Duanmu vs. Kakashi

After Kakashi dealt with most of Naruto's clones, he seemed a little bored. He walked over to Sasuke, who was buried in the dirt, and lightly nudged his shoulder with the tip of his foot. "Hey, you. Giving up just like that?"

Sasuke clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, but he could not get a word out. All he felt now was overwhelming humiliation and anger.

"How dull." Kakashi shook his head and looked once more toward a certain direction in the training ground. "So, who's next? The idiot who only knows the Clone Technique, or the calm-looking little guy?"

Just then, Kakashi's brow suddenly lifted slightly, as if he had noticed something. He spun around and looked at a large tree behind him.

"Come on out. I know you're there." Kakashi's voice held a trace of teasing. "Hiding and sneaking around isn't exactly how a ninja should behave."

Hidden up in the tree, Sakura heard Kakashi's words, and her heart leapt into her throat. She was so frightened that her whole body went stiff, her hands and feet ice-cold, with no idea what to do. She had clearly hidden herself so well. How had she been discovered?

"Don't be nervous. It's not like I'm going to eat you. I just wanted to see whether you were observing properly." Kakashi's voice softened a little. He did not look up at Sakura, instead lowering his gaze back to the Icha Icha Paradise in his hand. "Still, your observational skills really aren't bad, and your hiding technique is passable too. It's just..."

He paused, his tone carrying a faint, almost imperceptible test. "Why didn't you do something while I was dealing with those clones? For example, rescue your teammate?"

Sakura's heart gave a violent tremor, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.

Rescue her teammate? Just now, her mind had been full of how not to be discovered and how to complete the task Duanmu had assigned her. She had actually never even thought of rescuing Sasuke, who was buried in the dirt! A powerful wave of self-reproach surged through her, and she lowered her head, no longer daring to look at Kakashi.

"Looks like you still haven't understood the true meaning of teamwork." Kakashi sighed softly. He ignored Sakura and instead turned his gaze toward the direction where Duanmu was hiding, the corner of his mouth curving in an almost undetectable arc. "Then, that leaves only you, Duanmu. Are you planning to keep hiding in the dark and watching the show?"

Duanmu's heart jolted. He had not expected that, despite hiding so carefully, Kakashi had still found him. He knew there was no hiding from this. Taking a deep breath, Duanmu stepped out from behind a huge boulder, his face still calm.

"Teacher Kakashi, I was only thinking about the best way to respond," Duanmu said, neither servile nor overbearing.

"Oh? The best way?" Kakashi closed his book, folded his arms, and looked at him with interest. "Did you come up with one?"

"A few things." Duanmu nodded and swept his gaze over the trapped Sasuke and Sakura in the tree. "Teacher Kakashi, the purpose of the bell test is to examine our ability to work as a team, right?"

"Oh? Go on, then," Kakashi said noncommittally.

"If I'm not wrong, even if one of us gets a bell, as long as our teamwork fails, all of us will be eliminated. Conversely, if we show enough team awareness, even if no one gets a bell, we may still be able to pass the test," Duanmu said slowly. His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Sasuke abruptly raised his head and stared at Duanmu in disbelief. What nonsense was this guy spouting? In the world of ninja, strength reigned supreme. If you could not get a bell, you failed. What else was there to say?

Sakura froze as well. She had never considered that possibility.

A hint of approval flashed through Kakashi's eyes, but he quickly regained his calm. "Interesting. Then what do you plan to do to show your team awareness?"

"Simple." Duanmu's gaze grew firm. "I'm going to rescue Sasuke."

"Rescue me?" Sasuke snorted coldly as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "I don't need your pity!"

Duanmu ignored Sasuke's mockery and looked at Kakashi. "Teacher Kakashi, I know I'm no match for you. But I'll try my best. And I believe true teamwork isn't one person fighting alone, but everyone taking part together."

With that, Duanmu suddenly moved. He did not charge at Kakashi, but ran toward Sasuke, who was buried in the dirt.

