Dark Kakashi: Youth Edition

On the training ground, Obito was still frozen in shock.

How was that possible?!

When had that Uchiha Qingye guy gotten behind him?

Hearing Nohara Rin gasp nearby, Obito's face flushed red. He strained with both arms to break free, but the other boy's hand clamped around his right arm like a vise.

His frantic struggles only made him stumble and fall face-first onto the ground.

"Damn it!"

Obito's eyes reddened as he sprang up and charged at Qingye again.

But before his punch could land, Qingye grabbed his arm and yanked hard. Obito pitched forward, and his right arm was twisted behind his back again.

This time, Qingye also pressed an elbow against his back, leaving him no chance to break free.

"Damn it, let go of me! I haven't lost!"

Pinned to the ground, Obito flopped around like a fish out of water.

"Come on, Obito. Qingye was obviously holding back!"

Nohara Rin couldn't watch any longer. Her expression turned a little displeased.

Why was Obito acting like this?

They were classmates of the same age, and they were both from the same clan. Why make such a spectacle of himself?

"Rin! I..." Obito's struggles stopped. He looked utterly devastated.

Why? Why had things turned out like this?

Wasn't the script supposed to be that he and Uchiha Qingye fought fiercely, he won, Rin saw him in a new light, and then he seized the moment to confess?

At the very least, shouldn't they have been evenly matched?

How could the gap be this huge?

He'd gotten so much stronger since graduating from the Ninja Academy!

"Idiot. Learn from this, and don't underestimate your opponents on the battlefield."

Kakashi Hatake walked slowly onto the platform and stared intently at Qingye. "Still, Qingye, your progress over the past two years has been incredible."

Back when Kakashi was still at the Ninja Academy, all these people together hadn't been a match for him.

But after more than two years of war, Uchiha Qingye had nearly caught up!

Seeing Kakashi looking eager to fight, Qingye laughed. "What, Kakashi? Want to spar too?"

Although Kakashi had lost his father five years ago, he hadn't yet fallen into the despair that would consume him after the Nine-Tails' attack. He was still just Dark Kakashi: Youth Edition.

"Of course. What, you don't want to?"

"Heh!"

Qingye smiled and slowly drew his sword.

He'd been looking forward to this day!

For years, Kakashi had been an insurmountable mountain looming over everyone their age—the sort of kid every other family wished they had.

Below the platform, seeing the tension between them mount, Hyuga Himon and Yūhi Kurenai discreetly backed away.

Nohara Rin followed suit. "Obito, move back. You don't want to get caught in the crossfire."

A fight between two jōnin-level ninja was nothing like the little scuffle Obito had just had.

The only question was which of them was stronger now.

Probably Kakashi, Rin thought.

Qingye seemed to have improved rapidly over the past two years, but surpassing Kakashi still seemed impossible.

"Kakashi, if you lose, don't blame me for looking down on you!"

Across the platform, Obito hesitated for a long while before deciding to cheer Kakashi on.

"Idiot!" Kakashi cursed inwardly. He quickly drew the White Fang short sword he'd inherited from his father, Hatake Sakumo, then burst forward and vanished from where he stood.

Two gales erupted across the training ground. A rapid series of metallic clashes rang out from the center.

From below, Rin and the others could only make out two blurry figures flashing across the platform, accompanied now and then by wild sparks and bursts of sword energy.

They'd started at full speed, choosing to clash with their blades right from the outset!

Before long, after a sudden, fierce collision, the two blurry figures sprang apart, each retreating in opposite directions.

"Kakashi, is this all you've got? That speed isn't enough to satisfy me," Qingye said with a smile.

"That was just a warm-up."

Kakashi rolled his neck. As he spoke, lightning began to flicker faintly around him.

After using Lightning Release Chakra to stimulate his cells, Kakashi's speed increased further. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the platform.

"Just what I wanted!"

Qingye used the same Lightning Release stimulation technique, and he too disappeared in an instant.

They were even faster than before. Only two blurry shadows flashed across the training ground, moving so quickly that ordinary eyes could barely follow them.

"They're both so fast. I can't keep up at all," Rin said helplessly after watching for a while.

When she turned, she saw that Yūhi Kurenai was in much the same position.

Nearby, Obito bit his lip hard and strained to follow the two figures, his heart full of resentment.

How could this be?

He'd never seen Kakashi fight like this when they sparred.

Could Kakashi really have been holding back that much against him all along?

"Their speed is incredible, and it's not just their bodies."

Hyuga Himon's eyes darted rapidly as he tracked the two fighters. "Their reaction speed is amazing too. Anyone below jōnin rank probably wouldn't be able to react in time!"

"...Can you keep up with them?" Obito turned to look at Himon's Byakugan, sounding a little displeased.

"My eyes can just barely follow them, but my nerves can't keep up with their reactions," Himon said, shaking his head.

Even his Byakugan could only just keep up with their movements.

But if he were on the platform, there was no way he'd be able to react to attacks at that speed!

"Hmph. Once I awaken my Sharingan, I'll definitely be faster than them!" Obito said confidently.

"..."

Himon's expression turned strange.

He'd always wondered why Obito was so confident.

Never mind when he might awaken his Sharingan. Did this guy really think that getting one would make him invincible?

After more than ten minutes of intense, high-speed exchanges, the two fighters finally began to slow down.

"Enough. Let's stop here."

Qingye backed away and shook his head, most of his enthusiasm gone. "You've barely mastered any of your family's sword techniques, Kakashi. There's no point in continuing to trade blows with blades."

He'd originally hoped to use his Sharingan to copy the Hatake Clan's sword techniques. What a shame.

He could only blame Hatake Sakumo for dying too soon.

"Are we done already? I can keep going!" Kakashi said, breathing a little heavily, his eyes still bright with excitement.

It was the first time he'd ever crossed blades with someone his age to this extent!

Clap, clap, clap—

A round of applause came from nearby.

Qingye turned to see a golden-haired young man with a gentle expression walking over, a smile on his face as he praised them:

"That was an impressive match."

"You must be Uchiha Qingye. I've heard Kakashi and the others talk about you."

"But from what I've seen, they've seriously underestimated you. You've already surpassed Kakashi in strength, haven't you?"

Kakashi's eyes widened. "Sensei?!"

How was that possible?

He still had enough energy to keep fighting!

"Jōnin Minato, I've heard a lot about you," Qingye said, gazing at the man like a little sun with some emotion.

The renowned Yellow Flash would, according to the original timeline, be banned for cheating too much in just two years.

"Kakashi, you still need more combat experience and better powers of observation."

Minato Namikaze explained, "I watched for a few minutes just now. There were several times when Qingye could have attacked an opening you left, but he chose not to."

"Kakashi, your speed is impressive, but your powers of observation can't quite keep up with it."