Fierce Battle

The night passed just like that. Both Shuichi and Kakashi tacitly spent it adjusting themselves and thinking of ways to deal with the coming battle.

When it came to intelligence, Shuichi already held an intangible advantage. While he could not claim to know Kakashi's future growth path like the back of his hand, he could roughly judge Kakashi's current methods and combat strength.

Kakashi, meanwhile, had not fought Shuichi again since Shuichi became Orochimaru's disciple. He had no idea that Shuichi now possessed a wide variety of ninjutsu and had gradually developed his own fighting style.

By three in the afternoon, there were not many people lingering outside Training Ground 36.

The field was a mix of open ground, rocks, and trees, making it an excellent place for ninja combat and a test of both sides' ability to adapt on the fly.

When Shuichi arrived at the area, he saw Kakashi across from him. Today, Kakashi had White Fang's short sword strapped to his back and a ninja tool pouch tied to his thigh.

While they were still some distance apart, Shuichi's clear voice reached Kakashi's ears. "It's been a long time since we last fought. Let's go all out today. Don't worry about us getting seriously hurt or anything. I told Lord Hokage about our match beforehand."

"There should be powerful ninja watching nearby right now. Fight without holding back. We can talk about anything else after the battle."

Kakashi's steps paused briefly before he continued walking toward Shuichi as though nothing had happened. "All right."

That was why Shuichi had spoken loudly. First, he wanted Kakashi to know that someone was watching over them today, so he could fight without restraint.

Second, he was reminding him not to mention White Fang here, because there were people nearby. If Kakashi truly won after the fight, Shuichi would find a time when they were alone to speak with him.

Though Kakashi was still young, he was also a very meticulous person. This kind of communication between ninja was something Chunin had to master as well.

Shuichi believed Kakashi's Chunin rank was the real deal. There was no way he would fail to grasp the hidden meaning in his words. If it had been someone like Might Guy, Shuichi seriously doubted that he would understand such hints even after becoming a Jonin.

Judging by Kakashi's reaction, he fully understood Shuichi's words. At this moment, the only thing in either of their minds was the battle ahead.

On a tree not far away, the Third Hokage was watching their battle with some anticipation. "Lord Hokage, is a fight between these two children really worth you coming in person? Sending an Anbu should have been enough, shouldn't it?"

Two Anbu stood beside the Third Hokage. They did not understand why he was interested in a battle between two children and could not help asking.

"Haha, my waist gets a little sore from sitting in the office too long. These two children are rare talents in the village in recent years, so don't underestimate them. According to Orochimaru, even if you personally entered the fight, it would not be impossible for you to lose." The Third Hokage did not hesitate to praise Shuichi and Kakashi.

"How is that possible? Even if one is Lord Orochimaru's disciple and the other is White Fang's son, isn't that a little exaggerated?" The Anbu felt that the Third Hokage was overstating things.

"Hehehe, then let's wait and see whether they can bring us a surprise."

In the field, Shuichi and Kakashi both stopped when they were about ten meters apart, slowly taking up fighting stances.

"Then the moment this stone hits the ground will be the signal to begin. No problem?"

Shuichi picked up a small stone and opened his hand for Kakashi to see.

"No problem." Kakashi did not hide anything either. His right hand had already risen in advance, as if he intended to draw the sword from his back the instant the battle began.

Whoosh! Seeing that he was ready, Shuichi tossed the stone into the air and immediately tensed, ready to strike.

Thud! As the stone landed with a soft sound, Kakashi instantly leaped backward, his hands rapidly forming seals in midair.

Lightning Style: Earth Run! The instant Kakashi landed, three thin bolts of lightning struck the ground and raced toward Shuichi in parallel.

Though Shuichi had not expected Kakashi to open with ninjutsu, after seeing the attack's range and speed, he judged that his movement speed was enough to evade it.

Screech. The ground rasped as Chakra rapidly gathered beneath Shuichi's feet. He lightly sprang to the side, avoiding the Lightning Release attack.

He then burst forward with the Body Flicker Technique once more, swiftly closing in on Kakashi's original position. One hand swept past his side without the slightest pause, and three Shuriken flew diagonally toward Kakashi.

After landing, the fingers of his other hand hooked into his ninja tool pouch. A Kunai spun once before landing in his grip. Lowering his center of gravity, he charged at Kakashi behind the Shuriken.

After using Lightning Style: Earth Run, Kakashi saw that the result was completely different from what he had expected.

Their last spar had been half a year ago. Since Shuichi had still been a Ninja Academy student then, it had only been a simple taijutsu exchange.

After seeing Shuichi use the Body Flicker Technique so fluidly, Kakashi realized that casting ninjutsu in front of him would be difficult to use as a threat. At the same time, he began to guard against whatever ninjutsu Shuichi might use.

When he saw Shuichi attacking head-on, he could not understand why Shuichi wanted to engage him at close range when he was skilled with a blade, but he decisively chose to move forward.

When dealing with someone proficient in ninjutsu and blessed with abundant Chakra, the best approach was to deny them even the time to form seals. That was White Fang's teaching to Kakashi.

Those thoughts flashed through Kakashi's mind in an instant. His hand had already tightly gripped White Fang's sword hilt. As Shuichi rushed in, the short sword left its sheath with a shing, and White Fang's blade seemed to draw a streak of silver lightning through the air.

Watching the short sword slash down diagonally from above, Shuichi raised his Kunai at just the right moment. Clang! The sound of weapons colliding rang in both their ears.

The short sword and Kunai locked in the middle, seeming evenly matched. However, Kakashi's attack came from above, while Shuichi was blocking from below.

The short sword was much heavier than a Kunai, so after that clash, it was clear that Shuichi's arm strength exceeded Kakashi's by a fair margin.

Once he realized strength was not his advantage, Kakashi immediately abandoned a direct contest of force. He twisted the short sword and slashed toward the hand holding Shuichi's Kunai.

Shuichi swiftly pulled back his hand. At the same time, he flicked his wrist, spinning the Kunai one hundred and eighty degrees before gripping it again and stabbing toward Kakashi's stomach.

Kakashi took a small hop backward to evade the attack. At the same time, he gripped White Fang's hilt with both hands and slashed upward at Shuichi from below.

This time, Shuichi knew he could not block the strike with one hand, nor did he carry a weapon capable of dealing with it. He fixed his gaze on the trajectory of Kakashi's blade.

Using both hands to swing a sword would inevitably move the upper body. To ensure power, the attack path was also easy to predict, and changing moves would become much slower. Shing! Shuichi leaned backward and evaded the upward slash.

Shuichi bent his upper body backward into a backflip posture. The instant his hands touched the ground, his waist suddenly exerted force, lifting both legs into the air. As Kakashi's attack missed, a powerful kick shot toward him.

Kakashi faced Shuichi's counterattack before his sword swing had even stopped. He could only instinctively pull in his upper body. Bang! The kick ultimately struck Kakashi's arm.

Borrowing the force, Shuichi backflipped away and widened the distance. Kakashi also rolled once to disperse the impact. He had drawn Chakra in time to protect his upper body, so although the kick was powerful, it did not inflict any real injury.