Kakashi VS Uchiha Yao

Kakashi watched Yao.

He couldn't help recalling yesterday, when the Third Hokage had summoned him alone to the Hokage Office.

"...Yao may have mastered the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique, Kakashi. Observe him closely!"

Even someone as composed as Kakashi had felt a storm surge in his heart upon hearing that news.

Flying Thunder God?

The signature technique of his teacher Minato, the Fourth Hokage?

That was why.

Kakashi had quickly dealt with Naruto and Sasuke, creating an environment for a one-on-one showdown with Yao.

He wanted to force this boy to reveal the deepest secrets he was hiding.

"As expected of Kakashi-sensei. Looks like I'll have to get serious too!"

Yao's smile remained gentle, but his gaze sharpened.

The next moment.

Yao's hands blurred as he rapidly formed hand seals: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

His hand seal speed was astonishing!

The instant the words fell.

A scorching, enormous fireball, like a miniature sun, roared toward Kakashi.

The wave of heat blasted forward, causing distant grass and trees to curl and blacken.

"What?!"

Kakashi's heart jolted.

Such incredible hand seal speed!

Far beyond an ordinary chūnin! It was nearly at jōnin level!

And on top of that.

The scale and power of this Great Fireball were excessive, weren't they?

Was this a technique a freshly graduated genin could unleash?

Kakashi didn't dare be careless. He instantly retreated, dodging and weaving.

But Yao's attacks came like flowing mercury, relentless and unceasing.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

One Fire Release Ninjutsu after another poured out in succession.

The blazing, searing flames seemed to come alive in that moment.

From every direction, in every form, they sealed off, pursued, and covered every possible path Kakashi could take to evade.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out without pause. Flames shot into the sky, thick smoke billowed.

The once-flat ground was cratered with holes. Surrounding trees caught fire, crackling loudly.

Kakashi darted through the sea of flames at high speed, dodging. His Sharingan was already active, capturing and analyzing every movement and chakra flow Yao made.

"With that hand seal speed... and mastering this many Fire Release techniques... he's a monster!"

"And the power of every single technique far exceeds normal standards!"

"Most importantly... this massive amount of chakra!"

"After consecutively unleashing so many C-rank and B-rank fire techniques, his chakra shows no sign of depletion?"

"Is this really a genin fresh out of the Academy?"

Kakashi felt his worldview taking a massive hit.

He himself had become a jōnin at twelve, but he felt... nowhere near as freakish as Uchiha Yao!

"I'm not done yet, Kakashi-sensei!" Yao's voice rang out.

His hands formed seals again. This time, the sequence was more complex, and the chakra he gathered was even more terrifying.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!" Yao shouted.

A ferocious dragon, composed entirely of scorching flames, tore through the smoke and dust, lunging straight at Kakashi.

The power of the Great Dragon Fire Technique was already approaching A-rank Ninjutsu!

Facing this unavoidable strike, Kakashi's pupils contracted sharply. He could no longer rely solely on taijutsu to maneuver.

Kakashi's hands slammed together: "Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

A massive earthen wall carved with a dog's head rose with a roar, blocking the path of the blazing dragon of flames.

Boom!!!

The explosion thundered across the training ground, sending earth and stone flying as smoke and dust billowed.

The Earth Flow Wall trembled violently under the impact of the Great Dragon Fire, cracks spreading across its surface before it barely managed to withstand the blow.

The smoke slowly cleared.

Kakashi stood behind the crumbling wall, breathing slightly heavily, his gaze fixed on the black-haired boy amid the embers of the flames.

This Uchiha Yao... is he really just a twelve-year-old brat?

His hand-seal speed, his ninjutsu power, his chakra reserves...

They've all reached an utterly baffling level!

Yao stood in the embers of the flames, looking at the slightly disheveled Kakashi, a teasing smile spreading across his face:

"Kakashi-sensei, you got rid of Naruto and Sasuke just to create a private setting to probe my background, didn't you?"

"Just dodging and defending won't cut it. If you don't show some real skill, you probably won't find out much."

