Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Hatake's attack was swift and direct, but Uchiha Iori countered with an offense of his own, thrusting his long spear forward with lightning speed. Kakashi used a Body Flicker to dodge, appearing at Iori's side to slash at him with his blade.

"Too slow, far too slow."

As Iori's Sharingan spun, Kakashi's movements appeared to him like slow motion.

When base abilities are comparable or even slightly superior, the advantage of the Sharingan in combat is overwhelming.

"Before these eyes of mine, every move you make is laid bare."

Iori's voice was calm and confident, carrying the arrogance characteristic of the Uchiha clan.

He pulled back his spear, easily parrying Kakashi's short blade with the butt of the weapon before launching a side kick.

Struck by the spear's end, Kakashi lost his balance and, unable to defend, could only perform a breakfall to minimize the damage as he was sent flying.

"The saying that one must flee when facing a Sharingan in a one-on-one isn't just a joke; challenging me now is still too early for you."

Iori shook his head; a young genius was still just a genius.

Iori could already be considered a powerhouse; although he was only two years older than Kakashi, his ninja seniority was actually lower.

Yet, the gap between their strength was no longer on the same level.

"I just wanted to see where my limits lie. Minato-sensei's combat style is too unique; fighting him doesn't help me gauge my own standing."

Kakashi stood up, his face devoid of any sign of retreat.

Iori had not struck with lethal force, and a mere bit of pain could not affect his fighting spirit.

"Senior, be careful. This is a technique I've newly developed. Because it emits a sound like the chirping of a thousand birds, I've named it Chidori."

"It is a ninjutsu I just finished developing, and I cannot control it well yet. Please, Minato-sensei, intervene if it becomes necessary."

Kakashi spoke solemnly, and Minato Namikaze nodded to show he understood.

Ox-Hare-Monkey—after a rapid sequence of hand seals, Kakashi lowered one hand and gripped his wrist with the other.

High-intensity electrical currents concentrated in his palm, emitting a loud, piercing noise that truly resembled the chirping of a thousand birds, before he accelerated instantly and charged forward.

As he sprinted, dust kicked up from the earth near his hand, and a trench carved a path along his trajectory.

Stimulated by the Lightning Release chakra, Kakashi's speed far exceeded his previous limits, and he reached Uchiha Iori in the blink of an eye, slashing at him with a hand blade.

"I told you, it's too slow, Kakashi. Attacks like this cannot hit me," Uchiha Iori said calmly.

The moment Kakashi had taken his stance, Iori had already guessed his intent.

The instant Kakashi moved, Iori had prepared himself.

Just as they were about to make contact, Iori sidestepped the Chidori and reached out with impeccable timing.

He gripped Kakashi's forearm with precision and slammed his hand into the ground, causing the earth to shatter into a large crater.

Although Kakashi had sensed Iori shifting his position, the speed of the Chidori had already exceeded his ability to control it.

In the final phase of the sprint, the Chidori was practically controlling his body, leaving him unable to react at all.

Kakashi tried to shake off the grip to counterattack, but Iori had already pressed the tip of his spear against his throat. The sharp point broke the skin, and blood began to trickle down.

Iori retracted his spear, flicked it twice to shake off the blood, and dispelled his Projection Magecraft. He hadn't used the True Name Release this time, so the projection could be reused.

"Kakashi, you should have realized the problem by now, right? When you reached me, you clearly saw my movements, but your excessive speed left you with no opportunity to adjust your own."

Iori analyzed it coolly. In the original timeline, Kakashi had nearly killed himself the first time he used Chidori because he couldn't perceive enemy counters due to the sheer speed.

It was only thanks to Minato Namikaze saving him and pointing out the flaw that he survived, though there was no solution until he eventually enhanced his kinetic vision with the Sharingan gifted by Obito Uchiha.

"I understand. I will not use this ninjutsu on the battlefield until I have resolved this issue."

Kakashi replied, looking somewhat dejected.

The powerful ninjutsu he had worked so hard to develop had such a fatal flaw.

If this had been a life-or-death struggle on the battlefield rather than a spar, he might have been dead before he could even react.

Always being called a genius and standing out among his peers had made Kakashi a bit arrogant, but this lesson forced him to reflect on his own shortcomings.

"While the destructive power and speed are indeed impressive when concentrated, without sufficient reaction capability, you won't be able to handle enemy counters. This ninjutsu cannot be considered truly complete."

Uchiha Iori reminded him, noting that his own combat system faced similar issues.

Triple Crane Wings was a high-speed taijutsu that required finding the perfect moment to rotate, while Gáe Bolg was a causal attack that cared only about the opponent's death, regardless of his own.

Iori relied on the kinetic vision and reaction speed provided by his three-tomoe Sharingan, as well as the combat techniques of two Heroic Spirits, to move with ease on the battlefield.

"Alright, Kakashi, you should rethink your strategy and how to refine the jutsu. Let's dismiss for now; I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be heading off."

After Minato Namikaze finished speaking, he vanished with a Body Flicker. The day was growing late, and he still had some camp files to process.

Rin Nohara hurried over to support Kakashi, using medical ninjutsu to inspect his injuries.

Obito Uchiha looked at Kakashi to ensure he was unharmed before asking, "Big Brother Iori, can you teach me? I want to get stronger too!"

"Try awakening your Sharingan first."

Iori shook his head. He couldn't teach Projection Magecraft, nor would he, and combat experience couldn't be passed on through words alone.

The remaining insights were fundamentally tied to the Sharingan; awakening it was the only foundation.

"I will definitely awaken my Sharingan!" Obito said firmly, "I must surpass Kakashi."

"Keep dreaming, dead-last. Talk to me once you've actually awakened them," Kakashi retorted from the side, striking a blow to his confidence.

Rin Nohara stood by Kakashi's side, supporting him without a word, merely smiling as she watched the two bicker.

Iori shook his head, no longer paying attention to the trio.

"Kaori, how are you? Do you want to head back to rest first, or continue training?"

"I'm going to keep training nearby for a while longer. Jonin Minato's insights have benefited me greatly, and I need to sharpen my handling of combat details."

Uzuki Kaori replied; as a taijutsu-specialized ninja, Minato's teachings were of immense help to her.

"Good luck. I'm also going to find a spot nearby to train; I have some new ideas, so I'll be heading off first."

After Uchiha Iori finished speaking and bid farewell to the three members of Team Minato, he used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.

"I have to work hard too; I can't fall too far behind."

Uzuki Kaori cheered herself on; for various reasons, she did not want to be left too far in the dust.