Chidori!

Heavy rain.

Hatake Kakashi sat hunched over on the park swing, his eyes vacant. Rainwater fell upon him, sliding from his hair down his face, yet he seemed completely unable to feel it.

It wasn't until a figure walked past him that Hatake Kakashi looked up, though it was only for a fleeting glance before he lowered his head once more.

"Why are you here?"

Akiyama Shun leaned against the swing frame, holding an umbrella.

"I heard you were in a bad mood, so I came to check on you. After all, I promised Lord White Fang that I would take good care of you."

Upon hearing the keyword "Lord White Fang," Hatake Kakashi's mouth parted slightly as if to say something, but in the end, no sound emerged.

If this were before, Hatake Kakashi would surely have retorted with something like, "Who asked you to take care of me!"

But now, Hatake Kakashi offered no rebuttal. He simply looked up at the sky, letting the rain drip onto his face, and spoke only after a long silence:

"If one day, while you were on a mission, an accident occurred that forced you to choose between protecting your comrade and completing the mission, which would you choose?"

Ever since his father's death, Hatake Kakashi had been pondering this question. He had expected Akiyama Shun to fall into deep thought as well, yet after hearing the question, Akiyama Shun answered immediately:

"There is no choice, and I wouldn't make such a choice, because protecting a comrade and completing a mission are two things I can accomplish simultaneously."

Hearing Akiyama Shun's answer, Hatake Kakashi grew anxious, his speech quickening: "What if? You must choose one!"

Seeing Hatake Kakashi so agitated, Akiyama Shun knew his goal had been achieved.

He had never intended to use "Talk no Jutsu" on Hatake Kakashi; he knew that at this stage, Hatake Kakashi wouldn't listen to any of it.

In the original story, it was only during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, when Nohara Rin was captured, that Obito's words had any effect—and even then, it was only the beginning, with the true transformation coming after Obito gave him his eye.

But the current Hatake Kakashi had experienced nothing yet. The so-called conflict between comrade and mission existed only as a thought in his mind. Without having lived through a real, defining choice, Hatake Kakashi would never be able to reason it out!

So, he would use the simplest method: ignite Hatake Kakashi and let his emotions explode!

Releasing the suppressed emotions in his heart would at least be better than his current state.

Therefore, facing Hatake Kakashi's question, Akiyama Shun simply looked at him calmly.

"There is no 'what if'."

Hatake Kakashi whipped his head around to look at Akiyama Shun. Seeing him answer the question that had plagued him for so long with such a calm tone, he felt an inexplicable surge of fury.

"That's just a rogue's logic!"

With a roar, Hatake Kakashi stood up abruptly and swung his fist toward Akiyama Shun's face!

However, facing this attack, Akiyama Shun merely tilted his head and dodged it with ease.

Seeing his attack dodged and noticing the playful look in Akiyama Shun's eyes, Hatake Kakashi grew even more heated. He threw punch after punch, but every strike was effortlessly evaded by Akiyama Shun, who finally leaped backward to put distance between them.

Seeing this, Hatake Kakashi said nothing more and silently drew the White Fang Blade from his waist.

"Fine, then I'll spar with you."

Seeing this, Akiyama Shun knew he had succeeded. He smiled and tossed his umbrella aside, letting the rain fall upon him; the torrential downpour soaked him through in a matter of breaths.

He pulled out a scroll, and with a "poof," a chakra short-sword identical to the White Fang Blade appeared in his hand.

The moment he saw the blade, Hatake Kakashi's pupils constricted, and he stared at Akiyama Shun in disbelief.

"How did you get that sword?"

"Oh, this? After you used the White Fang Sword Style last time, I wanted to learn it too, so I went and got a similar chakra blade."

That was a lie.

In reality, this item had been granted after drawing [Hatake Kakashi (Youth)], making it the genuine article.

However, hearing this only fueled Hatake Kakashi's rage further.

What did he mean by "wanted to learn it, so he went and got one"?

Is my sword style that easy to learn!?

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Hatake Kakashi vanished from his spot, but this time was different from the last.

Last time, Akiyama Shun had stood still, waiting for Hatake Kakashi's attack, but this time, as Hatake Kakashi used his Body Flicker, Akiyama Shun followed suit!

He was even faster than Hatake Kakashi's Body Flicker!

While Hatake Kakashi was still searching for his figure, Akiyama Shun had already appeared behind him and slashed down!

Only when he heard the sound of the short-sword cutting through the air did Hatake Kakashi react, hurriedly holding the White Fang Blade behind his back to barely block the attack. But his defense was too rushed; even though he blocked it, the sheer force of Akiyama Shun's strike caused him to lose his balance.

Akiyama Shun followed up with a kick, sending Hatake Kakashi flying over ten meters!

Hatake Kakashi performed a 360-degree rotation in the air before landing. He had just steadied himself against the mud when Akiyama Shun arrived before him, the White Fang Blade in his hand swinging down once more!

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

The continuous sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the entire park.

The White Fang Blade is a short chakra dagger, and its proper usage involves imbuing it with chakra; however, at this moment, neither Akiyama Shun nor Kakashi were using chakra, engaging purely in a contest of swordsmanship!

Yet, after a mere twenty-some exchanges, Kakashi discovered a deeply frustrating reality.

Though he was loath to admit it, Akiyama Shun's White Fang Sword Style was even stronger than his own!

How could this be!

He had been taught by the founder of the White Fang Sword Style himself since he was a child!

How could this guy reach such a level of proficiency after only a single sparring session!

Kakashi knew he could not let this continue; if they kept trading blows with pure swordsmanship, he would certainly never defeat Akiyama Shun!

Seizing a momentary opening in Akiyama Shun's offense, Kakashi hurriedly used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat out of range.

After putting a safe distance between them, Kakashi intended to do as he had during their last practical exam and resort directly to ninjutsu, which would also show Akiyama Shun that he, too, had been working hard and had mastered new techniques!

He was a genius in his own right!

However, it was a pity that this time, Akiyama Shun had no intention of giving Kakashi the chance to use ninjutsu.

Just as Kakashi began to circulate his chakra and prepare to weave hand signs, a "zzzzzt" sound suddenly erupted beside his ears.

The sound was dense and rapid, as if thousands of voices were layered on top of one another, even escalating into a sharper, piercing screech!

It sounded exactly like...

Birds chirping!