Shuichi vs. Kakashi

The practical sparring that followed left all the students excited. Right after Shuichi finished his match, Kakashi was immediately challenged by the Uchiha Obito who jumped out.

The result was much like the first match. Obito was knocked to the ground by Kakashi without much ability to resist.

There were quite a few evenly matched bouts among the following groups, but compared to Shuichi and Kakashi's clean taijutsu, most of the children simply ended up wrestling in a tangle.

After watching those groups' matches, Kakashi walked over to Shuichi.

"Shuichi, I want to have a match with you tomorrow." Kakashi looked somewhat serious this time. He was preparing for a formal match against Shuichi tomorrow.

Shuichi fell silent for a moment, then answered solemnly, "All right."

In theoretical knowledge and the marble game, Shuichi had indeed edged Kakashi out by a little.

But actual combat would be an entirely different experience. He would face the taijutsu techniques the White Fang had taught Kakashi head-on, and Shuichi had long been looking forward to it.

That night, Shuichi carefully reviewed his taijutsu experience from the day. Though there had not been many fights to use as reference, he could still make some adjustments to his own fighting style.

Shuichi knew tomorrow would be a grueling battle. With everyone having little Chakra, the fact that Kakashi could become a Chunin at six years old meant his taijutsu mastery had to be exceptionally high.

His own advantages were stamina and recovery. As long as he could drag things out until Kakashi began to tire, the advantage would shift to his side.

So Shuichi planned to start on the defensive tomorrow. He could not counterattack as quickly as he had today, either. During the fight, he also needed to carefully observe Kakashi's style and strategy.

The next afternoon, Shuichi had adjusted himself to peak condition. It was his way of showing respect for Kakashi's formal challenge.

"Sensei, I want to challenge Takeda Shuichi today." As soon as the practical combat class began, Kakashi challenged Shuichi.

When the teacher and the other students looked over, Shuichi said nothing. He simply walked to stand opposite Kakashi and assumed the Confrontation Seal.

Kakashi likewise formed the Confrontation Seal. Seeing that they were ready, Sanada Tomohisa immediately gave the order. "Begin!" The surrounding students all held their breath, their eyes fixed tightly on the two figures in the ring.

Shuichi took the same opening stance as yesterday. Knowing Shuichi probably would not attack first, Kakashi charged at him.

Just from Kakashi's running posture, Shuichi saw the difference between him and Asuma. One hand was clenched and held horizontally before his chest, while the other was half-curled at his waist.

If Shuichi countered head-on now, Kakashi could easily block it with his upper hand, and his follow-up counterattack would immediately come after.

So after observing him for a moment, Shuichi made as if to advance. Just as the two were about to make contact, he relied on his quicker reaction to suddenly retreat a short distance.

Kakashi reacted extremely quickly as well. When his strike missed at the instant of contact, he immediately halted his momentum, made a slight adjustment, and charged at Shuichi again.

Shuichi seized the moment Kakashi paused. Without retreating far, he rushed straight in, and the two closed the distance at incredible speed in an instant.

Not yet knowing Kakashi's taijutsu style well, Shuichi held one arm across his body while raising his other hand, ready to exert force.

"Bang." Their hands collided in midair. Kakashi's other fist shot in from the side toward Shuichi's left ribs, and Shuichi reached out to catch the heavy blow.

At the instant of impact, Kakashi gave Shuichi no chance to grab his fist. As he withdrew it, he immediately lowered his upper body, then drove his loaded fist straight at Shuichi's stomach.

As expected of someone trained properly. Every attack accounts for what to do if it gets blocked. It's already hard for me to counterattack and hit him directly. Not long after the match began, Shuichi had been drawn into Kakashi's chain of attacks. Still, with his quicker reactions and greater physical strength, it was relatively easy for him to receive Kakashi's offense.

For this practical combat class, Sanada Tomohisa had drawn a large circle as the boundary. Being knocked outside the line also counted as a loss, so after only a few steps back, Shuichi began looking for an opportunity to counterattack.

After roughly predicting Kakashi's next punch, Shuichi tensed his upper body and held his breath. His left forearm swung toward Kakashi's fist with the intent of intercepting the attack.

"Bang." Shuichi did not completely intercept it. The fist that had been aimed at his cheek was pressed down slightly, but not fully deflected, and struck Shuichi's shoulder instead.

But Shuichi had already achieved his goal. He had tensed his upper body because he was prepared to take the blow head-on. Kakashi was now very close, and Shuichi's intercepting right arm carried the force of his entire body as he drove his elbow into Kakashi's chest.

Kakashi sensed great danger and could only raise his other hand to block with all his strength. The point of Shuichi's elbow struck Kakashi's arm with a dull thud. It was not loud, but it was painfully sharp. If Kakashi rolled up his sleeve, his forearm would probably be red all over.

After their fierce exchange, the two immediately separated. Kakashi was breathing a little heavily, while Shuichi felt mild pain in several places on both arms. Still, he was certain that Kakashi had taken that blow far worse.

"Again!" Shuichi did not stop. This time, he rushed toward Kakashi contrary to his usual approach.

From their earlier exchange, he had already figured out a little of the taijutsu patterns used by great clans. Most of Kakashi's attacks carried around eighty percent of his full strength, allowing him to guard against any possible changes in his opponent's moves.

At the same time, his techniques emphasized linking the attack order of both fists and both legs, aiming to form an unending offensive and give his opponent as few chances to counterattack as possible.

Therefore, Shuichi's response was to find opportunities to disrupt Kakashi's taijutsu rhythm. Whenever he saw an attack that posed little threat, he would immediately abandon defense and trade injuries.

The two had already exchanged blows countless times. Kakashi had taken fewer hits than Shuichi, but every strike hurt badly. Pain kept flaring from the places where he had blocked attacks, affecting the smoothness of his movements.

Shuichi, on the other hand, had been hit in more places, but he could endure this minor pain completely. As they fought, he even gradually recovered, and the situation could be said to be developing in Shuichi's favor.

After another close-range exchange, Sanada Tomohisa saw that Kakashi's movements had begun to lose form and called a halt to the fight. "Stop. Let's call this one a draw. If you keep going, you might get hurt."

Hearing the teacher's voice, Shuichi took several steps back and steadied his breathing before forming the Reconciliation Seal toward Kakashi.

"I lost this time." Several parts of Kakashi's body had been beaten so badly by Shuichi that he could barely muster any strength. Especially the arm that had taken the first elbow strike—it had been hit twice more afterward. Now, trembling slightly, he raised his hand and formed the Reconciliation Seal.

"Wow, it's finally over. It was a draw."

"I feel like Shuichi would've won if they kept going. He has better endurance."

"They're both so amazing. If I went up there, I'd definitely get knocked down in one hit."

Only after the match ended did the large group of students watching nearby begin to chatter all at once.

"Shuichi, are you all right?" Yūhi Kurenai, Ishikawa Tatsuki, and the others quickly gathered around Shuichi as he walked over.

"Whew, it's nothing serious. With my body, I'll recover soon enough." Shuichi smiled as he reassured his friends. "I really gained a lot from this match. I'll tell you about it when we practice later."