Challenger

Year 43 of Konoha.

During the break, Toru refined his chakra at his desk, while Kurenai and Anko, the two young girls beside him, chatted about the latest gossip.

"I heard Kakashi has already been promoted to chunin," Anko leaned in, as if she were about to reveal a vital piece of information.

Yuhi Kurenai looked surprised and asked in disbelief, "Really?"

"Yeah, I heard it from my dad," Anko said, confirming the reliability of her news.

"Doesn't that make Kakashi the youngest chunin in Konoha?" Kurenai asked, glancing at Toru, who was busy training.

Toru never cared for such hollow titles, but the onlookers in Konoha had long since grouped Kakashi and him together as the two greatest prodigies of the current era.

Because of this, Kurenai was somewhat concerned about Toru's thoughts on the matter.

Although Toru was busy refining chakra, he could still hear the commotion outside, so he was already aware of the news of Kakashi's promotion.

Sensing Kurenai watching him, Toru opened his eyes, met her gaze, and said, "Kakashi's promotion to chunin shows that his strength has made great progress. However, it has nothing to do with me. If the villagers want to rank me alongside him, that is their business."

Kurenai nodded, feeling in her heart that Toru's indifference to fame and fortune was truly remarkable.

But just then, Uchiha Doka walked into the classroom with a piece of news.

"Brother Toru, Hatake Kakashi just left a message at the school gate—he wants to spar with you again!"

Uchiha Doka was loud and boisterous, ensuring almost the entire class heard him.

The previously noisy classroom suddenly fell silent.

"What? Kakashi wants to fight Toru again?"

"Yeah, that's Uchiha Doka, Toru's lackey; what he says must be true."

The classmates immediately erupted into an unprecedentedly heated discussion, speculating whether Toru would accept the challenge and, if the battle took place, who would be the winner.

Doka walked up to Toru, waiting for his reply.

Under the gaze of the entire class, Toru uttered two words: "Accepted."

Doka immediately gave a thumbs-up and said, "I knew you wouldn't be afraid, Brother."

Doka ran out immediately to continue his role as the messenger.

Yuhi Kurenai asked with concern, "Can you win?"

Toru replied, "I can."

Toru's tone was extremely calm, as if he were stating an established fact.

Kurenai felt as if she had taken a soothing pill; her heart finally settled.

Nohara Rin silently placed her hands over her chest and prayed, "Kakashi, you will definitely win."

Although Rin said this, she felt very uncertain inside.

After Kakashi graduated, his interactions with Rin had decreased, so she did not know the extent of his current strength.

Even though Kakashi had been promoted to chunin, Rin had no real concept of what that title meant, so she couldn't fathom his true power.

However, she had seen Toru's strength with her own eyes.

After Kakashi left, Toru became the undisputed number one in the entire grade, leading by a massive margin.

Therefore, in Rin's eyes, the outcome of a battle between Kakashi and Toru was impossible to predict.

Seeing Rin so concerned for Kakashi, Obito pouted out of spite and said, "Hmph, if he loses, he loses. Kakashi has already lost once before, anyway."

Although Obito said this, he didn't necessarily feel that way inside.

Deep down, Obito didn't want to see Kakashi lose again.

Obito's logic was simple: if Kakashi lost to Toru twice, wouldn't that prove that his strength was not what it was cracked up to be?

Since Obito had always used Kakashi as the benchmark for his own growth, wouldn't that imply that his own efforts were meaningless?

Actually, it wasn't just Obito who thought this; Might Guy had similar thoughts.

Might Guy had always considered Kakashi the person he needed to surpass, so he often dragged Kakashi into sparring matches.

Might Guy's current record was zero wins, sixteen losses, and zero draws—a truly miserable sight.

But Might Guy never felt discouraged because he knew Kakashi was a genius even by the standards of the entire shinobi world.

Therefore, subconsciously, he didn't want to see Kakashi defeated either.

The location for the duel between Toru and Kakashi was set within the school.

After school, Toru arrived at the designated spot—the same training ground within the school as before.

Kurenai followed by Toru's side, and behind them trailed a large crowd of gossiping onlookers.

Come to think of it, everyone was already accustomed to seeing Toru and Kurenai together.

As the group arrived near the training ground, Kakashi was already waiting inside.

Kakashi was dressed in a black short-sleeved outfit, his neck and the lower half of his face still hidden behind a black mask, yet it could not hide his lean and handsome features.

The cold-glinting iron bracers on his arms and the Konoha forehead protector on his brow highlighted his strength as a ninja and the dangerous aura of someone who should not be trifled with.

It had to be said that Kakashi had become even more handsome over the past year.

Kakashi's arrival caused many of the young girls at the academy to cheer.

Rin watched Kakashi with a gentle, longing gaze.

Seeing this, Obito felt that all his worries for Kakashi were in vain. "Kakashi, you might as well just lose."

Toru said a quick word to Kurenai before walking into the training ground alone, leaving her to watch his back and pray silently for him.

"I didn't expect you to agree so readily. It just so happens I don't have a mission today," Kakashi said.

Indeed, as a chunin, Kakashi's daily schedule was certainly less flexible than Toru's.

Therefore, Toru accepting the battle on the same day was naturally a good thing for Kakashi.

Toru smiled slightly and said, "Of course, but there is one thing you need to understand."

Kakashi looked up at Toru, a lock of white hair caught between his forehead protector and his eyes, fluttering in the breeze.

Toru held up a finger and said, "You are the challenger."

The words were carried by the wind into the ears of everyone present.

Uchiha Doka and the others immediately cheered excitedly for Toru, "Big Brother is so cool!"

Kurenai felt that Toru, who confidently said those words to Kakashi, was simply too charming. Her attention was entirely fixated on him, to the point where she didn't even hear Anko calling her from the side.

Rin continued to watch Kakashi, remaining unmoved as she cheered him on.

Obito and Might Guy just felt it was strange; after all, if Kakashi was the challenger, then they were the challengers of the challenger.

Just as everyone was whispering about Toru's words, Kakashi spoke again.

"Indeed, I am the challenger."

Kakashi accepted the title of challenger with composure, which made Toru hold him in slightly higher regard.

"It seems you've made quite a lot of progress this year," Toru said, raising an eyebrow in slight surprise.

The corners of Kakashi's mouth, hidden beneath his mask, curled up slightly. "Whether I've made progress or not, you'll find out in a moment."