Shining in Konoha in the Name of Genius! (Part 2)

Five years!

From the day he learned of Hatake Kakashi's birth, that figure had become a mountain he was determined to cross in his plan.

And in this battle, his tactical core was extremely clear and ruthless: close combat, press in, suppress, never give the opponent any room to use ninjutsu.

From the very start, he had dragged the fight into a rhythm he controlled. That charge speed, far exceeding expectations, threw Kakashi off balance, followed by heavy blows with overwhelming power.

Throughout, he used a storm of taijutsu attacks to pin his opponent firmly in the quagmire of close-quarters combat, cutting off any chance to form hand seals or retreat.

Not to mention the five nature transformations—Kakashi couldn't even find a single opening to use the most basic Clone Technique or Substitution Technique.

This wasn't an accident or a stroke of luck. It was a long-planned, precisely targeted strike that exploited weaknesses and amplified them with his own unique advantages.

The sun still blazed fiercely, and the shock hanging in the air gradually gave way to a complex emotion.

Watching the calm black-haired boy in the arena, many people, for the first time in a real sense, peeled the name Higashino Shinichi away from the category of "hardworking honor student" and placed it somewhere that demanded reevaluation.

"Shinichi! Shinichi! Shinichi!!"

Ishizuka Takashi snapped out of his daze first, waving his fists and shouting at the top of his lungs. That cry was like a spark dropped into hot oil, instantly igniting the ranks of Class 2!

"He won! Shinichi won!"

"That's incredible!"

"Shinichi! Shinichi!"

Cheers, shouts, and disbelieving exclamations erupted from the Class 2 formation, forming a glaring contrast with the deathly silence of Class 1 across from them.

Many Class 2 students basked in reflected glory, their faces flushed with excitement, while most Class 1 students were still reeling from the massive cognitive shock—dazed, confused.

"How is this possible? How could that bastard Kakashi lose..." Obito Uchiha murmured blankly to himself.

The uproar of celebration snapped the two homeroom teachers out of their own shock. Matsumoto Fumio and Class 1's Inoue-sensei exchanged a quick glance. He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and prepared to fulfill his role as referee, announcing the result that had caught everyone off guard.

"Wait a moment, both teachers."

Shinichi's clear voice rang out again as he smoothly tucked the kunai back into the pouch strapped to his thigh.

He looked at Kakashi, who was slowly getting to his feet, and his face still wore that gentle, approachable smile.

"Kakashi-kun, you haven't used your real strength yet, have you?"

He paused, his tone carrying a guiding certainty:

"I've heard that the White Fang-sama's swordsmanship is unrivaled in the ninja world, a master of the blade who makes countless enemies tremble in fear. As the son of the White Fang-sama, your swordsmanship must be quite strong too, right?"

As he spoke, Shinichi walked over to a weapon rack and took a katana from it.

Victory alone wasn't enough!

Far from enough!

He wouldn't accept any talk of luck, flukes, or the opponent holding back to reduce his win to an accidental victory born of carelessness.

What he wanted was an indisputable, all-around victory—crushing his opponent in the very field where he should be strongest.

Guiding everyone's attention to swordsmanship was the next step he had carefully designed.

If the father was a top-tier swordsman who shook the ninja world, then the son should naturally inherit astonishing sword talent—that was the most natural association people would make.

Especially in this world that prized bloodlines above all.

Even though Kakashi had been defeating all his opponents casually for months, and no one had ever seen him use a blade in actual combat.

That didn't stop everyone from assuming that Kakashi, as the White Fang's son, was only in his complete form when wielding a sword—his true, strongest state.

Whether it was true or not didn't matter. Once public opinion and that impression took hold, it became reality.

He would hammer the fact that "Higashino Shinichi defeated Hatake Kakashi" and "defeated Hatake Kakashi in his strongest state" into everyone's deep-seated understanding, ironclad and unshakable.

"So, Kakashi-kun, would you let me witness the elegance of the White Fang-sama's swordsmanship?"

Shinichi took a deep breath, slowly drew the katana from its sheath, and said seriously:

"And let me truly experience your full strength."

This sentence was another carefully crafted move by Shinichi. Through it, he silently pressed a heavy choice and expectation onto Kakashi's shoulders.

Given Kakashi's pride as a genius and his deep-rooted reverence and protective feelings for his father, the White Fang of Konoha.

It was almost impossible for him, after Shinichi had so solemnly challenged him with swordsmanship, to use ninjutsu in the following bout. That would be seen as a disrespect to his father's blade.

Shinichi had calculated this precisely. He would continue dragging Kakashi into a field where he himself had more advantages—pure physical combat and cold weapon clashes.

At the same time, it avoided the possibility that Shinichi might lose unexpectedly if Kakashi used ninjutsu.

The swordsmanship Shinichi had learned at the kendo hall was naturally inferior to Kakashi's blade work, honed under the White Fang's guidance.

But in the clash of weapons, the overwhelming power from [Natural Strength], the overall physical boost from [Swordsmanship Apprentice], the extra endurance and stamina from [Tenacious], and the increased agility and speed from [Agile]...

All of this gave Shinichi a massive advantage in physical attributes.

On the field, everyone's gaze and expectations were fixed on the silver-haired genius who had risen to his feet.

"Alright!"

Kakashi slowly lifted his head. Those eyes, always carrying a hint of laziness and indifference, finally sharpened.

He said no more, simply drawing from the pouch at his lower back a short blade sized perfectly for his height and arm span.

The two once again stood opposite each other in the arena, the second round about to begin.

"Shinichi! Steady!"

"Go, Shinichi, you can definitely win!"

From Class 2's ranks, cheers erupted once more, but this time the voices carried less bravado and more tense anticipation.

Over in Class 1, the dead silence finally broke.

"Kakashi! Go!"

"Show him the White Fang's sword style!"

Among them, Obito Uchiha—who had earlier cheered for Shinichi in reverse—now shouted the loudest and most urgently, his face flushed red:

"Damn it, Kakashi! You're a genius! Don't get careless again! Give it everything you've got, you have to win!"

In the arena, Kakashi seemed oblivious to the clamor behind him. He twisted his wrist slightly, shifting his grip on the short blade from a standard hold to a reverse grip better suited for thrusts and tricky maneuvers, tilting his body to the side.

The next moment, he moved. His figure blurred abruptly, as if transforming into a silver thread skimming low across the ground.

With blinding speed and erratic, zigzag footwork, he circled Shinichi at high velocity, searching for an angle to strike.

Shinichi stood firm at the center, holding his blade with both hands, his eyes calmly tracking that silver trail.

He knew full well that while his systematically trained foundation in swordsmanship was solid, it could not match the subtlety and versatility of Kakashi's hereditary White Fang Sword Style.

His winning chance lay in dragging the fight into the rhythm he excelled at—overcoming skill with power, complexity with simplicity.