Twist After Twist

Inside an office in the Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi held a pipe. A crystal ball on the desk before him clearly showed Asuma's battle with Tsukimi.

Nara Shikaku stood quietly beside him. When he saw how Tsukimi had positioned his shadows, approval flashed through his eyes.

As the crystal ball showed Asuma admitting defeat without complaint, Hiruzen breathed out a puff of smoke and smiled.

"Asuma used to be so busy butting heads with me that he could never settle down and train. But thanks to Tsukimi, he's faced the gap between them and prepared seriously these past two weeks. Even though he lost, he'll have gained a lot."

"Asuma has talent. Young people tend to improve faster when they have someone to compete with," Nara Shikaku replied softly.

"Exactly. They're all Konoha's future." Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe, his gaze still fixed on Tsukimi's relaxed figure in the crystal ball. "Now that only four remain, the final will probably be Nara Tsukimi against Kakashi Hatake. Shikaku, which of them do you think has the better chance?"

Nara Shikaku considered it for a moment, then began his analysis.

"Kakashi has been extraordinarily gifted since childhood. His reputation as a genius has spread throughout Konoha. He can use elemental Ninjutsu, and he's inherited Sakumo's swordsmanship. He undoubtedly has the strength of a Genin already."

He paused before continuing. "Tsukimi's shadow secret technique doesn't produce strong fighters individually, but their numbers give him an advantage. He also has our clan's traditional secret technique to restrain his opponent. If he can surround Kakashi, he should be able to secure the win."

The Third Hokage chuckled and toyed with his pipe while the crystal ball continued to show the training ground in real time.

"Interesting. Both geniuses have their strengths. Let's see who makes better use of them."

On the training ground, Might Guy was facing Kakashi. Two weeks of daily taijutsu practice with Tsukimi had pushed Guy beyond the level he had reached at the same age in the original story.

"Kakashi, let's settle this! Youth never backs down!"

Compared with Guy's fiery enthusiasm, Kakashi was far calmer. One hand in his pocket, he watched Guy with a deadpan stare.

"Begin!"

The moment the command came, Guy charged. Punches and kicks poured down like a gale.

Straight punches, sweeping kicks, elbow strikes—each attack flowed into the next. Their weight put even Kakashi under pressure, and Guy pursued him too quickly for him to open up any distance.

Little white-haired brat, consider this a present. No need to thank me. There's a bigger one coming.

At the edge of the field, Tsukimi watched their fight with a smile. Those two weeks of practice had not gone to waste. Kakashi had to take Guy seriously now.

Kakashi shed his casual air and began to counterattack. After several exchanges, he caught a tiny opening when Guy's foot landed from a side kick. He darted behind Guy and pressed an elbow to the back of his neck, ending the fight.

"Kakashi wins!"

Guy showed no disappointment despite losing. He shouted to Kakashi, "I'll challenge you again next time, Kakashi!"

Kakashi had come to respect Guy's taijutsu. He nodded, then returned to the crowd to recover. His gaze settled on Tsukimi nearby, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

Tsukimi, meanwhile, dispatched his opponent as quickly as possible.

The final was Nara Tsukimi versus Kakashi Hatake! Every student's gaze locked onto the center of the training ground.

Takashi Murakami stood between them and signaled them to take their places. "Form the Seal of Confrontation. Final match—begin!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kakashi moved first. His father's advice had opened his eyes. He had run through a fight with Tsukimi countless times in his head and concluded that close combat was the best answer to both the shadow secret technique and the traditional Nara technique. His original approach had not been wrong.

He simply had not accounted for Tsukimi's close-combat ability. That was why he had not planned to use White Fang's swordsmanship. Now that he had decided to give it his all, he would hold nothing back. With the swordsmanship his father had taught him, he was confident he would not lose at close range.

Kakashi burst forward like a streak of silver light. Wielding a practice short sword from the Ninja Academy, he unleashed White Fang's swordsmanship, simple and fierce.

There were no flashy moves. He slashed straight for Tsukimi's torso, the blade whistling through the air. At the last instant, Tsukimi shifted his feet and slipped aside. At the same time, he drove his right fist toward Kakashi's sword hand.

Kakashi turned his wrist, deftly avoiding the punch, and swept the short sword toward Tsukimi's neck. He kept up the pressure with every move. Tsukimi ducked beneath the blade, lowered his center of gravity, and drove a knee toward Kakashi's stomach.

Caught off guard, Kakashi could only pull in his stomach and retreat half a step to steady himself. He brought the short sword down toward Tsukimi's shoulder.

Tsukimi drew a kunai from his pouch and raised it to catch the blade. Their strength collided, locking them in place for a moment.

Kakashi twisted his arm, pulled the sword free, and cut upward, then slashed across. Two strikes came in an instant, one building on the other to seal off every route of escape.

