Trial Battle

Cold sweat slowly trickled down Saito Daisuke's forehead. He looked at Suzuki Genji first, then at Kagami, his eyes filled with reluctance and hesitation. In the end, however, his gaze firmed once more.

He made a shocking move. He bowed ninety degrees toward Suzuki Genji and Kagami, then spoke loudly.

"I-I'm sorry! This time, I can't hold back. I'll give it everything I've got. If one of you is eliminated by me today, I-I'm truly sorry, but...but becoming a ninja is my dream. I want to become a Genin, then a Chunin, then a Jonin, and then the Hokage! This is my dream. I won't give up. I'm really, really sorry."

As he spoke, Saito Daisuke's entire body trembled slightly, as if he felt terribly guilty about possibly ending someone else's ninja career with his own hands.

Kagami stared at Saito Daisuke in surprise. Compared to Naruto and Obito, this person seemed to possess a kindness that came from the very depths of his heart. Kagami could tell that he truly felt guilty. Looking at him, Kagami couldn't help asking,

"What if you're the one who gets eliminated?"

He began to think. His eyes held disappointment and unwillingness to accept it, but in the end, he answered with relief,

"Th-That would be fine too."

Kagami was certain that possessing such kindness in this cruel ninja world could never be a good thing—unless one was a reincarnation of Asura like Naruto.

But Kagami smiled faintly. He didn't dislike it.

The three of them failed to notice that a trace of imperceptible approval flashed through Kakashi's eyes as he looked at Saito Daisuke. That approval was quickly concealed by the coldness Kakashi displayed.

"Have you decided when to begin?"

At that moment, Kagami suddenly raised his hand to indicate that he had something to say.

Kakashi nodded, granting him permission.

"Go ahead."

Kagami looked at Kakashi seriously and said something astonishing.

"Teacher Kakashi, before the Bell-grabbing test, I want to have a one-on-one battle with you!"

When Kagami had just discovered that Kakashi was his instructor, he hadn't expected it. Still, it worked out well. Kagami wanted to use this opportunity to see how his current strength compared to that of an elite Jonin.

Although Kagami had Shisui to spar against, most of his abilities had been taught by Shisui. Fighting Shisui was simply asking to be beaten up. Kagami wanted to see how long he could last against an ordinary Jonin using his own abilities.

Kakashi was somewhat displeased by Kagami's proposal. He wanted to see teamwork, not individual combat. However, he didn't reject Kagami outright. Instead, he asked,

"Can you give me a reason?"

Kagami naturally knew what Kakashi believed in. He grinned.

"Perhaps, with my strength, I can test out some of your abilities in advance for my teammates. Besides, I also want to see how strong a Jonin really is."

Kakashi remained silent for quite a while, thinking it over carefully. In the end, he nodded.

"Fine. I accept your request. I'll stand right here without moving. Come at me."

Kagami first had Suzuki Genji and Saito Daisuke retreat. Then he prepared to attack. Kagami's current strength was still questionable even against a Chunin, let alone a Jonin, so he had no intention of concealing his abilities. He would go all out from the very beginning!

Body Flicker Technique!

Although Kagami had yet to learn Shisui's unique Body Flicker Technique, he had been studying it constantly, and his current Body Flicker Technique was already extremely fast.

"Smack!"

Kakashi extended his left hand and blocked the leg sweeping toward his head.

So fast!

When Kagami moved just now, Kakashi had instantly lost track of him through his senses. In other words, under normal conditions, Kakashi couldn't capture Kagami's movements!

He'll probably have to use that eye.

However, "unable to capture him" only applied when Kagami wasn't approaching Kakashi. Once Kagami attacked, Kakashi could naturally catch sight of him as his body drew closer.

His first strike failed, so Kagami immediately borrowed the force and flipped backward, retreating a long distance.

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger.

As he flipped backward, Kagami swiftly formed Hand Seals. By the time he landed, a Great Fireball had already appeared and was rushing toward Kakashi.

Kakashi calmly watched the Great Fireball.

Although Kagami's skill with the Body Flicker Technique was frightening, his ninjutsu was just average.

