Kakashi of the Sharingan

Kakashi adjusted his forehead protector, seemingly speechless at Inoue Mura's behavior.

"Ugh! Third Hokage, this Masayo you mentioned does meet the requirements, but what am I supposed to do about his two teammates?"

Kakashi felt a headache coming on. He took out an alarm clock and placed it on a wooden post. It was around nine thirty. After setting the alarm for ten o'clock, he took a bell from his hand.

Ding!

The bell in Kakashi's hand rang crisply. Looking at Masayo, Inoue Mura, and Matsumoto Kei, he said, "All right, I've set the alarm for around ten. Your Survival Trial is to take this bell from me before then. Only whoever takes the bell from me will pass the test."

"What?"

Matsumoto Kei and Inoue Mura froze, and even Masayo's expression changed slightly.

It had changed. There were no longer two bells, but one. That meant only one person could pass!

Masayo frowned. The test had changed into a direct bell-grabbing contest, and the two bells from his memories had become one.

Matsumoto Kei suddenly asked, "Kakashi-sensei, but there's only one bell."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and smiled meaningfully. "With only one bell, the other two among you will most likely be sent back to the Academy to repeat the year."

Kakashi's words made everyone tense. Masayo slipped his hand into the ninja tool pouch strapped to his left leg. He was left-handed and skilled with his left hand. Shuriken, kunai, Explosive Tag, smoke bombs—he had all of them.

Inoue Mura had already drifted off into his own world. "Only one person, huh? Hmph, then I'm sorry, Kei. Once I become a ninja, I'll definitely confess to you. I'm really sorry, but I'll be the one who gets the bell in the end."

Matsumoto Kei had already considered giving up. In her mind, Masayo would definitely be the one to get the bell. She had prepared herself for everything.

Kakashi took in all three of their expressions and said, "You need to come at me with the intent to kill. All right, ready... begin!"

Whoosh!

Masayo, Matsumoto Kei, and Inoue Mura used the Body Flicker Technique to scatter, each concealing their presence!

Masayo hid in a tree. Even he could detect Matsumoto Kei and Inoue Mura's locations, let alone Kakashi.

"The most basic skill of a ninja is concealing one's presence. He really is the top student of this year's class. And judging by this, I might not get a chance to read Icha Icha Paradise!"

Kakashi's dead-fish eyes were full of helplessness as he kept watch on his surroundings. A faint glint flashed in the direction where Masayo was hiding. He had not found Masayo's exact location, only his general direction, which was why he said that.

Battle-hardened ninjas were equally sensitive to being watched. After glancing roughly in Kakashi's direction, Masayo turned his head away and stopped looking at him. Instead, he relied on the wind flowing around him to judge Kakashi's position.

Masayo had never used chakra paper to test his affinity. Although he was not short on money, he felt it was too early. His Ninja Academy teacher had also advised him not to rush and to build a solid foundation first. So Masayo had calmed down, refrained from testing his affinity with chakra paper, and focused on strengthening his fundamentals.

The reason he knew he had a Wind Attribute without using chakra paper was that, while practicing tree climbing once, a leaf had fallen beside his foot and been nicked by the chakra attached to his sole. After trying it a few more times, he had easily sliced through leaves with chakra.

"Ahhh..."

Matsumoto Kei's scream suddenly rang out, startling Masayo!

"Was that Matsumoto Kei? When did that happen? How did I not hear anything?"

Masayo's gaze sharpened. Kakashi in the distance had vanished, yet he had not heard Kakashi move at all!

"This is bad! Earth Release."

Masayo understood why he could not hear Kakashi's position.

"Too late!"

"Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"

Kakashi's hand suddenly burst from the ground and grabbed Masayo's foot. Amid Masayo's cry, he dragged him underground, leaving only his head exposed above the surface.

Kakashi stepped out and looked down at Masayo, who had only his head exposed and was struggling continuously. The bell at his waist swayed in the breeze, ringing with a light, ethereal sound.

"One of the essential ninja techniques. But Masayo, as the top student, you can't be limited to just this, can you?"

Kakashi spoke calmly, lowering his head as his exposed dead-fish eye watched Masayo with curiosity.

"Heh..."

Masayo raised his head and smiled. Under Kakashi's surprised gaze, his body dissipated into a fierce whirlwind, sending dust swirling around it.

"What?"

Kakashi hurriedly used the Body Flicker Technique to pull away. The clumps of earth were stained with the chakra Masayo had left behind, carrying the cutting power of Wind Attribute. If one was caught in it, bad luck could mean having their throat slit by the dirt clumps coated in Masayo's chakra.

Ding!

The bell at Kakashi's waist gave a light, hollow ring. At Setsuna, Kakashi landed, sprang into the air, and performed a backward Sora flip. Masayo's fingers had just touched the bell at Kakashi's waist.

It had been so close. If Kakashi had moved even a little slower, Masayo would have taken the bell.

Whoosh!

At Setsuna, Masayo landed and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique, stirring up a faint ripple of wind. He drew a kunai and charged at Kakashi, who had just landed.

"So fast!"

Kakashi froze. Masayo's reaction speed and velocity greatly surprised him. Without time to think, he quickly drew a kunai.

Clang!

Kakashi's kunai collided with Masayo's, producing a sharp, ear-piercing metallic clash.

"That was a Wind Clone earlier, wasn't it? And that Body Flicker Technique just now wasn't an ordinary one either. It was the Wind Body Flicker formed by combining your Wind Attribute chakra, right? Not only that, you can attach chakra to objects and kunai. Who taught you your Wind Attribute transformation?"

Masayo glanced unhappily at the kunai in his hand, which was coated in his green chakra. Kakashi had used a technique to redirect the force and pressed against the kunai's handle, preventing him from advancing any farther.

"My teacher taught me chakra control exercises like walking on water and tree climbing. When I was climbing a tree once, a leaf fell beside my foot where I had gathered chakra, and a notch appeared in it. Later, my homeroom teacher told me that was a Wind Attribute."

Whoosh!

Kakashi and Masayo separated, widening the distance between them. That brief exchange had made both sides understand the other's strength.

"Ahhh..."

Inoue Mura suddenly let out a scream, making Masayo freeze.

"One of a ninja's essential skills: genjutsu. Now you're the only one left, Masayo. And judging by the situation, defeating you won't be easy for me."

Kakashi's Shadow Clone had used genjutsu to defeat Inoue Mura and brought him and Matsumoto Kei back to the wooden post. Then it had dispelled itself and returned to the original, allowing Kakashi to understand what had happened earlier.

"You..."

Masayo pointed at Kakashi, who had raised his forehead protector to reveal a scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan, along with a conspicuous scar over his eye.

"Kakashi-sensei, isn't that cheating? You're using the Sharingan against a graduate who isn't even a Genin yet! Do you really not want me to graduate?"

Masayo bit his lip unwillingly and demanded an answer from Kakashi.

Kakashi's gaze became sharper as he looked at Masayo and said calmly, "This is also one of my own abilities and techniques. Besides, if I want to defeat you easily, I can only use the Sharingan."