You Won't Even Call Me Class Representative

The fireball and the earthen wall collided as if fate had ordained it.

Only Kakashi's earthen wall didn't have a dog's head yet.

And his opponent wasn't Obito, either.

It was the man Obito had called his big brother for four years!

Fwoom!!!

Great Fireball Technique.

It was the first—and so far, the only—Fire Style technique Ruohuo had mastered.

After years of training, boosted by his "Fire Style Little Genius" title, Ruohuo had long since honed it to perfection!

Perhaps his body still limited its power, keeping the technique from becoming truly outrageous.

But Ruohuo had known for a long time that Kakashi would defend with Earth Release, and he could change the Great Fireball's shape with subtle adjustments!

The total chakra consumed remained the same, as did its overall power.

But its range grew, far exceeding Kakashi's earthen wall!

In short, Ruohuo's Great Fireball was hollow inside.

That way, when it met resistance, it could spread out, flow around the wall, and keep surging forward!

"Damn it!"

Teacher Oki cursed under his breath. He'd almost forgotten those three Hyuga students, who'd all ended up in the hospital after getting roasted by Fire Style!

But Oki had only just started using the Body Flicker Technique when what he saw made him stop.

"Oh! This kid..."

"No wonder he's Lord White Fang's son. He was ready for this?"

Whoosh—

The wave of fire swallowed the earthen wall and struck Kakashi.

But Kakashi's body turned into a piece of wood—Substitution Technique, a lesson the Ninja Academy wouldn't cover until next week.

Kakashi had somehow already made it to a branch of the large tree behind them, and he'd snapped off a branch to use as a weapon.

He didn't have much choice. The only kunai he'd been carrying had already been thrown.

Kakashi was still a student; he couldn't exactly keep a whole arsenal in his ninja pouch.

"As White Fang's son, using a branch is a bit embarrassing, isn't it?"

Ruohuo showed the kind of grace one expected from a strong fighter.

He tossed Kakashi a kunai, then picked up the one Kakashi had dropped earlier.

Ruohuo did want a fair fight with Kakashi to test himself, so this wasn't a bad deal for him, either.

He'd had the kunai he tossed Kakashi for years. Ninja tools weren't cheap, and he and Obito's family only had the one. Ruohuo had always been the one using it, and it was practically polished smooth by now.

The moment Kakashi took it, he could tell something was off. Why was it so light?

He took a closer look. Sure enough, apart from the handle, the whole kunai had clearly been sharpened over and over. It was a full size smaller than a normal one!

But Kakashi didn't say anything.

At least his opponent had given him a kunai. That was better than making him fight with a branch...

"I apologize for provoking you earlier, Uchiha Ruohuo."

Kakashi jumped down from the tree and spoke with a serious expression.

"But no matter what, please be careful from here on."

Kakashi took up an attacking stance.

The single tomoe in Ruohuo's eye fixed firmly on Kakashi.

He spun the kunai around one finger, looking completely nonchalant.

"You still don't understand, do you, Kakashi?"

"The gap between us can't be made up by a kunai..."

"You won't even call me class representative."

"So from now on, I won't hold back."

As if...

No matter how much of a genius Kakashi was, could he evade the Sharingan's kinetic vision?

A single tomoe was still a Sharingan, for crying out loud!

"Phew..."

Kakashi took a deep breath.

At this point, there wasn't much more he could say.

Time to fight!

Whoosh!

Kakashi lunged first. Hatake Kenjutsu was all about striking before your opponent!

Ruohuo looked relaxed on the surface, but his attention was fully focused. While his single tomoe tracked Kakashi's movements, he silently took mental notes.

This was the Hatake Sword Technique, passed down through the generations!

Once White Fang took his own life and Kakashi shut himself away, it would be lost!

He had to learn what he could while he still had the chance.

Clang—

Kakashi attacked fiercely, bringing his kunai down in a horizontal slash at a 30-degree angle to his forearm!

Ruohuo couldn't match his speed, but the Sharingan let him get ahead of his opponent. He raised his kunai just in time to block.

Kakashi changed his move, turning the slash into an upward sweep, then added a spinning roundhouse kick.

Seeing it coming, Ruohuo abandoned his block and leaned sideways and back, avoiding it perfectly.

Kakashi kept changing his moves.

Ruohuo responded again.

Their battle had become a contest between swordsmanship and the Sharingan.

Ruohuo handled it with ease. Because he hadn't completed enough missions, his single tomoe had stayed at one for four years.

But his accumulated experience, and his familiarity and skill with these eyes, weren't restricted by the system.

He wasn't using much energy—about as much as he spent catching rabbits.

Kakashi, though, was giving it everything he had. Every time he swung his blade, his stamina plummeted!

And when Kakashi had run through several combinations without landing a single hit, only to end up panting for breath, Ruohuo's mental notes had gradually taken shape as a sword style with a rough structure...

He's stronger than me, so why does he keep dodging?

Kakashi stepped back to put some distance between them and panted, feeling that something was wrong.

"Do you know why the Uchiha Clan is the strongest in Konoha?"

Ruohuo suddenly asked in a soft voice.

Kakashi didn't want to waste energy talking. It would disrupt his breathing and slow his recovery.

But he had to respond somehow, out of respect. Nodding didn't seem right, so all he could do was shake his head.

And that shake helped Ruohuo pull off a perfect bit of grandstanding...

"Because in front of these eyes..."

"An enemy's weaknesses are magnified without limit."

"And an enemy's strengths..."

"Become nourishment for these eyes!"

Whoosh!

The moment he finished speaking, Ruohuo raised his kunai and charged at Kakashi, blade and elbow aligned as he brought it crashing down from above!

Kakashi's pupils contracted. That was clearly his own move!

He hurriedly raised his kunai to block, but Ruohuo changed his move again, turning the downward slash into a sweep. Even that change was one Kakashi had just used!

Clang—!

Kakashi blocked the attack, but his eyes widened in shock!

Clang—!

Ruohuo attacked again, and Kakashi could only block in a hurry!

Clang—!

The blade was now barely half an inch from Kakashi's neck. He blocked it by the skin of his teeth, and fear crept into his eyes.

He hadn't just seen his own movements reflected in Ruohuo...

He'd also realized Ruohuo seemed to be deliberately slowing down, almost as if he was... waiting for him?

"That's enough, Kakashi."

Ruohuo put away his kunai, tucked it into his pocket, and formed the Seal of Reconciliation.

Kakashi stared blankly.

Looking at Ruohuo's smile, Kakashi let out a breath and finally formed the Seal of Reconciliation, too.

"I lost..."

"Class representative."