Kakashi's Touchstone

The Ninja Academy's practical training ground was always filled with the smell of sweat and dust.

Today was especially bad.

The afternoon sun was so vicious it felt like it could roast people alive, and the ground had been baked scorching hot; even stepping on it made the soles of their feet ache.

Under the shade canopy at the edge of the training ground, several students sat listlessly, fanning themselves with some tattered paper they had picked up from who knew where.

"Hey, did you hear? Today's practical combat class is a team-vs-team match."

"Seriously? I hope I don't get put in a group with that Uchiha Arashi..."

"Tch, what's there to be scared of? No matter how strong he is, he's still just one person. If the three of us fight him, we can still—"

Before he could finish, an icy gaze swept over.

The student's neck stiffened, and he quickly lowered his head, pretending to study the tips of his shoes.

Arashi leaned against a tree trunk on the other side of the training ground, both hands tucked behind the strap of his ninja tool pouch. He closed his eyes again, as if dozing.

Noisy. He snorted coldly in his heart, the corner of his mouth curving in mockery.

Ever since he had shown off a few moves on the training ground and at the Ninja Academy, his "reputation" had spread completely.

Some were in awe, some were jealous, and even more were like those just now, muttering behind his back.

Tch, a bunch of country bumpkins who had never seen the world.

Prince Vegeta could destroy this planet with one finger. I blasted through a wall and kicked down a tree—what the hell does that even count for?

Just then, Umino Ikkaku, who was in charge of the practical combat class, walked over with a scroll in hand.

"Everyone, gather up!" Teacher Ikkaku clapped his hands. "Today's practical combat class will be free team selection. Two people per team, for a match!"

"Free team selection?"

"That's great! I'm teaming up with Rin!" Obito's loud voice rang out at once, drawing plenty of eye rolls.

Arashi opened his eyes and swept his gaze across the crowd.

Most people were looking for familiar partners. Only a few glanced toward him with flickering eyes, then hurriedly looked away.

Heh, they're all scared of getting crushed by me?

Just as he was feeling bored, he suddenly caught sight of a head of silver hair from the corner of his eye—Kakashi.

That guy was standing alone at the edge of the field, holding a yellowed ninjutsu scroll in his hands, his brows slightly furrowed. He looked completely absorbed, utterly unaffected by the surrounding noise.

"(ˉ▽￣~) Tch~~ he's even better at acting cool than I am!" Arashi couldn't help grumbling inwardly.

"Yo, isn't this our genius boy, Kakashi?" Arashi gave a sneering laugh and strode over.

His voice was not loud, but the moment the words left his mouth, the surroundings fell silent.

Everyone's gazes instantly focused on them, and even Teacher Ikkaku stopped what he was doing.

Obito rubbed his hands excitedly. "Here it comes, here it comes! There's a good show to watch!"

Rin, however, frowned with some worry. "Arashi... Kakashi..."

Kakashi slowly raised his head, revealing the eye not covered by his mask, and calmly looked at the approaching Arashi.

He rolled up the scroll and put it into his ninja tool pouch, his tone indifferent. "Something you need?"

"Yeah." Arashi stopped in front of him, lifting his chin slightly, the provocation in his eyes completely undisguised. "I just think fighting those weaklings is too boring. I haven't even made a move, and they'll already be lying on the ground. So, Kakashi, do you dare fight me?"

"I refuse," Kakashi answered cleanly, then lowered his head again, preparing to read.

"Hah?" Arashi looked as if he had heard some kind of joke. "You scared?"

"Refusing doesn't require a reason." Kakashi did not even raise his head.

"Hah?" Arashi was a little surprised, then his voice filled with disdain. "Looks to me like you're afraid you've run out of tricks, afraid people will find out you're actually trash, so you're dodging the fight. What a coward. You've completely disgraced Lord White Fang's reputation."

Hatake White Fang was Hatake Kakashi's father, and his strength was extremely formidable. He was famous throughout the shinobi world.

And when insulting someone, the one thing you could not insult was their mother or father.

