Five years!
Ever since the day he learned that Hatake Kakashi had been born, that figure had become a mountain he had to surpass in his plans.
And in this battle, his tactical core was exceptionally clear and ruthless: hand-to-hand combat, close quarters, suppression, leaving his opponent no room whatsoever to use ninjutsu.
From the very beginning, he had dragged the battle into a rhythm he controlled. His unexpectedly swift advance threw Kakashi off balance, followed by heavy blows carrying overwhelming strength.
He had used a tempest of Taijutsu attacks to pin his opponent firmly in the mire of close combat, cutting off any possibility of forming Hand Seals or retreating.
Forget the five elemental nature transformations—even the most basic Clone Technique or Substitution Technique had left Kakashi unable to find the slightest opening to use.
This was neither an accident nor a stroke of luck, but a precise assault that had been planned long in advance, targeted his weaknesses, and infinitely magnified Shinichi's own unique advantages.
The sunlight remained scorching, but the shock permeating the air gradually gave way to a complicated emotion.
Looking at the calm, black-haired youth in the arena, many people truly began, for the first time, to separate the name Higashino Shinichi from the category of hardworking honor students and place it somewhere that demanded a fresh assessment.
"Shinichi! Shinichi! Shinichi!!"
Ishizuka Takashi was the first to recover from his shock. He waved his fists and shouted at the top of his lungs. Like a spark thrown into boiling oil, his cry instantly ignited the ranks of Class 2!
"He won! Shinichi won!"
"That's amazing!"
"Shinichi! Shinichi!"
Cheers, shouts, and disbelieving exclamations erupted from Class 2, forming a stark contrast with the deathly silence of Class 1 opposite them.
Many Class 2 students wore proud smiles, sharing in his glory, while most of the Class 1 students remained in the midst of a tremendous shock to their understanding, bewildered and confused.
"How is this possible? How could that bastard Kakashi lose..." Obito Uchiha murmured blankly.
The uproarious cheers awakened the two homeroom teachers, who were likewise still in shock. Matsumoto Fumio and Inoue-sensei quickly exchanged a glance. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, preparing to fulfill the referee's duty and announce the result that had taken everyone by surprise.
"Wait a moment, teachers."
Shinichi's clear voice rang out again as he smoothly slid the Kunai back into the weapon pouch at his thigh.
He looked toward Kakashi, who was slowly getting to his feet, and his face still wore that warm, approachable smile.
"Kakashi, you haven't used your true strength yet, have you?"
He paused, his tone carrying a guiding certainty:
"I heard that White Fang's swordsmanship is unrivaled throughout the Shinobi World, and that he is a Master swordsman who strikes fear into countless enemies. As White Fang's son, your swordsmanship must be formidable too, right?"
As he spoke, Shinichi walked over to the weapon rack and took out a samurai sword.
But victory alone wasn't enough!
Far from enough!
He did not want any claims about luck, fortunate circumstances, or his opponent's carelessness to reduce his victory to an accident caused by Kakashi underestimating him.
What he wanted was an indisputable, all-around victory—a victory in which he crushed his opponent in the field where he should have been strongest.
Guiding everyone's attention toward swordsmanship was precisely the next step he had carefully designed.
The father was a top-tier Master swordsman who shook the Shinobi World, so naturally, people would assume that the son had inherited astonishing talent with the blade as well. That was the most instinctive connection people would make.
Especially in this world, where bloodlines were valued above all else.
Although Kakashi had defeated every opponent these past few months with an easygoing air, no one had ever seen him use a sword in actual combat.
But that did not stop everyone from believing that, as White Fang's son, Kakashi's complete form—and his truly strongest state—would be with a blade in hand.
Whether that was actually true did not matter. Once public opinion and impressions took shape, they became reality.
He would hammer the fact that "Higashino Shinichi defeated Hatake Kakashi"—and, moreover, "defeated Hatake Kakashi at his strongest"—deep into everyone's understanding.
"Then, Kakashi, could you let me witness the splendor of White Fang's swordsmanship?"
Shinichi took a deep breath and slowly drew the samurai sword in his hand, saying seriously:
"Let me truly experience the full extent of your strength as well."
This was another carefully designed step by Shinichi. With those words, he subtly placed a heavy choice and expectation upon Kakashi's shoulders.
Given Kakashi's pride as a Genius, along with his deeply rooted reverence for and desire to defend his father, White Fang of Konoha—
It was almost impossible for him to use ninjutsu in the match that followed after being so solemnly challenged in swordsmanship. He would regard that as a form of disrespect toward his father's swordsmanship.
Shinichi had calculated this precisely. He intended to keep drawing Kakashi into the field where he held the greater advantage—pure physical combat and clashes with cold weapons.
At the same time, this avoided the possibility of Shinichi capsizing in the gutter because Kakashi used ninjutsu.
The swordsmanship Shinichi had learned at the kendo dojo was naturally inferior to the swordsmanship Kakashi had learned under White Fang of Konoha.
But amid the clash of weapons, there was the overwhelming strength brought by [Natural Strength], the overall physical enhancement from [Swordsmanship Apprentice], the additional resilience and stamina provided by [Tenacious], the agility and speed increased by [Agile], and more.
These allowed Shinichi to retain a tremendous advantage in physical attributes.
In the arena, everyone's attention and anticipation were focused on the silver-haired Genius who had risen to his feet again.
"All right!"
Kakashi slowly raised his head. His eyes, which usually carried a hint of languid indifference, had finally turned sharp.
He said nothing more. He simply drew a short sword from the weapon pouch behind his waist, its size perfectly suited to his height and arm length.
The two stood facing each other in the arena once more. The second battle was about to begin.
"Shinichi! Stay steady!"
"Come on, Shinichi! You can definitely win!"
Another round of encouragement erupted from Class 2, but this time the voices held less wild excitement and more tense anticipation.
On Class 1's side, the silence was finally broken.
"Kakashi! Go!"
"Show him White Fang's swordsmanship!"
Among them, Obito Uchiha, who had previously cheered for Shinichi in the opposite direction, now shouted the loudest and most urgently. His face flushed bright red.
"That bastard Kakashi! You're a Genius! Don't get careless again! Use everything you've got and win!"
In the arena, Kakashi acted as though he had not heard the commotion behind him. His wrist turned slightly, changing the short sword from a standard grip to a reverse grip more suited for thrusts and deceptive changes, while his body tilted slightly to the side.
The next moment, he moved. His figure suddenly blurred, as if transforming into a silver line that skimmed swiftly along the ground.
Moving at incredible speed with irregular zigzag footwork, he circled Shinichi rapidly, searching for an angle to break through.
Shinichi stood firm in the center, holding his sword in both hands as his calm eyes followed that streak of silver.
He knew perfectly well that although the foundation of the swordsmanship he had systematically studied was solid, it was certainly inferior to Kakashi's White Fang Sword Style, passed down through generations, in subtlety and variation.
His chance of victory lay in dragging the battle into the rhythm he excelled at—overpowering skill with strength and breaking complexity with simplicity.
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