212th Style: Kotsuki Yin

"Don't be so sure of yourself."

Kakashi stood to one side with his sword in hand, exceptionally calm. "It didn't take you one minute to defeat Might Guy. It took half an hour.

When you were tracking us earlier, you must have used Super Beast Imitating Drawing to summon all kinds of beasts to help you. That must have consumed a huge amount of chakra.

How much chakra could you possibly have recovered in a little over twenty minutes?

Summoning powerful beasts to assist you could certainly give you overwhelming strength for a short time. But as long as I endure your burst of power, I still have a chance to claim the final victory."

Kakashi hit the nail on the head.

Uchiha Mai had fought two against one and brutally suppressed them, beating them like dogs, but it had not come without a price.

Chakra reserves were the key factor in determining victory or defeat.

Even if Uchiha clan members possessed far more chakra than ordinary civilian ninjas, nine-year-old Uchiha Mai could not possibly have chakra reserves comparable to a Jonin's.

Super Beast Imitating Drawing could indeed summon all manner of beasts and give him a numerical advantage in a short battle, but the consumption was multiplied as well.

"You think I wouldn't have considered that?"

Uchiha Mai smiled. "You noticed it just now, didn't you? The instant you came into contact with my flames, some of your chakra drained away."

Chakra was the combination of life force and spiritual power. Since the ghostly blue flames plundered both, they effectively plundered chakra.

Kakashi's face instantly fell, and he could no longer smile.

I knew it. His flames weren't just a different color. That feeling of my life force draining away wasn't an illusion.

"As long as I pay attention