Hatake Kakashi

Before the battle began, Lihuo had already analyzed his strengths and weaknesses. It was simply how he always thought.

After all, only by knowing yourself and your enemy could you find a way to defeat them.

Other people might not know their opponent's abilities and jutsu, but Lihuo knew the Naruto story inside and out. He was thoroughly familiar with the traits and jutsu of every character with a name.

That was the power of Lihuo's intel!

Against Kakashi at this age, his exceptional Taijutsu and ninjutsu were the key obstacles to Lihuo's victory.

By contrast, although Lihuo had many powerful jutsu, his chakra reserves were limited. Defeating his opponent with just two jutsu would be incredibly difficult.

Besides, Lihuo had only trained for ten days, so his physical abilities couldn't have improved dramatically. That made defeating Kakashi with Taijutsu especially difficult.

Lihuo understood that there was only one way to win this duel—touch Kakashi's head in the middle of battle.

As long as he managed to touch Kakashi during the duel, he could receive another enhancement. Given Kakashi's abilities, the reward would most likely be worthwhile. If it included something that could help him defeat his opponent, he could turn the tables.

So the key to this duel was touching Kakashi's head.

It seemed like a long time had passed, but in truth, Lihuo had come to this conclusion in an instant.

The battle was about to begin.

Kakashi held nothing back, rushing at Lihuo at tremendous speed.

Lihuo, however, didn't want to get drawn into close combat too quickly. As he watched Kakashi charge toward him, his eyes shifted slightly and a plan came to mind.

His hands flashed through the seals at lightning speed. His Kage Level hand-sealing speed was too fast for anyone present to notice.

Then Lihuo reached for his ninja pouch and sent kunai and shuriken flying at Kakashi one after another.

Thanks to his hard training, Lihuo had improved tremendously at throwing kunai. His barrage of kunai subtly blocked Kakashi's possible routes.

Kakashi was just as formidable. He drew a kunai and knocked every shuriken to the ground with pinpoint accuracy, but the move slowed his charge for an instant.

This was the opportunity Lihuo had been waiting for. He darted forward, but didn't go straight for Kakashi's head. He knew his earlier attack hadn't caused Kakashi much trouble.

Lihuo launched a swift attack, using Kage Level chakra control to gather chakra in his feet and release it in an instant. He reached Kakashi in a flash.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed at Lihuo's sudden appearance. He hadn't expected him to be so fast.

Lihuo pushed off with both feet and spun into motion. He began with a low kick, followed by a high kick as he rotated at high speed, then finished with a heel strike.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

Mastering Konoha Strong Fist had greatly improved Lihuo's Taijutsu. He had also incorporated the force-generating method of Strength of a Hundred into Leaf Great Whirlwind, giving the move extraordinary power.

Kakashi clearly felt the pressure, too. After deflecting the first strike, he realized he couldn't take the technique head-on. He dodged and weaved to avoid Lihuo's attacks, but one kick sent the kunai in his hand flying.

Kakashi rubbed his aching wrist.

"You're strong. But even the strongest technique is meaningless if it can't hit its target."

The brief clash made the students around them gasp.

"That's Kakashi! How is this Uchiha Lihuo holding his own against him?"

"Wow, that Uchiha boy is so handsome! I wonder what he's like."

"They're both so handsome. How am I supposed to choose?"

Lihuo paid no attention to the people around him. Right now, all he wanted was to defeat Kakashi.

This technique won't last much longer. I have to end this quickly. Lihuo cast a discreet glance at the kunai closest to Kakashi.

But even that subtle glance didn't escape Kakashi, who had been watching Lihuo closely the entire time.

Why did he look at the kunai on the ground? I don't know what he's planning, but I can't let him get away with it.

Kakashi had shed his usual laziness. His eyes were filled with focus and gravity.

This boy named Lihuo is no ordinary kid. Looks like I'll have to take him seriously.

Kakashi drew a kunai and rushed forward. His footwork and speed were completely different from before.

Earlier, Lihuo had been able to roughly predict Kakashi's movements and block his routes. Now, he couldn't tell where to intercept Kakashi's attack.

As Kakashi sped toward him, Lihuo breathed a sigh of relief.

He really noticed. I should be glad he did.

Unable to stop Kakashi's charge, Lihuo refused to sit back and wait for defeat. He drew a kunai and braced himself.

But this time, the close-quarters fight was completely one-sided. No matter how Lihuo defended, Kakashi always managed to attack from a blind spot.

Whenever Lihuo tried to counterattack, Kakashi dodged away like a startled hare.

"Hatake Sword Technique!" Lihuo thought, startled. He hadn't expected Kakashi to unleash such power with nothing but a kunai and no short sword. He really couldn't be underestimated.

"Lihuo, I don't know why you were looking at that kunai, but I'm sorry. I won't let you get your way."

Kakashi gripped his kunai in both hands and slashed diagonally downward.

Lihuo raised his kunai to block, but the clash rang out with a crisp metallic chime, and his kunai was knocked to the ground.

But Lihuo smiled.

"You did see it. Good thing you did."

Suddenly, the kunai that had just been knocked from Lihuo's hand at his feet went poof—and turned into Lihuo.

"What! How did he do that?" the students watching cried out in astonishment.

"Even the Clone Technique can't do that!"

Only the more experienced students, such as Kakashi and Asuma, and the Chunin instructor stayed silent.

They understood that this wasn't something a simple Clone Technique could accomplish. It was a much more advanced jutsu—the Shadow Clone Technique.

By combining the Shadow Clone Technique and the Transformation Technique, he had turned a shadow clone into a kunai, then launched a surprise attack at the crucial moment.

But they had been watching the fight closely, and none of them could figure out when Lihuo had performed the hand seals.

Lihuo didn't give them time to think it over. His shadow clone attacked in an instant, unleashing a backspin kick at Kakashi with incredible speed and force.

"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"

The powerful kick forced Kakashi to stop attacking Lihuo's real body. He dodged out of range of Strong Whirlwind, then quickly swung his kunai and dispelled the shadow clone.

But where was Lihuo's real body?

A voice sounded behind Kakashi. "See? You left yourself wide open after that move."

A hand touched Kakashi's head. Kakashi immediately grabbed Lihuo and tried to throw him in front of himself.

But Lihuo suddenly surged with strength and broke free of Kakashi's grip, then shot away from him like an arrow loosed from a bow.

"Ding! Head pat, C-rank ninja: Hatake Kakashi, please choose one of the following rewards"

"Hatake Swordsmanship"

"Konoha Secret Taijutsu Ultimate Technique: One Thousand Years of Death"

"Moderately enhanced physical fitness"

Seeing the rewards before him, Lihuo didn't hesitate at all. He chose "Moderate Physical Enhancement."

He was actually torn. Under his current circumstances, when he lacked a reliable way to win, Thousand Years of Death was useless.

And although "Hatake Sword Technique" was powerful, he couldn't use it in Konoha. It was the Hatake Clan's ancestral sword technique, and he'd have no way to explain where he got it.

After all, who would believe that a kid with no connection to the Hatake Clan and no Sharingan could master the Hatake Sword Technique so quickly?

So the seemingly ordinary "Moderate Physical Enhancement" turned out to be the best choice.

"Reward issued"

As the system's cold voice rang out, Lihuo knew the battle was nearing its end.