"Oh? Are you throwing yourself into the net?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and with a blur of motion, he was already blocking Duanmu's path, so fast that Duanmu had no time to react.

"He's your target?" Kakashi pointed at Sasuke behind him, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

"Yes." Duanmu met Kakashi's gaze, his tone not wavering in the slightest. "He's my teammate."

Before his words had even faded, Duanmu suddenly formed seals rapidly with his left hand. They were not seals for an offensive ninjutsu, but seemed more like some little trick to interfere with vision. At the same time, his right hand quietly reached for the ninja tool pouch at his waist, not taking out a kunai or shuriken, but... a Smoke Bomb!

"Hmm?" A trace of surprise flashed through Kakashi's eyes, as if he had not expected Duanmu to pull this move. This kid's train of thought was rather clear. Knowing he had no chance in a direct clash, he was trying to create an opening this way?

Bang!

The Smoke Bomb exploded in front of Duanmu, and white smoke instantly spread out, enveloping a small area between him and Kakashi.

"Sakura!" Duanmu's voice pierced through the smoke as he shouted urgently toward Sakura in the tree. "Use the Flash Powder you prepared!"

Hidden among the branches and leaves, Sakura heard Duanmu's command, and her body moved on reflex.

Her nerves had been stretched tight the whole time, and her fingers had long since hooked onto the small cloth pouch on the side of her ninja tool pouch that held the specially made Flash Powder. Now that Duanmu had given the order, she did not hesitate. She untied the pouch and hurled it with all her strength toward the edge of the smoke-filled area!

The pouch traced an arc through the air and landed precisely not far from Kakashi's side. At the same time, Sakura quickly formed a one-handed seal and gave a low shout. "Scatter!"

Bang! The instant the pouch hit the ground, it burst open. It was not a violent explosion, but countless extremely fine phosphor particles suddenly ignited under the stimulation of chakra, erupting in a dazzling white light! This light was far more concentrated than an ordinary flash bomb, spreading exactly in Kakashi's direction.

"Hmm?" Kakashi was indeed drawn by the sudden flash, and his eyes narrowed subconsciously. Even for him, at such close range, he needed a brief moment to adapt to the intense light. The aura he had locked onto Duanmu loosened for an instant.

Now!

In the smoke, Duanmu had long since prepared himself. The instant the flash lit up, he poured all his chakra into his legs and used his current fastest speed, shooting toward Sasuke like an arrow loosed from the bowstring! His goal was not to get tangled up fighting Kakashi, but to use this fleeting opportunity to get close to Sasuke!

"Not a chance!" Kakashi's reaction speed was astonishingly fast. Though his vision had been disrupted, he still relied on his perception of the flow of chakra to quickly lock onto Duanmu's movements.

Almost at the same time Duanmu moved, Kakashi's right foot was already lifting. With a fierce gust of force, it swept horizontally toward Duanmu's side. The kick looked casual, but it sealed off every path Duanmu could take, its timing and angle grasped perfectly.

Duanmu's pupils shrank slightly. Kakashi's reaction speed far exceeded his expectations. He knew there was absolutely no way he could dodge such a heavy, powerful kick. If he forced himself to take it head-on, he would probably lose the ability to move in an instant. In that critical moment, Duanmu suddenly lowered his center of gravity, planted his left hand rapidly on the ground, and his entire body tilted and slid sideways at an almost unreasonable angle.

Rip!

Kakashi's toes skimmed past Duanmu's shoulder by the barest margin, and the gust of wind they brought tore a gash in his sleeve, revealing the solid arm beneath. Though it had been incredibly dangerous, Duanmu ultimately avoided that fatal blow by the skin of his teeth.

Using the momentum of his slide, Duanmu rolled with it and finally broke out of Kakashi's blockade, arriving in front of Sasuke, who was buried in the dirt. Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly pressed both hands to the ground around Sasuke, and the chakra inside his body poured steadily into the earth.