Tsukimi turned slightly and caught the first strike with a downward sweep of his kunai. Kakashi rotated his sword into the horizontal slash. A kunai was no sword, so Tsukimi leaned back, kicked at Kakashi's right hand, and hurled the kunai at his face. Kakashi dodged the kunai and raised an arm to block the kick. Their arm and foot met with a dull thud. The force left Kakashi's entire arm tingling and drove him back three steps, clear of close-combat range. Once more, they faced each other from opposite sides.

It was nothing fancy. Tsukimi was just that strong!

The brief, furious exchange left everyone at the edge of the field holding their breath. Kakashi was the son of Konoha's White Fang; his swordsmanship was no surprise. What no one could understand was how a member of the Nara could be so good at taijutsu too.

Only Might Guy knew Tsukimi was even better at taijutsu than he was. Asuma, meanwhile, was gritting his teeth.

"Damn it! He didn't use anything close to his full strength against me!"

Even the habitually arrogant Obito looked stunned. "They're both so strong. Just wait. Once I awaken my Sharingan, I'll surpass them both."

"Not bad. White Fang's swordsmanship lives up to its reputation. Now it's my turn to get serious, Kakashi."

Tsukimi hesitated no longer. It was time to give them a shock. He raised his hands and formed a seal. Shadows suddenly spread across the entire training ground, churning as members of the Shadowkhan took shape one after another.

Thirteen Ninja Tribe soldiers spread out to cover every blind spot. Twelve Samurai Tribe soldiers surrounded Kakashi, while twelve Troll Tribe soldiers formed an outer ring to close the gaps.

Ninja Tribe (27%)

Samurai Tribe (25%)

Troll Tribe (25%)

Beating Asuma again had earned Tsukimi another three percent. It was less than the first time, but Asuma was a good sport. Across two fights, Tsukimi had squeezed a combined twenty-seven percent of progress toward his three tribes out of him. He had nearly milked Asuma dry. Next time, he would probably get only one percent.

Winning the semifinal had added another one percent to each tribe, bringing the number Tsukimi could summon to thirty-seven.

The students below stood frozen in shock. Even the Third Hokage and Shikaku in the Hokage's office were surprised. They exchanged a glance before turning back to the crystal ball.

Kakashi's expression turned grave. He had just experienced Tsukimi's taijutsu firsthand. Tsukimi was at least his equal, perhaps stronger—and Kakashi had been armed with a sword.

Seeing so many Shadowkhan appear after just one hand seal, Kakashi knew Tsukimi had been hiding his strength all along. This was his real trump card. He had probably exposed those weaknesses on purpose.

Kakashi undoubtedly had the strength of a Genin now. Their clash had also given Tsukimi a rough measure of his own ability. On his own, he was about as strong as an elite Genin. With the Shadowkhan, he could fight a Chunin.

Now that he knew where he stood, there was no reason to drag things out. Tsukimi snapped his fingers, and the Shadowkhan closed in wave after wave.

Kakashi retreated again before their assault, but he did not panic. Since deciding to prepare with everything he had, he had imagined all sorts of situations. The number of Shadowkhan exceeded his expectations, but he had a plan for them.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A long, narrow wall of earth shot up in front of Kakashi, leaving more than twenty Shadowkhan on his side of it.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

At his second command, Kakashi's original body leaped onto the wall, leaving a shadow clone behind it to deal with most of the Shadowkhan.

This was the solution Kakashi had devised. Since the Shadowkhan re-formed after being scattered, he would not try to scatter them. Instead, he would keep them occupied behind the wall, drastically reducing the number he had to face head-on.

"Fire Release: Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Kakashi had used three techniques in quick succession. As a child, he had no Sharingan draining him and had not yet worn himself out obsessing over risqué novels, so his chakra reserves were hardly small. In the original story, he could create more than a dozen shadow clones at once.

The fireball melted through the Shadowkhan in its path, clearing a route. Kakashi drew his short sword again and unleashed White Fang's swordsmanship with all his might.

Cold flashes of steel swept across the field. His fierce, efficient strikes cut down a Shadowkhan with every swing as he charged toward Tsukimi himself.

"Smart tactics. But it's over, Kakashi. Sayonara!"

Tsukimi brought his hands together and formed the seal for the Nara's secret technique.

Shadow Imitation Technique!

The shadow beneath his feet surged forward. Kakashi was in the middle of a swift advance, sword swinging, when his movements suddenly froze. He could not budge.

The students below finally breathed again. The fight had far exceeded anything they had imagined, and now it was over.

"Looks like Tsukimi was stronger after all!"

The same thought crossed everyone's mind. Even Takashi Murakami was about to step forward and announce the result.

But Kakashi, frozen in place, suddenly chuckled. "That's right. It's over!"

With that, he turned into a puff of white smoke and vanished.

"What? That was a shadow clone? Since when?"

The students erupted again. Takashi Murakami stopped in his tracks. The outcome was still uncertain.