Sure enough, the moment Arashi's last sentence came out, Kakashi's motion of turning the page stopped.

He raised his head again, and those dark, bright eyes were filled with sharpness.

"How do you want to fight?"

"Simple." Arashi grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth, like a wolf that had locked onto its prey. "We won't use ninjutsu. Just taijutsu. Whoever pins the other to the ground first wins."

No ninjutsu?

Everyone around them froze.

Everyone had seen Uchiha Arashi's Fire Release, and no one had not been shocked by it. Now he was actually taking the initiative to request no ninjutsu?

Obito was dumbfounded too. "Hey! Arashi! Are you crazy? Kakashi's taijutsu is number one in class. Don't lose your head just because you're strong!"

"Shut up, low-class warrior." Arashi cut him off without looking back.

Obito's face turned red with anger. "Who are you calling a low-class warrior? I'm a damn ninja!"

"Heh heh." Arashi sneered.

Just then, the system's voice suddenly rang out in his mind:

[System mission triggered: Kakashi's Touchstone.]

[Mission requirement: Do not rely on the Sharingan. Use only an explosive burst of "ki" to display combat power no weaker than your opponent.]

[Mission reward: Template progress +5% (current progress 10%), unlock new ability "Battle Instinct (Beginner)."]

Arashi's eyes lit up.

5% progress! And a new ability!

Sure enough, Vegeta just could not stand anyone being more eye-catching than himself!

He flexed his wrist, and his joints made a faint cracking sound. The "ki" inside his body began to stir restlessly.

"What? Don't dare anymore?" Arashi looked at Kakashi, his tone filled with mockery. "Or is it that you only know how to rely on those flashy ninjutsu and shuriken?"

Kakashi's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. The ninjutsu and shuriken techniques he had worked so hard to learn were being dismissed by Arashi as worthless, and he grew somewhat angry.

"Fine." He stuffed the ninjutsu scroll back into his ninja tool pouch and rolled his neck. "But if you lose, you must apologize to me in front of all our classmates."

"Apologize?" Arashi burst into laughter. "That's simply the funniest joke I've heard lately. First last a few moves under my hands, then we'll talk."

"Then let's begin." Kakashi assumed a standard taijutsu opening stance, his feet slightly apart, his center of gravity lowered, his gaze turning focused.

"Kakashi really is Kakashi. Even the way he takes a stance looks so cool."

"This Uchiha Arashi is going to suffer. He used to be so timid, like he was practically invisible. Why has he suddenly turned into such a thorn lately?"

"You still don't know? I heard his parents died. This guy shut himself in at home for two days, and his personality changed completely."

"This is giving off 'sacrifice your closest kin and gain boundless power' vibes. Does he think he's the protagonist of a novel? Kakashi, beat him! Beat him!"

"Beat him! Beat him!"

The surrounding classmates retreated while talking, and before long, they started shouting.

Teacher Ikkaku stood to the side, watching the two of them with a grave expression, ready to interrupt the match at any moment.

Under the blazing sun, the two boys faced each other down, and even the air seemed to freeze.

One had dazzling silver hair and was cold as ice; the other had black hair and black eyes, arrogant as fire.

"Hah!"

The one who launched the attack first was Arashi.

He did not use chakra like an ordinary ninja. Instead, he concentrated the "ki" inside his body into the muscles of his legs and abruptly exerted force!

Bang!

The ground seemed to tremble, and Arashi's figure instantly turned into a blurry black shadow, charging straight at Kakashi!

So fast!

The students watching let out a low cry.

That speed far surpassed that of Ninja Academy students!

Kakashi's gaze sharpened. He did not dodge or retreat. Likewise, he kicked off the ground with his right foot, his body sliding to the left, while his right hand formed a fist and struck toward Arashi's ribs with the sound of tearing wind!

What fast reactions!

Arashi was startled as well.

Judging from Kakashi's reaction speed and his grasp of timing, the other party really did have some skill. As expected of the future Sixth Hokage from the original work.

But this still wasn't enough!