Making Kakashi Submit

The Sharingan could see clearly, but his body couldn't keep up.

That was the biggest problem when facing Kakashi.

His speed and reflexes were inferior to Kakashi's. Although speed and reflexes could be trained, it took long, grueling practice—like Guy, who was a hardworking genius.

Suifeng had a different way of thinking. If you were already a genius, why work so hard?

He didn't like putting his body through that kind of sheer abuse, and he couldn't do it anyway.

Three months of intensive training couldn't make up the gap between him and Kakashi.

At the lower and middle ranks, a gap like this was difficult to overcome or make up for. Sometimes, there wasn't even time to use the Substitution Technique.

Thud!!

That kick landed squarely on Suifeng's left side.

It was over!

At the sight of that blow, the sharp-eyed ninja present reached the same conclusion almost simultaneously.

"Still not good enough?!"

Uchiha Fukuyama felt a little disappointed. He knew Suifeng was no match for Kakashi, but he hadn't expected the match to end so quickly.

On the other side, Sakumo stood beside the Third Hokage. A faint smile appeared beneath his mask.

Kakashi hadn't let him down.

"Sakumo, it looks like Kakashi will have no trouble passing the Chunin Ninja Exams this time!"

The Third Hokage's eyes gleamed as he spoke to the White Fang.

"He's too young. I still think it would be better to let him take the exam next year," White Fang replied with some restraint. "He's too young to take on the responsibilities of a Chunin!"

"You can't say that. Konoha needs a new generation like him right now!" the Third Hokage said calmly. "Actually, this Uchiha Suifeng is pretty good too. It's a shame... Hmm?!"

The Third Hokage's expression abruptly froze, and the entire training ground fell silent.

Uchiha Fukuyama's mouth fell slightly open, his eyes full of disbelief.

Impossible. This couldn't be happening. How could it be?!

He had been training Suifeng for the past few months. How could he not know how far Suifeng had progressed?

True Iron Body, a Body Technique he'd considered a bit far-fetched, had only recently been proposed by Suifeng, and Suifeng hadn't been practicing it for long. It had shown some promise, but it was nowhere near ready for actual combat. And using it successfully against Kakashi in a fast-paced fight was something Suifeng simply couldn't do yet.

But what was he seeing?

Back to the fight—

Kakashi suddenly accelerated. Although Suifeng could follow his movements with the Sharingan, his body couldn't react quickly enough to dodge. A look of panic appeared on his face as his body twisted sharply.

The next moment, with a muffled thud, Kakashi's Konoha Whirlwind crashed into Suifeng's left side.

Here came the important part!

It had crashed into his left side!

Hard!

Suifeng's body sank under the impact. His knees bent slightly, but he didn't move an inch.

Kakashi, on the other hand, went pale. That kick had felt like he'd struck an iron plate. Pain shot through his toes, and even the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitched. Beneath his mask, his mouth had twisted in pain. Worse, he felt that the toes he'd kicked Suifeng with might already be broken.

Instinctively, he looked up at Suifeng and met his blood-red eyes. A single Tomoe swirled, and Kakashi's vision blurred.

Not good!

The moment had arrived. Suifeng wasn't about to give him another chance. His hands formed seals, and the red glow in his eyes grew brighter.

Genjutsu: Mist Walker Technique!

In an instant, countless figures appeared before Kakashi. Realizing he'd fallen under a genjutsu, Kakashi formed hand seals, preparing to dispel it.

Smack!!

A muffled thud rang out as his head slammed into something hard.

Blood sprayed, and the sharp pain snapped him straight out of the genjutsu.

Through his daze, he saw Suifeng's grinning face. For a brief moment, he also glimpsed a dark, lumpy object in Suifeng's hand.

It lasted only an instant. The next moment, Suifeng had vanished.

Kakashi felt his feet leave the ground, then he crashed down. A sudden pressure tightened around his neck, making it difficult to breathe. One of his arms was pinned straight, leaving him unable to fight back or break free.

Kakashi, submit beneath me...

The next moment, Kakashi passed out.

The audience was just as dumbfounded.

Only seconds earlier, they'd thought the match was over. In fact, it was over—but the winner and loser had completely switched places.

Suifeng had moved with such speed and force that they were all stunned.

The turning point had been Kakashi's kick. They'd thought victory was all but certain, that a single kick would end the fight. Instead, it had been the start of his downfall.

Not only had the kick failed to achieve its intended result, but it had also left Kakashi at Suifeng's mercy.

Everyone saw that something had gone wrong with the kick. He'd struck with the confidence that the match was over, never expecting it to have no effect.

For some reason, the Konoha Whirlwind's failure left him distracted. In that split second, he fell under a genjutsu. Then, while Kakashi was trapped, Suifeng somehow produced a dark, lumpy object and smashed it into his head, drawing a gush of blood.

Kakashi was left dazed by the blow, while Suifeng seized one of his arms in an instant. He rolled to the ground, hooked his legs around Kakashi's neck, and kept him from breaking free.

Capturing Technique: Jujutsu: Cross-Armbar!

The entire sequence took two seconds, and the match was decided in an instant.

Suifeng had watched hundreds of anime episodes and countless movies, so he knew all about power-ups in the world of fiction. He'd seen those underdogs power up again and again. And there was no need to look beyond this world—how many times had Naruto tapped into the Nine-Tails' power during the Chunin Ninja Exams?

Give them even the slightest opening, and they could power up.

To make sure that kind of tragedy didn't happen to him, he'd decisively pinned Kakashi, immobilizing one of his arms so he couldn't form hand seals. He completely restrained Kakashi and locked down his neck, holding him until Echizen Ryunosuke stepped forward to announce the result.

"Winner: Uchiha Suifeng!"

Echizen Ryunosuke stepped forward, took one look, and announced the result. If he didn't, Kakashi would be strangled by Suifeng.

Hearing the result, Suifeng chuckled and released the hold before getting to his feet. He felt around his waist, pulled out another dark, lumpy object, and tossed it to the ground. Then he said smugly, "That kick you landed last time still hurts when I think about it. Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared this time? Kakashi, now you've seen the power of my True Iron Body!"

The object hit the ground with a thud, and everyone understood.

That guy had strapped a chunk of iron to his waist. He'd strapped a chunk of iron to his waist! He'd strapped a chunk of iron to his waist!!!

"Y-you can do that?!"

Obito stared, wide-eyed. He wasn't the only one—almost everyone was staring in disbelief. You could do that?

Uchiha Fukuyama was completely speechless.

Suifeng had told him he was developing a special Body Technique called Iron Body, one that hardened his muscles like iron, specifically to deal with Kakashi. But when the match began, he hadn't used the Body Technique he'd supposedly developed. Instead, he'd strapped a real chunk of iron to himself. He'd really strapped on a chunk of iron!

True Iron Body!

This was just...

At that moment, he had no idea how to express what he was feeling.

"Was he being targeted?" Outside the ring, White Fang watched the scene and suddenly laughed. "What an interesting Uchiha!"