A Match Against Kakashi

The next day, close to noon, Gu Qi arrived at the agreed-upon grove right on time. Kakashi had already been waiting there for quite a while.

If it had been anyone else—like Guy, or, well, Guy—Kakashi would have lost his way along the road of life and wouldn't have shown up until the afternoon.

But when it came to Gu Qi, Kakashi never lost his way.

That was because, given Gu Qi's personality, he had plenty of ways to make sure Kakashi would never dare lose his way again.

Closing Icha Icha Paradise, Kakashi said, "You're here."

"Yeah, I'm here."

"You shouldn't have come."

"But I came anyway."

"Are you prepared?"

"Come on, let's settle this once and for all!"

"Okay!"

Seeing Kakashi about to make his move, Gu Qi called for a timeout. "Wait. Let's agree on a few rules first."

"What?" Kakashi asked, lowering his hand.

"First, you need to understand that I'm only four years old," Gu Qi said seriously.

"Huh? And?"

"So you can only fight me at Genin strength. No high-level ninjutsu," Gu Qi said.

Kakashi nodded. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

"Good. Let's begin!"

"Lightning Release—Earth Flow."

Gu Qi sprinted toward Kakashi, forming hand seals as he shouted.

At his words, Kakashi immediately stepped back, ready to dodge Gu Qi's ninjutsu.

But Gu Qi suddenly dropped his hands and charged straight at Kakashi.

"Huh? You're fighting dirty? You're bringing shame to the Hatake Clan!" Kakashi blocked Gu Qi's roundhouse kick with one hand and couldn't help complaining.

"A ninja has to take the unconventional path. You don't even know that?" Gu Qi continued attacking as he launched into a verbal assault.

Kakashi first blocked Gu Qi's right foot, then grabbed his left leg and prepared to throw him over his shoulder.

"In that case, I won't hold back."

As Kakashi hurled him into the air, Gu Qi grabbed Kakashi's shoulder and used the momentum to flip behind him.

"Konoha Secret Technique: Thousand Years of Death!" Gu Qi shouted with a mischievous grin.

Thump! Just as Gu Qi thrust his hands, fingers interlocked, toward Kakashi's rear, Kakashi suddenly turned into a wooden post.

Then Gu Qi heard Kakashi's voice behind him. "Konoha Arcane Art: Thousand Years of Death!"

"Damn it!" Gu Qi followed his example and immediately used the Substitution Technique to dodge this ultimate Konoha Taijutsu technique.

Gu Qi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He'd nearly been caught off guard.

"Not bad, little Gu Qi. You actually dodged my attack," Kakashi said with a smile.

Gu Qi refused to be outdone. "You're not bad either, Kakashi. You managed to withstand thirty percent of my strength."

"Of course. I'm Kakashi Hatake," Kakashi bragged.

"Huh? I'll show you what defeat looks like today."

With that, Gu Qi charged at Kakashi again, formed hand seals, and released Earth Flow.

"Lightning Release—Earth Flow."

Electricity raced along the ground toward Kakashi, who stood some distance away.

Seeing Kakashi still smiling and making no move to dodge, Gu Qi thought, This is bad.

Sure enough, when the current hit Kakashi, he vanished with a pop.

"Clone Technique? Could it have been back then?"

Gu Qi immediately realized that Kakashi had likely hidden the real him while using Thousand Years of Death.

Kakashi knew Thousand Years of Death wouldn't hit him, so he'd used it as a distraction while secretly disappearing.

Where is he? Gu Qi warily scanned the area, unsure which direction Kakashi would come from.

"Wait! He's underground."

When Gu Qi saw no one around him or in the sky, his expression changed.

He quickly jumped, trying to escape Kakashi's attack from below.

But he was too late.

"Earth Release—Double Suicide Decapitation Technique."

Suddenly, a pair of wicked hands burst through the ground and grabbed Gu Qi's feet as he was about to jump.

A moment later, a tremendous force dragged him down into the earth.

......

"How about it? Do you give up?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he looked at Gu Qi, whose head was the only part above ground.

"Heh."

There was no way Gu Qi would admit defeat.

Seeing Gu Qi act all haughty and refuse to surrender, Kakashi's eyes narrowed until they were practically shut.