"..."

Kakashi fell silent for a moment, then revealed a hint of genuine interest:

"What a clever and troublesome brat... Looks like if I don't get serious, I'll really be underestimated."

Kakashi closed Make-Out Paradise, stuffed it back into his ninja tool pouch, and his demeanor suddenly turned sharp and murderous.

"Then, as you wish!"

Before the words had faded, Kakashi's hands were already a blur: "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

A massive surge of water materialized out of thin air, coalescing into a ferocious dragon's head, charging at Yao with overwhelming force.

"Nice one! Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Yao showed no weakness; the scorching dragon of flames soared into the air once more, colliding head-on with the icy water dragon.

"Boom!!!"

A piercing explosion rang out, and thick white mist instantly spread, obscuring everyone's vision.

"Got you!"

Kakashi's voice rang out like a ghost from within the mist: "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

The ground beneath Yao's feet suddenly turned soft, and two earthen arms shot out, grabbing at his ankles.

Taking advantage of the moment the steam obscured vision, Kakashi had stealthily moved directly beneath Yao, launching a lethal ambush.

"Puff!"

With a soft sound, the Yao caught turned into a log of the Substitution Technique.

"Above!"

Kakashi reacted instantly, his Sharingan snapping upward.

There was Yao... somehow already perched on a tree branch, his hands rapidly forming seals.

"Too slow!"

Kakashi barked, his speed surging to its peak, arriving behind Yao in an instant, his kunai gleaming coldly as it stabbed toward Yao's back.

"Bang!"

The kunai pierced Yao's body, but the sensation was wrong.

Kakashi's pupils contracted as the Yao he'd struck vanished in a puff of white smoke with a bang.

A Shadow Clone!?

Kakashi's mind reeled.

How is that possible? After that intense fire-style attack, then the Substitution Technique, and now this Shadow Clone...

When did he form the seals?

I didn't even notice any abnormal chakra division?

Kakashi had kept his Sharingan active, confident he could see through any clone.

But this Shadow Clone of Yao's—whether in the density of its chakra

or the autonomy of its movements—was unbelievably realistic!

Had he been fighting a Shadow Clone ever since the fire-style clash? That's too absurd?

Just then.

The thick steam behind him was disturbed, and Yao abruptly appeared.

His hand seals were already complete, his chakra condensed to its peak, and the temperature around them soared sharply.

Yo's voice rang out, carrying a hint of smug satisfaction from a scheme well-executed:

"Got you, Kakashi-sensei! Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

ROAR!!!

A violent, searing torrent of flame erupted, a tidal wave of fire splitting into three tiers—upper, middle, and lower—sealing off every escape route for Kakashi.

The terrifying blaze instantly vaporized the lingering steam, and a scorching heatwave swept across the entire training ground.

Even Naruto, tied up in the distance, and Sasuke, who had just regained consciousness, felt a suffocating, searing pain.

Sasuke stared at the sea of flames, shock flooding his eyes:

"A Fire Release with that kind of power... how is that possible..."

Sasuke had grown up training alongside Yo, sparring with him constantly.

He thought he knew Yo's strength inside and out.

But this single Fire Release ninjutsu completely shattered his expectations!

Yo landed on the ground, his face neither flushed nor breathless, still looking relaxed.

Using high-level Fire Release in succession was no small drain on Chakra.

But the Chakra reserves granted by the Sage Body were simply terrifying.

These few techniques were barely a drop in the bucket for Yo's consumption.

The feeling of being able to unleash ninjutsu freely was honestly not bad.

"Did it work? No... my opponent is the Copy Ninja Kakashi. It can't be that simple."

Sure enough.

From within the flames came Kakashi's voice, still lazy but tinged with approval:

"That's some incredible Fire Release. You almost roasted me!"

"Lightning Release: Tiger Vision Barrage!"

A piercing shriek rang out!

A blinding bolt of lightning, like a ferocious tiger, tore through the flames.

The violent lightning-natured chakra scattered the fire completely.

Kakashi reappeared.