Kakashi launched his first probing attack!
He darted in from the blind spot in Shinichi's field of vision. His short sword made no sound as it stabbed toward the elbow of Shinichi's sword arm like a venomous snake, the angle impossibly tricky.
Shinichi didn't try to block the swift attack with his long sword. He might have missed.
He made the most direct response: his feet retreated half a step, while he twisted his waist and used the momentum of his retreat to unleash a swift, powerful horizontal sweep. He turned defense into offense, his blade covering every path Kakashi might take to close in!
The blow was heavy and powerful, yet incredibly fast, accompanied by a howling gust of wind!
Kakashi's pupils shrank. He instantly halted his thrust, then leaned back and spun without hesitation, like a willow leaf caught in the wind. The blade passed by the tip of his nose, missing him by a hair.
He didn't meet the attack or give Shinichi a chance to use its momentum to pursue him. With a quick step, he had already glided off in another direction.
After being thoroughly overpowered in their first Taijutsu match, Kakashi had become keenly aware of Shinichi's inhuman strength.
So, from the very start of this second match, his strategy was crystal clear:
Keep moving, look for an opening, and strike to kill. Never give his opponent a chance to use his strength advantage.
And so, their first exchange came within a hair's breadth of contact, but neither landed a solid blow.
But soon, Kakashi's attacks came in an unrelenting tide.
He darted left and right, his short sword flashing in direct thrusts one moment, then grazing toward Shinichi's knees, wrists, and ribs the next—each time targeting a weak point in his defense.
His swordsmanship was nimble and unpredictable, his footwork precise. He made full use of the short sword's flexibility and his own speed, bringing out the speed and variation of the White Fang Sword Style to the fullest.
Shinichi, meanwhile, was like a boulder amid rushing rapids. He didn't move much, but every step was firm and steady. He gave up trying to chase Kakashi's elusive figure and focused instead on defending and counterattacking.
He no longer swung his long sword in pursuit of perfect technique. Instead, each movement became an effective block or a means of driving Kakashi back.
Every swing carried tremendous force, and the wind from his blade buffeted the air. He didn't aim to land a hit—only to keep Kakashi from getting close and completing his exquisite combinations.
"Snick!"
The short sword sliced along Shinichi's arm, cutting through his clothes. But he tensed his muscles just in time and turned slightly, shedding most of the force. It left only a shallow scratch.
"Whoosh!"
Shinichi's long sword swept back, but Kakashi had already leaped away. The blade struck only a fading afterimage.
"Swish!"
Kakashi rolled in low and slashed upward with his short sword. Shinichi raised his knee sharply, knocking the blade aside with an iron-hard impact, then brought the pommel down to drive his opponent back.
After several exchanges, an uncanny balance settled over the match. Kakashi's attacks came like a raging storm, but whenever he was on the verge of landing a blow, Shinichi's tremendous strength and almost instinctive defensive intuition either deflected him or forced him back.
Outside the arena, not a single student dared breathe too loudly. They watched without blinking.
The two homeroom teachers, Teacher Matsumoto and Inoue-sensei, were even more tense. They leaned forward slightly, their eyes fixed like those of hawks on every movement the two boys made.
Chakra was already circulating quietly within them. They were ready to intervene at any moment if a student seemed likely to suffer a serious injury—or worse.
He was fast, but!
I'm faster! And more agile!
Maybe I can...
A sharp glint flashed in Kakashi's eyes as he settled on a plan. He stopped circling and, with an explosive burst of speed greater than before, became a silver streak shooting straight forward in a lightning-fast thrust!
Finally, he'd taken the bait!
A faint smile curled Shinichi's lips. Kakashi had pushed his speed to its limit. In the instant when his old strength had been spent and his new strength had yet to rise—when his trajectory was hardest to change—
Shinichi moved too!
[Agile (White): You are more nimble than the average person. Your coordination and speed of movement have both received a slight boost.]
It was true that he had only one [Agile] trait, which gave a slight boost to his nimbleness and speed. At a glance, speed didn't seem to be his strong suit.
But traits were only equipment. The Personal Panel didn't display the stats he had built through training.
Besides, backed by his powerful physique and enhanced by Chakra, Shinichi could also make miracles happen through sheer force when it came to speed!
Bang!
The gravel beneath his feet burst apart!
He didn't retreat or block. Instead, he charged straight at the silver streak, moving every bit as fast as Kakashi's thrust.
The long sword in his hand became a precise, swift upward diagonal slash, infused with all the strength and speed in his body!
The slash came second, yet it seemed to anticipate everything. The blade was aimed at the space ahead of Kakashi's thrust, as well as the joint in his sword arm!
It was a precisely calculated interception!
If Kakashi's speed was like that of a phantom, flickering unpredictably and impossible to read,
then Shinichi was like a steady yet furious gale. Its eye was calm, but once it erupted, it swept away everything in its path.
And now, it erupted!
Kakashi's pupils contracted sharply as he faced the oncoming slash, faster than he could have imagined.
He wanted to change his move, to dodge—
But at that extreme speed, his body was already difficult to control. All his momentum and strength had gone into that thrust.
Retreat?
Too late!
Dodge?
The blade had already sealed off every angle!
Pull back?
His balance was gone!
He had no choice but to meet the blow head-on!
Clang!!!
The short sword and long sword finally collided with full force, with no way to avoid it!
The sound was deafening, far louder than any of their previous clashes!
Sparks burst from the point where the blades met!
Kakashi felt an irresistible torrent of force slam into his sword. His arm went numb, and the short sword in his hand shuddered violently, nearly flying from his grasp. His guard was wide open, his weakness laid bare!
Now!
A cold glint flashed in Shinichi's eyes. At last, the furious gale broke free of its restraints and became a devastating tsunami!
He stepped forward, his presence rising to its peak. Holding nothing back, he brought his long sword crashing down in a simple, brutal strike!
There was no flourish—only pure strength and speed!
And once again, Kakashi felt with absolute clarity the same thing he had during their first match: Shinichi's relentless pursuit whenever he gained the upper hand, a storm of successive attacks that left Kakashi choking, with no chance to catch his breath!
Clang!
First strike! It knocked away the short sword Kakashi had barely managed to raise!
Thud!
Second strike! The back of Shinichi's blade slammed into Kakashi's hastily raised arm. Kakashi grunted in pain, and his defense crumbled completely!
Swish!
Third strike! The icy blade was already resting steadily against the skin of Kakashi's neck, bringing a bone-chilling cold.
The storm burst forth, then came to an abrupt stop.
Once again, the weapon in Shinichi's hand came to a steady halt at Kakashi's throat.
Absolute silence fell over the arena. It was as if every sound had been pulled away.
Only the long sword, the symbol of complete victory, reflected a merciless gleam in the sunlight.
There could be no doubt about the outcome now.
Before you continue