A Clash of Dragons and Tigers

Just as the fist was about to land, the "ki" inside Arashi erupted again!

He forcibly shifted his center of gravity, twisting his body at an extremely awkward angle and dodging Kakashi's fist by a hair.

At the same time, his right fist had finished gathering power. Carrying a scorching gust, it smashed straight toward Kakashi's face!

"Too slow!" Kakashi barked, his left hand snapping up to block Arashi's fist with precision.

Bang!

Fist met palm with a muffled thud.

A tremendous force came through the blow. Kakashi felt his arm go numb, and his body actually took half a step back against his will!

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. This guy's strength... it was so strong!

Arashi would not give him a chance to breathe.

When the first strike missed, his left fist followed at once, attacking Kakashi like a raging storm!

Bang, bang, bang!

The two were locked in close combat in an instant.

"Hit him, hit him, hit him! Kakashi, take down Uchiha Arashi! If we can't beat you, no one else is allowed to either! Come on!" someone shouted from below the stage.

The surroundings instantly erupted into chatter again.

"Fight, Uchiha Arashi! You're a genius of our Uchiha clan, don't embarrass us! Hurry up and take Kakashi down cleanly!" From the voice, it was obviously Obito.

"Arashi, Kakashi, you should both stop before it goes too far," Nohara Rin said quietly from the side.

The area around them was in an uproar, but the two in the fight were completely focused, their eyes locked on each other, ignoring every word from the people around them.

Arashi's fighting style was violent and direct. Every punch contained an eruption of "ki," packed with power and extreme speed.

He had completely given up on defense, putting all his mind into a fierce assault, as if he meant to tear the opponent in front of him apart.

That almost obsessive will to win was the subtle influence exerted by the "Vegeta Template" inside him. It had bred in his bones a pride that absolutely could not tolerate defeat, and it made every movement he made carry the force of his entire body.

Kakashi, on the other hand, was much calmer. His movements were simple and efficient. Every block and dodge landed at exactly the right moment, always letting him evade Arashi's lethal attacks by the narrowest margin while searching for a chance to counter.

This guy... The more Arashi fought, the more alarmed he became.

Kakashi's foundation in taijutsu was simply too solid, and his combat experience was far richer than his own. It was obvious that his father must have spent a great deal of time guiding him.

Although Arashi had the support of "ki" and held the advantage in strength, defense, and speed, he was clearly falling behind in skill and timing.

No! If this keeps up, even if I win, it won't feel satisfying!

The pride magnified by the template roared. How could he tolerate fighting so miserably against a "classmate" from the same year?

"Ah—!"

Arashi let out an angry roar, and the "ki" inside him erupted without reservation!

His speed and strength surged again! His already blurred figure became even more illusory, and there was even a faint glow around his fist, so pale it was nearly impossible to see with the naked eye!

"Kakashi! Try taking this one too!"

"Not good!" The teacher present blanched. Even he felt a powerful sense of threat from Arashi's attack. If this blow landed on a person, it would be no small matter.

"Stop!" he shouted, about to rush forward.

But it was already too late.

Arashi's fist struck Kakashi's shoulder, which he had protected with both arms!

Crack!

A bone-chilling sound of cracking bone rang out.

Kakashi gave a muffled groan. His body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, slammed hard onto the ground, and slid a long way before finally stopping.

"Kakashi!" Rin cried out, wanting to rush over, but Obito grabbed her and held her back.

Obito's expression was ugly too. The look he gave Arashi was filled with shock and a trace of... fear?

Arashi stood where he was, panting lightly, the "ki" around him still churning.

He looked at Kakashi lying on the ground. There was not the slightest smugness in his eyes, only a trace of dissatisfaction.

"Tch, still didn't knock him down?" he muttered under his breath.

With that punch just now, he had clearly aimed for the chest, but Kakashi had blocked it at the last moment with both arms and his shoulder, then rolled out so far that he dispersed most of the force.

This guy really did have something.

Kakashi struggled up from the ground, his face pale. His left hand covered his right shoulder, and his right arm could barely move. Cold sweat had seeped out across his forehead.

He looked at Arashi with a complicated gaze.

There was shock, unwillingness, but even more than that, a kind of... excitement?

"You're strong," Kakashi said, his voice a little hoarse. "But you haven't won yet."

"Oh?" Arashi raised an eyebrow. "Even like that, you're still talking tough?"

"Whoever pins the other to the ground first wins." Kakashi took a deep breath. Although his right hand could not be raised, his eyes grew even sharper. "It's not over yet."

With that, he suddenly moved!

He did not charge toward Arashi. Instead, he abruptly ran to the side, while his left hand pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and threw it backhanded at Arashi!

The kunai cut through the air, aimed straight at Arashi's lower leg!

"You want to use ninja tools?" Arashi scoffed, turning his body to the side and easily avoiding the kunai.

But in the instant he dodged, Kakashi's figure had already circled behind him!

So fast! His shoulder was clearly injured!

Arashi, who had relaxed, was instantly startled. A powerful sense of danger came from behind him!

"I got careless!"

Without thinking, he threw himself forward!

"Chi!"

A kunai scraped past his back, slicing open his clothes!

That was close!

Arashi lay on the ground, the clothes on his back torn.

He turned his head and saw Kakashi kneeling on one knee, his left hand braced against the ground, his right hand still clutching his injured shoulder. His face was even paler, but his gaze remained firm.

"Damn it! I'm dirt poor right now!"

Arashi roared and sprang up from the ground. The "ki" inside him instantly grew even stronger!

He had to make this guy lie in bed for ten days or half a month!

"Arashi! Stop!" Teacher Yijiao finally rushed over and stood between the two of them. "The match is already over. This time, let's call it a draw!"

Arashi stared fixedly at Kakashi, his chest heaving violently. The red glow of his Sharingan almost seemed ready to drip blood.

Just then, the system's voice rang out again:

[Evaluating mission...]

[Although the host did not completely "crush" the opponent, he successfully fought the top student of the year, Hatake Kakashi, to a draw in a taijutsu contest and became number one in the year]

[Mission complete]

[Template progress +2%. Current progress: 12%.]

[New ability unlocked: Battle Instinct (Beginner)—can vaguely sense the opponent's attack intentions during battle.]

A draw?

Arashi's anger was like it had been doused with a bucket of cold water, and he calmed down slightly.

That was true. Since Teacher Yijiao had stopped them, there was no need to keep fighting.

Still, this result... did not seem too bad.

At the very least, his progress had still increased a little, and he had unlocked a new ability.

Thinking of that, the anger in Arashi's eyes gradually faded, and the Sharingan vanished as well.