Twisted Will of Fire

"Before the body has fully matured, there will always be various flaws."

"The disparity in physical fitness, the speed of cellular chakra extraction, and most crucially, the total volume of chakra."

Even with a small short blade acting as an extension of his reach, Kakashi's body was still far too small.

It is common knowledge that for a short person, the only "ultimate moves" are attacking the feet or the knees; any short person who jumps up to aim for the head has likely already been knocked flat.

Hatake Kakashi currently lacked the height to even perform a standard throat-slitting motion.

He had tried several times to slash at Uchiha Yuji's neck, only to have them casually evaded—an advantage born purely from height.

Hatake Kakashi had been slashing for a long time, yet he hadn't been taken down by Uchiha Yuji; anyone could see that this wasn't an assessment or a trial, but a lesson.

"Talent that hasn't fully transformed into power is useless on the battlefield; in fact, it will only drag you down."

"On the battlefield, there are ninjas who specialize in sniping geniuses like you."

"Because of their own talent, they grow jealous of the brilliance of others. To prevent their juniors from encountering such power, geniuses are hunted down."

The indifferent attitude and the constant chatter made Hatake Kakashi, who was listening to his words, increasingly irritable.

Lightning Release chakra stimulated Hatake Kakashi's body, making his speed even more rapid, and the White Fang's short blade grew increasingly sharp, filled with killing intent.

With a sudden burst of chakra from the soles of his feet, the sandy ground erupted with countless flying dust particles, his body turning into a blur, leaving only a fleeting, cold glint!

The short blade in Hatake Kakashi's hand appeared before Uchiha Yuji's chest before anyone knew it.

A clear, ringing sound of the blade tearing through the air followed immediately.

But the sharp blade stopped right in front of Uchiha Yuji, unable to advance even a single millimeter.

Substantial chakra wrapped around Uchiha Yuji's index finger, and it was precisely this finger that held back Hatake Kakashi's blade.

The small body exerted every ounce of its strength.

The blade of the short sword trembled slightly, but the index finger remained steady, unmoving.

Witnessing this scene, it wasn't just Hatake Kakashi who was shocked, but everyone present.

Their jaws seemed to lose control, dropping open involuntarily, their eyelids raised, and their bulging eyes stared at the unimaginable sight, their minds instantly going blank.

"To put it bluntly, a Genin is nothing but floating dust on the battlefield."

"Whether you are sweeping away one speck of dust or two, in the eyes of the strong, there is no difference."

As Uchiha Yuji spoke, his middle finger became wrapped in substantial chakra, and the pad of his finger slowly tapped against the trembling blade.

Visually, Uchiha Yuji's slowly moving middle finger seemed to exert no force at all, yet Hatake Kakashi felt a surging impact force from the hilt of the blade.

The powerful impact left his small hand numb for a moment, and then he felt his hand lighten; a white flash suddenly appeared before his eyes, and the blade hummed as it came to a halt, hovering over Hatake Kakashi's shoulder.

Hatake Kakashi stopped extracting chakra and looked up at Uchiha Yuji.

As the most famous Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha, his eyes remained pitch-black even while fighting him. Despite having allowed Hatake Kakashi to attack for several minutes, his clothes didn't have a single wrinkle.

The gap was too large!

Hatake Kakashi didn't even know how to hurt him; this feeling was even more oppressive than when he sparred with his father in kenjutsu. This gap was like an ignorant ant trying to compare strength with an elephant.

"You can't even hold onto the weapon that your life depends on. Kakashi, your score with me is a failing grade." Uchiha Yuji tossed the short blade back to Hatake Kakashi.

The spinning blade was caught tightly by Hatake Kakashi, his white-knuckled grip making it clear to anyone that he was using all his strength.

Clearly, he did not accept this result.

"Go grow for a few more years, then become an official ninja. You are still too immature right now." Uchiha Yuji said softly again, "You are too weak, Kakashi."

Hearing Uchiha Yuji's words, some of the civilian Chunin at the scene almost wanted to cry out loud.

If they were to fight for their lives against Kakashi right now, they really didn't have full confidence that they could defeat this "Little White Fang."

Once Hatake Kakashi closed the distance, a large number of them felt they would have already typed "GG."

If such a Hatake Kakashi was still being confined to the Ninja Academy, then didn't that mean they should also return to the Ninja Academy to relearn everything?

If they could really return to the Ninja Academy to study, they might even laugh in their dreams.

Seeing that the assessment was over and there was no more excitement to watch, everyone left with great speed. Uchiha Yuji was also preparing to leave when a white-haired man wearing a ninja vest blocked his path.

"Um... Yuji-kun, can we talk?" Hatake Sakumo scratched the back of his head.

The Hatake White Fang, who was comparable to a god of death on the battlefield, was currently just a doting dad.

"Please, go ahead."

Hatake Sakumo spoke directly, "I know Kakashi's strength best. His ability is fully capable of rivaling an average Chunin; there is no reason he shouldn't be able to pass the Ninja Academy graduation exam."

He had seen Hatake Kakashi's expression; he not only felt heartache for his son but was also quite puzzled by Uchiha Yuji's approach.

Uchiha Yuji looked up, gazing toward Konoha's iconic landmark, the Hokage Rock that could be seen clearly from every corner of the village.

The lifelike carving of Senju Hashirama was watching over the village he loved so dearly.

"Konoha was founded jointly by the Uchiha and Senju clans. Perhaps people today have forgotten the original vision shared by the Senju and Uchiha when they first established this village."

"It is just that the Uchiha clan still keeps the records."

"Not letting young children go to the battlefield, allowing them to grow up safely and thrive in laughter—this is the most fundamental philosophy, because children represent the future."

"By the time the legacy reached the Third Hokage, this foundation seemed to have been shattered; the Will of Fire appeared to have been twisted, steering instead toward the Third's own philosophy."

"Only when the falling leaves burn to ash can the new buds grow more robust—that is the original Will of Fire."

When Konoha's combat strength was running thin, Sarutobi Hiruzen had conscripted the six-year-old students from the Ninja Academy; as the frontline commander, Hatake Sakumo was painfully aware of this fact.

He suddenly let out a dry, mirthless laugh. "So that's how it is."

"To think that this was the original intent behind the founding of Konoha."

His smile vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. Hatake Sakumo straightened his expression and bowed deeply toward Uchiha Yuji.

"I entrust Kakashi to your care."