Genius

Kakashi's white hair stirred in the breeze as he walked onto the field with his hands in his pockets.

A group of fangirls below the stage screamed.

On the other side, Uchiha Toru, another handsome white-haired boy, brushed aside the bangs blown before his eyes, revealing those beautiful blue eyes.

This set off another wave of fangirl screams.

During the first wave of screams, Obito had looked the most displeased. The kid couldn't stand seeing Kakashi steal the spotlight.

During the second wave, Asuma was the most displeased. For some reason, he found Toru irritating. Perhaps Toru's interactions with Kurenai made him feel threatened.

Hmph, since you're so popular with girls, don't come competing with me for Kurenai.

Only then did Asuma feel slightly comforted.

It had to be said that children in this world matured early. At a young age, they already held vague longings and understandings of love between men and women.

Drawn by the screams of those lovestruck fangirls, quite a few students from other classes gathered around, making the match much livelier.

Kakashi's reputation as a genius also gave this ordinary class spar an added air of legend.

The battle between Kakashi and Toru seemed as eagerly anticipated as the duel between Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng atop the Forbidden City.

The two formed the Seal of Opposition.

This time, Toru made the first move.

"So fast!"

Kakashi was startled inwardly.

Looks like he didn't use his full strength in that fight with Hayate.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kakashi exchanged blows with Toru as he charged forward. In an instant, they clashed several times, yet Kakashi gradually found himself at a disadvantage.

His strength, speed, and even combat experience surpass mine. Who exactly is he?!

Countless thoughts raced through Kakashi's mind.

Strength and speed are one thing, but even his combat experience...

My fighting techniques were personally taught by Father...

...I can't worry about that now. I need to create distance and use ninjutsu if I want to win.

Kakashi's combat instincts had been sharp since childhood.

After calmly analyzing the situation, he realized that Toru seemed unable to use any ninjutsu at all—not even the basic Three Body Techniques. That was Kakashi's advantage.

Naturally, combat was about playing to one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses. After exchanging several moves, Kakashi found an opening to force Toru back, then decisively widened the distance.

Toru had already guessed Kakashi's intentions, but it was too late.

Bang bang bang!

Several clones appeared on the field at once, but Toru had already identified the original body.

However, Toru quickly realized something was wrong. First, the hand seals were different from those for the Clone Technique. Second, the way these clones swarmed him was clearly not a feint.

One of the clones rushed forward and threw a punch. The force of the fist confirmed Toru's suspicion.

These clones have substance!

Toru twisted aside to evade, but the clones had already surrounded him.

As expected of the strongest. He's on a completely different level from the others his age.

Toru took up his stance and patiently waited for the clones to attack. If he acted rashly, he would easily be put on the defensive instead.

Yet Kakashi was unexpectedly cautious. He formed hand seals, then dropped to one knee and slapped the ground.

Earth Style: Earth Wave!

With Kakashi's slap, the ground beneath their feet rippled like the surface of a lake.

Changing the shape of the ground beneath an opponent's feet to disrupt their balance? Ninjutsu really is interesting.

Toru smiled from the bottom of his heart.

Kakashi had finally let him discover the joy of battle.

Kakashi and his clones used chakra to cling to the soles of their feet, successfully steadying themselves against the Earth Wave's effects as they swarmed Toru.

This is foolproof. You may be strong, but there's no way you can block my attacks while you can't even keep your footing.

Kakashi thought victory was assured. Toru before him was already so affected by the shaking ground that he could barely stand.

However, just as Kakashi and all his clones rushed before Toru, preparing to deliver the decisive blow—

Toru suddenly steadied himself and swept his leg across the ground, taking out every clone that had failed to react in time. Even the original body was sent flying by the sweep.

Using cursed energy to adhere to my feet works just as well against this kind of ninjutsu. It seems these physical clones disappear when struck.

Toru analyzed the information he had gained from their exchange as he pursued Kakashi, refusing to give him a moment to catch his breath.

Still, Kakashi truly had plenty of combat experience, perhaps because he had trained with his father since childhood.

He twisted his body in midair and, by the time Toru rushed up to him, completed the motion to cushion his landing. Bracing both hands against the ground, he kicked up at Toru.

But Toru reacted quickly. With a clench of both hands, he directly caught Kakashi by the ankle.

Even Kakashi's dead-fish eyes widened as alarm surged through him.

Toru flung Kakashi away, then slammed him heavily into the ground.

Bang!

Kakashi was left utterly dazed by the throw. Then he saw a palm hovering above his throat.

"I lost... I lost..."

Kakashi lay spread-eagled on the ground, unable to accept reality for a long time as he kept muttering those three words.

Seeing Kakashi lying there in a daze, Toru withdrew his hand and stood up.

"Failure isn't necessarily a bad thing. Admitting defeat can help a person grow."

Toru spoke leisurely, his tone meaningful, like that of an old teacher.

Kakashi slowly turned his head to look at Toru. "You... why are you so strong?"

Toru crouched down and met Kakashi's gaze with his azure eyes. "Because I've experienced a lot." Then he pulled Kakashi to his feet.

Kakashi let out a long sigh and formed the Seal of Reconciliation with Toru.

In Kakashi's eyes, saying he had experienced a lot was probably just an excuse to comfort him. How much could a child the same age as him possibly have experienced?

A loss was a loss. He would simply train twice as hard from now on and strive to surpass him.

Kakashi's mentality was not that fragile. Though falling so suddenly after being praised so highly left him somewhat unaccustomed, he would not become discouraged and give up on himself because of it.

At that moment, after a long silence, the spectators erupted into cheers and screams loud enough to lift the entire ninja academy off the ground.

Everyone's initial disbelief turned into delighted excitement at witnessing such a spectacle.

The son of the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi, the village's most dazzling genius in recent years, had actually been defeated—and by an unknown transfer student.

The spectacle was simply too huge. Before long, the news spread throughout the entire ninja academy and even Konoha.

"So this is a battle between geniuses? I really am still too weak, Guy! I have to work twice as hard! After school today, I'll run five hundred laps around the training ground first. If I can't do it, I'll do five thousand push-ups!" the watermelon-headed boy secretly vowed.

Meanwhile, Obito, who had hoped before the fight began that Kakashi would embarrass himself in front of Rin, changed his tune again. "Damn it, he even beat Kakashi. Doesn't that mean my rank in class is going to drop again?!"

As two of the class's most notorious dead last students, Guy and Obito both reacted strongly to this battle between geniuses.

Even the outcome of the fight reached the ears of the Third Hokage.

"He defeated Kakashi, huh? His name is Uchiha Toru? He truly is a genius, but unfortunately... he's an Uchiha."

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat in the Hokage's office with a pipe between his lips. He shook his head, exhaled a ring of smoke, and continued reviewing documents.