This Is Fucking Five Years Old!?

"HAHAHAHAHA! I never thought even you, Kakashi, would have a day when you tried to scare a child."

"To be precise, he didn't get scared."

Yuzuru Hyuga added, making Might Guy laugh even harder.

Kakashi wore a sour expression and did not want to say a word. A terrifying chill radiated from his entire body, but it could not frighten Might Guy or Yuzuru Hyuga, both of whom burned with hot-blooded fervor.

"How could someone die that easily? Honestly, um, the Hyuga kid."

Might Guy was briefly at a loss for words—truth be told, he was terrible at remembering names. He often found himself unable to remember even less familiar colleagues' names. Perhaps his hot blood took up most of his brain capacity.

"Yuzuru Hyuga."

"Ah! Right, Yuzuru! I'd heard your name long ago. What you did a few days ago was truly full of passion!"

"As a young man of Konoha, those were things I should have done!"

"Ooooooh! This is youth! I feel like I'm getting fired up! Kakashi, you should learn from him, Kakashi!"

Might Guy and Yuzuru Hyuga traded lines, unleashing noise like sonic attacks beside Kakashi's ears, until he could no longer bear it and quickened his pace.

Unfortunately, Might Guy was a hot-blooded fool who could not read the room—or perhaps had his own unique understanding of it. As for Yuzuru Hyuga, he was even more of a pervert, someone who could not help but feel delighted just watching Kakashi look so depressed that killing intent seemed to rise from his body.

It could only be said that unless Kakashi rudely used the Body Flicker Technique to flee right now, he had no way of escaping the two of them.

At last, unable to endure it any longer, Kakashi stopped and stared coldly at Yuzuru Hyuga. "So, what exactly do you want to do today?"

Though they had not met many times, Kakashi had already gained a preliminary understanding of Yuzuru Hyuga—however sunny he looked on the surface, that was how dark he was inside.

The fact that he looked so punchable right now was undoubtedly because he had some goal he had yet to achieve, and he was waiting for Kakashi to finally lose patience and bring it up.

Yuzuru Hyuga blinked. "As partners, shouldn't we get to know each other better? If we encounter a sudden battle later and don't understand each other's strengths, it'll be hard to make clear judgments."

"Ooooooh! A first battle full of passion and youth! I can hardly wait to join in!"

Might Guy was still brimming with enthusiasm, but then he realized Yuzuru Hyuga had not responded this time. Turning his head, he saw Yuzuru Hyuga smiling as he met Kakashi's icy gaze. The two seemed to be communicating through some encrypted channel he could not understand.

In the end, Kakashi nodded coldly. "That makes sense."

There was nothing more unreliable than going onto the battlefield without even knowing what one's teammates could do.

At this moment, Kakashi felt faintly worried. A few days ago, he had discussed some matters with Danzo, and he was highly wary of Third returning to the Daimyo's residence to resume his position as Hokage.

The implication behind Danzo's words was that he wanted to make a move against Third.

He wanted the position of Hokage far too badly.

Danzo had thrown a great deal of half-truths and mud at Third in front of Kakashi, making Kakashi's already complicated feelings toward Third even more tangled. For a time, he did not know what to do, but he also understood that even if he had not yet made a decision, there was no way he could stay out of this.

Since Third had decided to place Yuzuru Hyuga with him, he had to ensure that this innocent child would not be dragged into the conflict between Danzo and Third.

Even if this brat gave him endless headaches, he could not simply stand by and do nothing.

In that case, understanding Yuzuru Hyuga's combat strength was absolutely necessary.

If he was too weak, Kakashi might as well find an excuse—such as injuring him—and make him miss the mission three days later, avoiding this turmoil.

"Let's go to the training ground."

There were plenty of places in Konoha where one could fight. Kakashi led the way, and before long, they found an open area.

There were only trees around them, and hardly any sign of people.

Might Guy looked eager to move, as though he wanted to step out and fight Kakashi first. But he was not truly stupid, so he could only restrain himself and watch Yuzuru Hyuga curiously.

"Yuzuru, Kakashi is my lifelong rival. Don't let your guard down."

He gave a reminder, but he was also laying the groundwork in advance, lest Kakashi shatter the child's confidence.

Yuzuru Hyuga smiled faintly and adjusted the forehead protector before his brow. The weighty Konoha forehead protector continually reminded him that the battles he would face from now on would no longer be as harmless as before.

That was also why Yuzuru Hyuga wanted to fight Kakashi.

As long as he understood Kakashi's current level, he could roughly determine his own standing and ability, and face whatever risks might arise later with greater composure.

"As respect for a genius." Kakashi's voice was cold as one hand lightly touched his ninja tool pouch. His single visible eye beneath his silver hair gleamed with a chilling light. "I won't hold back."

Yuzuru Hyuga stood where he was and nodded, looking completely harmless. "Thank you. Please do your utmost against me."

"Then be prepared to get hurt. Or even die!"

As Kakashi's words fell, three kunai suddenly shot toward Yuzuru Hyuga in a triangular formation.

Might Guy, watching from the side, frowned slightly. He vaguely sensed that the atmosphere when Kakashi attacked was far more serious than he had expected.

Bang.

A cloud of smoke appeared. A wooden log replaced Yuzuru Hyuga's position, and under cover of the smoke, a white flash streaked out.

Body Flicker Technique: Flash!

This unique Body Flicker Technique, born from raising the technique to its limit, possessed unmatched explosive power in straight-line acceleration. This single flicker made both Kakashi and the watching Might Guy's expressions change slightly.

They had still underestimated him!

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

Kakashi's hand signs were incredibly fast as a massive fireball suddenly exploded forward.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

In response, Yuzuru Hyuga's Great Fireball Technique came later but arrived first, moving faster and carrying even greater power as it shattered the ninjutsu Kakashi had released in haste.

What a coincidence. The only offensive Fire Release ninjutsu Yuzuru Hyuga had mastered was the Great Fireball Technique.

At the same time, using the explosion's aftershock and the obstruction to their vision, he completely vanished from Kakashi's sight.

Left? Right?

The calm in Kakashi's eyes did not waver in the slightest. He rapidly considered the positions from which his opponent might emerge, only to see a blue flash suddenly streak past from behind Yuzuru Hyuga's Great Fireball Technique, which had collided with his own.

Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!

This was a long-range acupoint-striking attack that combined Little Divine Air Strike and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

Yuzuru Hyuga's Byakugan ignored every obstacle, clearly seeing every acupoint across Kakashi's body through the dust. Even when Kakashi used the Substitution Technique in an instant to obscure his vision, then used the Body Flicker Technique to evade the Gentle Fist chakra launched through the air—

Yuzuru Hyuga still caught him with ease. The sixty-four palms struck from afar like spilled mercury. For a moment, only blue waves of light flashed across the training ground.

They were called sixty-four palms—

But every strike of Yuzuru Hyuga's Gentle Fist: Little Divine Air Strike contained far more than a single ball of Gentle Fist chakra.

Three, five, eight, and even more blue masses of chakra shot out, forming a net so inescapable that even a hummingbird would have nowhere to flee.

Kakashi dodged through the Gentle Fist chakra with some difficulty. He knew better than anyone that if even one hit landed, his acupoints might be sealed, and he would then be forced to take every following strike head-on.

And at that moment, from the depths of his heart, a sincere question arose.

This is fucking five years old!?

PS: It's an insignificant little bug. Please let it slide if you can. My hair, my hair, it... sob sob sob...