"Still refusing to give up? Then I won't hold back," Kakashi said.

Gu Qi swallowed. Kakashi really was the kind of guy who'd do anything.

"Ox—Rabbit—Monkey. Lightning Release: Chidori."

With a chorus of birdsong, a mass of electricity appeared in Kakashi's right hand.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's going too far, Kakashi. Someone could die!" Gu Qi broke out in a cold sweat.

He knew Kakashi wouldn't actually hurt him, but the piercing birdsong still made him very uncomfortable.

Kakashi nodded. "You have a point."

Then he put away the Chidori, though a few sparks of lightning still flickered around his index finger.

"I'll give you one more chance. Do you give up?" Kakashi asked with a smile.

Gu Qi turned his head away. "Never!"

At that, Kakashi smiled even more broadly.

"Ahhh!"

A flock of birds in the woods took flight, startled by a scream that sounded anything but human.

On Konoha's streets, all of Gu Qi's hair stood straight up from the electric shock.

Not just his hair—his handsome face had also turned dark and glossy from the shock.

"Kakashi, just you wait," Gu Qi said through gritted teeth.

His head could be cut off and his blood could flow, but his hairstyle had to stay neat.

Kakashi had messed up his handsome hair. He wasn't going to let that go.

"Heh. I'll be waiting," Kakashi said, unfazed.

"Give me a few more years to train, and I'll pay you back double."

"I'll be waiting!"

"Hmph!" Gu Qi was thoroughly unhappy that Kakashi had beaten him without even using the Electromagnetic Shield.

Seeing Gu Qi looking so dejected, Kakashi tried to cheer him up. "All right, I'll treat you to ramen. Don't be upset, little Gu Qi!"

"Hmph. And add an egg."

"Sure, sure. I'll buy you a cola, too."

"Deal."

After leaving Ichiraku Ramen, Kakashi didn't take Gu Qi home. Instead, he headed for the Inuzuka Clan's compound.

"About the Ninja Dogs you mentioned earlier, I've already spoken with Senior Tsume Inuzuka. Some Ninja Dogs were just born in the last couple of days, so we can go pick one out now," Kakashi said.

"Already? That's great!" Gu Qi said happily.

Gu Qi had thought he would have to wait a couple of days. He hadn't expected to be able to pick out a Ninja Dog so soon.

Not long afterward, the two arrived at the Inuzuka Clan's compound.

"Huh? Kiba, Akamaru, what are you doing here?" As soon as they reached the entrance to the Inuzuka Clan's compound, Gu Qi spotted Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru on his head.

Kiba Inuzuka grumbled, "It's your fault! Mom knew you were coming to pick out a Ninja Dog today, so she made me wait here for you first thing this morning."

Kiba and Gu Qi were the same age, so they often played together.

Gu Qi sometimes played with Shikamaru and Choji, too.

"Sorry, sorry!" Gu Qi said sheepishly, rubbing his nose.

After a moment, Gu Qi took two pieces of jerky from the Ninja Tool Pouch at his waist and handed them to Kiba. "Here, I made this jerky myself. Share it with Akamaru."

"Huh? Beef jerky with red bean flavor?" Kiba took the jerky, sniffed it, and identified it at once.

"Try it. I guarantee it's good," Gu Qi said mysteriously.

"Then I won't hold back!" Kiba didn't hesitate. He tore off a piece for Akamaru, then tore off another and put it in his own mouth.

After swallowing the jerky, Kiba licked his lips. "Not bad."

"Of course. I made it myself."

"Let's go... Huh?" Kiba was about to lead Gu Qi and the others to pick out a Ninja Dog when he noticed that his energy had suddenly surged.

Akamaru beside him had turned red.

"How come this jerky has the effect of Ration Pills?" Kiba asked curiously.

Gu Qi didn't hide it. "I improved the recipe based on how Ration Pills are made. What do you think? Pretty good, right?"

Kiba didn't think much of it. He just liked the taste. "Yeah, it tastes great! I'll tell Mom to buy more when I get home. Come on, I'll take you to pick out a Ninja Dog."

Then the three of them and one dog headed farther into the Inuzuka Clan's compound.