You Won't Even Call Me Class Monitor

The fireball and the earth wall collided as if ordained by fate.

Only, Kakashi's earth wall did not yet have a dog head carved into it.

And his opponent was not Obito.

It was the man whom Obito had called "Big Brother" for four years!

Whoosh!

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

As the first and currently only Fire Style ninjutsu Ruohuo had mastered.

Through years of training and the blessing of being a "Fire Style prodigy," he had long since honed it to the limit!

Perhaps limited by his physical body, the power of this technique could not reach an outrageous level.

But Ruohuo, having long known that Kakashi would use Earth Style for defense, was able to change the shape of the Great Fireball through subtle adjustments!

The total chakra consumption remained the same, and the overall power remained unchanged.

But the range had been expanded, far exceeding the width of Kakashi's earth wall!

In a word, Ruohuo's Great Fireball was hollow.

This allowed it to spread out upon encountering resistance, bypass the earth wall, and continue its forward assault!

"Damn it!"

Teacher Oki cursed inwardly, nearly forgetting those three Hyuga students; they had all been roasted into the hospital by Fire Style!

But just as Oki's Body Flicker Technique was halfway activated, what he saw in his field of vision made him stop.

"Ho! This youngster."

"Is he truly worthy of being White Fang's son? Was he prepared from the start?"

Poof--

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

But Kakashi's body transformed into a branch—this was the Substitution Jutsu, knowledge they wouldn't even touch upon in the Ninja Academy until next week.

Kakashi had already appeared on the branch of a tree behind him, having snapped off a twig to use as a weapon.

There was no help for it; the only kunai he carried had already been thrown.

Kakashi was still a student, after all; he couldn't exactly stuff his ninja tool pouch with that many weapons.

"As the son of White Fang, isn't using a tree branch a bit beneath you?"

At a time like this, Ruohuo displayed the demeanor a strong fighter should have.

He tossed a kunai directly to Kakashi, while he himself picked up the one Kakashi had previously dropped on the ground.

Although Ruohuo did indeed want a fair fight with Kakashi to test himself.

In truth, this wasn't a bad deal for him.

He had been using the kunai he threw to Kakashi for years; the price of ninja tools was not low, and between his and Obito's families, this was the only one they had. He had been using it constantly, to the point where it was practically coated in grime.

The moment Kakashi caught it, he felt something was wrong. Why was it so light?

Upon closer inspection, good grief!

Except for the handle, the entire kunai had clearly been polished so often that it was a full size smaller than a standard one!

However, Kakashi didn't say anything.

At least the opponent giving him a kunai was better than him using a tree branch...

"I apologize for my previous provocation, Uchiha Ruohuo."

Kakashi jumped down from the tree, his expression serious.

"But regardless, please be careful from here on out."

Kakashi assumed an offensive stance.

The single tomoe in Ruohuo's eyes locked onto Kakashi firmly.

He spun the kunai on his finger, looking indifferent.

"Do you still not understand, Kakashi?"

"The gap between you and me cannot be bridged by a single kunai..."

"You aren't even willing to call me Squad Leader."

"In that case, I won't be holding back anymore either."

Just kidding...

No matter how much of a genius Kakashi was, could he dodge the dynamic vision of the Sharingan?

A single tomoe—he was a Sharingan user too, for heaven's sake!

"Hoo..."

Kakashi took a deep breath.

Since things had reached this point, there was no use in saying anything more.

Let's fight!

Whoosh!

Kakashi seized the initiative; Hatake Kenjutsu prioritized striking first!

Ruohuo appeared relaxed, but in reality, his focus was at one hundred percent. While his single-tomoe Sharingan locked onto Kakashi's movements, he was secretly taking notes in his little notebook.

This was the Hatake Kenjutsu passed down through a single line!

Once White Fang committed suicide and Kakashi shut himself off from the world, this style would be lost forever!

Every glance was a gain, every bit learned was a treasure.

Ping—

Kakashi's offensive was fierce, his kunai held at a thirty-degree angle to his forearm as he slashed downward!

Ruohuo did not have the advantage in speed, but the Sharingan had the effect of seizing the initiative, allowing him to raise his kunai in time to block.

Kakashi changed his move, shifting from a slash to an upward strike, while simultaneously following up with a spinning whip kick.

Ruohuo perceived the opening, abandoning his block to dodge perfectly with a side-step and a lean.

Kakashi changed his moves in rapid succession.

Ruohuo countered each one.

The battle between the two had completely devolved into a contest between kenjutsu and the Sharingan.

Ruohuo was handling it with ease; his single-tomoe Sharingan was limited by his mission completion rate, keeping him stuck at one tomoe for four years.

However, the accumulation of experience and his proficiency in adapting to these eyes were not restricted by the system.

His energy consumption was minimal—no more than what he used to catch rabbits.

Kakashi, however, was giving it his all; with every swing of his blade, his stamina plummeted!

And just as Kakashi exhausted his entire sequence of combos without achieving any results, leaving himself panting for breath, Ruohuo's little notebook had gradually recorded a sword style with a rough, systematic structure...

He clearly has more strength than me, so why does he keep dodging?

Kakashi pulled back for a moment, gasping for air, feeling that something was wrong.

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

Suddenly, Ruohuo spoke softly.

Kakashi didn't want to waste energy talking, as it would disrupt his breathing rhythm and hinder his stamina recovery.

But he had to respond to show respect; nodding didn't seem right, so he could only shake his head.

And this shake of the head helped Ruohuo successfully pull off a perfect act of posturing...

"Because in front of these eyes."

"The enemy's weaknesses are infinitely magnified."

"And the enemy's strengths..."

"All become nourishment for these eyes!"

Whoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, Ruohuo raised his kunai and charged at Kakashi, blade and elbow moving in unison, slashing down fiercely from above!

Kakashi's pupils constricted—this was clearly his own move!

He hurriedly raised his kunai to block, but Ruohuo changed his move again, shifting from a slash to a sweep; even the change in technique was exactly what Kakashi had just used!

Ping—!

Kakashi blocked the attack, but his eyes were filled with utter shock!

Ping—!

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

Ping—!

The blade stopped just half an inch from Kakashi's neck. He had blocked it by the narrowest of margins, and a trace of terror had already crept into his eyes.

Not only did he see his own shadow in his opponent...

He even realized that the other party seemed to be deliberately slowing down his movements, as if he were... waiting for him?

"That's enough, Kakashi."

Ruohuo put away his kunai, sliding it directly into his pocket, and performed the Seal of Reconciliation.

Kakashi was somewhat dazed.

Looking at the smile on Ruohuo's face, Kakashi let out a breath and eventually formed the Seal of Reconciliation as well.

"I lost..."

"Squad leader."