"Once you forfeit, he'll be transported outside the barrier. Konoha's medical team will be waiting there," Kakashi explained with great confidence.
But no one responded. They looked at Kakashi as if he were an idiot.
"Why haven't you forfeited yet?" Kakashi asked, utterly baffled. "Does Shiyu have no friends? He's nearly dead, and his teammates are still laughing over there? This makes no sense!"
Then came a sound.
"Poof!" It was the sound of a Shadow Clone disappearing.
"Hm!?" Everyone's attention was drawn to it. They turned to look, and the spot where the cloud of white smoke had risen was exactly where Shiyu had fallen.
"This—this can't be! Shiyu just now was a Shadow Clone too? What's going on?!" Kakashi was completely stunned.
"Kakashi, you've lost." Shiyu suddenly appeared behind Kakashi, looking completely unruffled. He held a kunai to Kakashi's neck. If Kakashi moved even slightly, he'd be killed.
"This—this can't be! I've been watching you the whole time. When could you possibly have used a Shadow Clone?" Kakashi was certain he hadn't held back. He'd used Kakashi Sword Style, Chidori, and even his tactics with considerable skill. There was no way Uchiha Shigure could still be standing there unharmed.
"Having a hard time accepting it, Kakashi Hatake? Let me tell you the answer. I didn't use a Shadow Clone just now." Shiyu spoke frankly.
Kakashi still sounded deeply unwilling to accept it. "Then why? If you had no chance to use a Shadow Clone, was the one I just took down a ghost? Besides, even if he was a Shadow Clone, why did he last so long after being hit by my Chidori before disappearing?"
Shiyu put away the kunai, smiled, and raised one finger. "It's simple."
"Because the one who's been fighting you from the very beginning