First Battle, Kakashi

Hatake Kakashi was cold and arrogant, but that did not mean he lacked a competitive spirit.

Especially after seeing Uchiha Yue's strength grow at such a rapid pace, which challenged his own reputation as the number one genius of the Ninja Academy, Hatake Kakashi subconsciously began to view Uchiha Yue as a formidable rival. However, Hatake Kakashi might never be willing to admit that he had truly come to see Uchiha Yue as a threatening opponent.

Yet, upon seeing Hatake Kakashi's provocation, Uchiha Yue's state of mind remained completely calm; such a taunt was not enough to make him angry.

However, Hatake Kakashi's actions did ignite the fury of one person: Uchiha Yue's good friend, Uchiha Obito. Through their long time spent together, Uchiha Obito had come to view Uchiha Yue as his best friend, so how could he stand by and watch someone provoke him? Furthermore, ever since Uchiha Obito had met Hatake Dansui, he had held no good feelings toward anyone from the Hatake clan.

Now, seeing Hatake Kakashi openly provoking him, the impulsive Uchiha Obito rolled up his sleeves and marched angrily toward Hatake Kakashi. As he walked, he couldn't help but grumble indignantly, "Yue, that guy from the Hatake clan is just too annoying. Let me help you take him down!"

"Obito, don't forget, this is my stage."

Blocking Uchiha Obito before he could launch his challenge, Uchiha Yue slowly shook his head and said, "Obito, as long as we are in the Ninja Academy, you will have plenty of chances to challenge Hatake Kakashi. But right now, this is my stage for battle, and you cannot interfere. We are good friends, aren't we? You wouldn't want me to lose face in front of so many people, would you?"

Hearing Uchiha Yue's words, Uchiha Obito snorted and replied, "Fine, I'll listen to you, Yue! But don't forget, you must teach that annoying guy a good lesson; I get fired up just looking at him!"

"Of course, I will definitely teach him a lesson!"

After Uchiha Yue and Uchiha Obito exchanged a few words, Uchiha Obito walked toward the spectator stands with Rin, preparing to watch the battle in the training arena. Watching Uchiha Obito and Rin depart, Uchiha Yue's gaze shifted to Hatake Kakashi, and a dense fighting spirit suddenly surged in his eyes.

He had waited for this day for three whole months, and Uchiha Yue couldn't wait to fight Hatake Kakashi right now.

As for Hatake Kakashi, being the number one genius of the Ninja Academy, he didn't know how long it had been since he had encountered a decent opponent.

Therefore, just like Uchiha Yue, Hatake Kakashi also hoped to meet a worthy rival, and the Uchiha Yue before him was clearly a challenger worth getting excited about!

Before the battle, neither Uchiha Yue nor Hatake Kakashi said another word, focusing instead on adjusting their states in silence.

However, while Uchiha Yue and Hatake Kakashi looked solemn on the arena floor, the spectators in the stands were quite relaxed.

For the audience who had come to watch the duel, it didn't matter who won in the end; they were just there to enjoy the spectacle.

Still, these spectators were very much looking forward to seeing Uchiha Yue defeat Hatake Kakashi, as Hatake Kakashi's reputation in Konoha was so loud that it needed someone to dampen it a little.

Following that...

As the surrounding noise gradually faded away, Uchiha Yue and Hatake Kakashi finished adjusting their states.

Perhaps because he hadn't encountered a decent challenger in a long time, Hatake Kakashi, having just readied himself, was so excited that he actually launched a preemptive strike!

"So fast!"

At that moment, someone in the stands exclaimed, triggering a wave of gasps from the surrounding audience.

Indeed, Hatake Kakashi's speed was truly remarkable, and his control over chakra far exceeded that of an average Ninja Academy student. The moment his feet left the ground, Hatake Kakashi erupted with chakra beneath his soles, pushing his speed to the limit. It was precisely because of this that Hatake Kakashi's figure could close the distance to Uchiha Yue as quickly as a bullet leaving a chamber.

Moreover, as Hatake Kakashi drew near to Uchiha Yue, he did not forget the ninjutsu Uchiha Yue had used last time. It had to be said that the new ninjutsu Uchiha Yue had employed in his previous battle had caught the attention of many interested parties, and Hatake Kakashi was naturally one of them.

In order to defeat Uchiha Yue, Hatake Kakashi had also done his homework, and studying his opponent's strength was part of that preparation.

Seeing Uchiha Yue's figure right before him, just as Hatake Kakashi closed to within two steps of Uchiha Yue, a flash of cold light suddenly appeared!

"White Fang Blade!"

At this very moment, Uchiha Yue had been keeping a close eye on every one of Hatake Kakashi's movements, so he could naturally see through the opponent's attack pattern.

However, even though Uchiha Yue's mental energy was incredibly powerful—enough to analyze Hatake Kakashi's attack trajectory—his pupils still couldn't help but constrict when he saw the lethal weapon Hatake Kakashi had drawn. One had to know that the weapon in Hatake Kakashi's hand was the peerless divine blade that had accompanied the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo, as he rampaged across the ninja world!

What concerned Uchiha Yue even more was that Hatake Kakashi's mastery of the Hatake Sword Style was clearly far superior to that of his cousin, Hatake Dansui!

I cannot meet this head-on!

Seeing Hatake Kakashi's strength with his own eyes, this thought suddenly popped into Uchiha Yue's mind, and he immediately formed hand seals.

"Falling Moon Style: Afterimage Fist!"

"Poof..."

The instant Hatake Kakashi's White Fang Blade was about to land on him, Uchiha Yue used the Falling Moon Style: Afterimage Fist, leaving behind only an afterimage for the opponent to strike. However, Hatake Kakashi had clearly anticipated Uchiha Yue's method of evasion, so the moment Uchiha Yue used the technique to dodge, he began searching for his true location.

Sure enough, Hatake Kakashi sensed Uchiha Yue's presence to his right.

Without the slightest hesitation, Hatake Kakashi swung his blade again, slashing directly toward the location of Uchiha Yue's presence!

"Swish..."

The blade force flashed; Hatake Kakashi's strike was extremely sharp, and some spectators didn't even see the trajectory of his blade.

But after Hatake Kakashi slashed at the location of Uchiha Yue's presence, a look of surprise suddenly flashed across his previously calm eyes!

Because, where the edge of Hatake Kakashi's blade had flashed, there remained only an afterimage of Uchiha Yue!

Although that afterimage was slowly fading away, its existence meant that Hatake Kakashi's attack had failed once again!

And just as the look of surprise flashed in Hatake Kakashi's eyes, realizing he had been completely played in the palm of Uchiha Yue's hand...

From behind him, Uchiha Yue's voice suddenly rang out!

"Hatake Kakashi, that was a ninjutsu I recently developed: Falling Moon Style: Double Afterimage Fist!"

"You've fallen for it!"