Had You Lost Confidence, Sasuke?

Yeyu watched Sasuke kneeling on the ground, staring at him in shock, his expression calm.

"What? Did you think you'd killed me?"

Yeyu's words brought Sasuke back to his senses.

He hurriedly got to his feet.

"You... how are you not hurt?"

Yeyu didn't explain. Instead, he said, "All right. Other than that jutsu, do you have any others?"

"If not, I'll have to say I'm a little disappointed."

The chakra inside Sasuke was almost depleted.

But when he saw Yeyu's calm expression,

he refused to admit that this was as far as he could go, that this was all he was capable of.

"Sasuke, that's enough. It's over. You need to rest."

Kakashi spoke up to stop him. If they kept going, Sasuke's chakra would be drained completely, and he could die.

But Sasuke ignored him and drew his Kunai and Shuriken.

"It's not over yet."

He hurled his Kunai and Shuriken at Yeyu.

Explosive Tags were tied to all of them.

Seeing the Explosive Tags attached to the Kunai and Shuriken flying toward him,

Yeyu remarked, "As expected of the Uchiha Clan. You really are rich."

A single Explosive Tag cost several thousand ryo, enough to buy a hundred bowls of Ichiraku Ramen.

Sasuke had thrown several at once.

Even after the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, the village hadn't treated Sasuke, the sole orphan, poorly at all.

Among the three members of Team 7, Sasuke had the most luxurious home: a villa.

Kakashi wanted to step in and stop him.

But when he saw Yeyu's calm demeanor, he reconsidered and held back.

He knew Sasuke wasn't capable of putting Yeyu in any danger.

"After this fight, Sasuke will understand the gap between himself and Yeyu. He'll make Yeyu his goal and work hard to catch up," Kakashi thought.

That was Kakashi's purpose.

Of the members of Team 7, Naruto was the one he was closest to, but Sasuke was the one he had the highest hopes for.

Kakashi hoped Sasuke could grow into Yeyu's assistant, someone he could rely on.

The Kunai and Shuriken flew toward Yeyu.

Just as several of them were about to hit him, Yeyu's body suddenly turned into golden flames.

The Kunai and Shuriken flew past him, and the flames ignited the Explosive Tags.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The Explosive Tags detonated violently, blasting the area within a dozen meters into a cloud of dust and smoke.

But Sasuke wasn't happy at all.

He had seen Yeyu turn into flames.

"All right, it's over!"

Suddenly, Sasuke felt someone pat his shoulder, then heard Yeyu's voice behind him.

Sasuke's eyes widened, and his body stiffened.

Even Kakashi, who had kept his Sharingan activated the whole time, was stunned.

"What... what kind of jutsu is this?"

"How did he get behind Sasuke?"

"Why couldn't I see him, even with my Sharingan activated?"

Kakashi realized that even with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he couldn't see how Yeyu had gotten behind Sasuke.

"Space-Time Ninjutsu?"

"But he only got the Flying Thunder God Technique yesterday. He shouldn't have mastered it yet. Besides, he didn't place any markers."

Kakashi couldn't tell what kind of teleportation jutsu Yeyu had used.

This was one of the abilities of his elemental transformation.

At close range, he could move instantly by turning into an element.

It was almost indistinguishable from teleportation.

Sasuke couldn't move at all.

It was terrifying. The gap between him and Yeyu was this enormous.

Naruto and Sakura had no idea what they'd just seen.

But Sakura could tell that Yeyu had moved very quickly. He seemed to have used some kind of teleportation jutsu, so fast that even Sasuke couldn't react.

Naruto, meanwhile, thought it was terrifying. Yeyu was strong, and his jutsu were bizarre.

He thought, I absolutely mustn't mess with Yeyu in the future, or I'll end up like Mizuki-sensei, won't I?

Naruto still couldn't forget Mizuki that night.

Yeyu had punched him so hard that he'd been covered in blood and knocked unconscious.

Yeyu turned to Kakashi and said, "Kakashi-sensei, I've watched your test. I'll head back now."

With that, he turned into a streak of flames and disappeared before their eyes.

Watching as Yeyu truly vanished,

Kakashi finally came to his senses and said with a sigh, "That kid... So the strength he showed that night wasn't his real power."

After seeing the power Yeyu had just displayed, Kakashi felt certain that Yeyu wasn't merely someone with exceptional Taijutsu.

His Ninjutsu was probably just as terrifying.

And he had developed all of it himself.

"Is he good at Fire Release Ninjutsu?"

"He's a lot like Hiruzen. No wonder Hiruzen insisted on having you study under him."

Hiruzen had all five chakra natures, and was skilled in the related jutsu.

But Fire Release was his greatest specialty, with Earth Release as a supporting element.

Yeyu's Fire Release was formidable too.

"Even that jutsu that lets him turn into flames must be extremely difficult, right?"

"His powerful Taijutsu, his overwhelming presence, and his bizarre, unpredictable Fire Release Ninjutsu."

"Yeyu already has everything it takes to become Hokage."

"All he lacks is age and seniority."

Kakashi smiled. "Xidai, perhaps before long, Konoha will have a shinobi who surpasses you."

"You must be happy too, right?"

Kakashi thought that if Xidai saw Yeyu, he would be very pleased.

With such a powerful shinobi in Konoha, the village could prosper for decades to come.

Seeing Sasuke still standing there in a daze, Kakashi walked over.

He patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "Do you understand the gap between you and him now?"

"Hiruzen wasn't wrong about him. Yeyu's strength is far beyond the level of a Chunin. It's just that he only recently graduated from the Ninja Academy."

"That's why he could only be promoted to Chunin for now."

"It won't be long before he becomes a Jonin."

Sasuke was silent for a long time.

Clenching his fist, he said with his head lowered, "I'll beat him."

Kakashi nodded in approval. "Good. You're an Uchiha. You have a Kekkei Genkai even more exceptional than his."

"Once you awaken those eyes, you'll have a chance to beat him."

Kakashi said this to encourage Sasuke.

He didn't actually think Sasuke could beat Yeyu after awakening the Sharingan.

Yeyu's current strength was already beyond Kakashi's reach.

He wondered: if Itachi Uchiha were here, could he really beat Yeyu?

"Even if Yeyu lost, it would only be because he lacked combat experience."

"But I don't think Yeyu would lose."

Having worked with Itachi Uchiha, Kakashi felt that Itachi's strength was inferior to Yeyu's.

Aside from his bizarre Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi had no chance of defeating Yeyu.

Even if he used his Mangekyō Sharingan, Kakashi didn't think Itachi could beat Yeyu.

Sasuke was talented, but he still had a long way to go before he could match his brother.

And Yeyu was on an entirely different level.

But Kakashi couldn't tell the truth.

If he did, not only Sasuke but Naruto would lose confidence too.