both.

Kyosuke and Kakashi nodded at the same time, indicating that they understood.

"Then I declare this duel officially begun."

After the jonin referee finished speaking, he stepped back several paces and yielded the arena to the two protagonists of the day.

"I've been looking forward to today for a long time." After saying that, Kyosuke pulled a large handful of shuriken from his Ninja Tool Pouch and hurled them at Kakashi.

"I will defeat you." Kakashi spoke coldly, then drew a Tanto that radiated a chilling aura.

At the sight of that blade, several knowledgeable ninja present couldn't help but turn their eyes toward the silent White Fang.

But Sakumo paid them no mind. His gaze remained fixed on his son, who was constantly weaving and dodging across the field.

He's dodging well, he silently remarked.

And that was indeed the situation on the field. Although Kyosuke's shuriken always attacked Kakashi from exceptionally tricky angles, it was still rather difficult to defeat Kakashi, whose strength was already approaching that of an Elite Chunin, with such tactics.

Forget defeating him—even injuring him was no easy task.

Of course, Kyosuke had never expected the shuriken to accomplish much.

At this level of battle, concealed weapons could play only a limited role.

Unless he could raise the level of "Shuriken Throwing Technique" straight to the maximum, they could only serve to disrupt his opponent.

Just after Kakashi successfully dodged Kyosuke's first wave of attacks, the second wave arrived right before him.

It was a sphere gathered from countless golden bolts of lightning, hurtling toward Kakashi at tremendous speed.

This ninjutsu was the Lightning Release Ninjutsu "Lightning Release: Lightning Ball" that Sarada had "dropped."

Though its destructive power was not particularly strong, its movement and casting speeds were fast enough that Kyosuke had chosen to use it.

Left with no other option, Kakashi could only abandon his plan to charge forward. He rapidly formed hand seals, then slammed both hands forcefully onto the ground.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall."

As Kakashi released his ninjutsu, a massive stone wall suddenly rose from the ground, blocking Kyosuke's attack head-on.

Just as Kakashi prepared to launch his counterattack, several shuriken suddenly flew out at high speed from both sides of the stone wall.

Caught off guard, Kakashi barely managed to deflect one shuriken with his blade, but another cut his arm.

At the same time, a figure suddenly appeared atop the stone wall.

Kakashi hurriedly looked up and discovered that the figure's owner was staring at him with a pair of scarlet eyes.

Within those eyes, three tomoe spun rapidly.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan."