Karot vs. Hatake Sakumo

At the Hatake Clan training ground.

Karot and Hatake Sakumo stood facing each other.

"Now you can use your full strength. I've set up a barrier around the training ground, so no one can sense what's happening."

"Okay, Father."

With that, Karot took off his shirt and tossed the black undershirt beneath it onto the ground. It hit with a "thud," kicking up a cloud of dust.

Kakashi was astonished. He walked over to pick up the clothes, but when he lifted them, they were much heavier than he'd expected.

"Big brother, do you wear these every day?"

"Yeah. It feels a little strange not wearing them now."

Karot said as he rolled his shoulders.

So I really did underestimate Big Brother's strength.

Kakashi thought.

"Come at me, Karot. Once I make a move, you won't get another chance."

This wasn't arrogance on Hatake Sakumo's part. He had an extraordinary confidence in his own abilities.

"Then forgive me, Father."

With that, Karot vanished, moving twice as fast as he had during the ninja assessment.

When he reappeared, he was already in midair in front of Sakumo, kicking straight at him.

"So fast."

From the moment Karot began his attack and disappeared, Kakashi couldn't catch sight of him at all.

Karot went all out in his fight with Hatake Sakumo.

"Not bad, Karot. But you're still too slow."

Hatake Sakumo blocked Karot's attack with his right hand, then grabbed his foot and flung him away. Karot spun through the air several times to absorb the force before landing.

"Just as you'd expect from Father. You're incredibly strong."

The way he'd turned defense into offense with one hand, and his flawless sense of timing, were breathtaking.

"But I won't give up that easily."

With that, Karot charged forward.

"Wolf Fang Frenzy Fist!"

Karot shouted as his figure seemed to become that of a wolf lunging to attack. His fists blurred into a storm of blows raining down on Sakumo.

With each move, each strike, his clawed hands slashed toward Hatake Sakumo.

Hatake Sakumo leaped back and drew the ninja blade at his back.

"Clang! Clang!"

The clash of claws and blade rang out sharply.

Wherever the two fought, deep scratches appeared in the ground, some carved by Hatake Sakumo's sword aura, others by the wind from Karot's punches.

"So this is Big Brother's strength?"

Watching from the side, Kakashi clenched his fists, filled with admiration for Karot's power.

The forceful wind from the sword aura overwhelmed the gusts from Karot's punches, sending Karot's hair fluttering. He knew he still wasn't a match for Sakumo, but the fight exhilarated him. This was the first time he'd gone all out, and the Saiyan genes within him were awakening.

Saiyans truly were a warrior race. The longer Karot fought, the stronger his presence became, until it matched Hatake Sakumo's. And Sakumo's had been forged over decades of grueling training, while Karot had only fought one battle.

"Ah!"

Karot threw a punch, breaking through Hatake Sakumo's encircling sword light. Sakumo dodged to the side, and the punch smashed through a great tree behind him.

"Is that your trump card, Karot?" Hatake Sakumo asked.

"Be careful, Father. I'm just getting started."

Karot began to power up, bending his arms at his sides.

"Ahhh!"

As Karot's shout grew louder, the rubble around him rose into the air. Even the leaves blown toward him by the wind were shredded by the energy surging from his body.

It was the first time Kakashi had seen this power within Karot. His expression changed dramatically. Until now, he'd only known that Karot couldn't train in Chakra. He hadn't realized there was such a mysterious power inside him. Kakashi could feel the Chakra in his own body moving sluggishly, as if it were being suppressed.

Hatake Sakumo felt the same. His Chakra no longer responded as readily as it once had.

At last, Karot's shouting stopped. A pale blue energy enveloped him. His tail was no longer wrapped around his waist.

"Father, I'm going to attack now."

In a flash, Karot appeared right in front of Hatake Sakumo. Sakumo's eyes widened as he retreated, with Karot hot on his heels. The two of them were locked in a furious chase.

Hatake Sakumo was very pleased to see Karot's strength. But as a father, he couldn't very well let his son chase him around without putting up a fight.

He demonstrated the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship right before Karot's eyes.

A flash of sword light—so fast it was almost beyond belief. Karot used Ki to sense the trajectory of Hatake Sakumo's blade, but he was still too weak, and his battle power was too low. He simply didn't have enough Ki. He could only use all of it to block the strike. His body went flying and crashed hard into the wall, and the energy around him vanished.

So this was the strength of Konoha's White Fang. Incredible.

Karot got back to his feet.

"Father, you weren't actually trying to kill your own son, were you?"

Hearing Karot's words, Hatake Sakumo finally snapped out of it.

"Sorry, sorry."

He apologized as he put away his sword. When the blade struck Karot, Hatake Sakumo had already held back some of his strength. Otherwise, Karot would be a corpse by now.

Karot brushed the dust off himself and asked,

"Do you want to keep going, Father?"

"No need. You've reached Jonin-level strength, and you can protect yourself on the battlefield now. I can rest easy."

Having tested Karot's strength, Hatake Sakumo felt reassured.

When he saw the fight was over, Kakashi ran over.

"Big Brother, are you all right?"

Kakashi immediately checked on him. He'd seen his brother hit the wall, and he longed to master the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship too. He wanted to defeat Karot and finally get his revenge.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Father held back."

Karot replied. He'd seen the deep concern in Kakashi's eyes.

"Kakashi, you'd better work hard at your training. Otherwise, it'll be tough to surpass your big brother."

That was a little unfair to Kakashi. He was making progress, but Karot's progress would be even greater. Saiyans had far too much potential.

"Father, I want to learn swordsmanship."

Kakashi said seriously. After seeing the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship, he was filled with admiration.

"Hahaha! Good! I thought you two brothers weren't interested in my swordsmanship. Now that you want to learn, Kakashi, I won't have to worry about it being lost. What about you, Karot?"

"I don't need it. It doesn't suit my fighting style."

A Saiyan warrior with a sword? Did he think Karot was Trunks or something?

"Father, you should teach Kakashi instead!"

"All right, then."

Hatake Sakumo didn't take his son's refusal to heart. He knew his son had his own plans. All he could do was trust him and keep him safe until he grew stronger. That was the deep love a father had for his son.

He wouldn't show it or say it outright. He would simply watch over him in silence, always by his side when he was needed.

"Today, we're going out for barbecue to celebrate your graduation," Hatake Sakumo said happily.

Karot and Kakashi had no objections to that.

"Sounds good."

"Sure."

The family of three set off for the barbecue restaurant.