At that very moment, a hand shot from the ground beneath Tsukimi and seized his ankle. "Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"

The hand dragged Tsukimi underground, leaving only his head above the surface. Kakashi burst from the earth beside him and laid his short sword against Tsukimi's neck.

Weariness showed on Kakashi's face. As he slowly relaxed, the strain of using four or five techniques in succession caught up with him. But he had won in the end.

A breeze swept across the training ground. Takashi Murakami came to his senses and looked at the two students, ready once more to announce the result. Surely there would not be another twist this time?

Kakashi gazed at Tsukimi, whom he had dragged into the ground, and let out a long breath as he waited for the teacher's announcement.

"That's your real body this time, right?"

The voice behind him made Kakashi go rigid. His pupils contracted, and he slowly turned his head. Tsukimi stood behind him, smiling, a kunai in his slender right hand resting against Kakashi's neck.

The Tsukimi buried in the ground vanished in a pop of smoke.

Kakashi stared at Tsukimi for a long moment before giving a rueful smile. "I lost."

"When did you do it?"

"The one who jumped forward at the start was your shadow clone. Your real body stayed behind the wall, made another shadow clone to hold the Shadowkhan there, and slipped underground with Earth Release. It was a good plan."

Tsukimi lowered his kunai and offered Kakashi his right hand. The two formed the Seal of Reconciliation.

"But you overlooked one thing. Your Earth-Style Wall blocked my view, but it blocked yours too."

And you, little white-haired brat, have always loved that trick. If I hadn't known your habits and kept my guard up, you might really have caught me.

Takashi Murakami waited at the edge of the field until the two formed the Seal of Reconciliation. Only then was he certain the fight was truly over. He hurried to the center and loudly announced the result.

"The winner of the class sparring match—Nara Tsukimi!"

Only now did the students finally react. Excited voices burst out across the field.

No one had imagined the match could be so thrilling. It had turned again and again, too fast to take in.

First the Shadowkhan had closed in like a tide. Then Kakashi had split the battlefield with Earth Release, left a shadow clone to stall them, and broken through with Fire Release. Next, his Double Suicide Decapitation Technique had caught Tsukimi's shadow clone, only for the real Tsukimi to come up behind him and claim the win!

Layer upon layer of strategy, calculation at every step—it was a fight far beyond their age group.

"I can't believe there was another twist at the end! I really thought Kakashi had won!"

"This is ridiculous... Are those two really first-year Ninja Academy students? I don't think a Genin could beat them!"

"Kakashi's already that strong. His Ninjutsu, swordsmanship, and tactics are all top-notch, and he still lost?!"

"Tsukimi's terrifying. He was calculating the whole time. When did he even make his shadow clone?"

"When Kakashi used Earth-Style Wall, Tsukimi was surrounded by shadows. No one could see him. He must have made it then."

"Man, that's scary!"

Obito stood in the crowd with his mouth hanging open, utterly dumbfounded. He had always thought Kakashi was the only person he needed to catch up to. However strong Tsukimi was, Obito had assumed he was no match for Kakashi.

Today's fight had shown him that Nara Tsukimi's tactics and strength had long since reached another level.

"Are those two... even human?"

Rin Nohara stood with Kurenai, both of them won over completely by the fight. They watched the two boys on the field with wonder in their eyes.

Not far away, Asuma's face shifted between pale and flushed.

No wonder he had lost. Compared with these two, his earlier matches had been child's play.

"That guy... He really was going easy on me the whole time!"

Might Guy clenched his fists. His eyes burned, and his blood raced.

"That's a battle between true geniuses! That's real youth!

"Kakashi! Tsukimi! Just you wait! I'll catch up to both of you!"

The Hokage's office in the Hokage Building.

The crystal ball clearly reflected the final moments of the match. Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes shone with admiration. He had thought Kakashi would pull off a comeback at the end.

The Earth-Style Wall to divide the battlefield, the shadow clone to delay the Shadowkhan, the fireball to clear a path, and the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique for the decisive surprise attack.

The whole sequence had flowed seamlessly. It was the pinnacle of what a ninja their age could manage. Even a Genin who had graduated years ago might not have thought up tactics like that.

Yet Tsukimi's strategy had been just as impressive. He had used the wall to block both sides' vision, offered up a clone as bait, and hidden his real body. What Hiruzen valued most was Tsukimi's caution and composure even when victory appeared certain. That was what kept a ninja alive.

The Third Hokage slowly breathed out a thick cloud of smoke and smiled from the heart.

"Shikaku, the Nara have produced a true genius! With him and Kakashi here, the village's future is secure for the next twenty years!"

"That kid's always acting mysterious on the clan grounds. I had no idea he was this strong!"

Remembering Tsukimi's usual antics, Shikaku shook his head with an amused smile.

Hiruzen watched the two boys form the Seal of Reconciliation in the crystal ball, feeling more reassured than ever.

"Konoha's future rests with them!"