"Come on, Kakashi!" A group of girls from his class cheered excitedly as the white-haired Kakashi stepped onto the field.
Kakashi's opponent was a thin man who looked about eighteen or nineteen. Standing beside him, Kakashi, who was just over five, looked comical.
"I'm not going to go easy on you, so you'd better be careful." Kakashi's opponent spoke as he pulled out a kunai, then tightened the bandage around his hand.
It was clear he was another Commoner Ninja. Perhaps because the great clans looked down on Commoner Ninjas at this time, every one of them seemed especially earnest and tenacious.
In the previous match, Akimichi Choza's opponent had fought him for the full five minutes, trading injuries for injuries. He simply hadn't been strong enough to win.
The referee stepped forward and said, "The rules are as follows: using poison or items like Explosive Tags is strictly forbidden. You lose if you're knocked down and can't get up, or if you surrender. Now, please form the Seal of Confrontation."
After Kakashi and his opponent formed the seal, the match officially began.
Kakashi's opponent threw three shuriken, arranging them in a triangular formation to block Kakashi's path. Although he had drawn a kunai, he didn't charge in to fight Kakashi at close range. Instead, he leaped back and began forming Hand Seals.
Kakashi quickly drew his short sword. With two clinks, he knocked away two shuriken, then leaned slightly to dodge the third and rushed straight toward his opponent without stopping.
When they were less than half a meter apart, Kakashi's opponent unleashed his ninjutsu. It was Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall.
This jutsu was usually used for defense, so Kakashi's opponent was clearly a Ninja with a lot of ideas.
A roughly one-and-a-half-meter-high earthen wall rose from beneath Kakashi's feet. It not only blocked his path but also cut off his line of sight.
Kakashi leaped up and landed on top of the wall, but his opponent had already vanished.
After glancing around, Kakashi immediately leaped back. A stone in the bottom corner of the wall suddenly went bang and transformed into his opponent.
His opponent's eyes shone brightly. Gripping a wooden kunai in both hands, he thrust it toward Kakashi's heart. Kakashi's pupils contracted, and he fell straight backward, barely dodging the kunai. A few severed white hairs drifted down to the ground.
Kakashi broke into a cold sweat. He flipped and spun as he landed, ready to take the next blow head-on and trade injuries.
After weighing his options, Kakashi's opponent flipped back behind the earthen wall. Given the amount of Chakra they had as Genin, they could use at most three C-rank jutsu or one B-rank jutsu before their Chakra was completely depleted.
But Kakashi had no intention of waiting for time to run out. He charged forward again, this time holding his sword in a reverse grip.
He touched the wall lightly with his toes, then flipped back down.
The instant Kakashi leaped onto the wall, his opponent didn't attack. Instead, he threw a kunai.
Kakashi frowned as the kunai flew past him. In an instant, he made up his mind.
His opponent quickly circled around the wall and charged out from Kakashi's left, throwing a punch at him.
But Kakashi paid no attention to the attack. Instead, he swung his short sword upward to the right.
With a sharp rasp, the sword cut through the wire trailing behind the kunai.
Kakashi's opponent's punch landed on his left shoulder, making him stagger.
His opponent was about to press the attack when he had to deal with the kunai flying straight at his face.
Bing San couldn't help narrowing his eyes as he thought, Kakashi has a real talent for battle. He actually made the kunai turn on his opponent by cutting the wire, forcing him to retreat.
The Commoner Ninja had no choice but to dodge with a flip, wasting a golden opportunity.
Kakashi took the chance to steady himself. They exchanged two more blows: Kakashi took a punch, while the Commoner Ninja used up several ninja tools.
The difference in their experience was obvious.
The spectators around them cheered loudly.
When Bing San looked up, he saw a handsome young couple in the stands nodding repeatedly. The man had blond hair, a green Jonin vest, and bright blue eyes that curved as he smiled. He was handsome and sunny.
The girl had red hair and wore a pale yellow top. She was stuffing snacks into her mouth with one hand while shouting encouragement to Kakashi's opponent with the other.
It was Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. He hadn't expected them to be there. Bing San studied "Eternal Genin" for a moment, but Minato noticed him almost immediately and gave him a friendly smile.
Kushina shouted between bites, "Nishizawa, take him down and I'll give you an extra chicken leg!"
Minato smiled and said, "Kushina, don't do that. Nishizawa is a very serious person. If you shout that, his opponent might suffer for it."
"That kid is only five!"
It looked like Nishizawa, the man fighting Kakashi in the arena, might be one of Minato's subordinates.
Nishizawa heard Kushina's shout, and his body trembled slightly. He murmured, "Lord Minato is watching me. I can't lose."
Then he gripped the kunai in one hand and quickly thrust it toward Kakashi's left side.
Kakashi's left shoulder had taken a punch, and it was bothering him. He had no choice but to dodge sideways.
A glint flashed in Nishizawa's eyes. His kunai spun quickly, and he switched to a reverse grip. His hands flashed through several seals, and he shouted, "I'm sorry, but I can't lose! Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Nishizawa blew out a ball of wind, which shot out in an instant and struck Kakashi with a bang.
But Kakashi also went bang and turned into a wooden log.
Kakashi took the opportunity to use the substitution technique and appear behind Nishizawa. He quickly began forming Hand Seals.
"It's over. That should be Lightning Style: Lightning Strike. Kids these days are incredible." The speaker was a young Hyuga Ninja dressed in a white kimono.
Another man who looked exactly like him sighed and chimed in:
"That's right, big brother. He really is worthy of being that lord's child."
"Watch your words, Hizashi."
"Yes, brother."
These two young men were the brothers Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga.
They were probably there to watch the exams for Hyuga Kuji and Hyuga Go.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Strike!" Kakashi shouted, and a blue current shot from his hands.
The jutsu was only C-rank, and its power wasn't great. Its advantages were its speed and its paralyzing effect.
Anyone struck by it would convulse all over and suffer terribly.
Nishizawa convulsed and fell to the ground, still gripping his kunai tightly.
Sweat poured down Nishizawa's forehead, and the veins there throbbed. His face pale, he gritted his teeth and tried several times to struggle to his feet, but he couldn't manage it.
Kakashi's left arm hung limp, blood dripping from it. He walked toward Nishizawa with his short sword in his right hand.
"Nishizawa, that's enough."
Suddenly, Minato appeared between Kakashi and Nishizawa and reached out to help Nishizawa up.
"Lord Minato, I'm terribly sorry. I failed."
"It's all right. You did very well."
At that moment, the referee walked to the middle of the field and announced, "The winner is Kakashi Hatake."