Kagami's ninjutsu was, at most, at Genin level. Reaching such a level at his age was indeed terrifying, but compared with his Body Flicker Technique, his ninjutsu truly wasn't anything impressive.

Besides, Kakashi was a genuine genius himself. He had become a Jonin at twelve and had developed the A-rank technique Chidori. The Great Fireball, on the other hand, was merely a C-rank technique. In Kakashi's eyes, Kagami's talent in ninjutsu wasn't particularly astonishing. If Kakashi had to evaluate him, he would say that Kagami was an ordinary person among geniuses.

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger.

His Hand Seals were faster, and the fireball was larger.

Kakashi's Great Fireball collided with Kagami's. Kakashi's fireball quickly swallowed Kagami's, then continued toward him.

The Great Fireball struck Kagami directly. Kakashi's eyes widened.

He didn't dodge?

Boom!

Kagami gave Kakashi the answer. The reason he hadn't dodged was that this was merely a Shadow Clone!

Seeing the white smoke that appeared as the Shadow Clone vanished, Kakashi instantly understood everything.

When? Was it when he disappeared with the Body Flicker Technique? He used a Shadow Clone the instant he activated the Body Flicker Technique, letting the clone attack me while the real body hid and searched for an opening. Then the real body should be...

Kakashi abruptly turned around. One's back was often the easiest place to overlook. If so, Kagami's real body should be behind him.

But the moment Kakashi turned, he didn't see Kagami. Instead, several flaming shuriken flew toward him.

"Fire Style: Flower Scattering Dance!"

There's no time to use ninjutsu!

Kakashi sighed inwardly.

Impressive.

This kid had forced him to go all out. That was something he hadn't expected.

Body Flicker Technique!

Kagami's Body Flicker Technique was, at most, close to Jonin level. Kakashi's, however, was genuinely at Jonin level—and he was an elite Jonin at that.

The Flower Scattering Dance hit nothing, while a Kunai pressed against the side of Kagami's neck.

Kagami raised both hands and spoke to Kakashi behind him.

"As expected of Teacher Kakashi. You're too fast. I didn't have time to escape at all."

Kakashi put away the Kunai and said indifferently,

"It was nothing. Can we begin the Bell-grabbing test now?"

Saito Daisuke had clearly been frightened. Watching Kagami surrender, he swallowed nervously.

"That was amazing."

Thank goodness I never asked to spar with Kagami back then.

Although the battle between Kagami and Kakashi had been brief, it had thoroughly frightened Saito Daisuke. He felt that if he went up against either of them, he probably wouldn't be able to withstand even one move.

Although Kagami had lost, in Saito Daisuke's eyes, being able to exchange blows with a Jonin was already astonishing. From the perspective of a transmigrator, a Jonin might not seem like much, but to someone like Saito Daisuke, who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, a Jonin represented the very pinnacle of combat power in the ninja world. Kagami's ability to exchange blows with such a person terrified Saito Daisuke. In fact, when he had first arrived at the training ground, he had considered asking Kagami for a spar.

Suzuki Genji, meanwhile, watched Kagami with great interest.

"A genius of the Uchiha, huh?"

On the other side, Kagami smiled faintly and spoke to Kakashi.

"I've got no problem here. I'm ready to start the Bell-grabbing test at any time."

Kagami's purpose in fighting Kakashi just now hadn't merely been to test his own abilities. He had also wanted Saito Daisuke and Suzuki Genji to see what he could do. This wasn't about showing off. Rather, it was so that during the upcoming Bell-grabbing test, the two of them would be willing to follow his commands and cooperate with him.

Kagami understood very clearly that teamwork was essential to passing Kakashi's test. He couldn't expect Saito Daisuke and Suzuki Genji to understand that, so he could only display his strength and indirectly tell them: I'm strong. Follow my lead and cooperate with me.

The reason Kakashi had spent so long thinking before agreeing to Kagami's request was that he had understood this intention. That was why he had accepted Kagami's challenge.

However, Kakashi still wanted to see whether this Uchiha Kagato was simply like Kakashi himself had once been, merely wanting to make use of the other two—or whether he truly wanted to work as a team.