Reverse Peel

Uchiha Mai parried the blade Kakashi swung at him, his torso leaning slightly to the right to slip past, before he spun rapidly and slammed an elbow into the back of Kakashi's head.

"Thud!"

Having never expected Uchiha Mai to possess such outstanding taijutsu, Kakashi was caught completely off guard by the strike.

The heavy blow to the back of his head caused his brain to momentarily short-circuit, his reaction speed lagging a beat behind as he tumbled from the tree branch and plummeted toward the ground below.

Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger.

Uchiha Mai's fingers blurred through the hand seals, completing them the moment Kakashi hit the ground. He placed his left hand before his mouth and exhaled a fireball one meter in diameter.

Great Fireball Technique!

The roaring, scorching, crimson flames surged toward Kakashi. The legendary "Mercy Technique" was on the verge of breaking its curse of never actually hitting an enemy.

At the critical moment, Kakashi sensed the heat wave approaching from behind. Gritting his teeth to focus, he slammed his left hand into the ground and performed a desperate roll to the right.

The Great Fireball Technique grazed the hem of Kakashi's clothes, the exploding sparks splashing onto him and setting his garments ablaze.

Damn it, he actually dodged that.

Uchiha Mai had no words for his frustration. That elbow strike earlier should have dealt a devastating blow; the blood currently trickling from the back of Kakashi's head was proof enough.

That area housed the brainstem, which controlled respiration and heart rate. A heavy impact there could lead to anything from unconsciousness to death—it was just as lethal as a strike to the temple.

Yet Kakashi acted as if nothing had happened. He was truly a cockroach that refused to die; his willpower was tenacious.

No matter. Kakashi's condition was undoubtedly compromised, while he himself had suffered nothing more than a minor drain on his chakra.

The advantage is mine!

Uchiha Mai bent his knees slightly and launched himself into the air above Kakashi. His frame, though not tall, blocked out the sun as he raised his right leg, flooding it with chakra before bringing it crashing down.

Outer Style: Bombing Axe.

Caught in the shadow, Kakashi forced himself to focus, raising his short blade to meet Uchiha Mai's leg in a desperate bid to force a retreat.

You might be able to kick me down, but you'll certainly lose that leg.

Uchiha Mai's leg speed was immense—so fast that even when he used Outer Style: Bombing Axe during spars with Might Guy, Might Guy would sometimes fail to react even after opening the first gate.

That Kakashi could still counterattack after suffering a heavy blow to the head showed just how formidable he was.

Uchiha Mai had no choice but to retract his leg, abandoning the finishing blow to switch to standard strikes from Mai Style Ancient Martial Arts, raining punches and kicks down on Kakashi.

The roles of attacker and defender had reversed. Kakashi, who had originally held a slight edge in strength over Uchiha Mai, was now the one being suppressed.

He could only rely on his short blade, utilizing a trade-damage strategy to force Uchiha Mai to abandon his offensive rhythm time and again, dragging him into a war of attrition.

Outside the forest, Namikaze Minato watched the movements within with a look of shock. The speed at which Uchiha Mai's strength was progressing was simply too fast.

During yesterday's test, Uchiha Mai had taken down three genin-level kids in a minute. While his strength was impressive, Master Minato still hadn't believed Uchiha Mai had the power to go head-to-head with Kakashi.

At the very least, he would have needed Might Guy to join in—a righteous two-on-one beatdown—to stand a chance at a draw against Kakashi.

Yet, here was Uchiha Mai, pressing the attack against Kakashi.

Part of this was certainly due to Uchiha Mai feigning weakness to lower Kakashi's guard, then using that elbow strike to stun him while he was unprepared.

But who told Kakashi to be so naive? He had fallen for Uchiha Mai's trap because of his preconceived notions about the Uchiha Clan.

Kakashi had been graduated for years, possessed rich combat experience, and was quite clever; the fault lay entirely with Uchiha Mai's cunning and his masterful acting.

Even setting aside Kakashi's compromised state, Master Minato felt that if the two were to face off today, it would be a three-to-seven split in favor of Kakashi.

To have improved so much in a single night was truly mind-boggling.

In the forest, Kakashi was still struggling to hold on, his mouth beneath his mask gasping for air, unable to find a moment of respite.

Every time Uchiha Mai was forced back, he clung to Kakashi like a maggot on a rotting bone, determined to finish his opponent with a fluid combo.

One misstep leads to eternal regret. Kakashi, having started on the wrong foot, found his condition deteriorating, his brain growing increasingly foggy as he narrowly avoided being finished several times.

I can't let this drag on!

Kakashi shook his head, realizing the gap in their states was widening. Continuing to stall would be disastrous, so he had to take a desperate gamble for a sliver of hope.

After forcing Uchiha Mai back with another slash, Kakashi ignored his own openings and stepped forward to close the distance.

His wrist flickered with extreme speed, the short blade carving out a brilliant arc of light. Three phantom-like slashes formed a windmill, spiraling toward Uchiha Mai's chest.

Hatake Sword Technique · Secret Skill · Mikazuki Munechika!

Legend had it that before the Warring States period, there were three world-renowned swordsmiths, one of whom was Sanjō Munechika.

Sanjō Munechika's masterpiece, the famous blade Mikazuki Munechika, was ranked among the Five Great Swords Under Heaven and was considered the most beautiful of them all, earning the reputation of being the "best of the best."

The Hatake Sword Technique was a style created for killing. Refined by generations of masters from the Hatake Clan, it summarized five supreme techniques, each named after one of the Five Great Swords Under Heaven.

Mikazuki Munechika was the most beautiful of those five moves.

Regrettably, Kakashi should have used this strike sooner.

Uchiha Mai activated his Sharingan, quickly crouching to lower his center of gravity. He didn't even flinch as the blade carved a deep, bone-reaching wound into his back.

Capturing the opening Kakashi had exposed, he channeled chakra to harden his fingers and lunged, clawing toward Kakashi's throat.

Kakashi quickly retracted his blade and threw his head back, narrowly evading the claw.

Uchiha Mai seemed to have anticipated this, shifting his hand gesture with fluid naturalness to strike at Kakashi's chest.

"Shua!"

His five fingers, sharp as blades, tore through skin and muscle to plunge into Kakashi's chest, the first two knuckles of his index, middle, and ring fingers sinking deep into the body.

In that fleeting moment, it felt as though Uchiha Mai only needed to twitch his fingers to touch Kakashi's ribs and the organs within his thoracic cavity.

Uchiha Mai twisted his fingers, exerting force in a bizarre manner before pulling his hand back in a reverse motion, tearing away flesh as he used the recoil to send Kakashi flying.

Mai Style Ancient Martial Arts · Outer Style · Reverse Peel!

"Pfft!"

Kakashi spat out a mouthful of blood, his back slamming heavily against the ground. Five bloody, mangled holes marred his chest, with blood gushing out like an open faucet.

I can still keep fighting.

Clinging to this obsession, Kakashi fought against his dizzy brain and the searing agony in his chest, desperate to continue the battle.

Before he could rise, Uchiha Mai descended from the sky, pinning Kakashi down in a classic superhero landing, his hard knee snapping several more of the latter's ribs.

Game over.

The specific move names for the Hatake Sword Technique are my own headcanon; I trust you all understand.