Combat Accident

For Veigar, this was a battle he could not afford to lose. But for Kakashi Hatake, it was likewise a battle he was not permitted to lose.

Because the pride in Kakashi Hatake's heart would not allow him to fail in this battle.

"Clang..."

The clash of steel marked the opening of the battle between Veigar and Kakashi Hatake.

Such strength.

Kakashi Hatake felt the immense power Veigar possessed through their blades, and his heart was filled with shock.

His superior strength allowed Veigar to seize the initiative, and he pressed his advantage without mercy, sweeping a kick at Kakashi Hatake.

Kakashi Hatake's exceptional reflexes allowed him to react in an instant, and he hurriedly retreated.

Use one's strengths to strike at the enemy's weaknesses. If strength proves insufficient, use skill to fight; win by surprise, and the overall situation is decided.

This saying applied well to any battlefield: learn to maximize your strengths and avoid your weaknesses, then deliver the enemy a fatal blow.

Facing the advancing Veigar, Kakashi Hatake gripped his blade and slashed at a flaw in Veigar's Sword Technique.

Fast, precise, ruthless, unexpected, and dangerous—these were the greatest traits of Kakashi Hatake's inherited Sword Technique. Combined with his naturally extraordinary perception, the family Sword Technique became terrifyingly sharp in his hands.

Seeing this, Veigar hastily raised his blade to block. Though the Sword Technique Veigar used was not as exquisite as Kakashi Hatake's, his comprehensively enhanced body surpassed Kakashi Hatake's in both reaction speed and agility.

Two small figures constantly crossed paths atop the training platform. Sharp blade gleams and cold flashes flickered without pause, leaving everyone watching deeply shaken.

Among them, Minato Namikaze watched the most intently.

At this time, Minato Namikaze, who had inherited Jiraiya's teachings as one of the Konoha Sannin, was Kakashi Hatake's jonin squad leader. Although the team he led currently consisted of Kakashi Hatake alone, with two members still needed to meet the village's requirement for a three-man squad.

Even so, he was one of those most familiar with Kakashi Hatake's strength. Yet at this moment, he realized that he had understood far too little about Kakashi Hatake.

He had never known that Kakashi Hatake possessed such exquisite Sword Technique as what he was displaying now.

As Minato Namikaze's gaze moved between Veigar and Kakashi Hatake, he suddenly discovered that both of their Sword Techniques were continuously improving during the battle.

"What incredible talent for Sword Technique!"

Minato Namikaze could not help but exclaim, his heart filled with an indescribable shock.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated behind them, had likewise noticed that Veigar and Kakashi Hatake's Sword Techniques were constantly improving. The sharp gleam in his eyes clearly betrayed the hidden calculations in his heart.

Their blood boiled, their fighting spirit burned. As Veigar continued competing with Kakashi Hatake in Sword Technique, he gradually adapted to Kakashi Hatake's attack rhythm and discovered that his own Sword Technique had unknowingly improved by a great deal.

And it was still growing, still becoming stronger.

Kakashi Hatake's improvement, meanwhile, was entirely due to the tremendous pressure Veigar placed upon him.

On the surface, he held the upper hand with his outstanding Sword Technique and continuously suppressed Veigar. But outsiders could not possibly understand the danger involved. If he was careless even for a moment, he might already have fallen to Veigar's blade.

Under such pressure, the proud Kakashi Hatake drew out the potential within his body without end in order to defeat Veigar, and this caused his Sword Technique to improve continuously.

As you grew stronger, so did I.

Between Veigar and Kakashi Hatake, an intense and healthy rivalry had taken shape. Both of them were steadily growing stronger through battle.

If things continued this way, then for Veigar and Kakashi Hatake to determine a victor, one side would likely have to stop improving and reach the limit of what they could presently attain before victory or defeat could be decided.

However, accidents always arrived when least expected.

Just as the blades in their hands clashed once more, the accident happened...

"Clang..."

A crisp clang rang out. Kakashi Hatake, already prepared to withstand Veigar's immense strength once again, found that events did not unfold as he had expected. The overwhelming power he had imagined never came.

Because the Ninja Sword in Veigar's hand snapped apart at the instant their blades met...

It broke. The blade broke. The sword in Veigar's hand had broken...

No one present had expected Veigar's Ninja Sword to break in the middle of battle.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had not expected it. Minato Namikaze had not expected it. Even Veigar and Kakashi Hatake themselves had not expected it.

Unexpected as it was, the battle still had to continue.

Having lost the sharp blade in his hand, Veigar was like a tiger whose fangs had been pulled, temporarily losing the means to contend with Kakashi Hatake.

As the broken blade slowly fell, the short sword in Kakashi Hatake's hand slashed directly toward Veigar's body.

Veigar froze for an instant at the breaking of his blade, but faced with the danger close on its heels, he reacted at once.

I'm still fighting Kakashi Hatake. This isn't the time to relax.

Chakra burst beneath his feet, and Veigar's body shot backward.

Victory was right before him. Seeing Veigar rapidly retreat, Kakashi Hatake also burst Chakra beneath his feet. The blade in his hand shifted from a downward slash into a thrust, aimed directly at Veigar's vital points.

The broken blade fell to the ground, and Veigar released the hilt in his hand. Right before Kakashi Hatake's eyes, Veigar swiftly began forming Hand Seals.

"Wei—Ox—Yin."

"Body Replacement Technique."

Kakashi Hatake's blade pierced through Veigar's body, but in the very next second, Veigar before his eyes turned into a Substitution Dummy.

At the same time, another change occurred atop the training platform.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In an instant, Kakashi Hatake, standing on the training platform, was surrounded by four Veigars wielding kunai.

"Clone Technique..."

Kakashi Hatake stood firmly on the platform, carefully observing the four Veigars as he tried to identify the real one.

"What skillful use of the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Minato Namikaze, and every ninja present, whether out in the open or hidden in the shadows, were all inwardly astonished when they saw the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques Veigar had used.

Meanwhile, the watching students all cheered for the exciting exchange between Veigar and Kakashi Hatake.

Although they could not see it clearly, they all felt that Veigar and Kakashi Hatake were incredibly powerful.