Can You Do It, Little Brother?

As Yuki Yuichi dodged, his right foot vaulted into the air, landing a kick squarely on Kakashi's hand.

The force of the kick was immense; even though Kakashi had been taught by Hatake Sakumo that a blade must never leave one's hand, he was forced to let go.

If he had only wanted to evade, Yuki Yuichi could have simply crouched or sidestepped.

But to counterattack while dodging—that was the romance Yuki Yuichi pursued.

With Kakashi disarmed, Yuki Yuichi swept up the wooden sword and finished with a backflip.

The wooden sword that had been in Kakashi's hand was now in Yuki Yuichi's.

Yuki Yuichi brandished the wooden sword and flashed a mocking grin. "Is that all you've got, little brother?"

"Can you even handle it, little brother?"

"If you can't, just go home crying to your mommy like those other brats and have your parents come cause me trouble."

"That kid is really asking for a beating." Umino Ikkaku stood by the office window, and a teacher beside him couldn't help but chuckle.

"Teacher Umino, aren't those students from the class you're leading?"

"Yeah." Umino Ikkaku rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

At this moment, another older-looking teacher blew on his thermos and shook his head. "Looks like there are quite a few troublemakers in that class."

"Umino, your days are going to be tough."

"Genius students like these aren't easy to teach."

From the office, they could see the entire scene; the duel between Yuki Yuichi and Kakashi was under their full observation.

Although it was only a few simple moves, having taught for so many years, they could naturally tell that both Kakashi and Yuki Yuichi already possessed the strength of genin.

On the field, Kakashi couldn't stand Yuki Yuichi's trash talk any longer and lunged forward.

Without a blade, he still had his fists and taijutsu!

Yuki Yuichi stood his ground, meeting change with constancy, all while continuing his verbal assault.

"Is that it? If you can't handle it, go back and drink milk for another two years."

"No way, no way. You're not actually the type to get your weapon snatched away, are you?"

Just as Yuki Yuichi spoke, Kakashi's fist came swinging.

This time, he wouldn't dodge.

He had snatched Kakashi's sword because he wanted to test his own durability.

That's right, the twenty percent damage reduction from Nintaijutsu: Guard.

He wanted to see exactly how it worked.

Watching Kakashi's fist approach, Yuki Yuichi didn't flinch or evade, throwing his own punch in return.

Seeing this, a flash of surprise crossed Kakashi's eyes, followed by even greater excitement.

"Come on, let's see who can take a hit better!"

"Bring it on, you five-fifty!"

In an instant, their attacks landed solidly on each other.

Kakashi's fist struck Yuki Yuichi's lower abdomen, while Yuki Yuichi's foot kicked Kakashi's shoulder.

Both of them were sent flying backward simultaneously.

"Yuichi!" Seeing this, Yuhi Kurenai watched with anxiety, her small face full of worry, though she did not step forward to intervene.

This was a battle between ninja, even if it was just a spar, and even if they were two newly enrolled students.

"Kurenai, I'm fine." Yuki Yuichi stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

Kakashi's punch had been heavy, but he had figured out the mechanics of this so-called damage reduction.

Just as Kakashi's fist made contact, he could clearly feel the impact soften.

The force transmitted to his body had been significantly lessened.

Even so, his lower abdomen still burned with pain.

While he felt that way, Kakashi's situation was different.

If he felt like he'd been struck by a heavy object, Kakashi felt like he'd been hit by a carriage.

He stood up shakily, clutching his left arm, which hung at a distorted angle before everyone's eyes.

"Hiss, isn't this going too far?"

"Is this what fighting is really like?!"

"Stop it, don't fight anymore!"

The surrounding students tried to persuade them to stop, but neither Yuki Yuichi nor Kakashi paid them any mind.

Kakashi clutched his left arm and gritted his teeth, jerking it upward with a sharp crack of bone.

Yuki Yuichi's kick had dislocated his shoulder.

Kakashi panted heavily, clutching his left arm as he looked at Yuki Yuichi, gritting his teeth and roaring.

"Yuki Yuichi!"

"Ahhh, Kakashi!"

Yuki Yuichi was not to be outdone, roaring back just as loudly.

The two men shouted, howling each other's names at the same time, and just when everyone thought they were about to clash again.

They retreated in perfect unison.

Kakashi retreated because his left arm had been dislocated; although he had set it back in place, it was still somewhat inconvenient.

Moreover, he had no desire to engage in close-quarters combat with Yuki Yuichi again.

That one kick had kicked away most of his arrogance.

As for Yuki Yuichi, he wasn't afraid of Kakashi's fists.

But he was a bit afraid of pain.

"Why are you retreating?" Kakashi looked at Yuki Yuichi calmly, mimicking his tone to mock him.

"Don't tell me you're scared?"

"Cut the crap." Yuki Yuichi immediately cursed, "I wouldn't be scared even if you were!"

"What are you retreating for then?"

"It's you who's scared, isn't it?!"

As he spoke, Yuki Yuichi pursed his lips, looking incredibly punchable as he said, "Kakashi-chan, how truly terrifying~"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, watching the trash-talking Yuki Yuichi, and began forming hand seals stealthily.

Yuki Yuichi likewise narrowed his eyes, and while continuing his trash talk, he also began forming hand seals stealthily.

Seeing this, the crowd thought they were preparing to end it just like that.

But at that very moment, Kakashi took a deep breath, gathering chakra in his throat.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Damn it!"

Seeing this, Yuki Yuichi immediately bolted to the side, cursing as he ran: "You sneaky bastard!"

"May your son be born without a willy!"

Yuki Yuichi formed hand seals while he ran.

Since Kakashi had already unleashed the Great Fireball, he didn't need to pretend anymore.

The fireball didn't just fly in a straight line once spat out.

The Great Fireball Technique was actually quite similar to a flamethrower.

By gathering chakra in the throat and then exhaling, the chakra spat from the mouth transformed into flames, spraying out in front of the user.

This was the key reason why Yuki Yuichi was forming hand seals while running.

Mainly because that guy Kakashi kept spraying fire directly at him.

"Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique!"

Yuki Yuichi finished his hand seals, dashed into Kakashi's field of vision, and waved at him.

This genjutsu was taught to him and Yuhi Kurenai by Yuhi Shinku for practice.

It had taken him over a year to master it.

However, although it was a bit difficult to learn, the effects of this genjutsu were quite powerful.

Once caught in it, the opponent's sense of space would be confused, leading them to believe they were in a different location.

In the original story, Izumo Kamizuki had used this very genjutsu.

And the moment Kakashi saw Yuki Yuichi, he fell straight into the trap.

Yuki Yuichi was on the left, yet Kakashi aimed his mouth toward the right.

"You little punk, now it's my turn!"

Yuki Yuichi rushed forward at high speed and kicked Kakashi squarely in the chin.

The immense force caused Kakashi to pass out instantly.

Seeing Kakashi collapse to the ground, Yuki Yuichi rubbed his chin for a moment, then grabbed him by the back of his collar and ran toward the infirmary.