That was right. The Genin named Ling Xuan had vanished from the moment the exercise began. His method of hiding was unusual. There was no trace of chakra, as if he had merged with his surroundings.
As Kakashi searched all around, he also assessed the situation. But the instant his attention wandered, he suddenly sensed danger and instinctively tilted his head to the left.
A strand of silver hair drifted silently to the ground.
Kakashi's single eye contracted sharply, his gaze turning keen.
The attack had been silent, invisible, and without a trace of chakra. If it had been aimed at the carotid artery...
He quickly retreated to put some distance between them, warily scanning his surroundings. The bushes, the treetops, the shadows... Nothing seemed out of place.
"Sasuke, Naruto." Kakashi's voice grew solemn. "Your teammate is troublesome."
Ling Xuan watched all this from a distant hiding place.
[Target: Hatake Kakashi. Status: Alert. Data acquired on his neural responses, muscle movements, and evasion habits when reacting to sudden miniature attacks.] [Attack method: Miniature Wind Blade (optimized version).]
That had only been a test, and he already had the data. The Kakashi model in Ling Xuan's mind had been further refined. He began the second step of his plan.
A calm voice, transmitted through a refined chakra communication technique, reached Naruto and Sasuke's ears at the same time.
"I'm Ling Xuan. Fighting alone is foolish. Follow my instructions."
"Ling Xuan? Where are you?" Naruto shouted. "How are you talking to me? Teach me how to do that, too!"
Sasuke snorted, but didn't argue. After that sudden, elusive attack, he couldn't ignore this teammate.
"I can see things you can't." Ling Xuan's voice was devoid of emotion. "Sasuke, from the moment you began forming Hand Seals for your Great Fireball Technique, Kakashi had already evaded it. Your attack won't work."
"Naruto, your straightforward charges have too many openings. Kakashi has a hundred ways to make you trip over your own feet."
The analysis left Sasuke's face livid, while Naruto was too furious to speak.
"This is the only effective way to win," Ling Xuan said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If you want to be losers, you can keep going as you are."
"What do you want us to do?" Sasuke spoke first. He needed strength, and if Ling Xuan's method worked, he was willing to try it.
"One plan, three steps," Ling Xuan said, his voice calm and clear.
"First, Naruto. Use the Multi Shadow Clone Technique. The more clones, the better. Your job isn't to attack, but to create chaos across the entire training ground."
"Create chaos?!" Naruto perked up. This was what he did best. "All right, leave it to me!"
"Second, Sasuke," Ling Xuan continued. "I've noticed that Kakashi's fighting style depends on his left eye. When he uses advanced techniques or moves at high speed, the chakra consumption in that eye increases dramatically. It's his trump card—and his weakness."
"Your job is to use Fire Style and Shurikenjutsu for a sustained barrage under cover of Naruto's chaos. There's only one goal: force him to keep using his left eye, speeding up the drain."
Sasuke was shaken. Could a Genin really analyze something as precise as chakra consumption?
"Fine," Sasuke agreed.
"What about me?" Sakura Haruno asked. Ling Xuan's Shadow Clone had just woken her with the "Release" technique.
"Sakura Haruno. Stay away from the battlefield and hide. When you see Kakashi's left hand make a distinctive movement as he prepares to form Hand Seals, shout 'Cherry Blossom.' The timing has to be precise."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"Now for the third step," Ling Xuan said. "Leave it to me."
Kakashi watched the group gather without intervening. He wanted to see what kind of show these Genin could put on.
The next second, the lazy look vanished from his face.
"Multi—Shadow Clone Technique!!!"
More than a hundred Naruto Uzumakis appeared, charging Kakashi from every direction.
"That many?!" Kakashi's gaze sharpened. His figure flickered as he darted through the countless Narutos' attacks.
"Fire Style!"
Sasuke's attack came. Several fireballs shot toward Kakashi's escape routes from different angles, while dozens of Shuriken sealed off the space above him.
Kakashi used the Substitution Technique to evade. But the moment he reappeared, another Great Fireball was already hurtling toward him.
Naruto's Shadow Clones charged fearlessly, while Sasuke's long-range attacks were precise and vicious. One attacked at close range, the other supported from afar. One took the lead while the other covered him. Together, they actually forced Kakashi into a desperate scramble.
"This kind of teamwork..." Kakashi realized that everything was being directed by Ling Xuan.
He couldn't afford to hold back any longer.
Kakashi retreated and made a subtle Hand Seal with his left hand, preparing to use an Earth Release technique to clear out the Shadow Clones.
Sakura, watching from a distance, saw the movement and immediately screamed at the top of her lungs, "Cher—ry—Blossom!!!"
That was the signal.
The moment the scream distracted Kakashi, a shadow appeared behind him.
It was Ling Xuan. He had approached to within half a meter of Kakashi's back, his fingers held together like a sword. A miniature vortex of intertwined blue-green and red swirled at his fingertips: Wind-Flame Spiral.
His target was the bells at Kakashi's waist.
The timing, angle, speed, and force had all been calculated.
Kakashi sensed imminent danger. His body couldn't move as fast as Ling Xuan, and he had no time to form Hand Seals for the Substitution Technique.
"Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"
Kakashi instantly sank into the ground beneath his feet, and Ling Xuan's attack missed.
"Underground?"
Ling Xuan leaped upward.
But a hand shot out of the earth like lightning and seized his ankle.
"Got you," Kakashi's voice came from underground.
A tremendous force yanked Ling Xuan toward the ground.
Yet just as he was about to disappear beneath the soil, his lips moved slightly. The "Ling Xuan" who had been caught went poof, turning into a cloud of white smoke.
It was a Shadow Clone.
"What?!" Kakashi was stunned underground.
The real Ling Xuan had used a split-second substitution technique the moment Kakashi activated Earth Release, switching places with a Shadow Clone he had hidden nearby in advance.
At that moment, Ling Xuan's real body stood where Kakashi had just sunk into the ground.
In his hand were three silver bells.
His Wind-Flame Spiral attack had been a feint. The real finishing move had been to use the attack as cover and snatch the bells with a technique too quick to catch.
The one Kakashi had grabbed was merely a Shadow Clone carrying the bells, deliberately left behind to draw his attention.
The entire training ground fell silent. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
Kakashi slowly rose from the ground and brushed the dirt off himself. He looked at the empty space at his waist, then at the bells in Ling Xuan's hand. His expression was impossible to describe.
Shock, admiration, and a trace of frustration.
At that very moment, the clock on the training ground went "Beep, beep, beep."
Twelve noon.
The exercise was over.
The clock on the training ground rang out sharply, announcing the end of the exercise.
Silence.
Before you continue