Susanoo, Assemble

On the flank, Kakashi clashed with Darui, short blade in hand. Their blades rang out again and again.

As he blocked Darui's relentless attacks, he kept one eye on the battle ahead, stunned by what he saw.

In their usual sparring matches, Tsukimi could beat him, but the outcome often came down to a move or two.

Kakashi had always thought that even if Tsukimi was holding back, his full strength couldn't be that far beyond his own.

Only now did he finally understand.

Tsukimi had been going easy on him the whole time!

But Kakashi felt neither discouraged nor resentful. Instead, his competitive fire blazed to life.

He tightened his grip on his short blade, his gaze growing more determined.

I have to get stronger! I have to catch up to Tsukimi!

Kakashi pushed aside his scattered thoughts, focused, and gave Darui his full attention.

As the two went all out, the ten-person melee, which had briefly slowed, erupted into fierce combat once more.

The duel at the heart of the battlefield was reaching a fever pitch too.

To the ten fighters on the periphery, Tsukimi and Yugito seemed evenly matched in speed and strength, trading attacks and defenses. Thanks to his fluid rhythm, Tsukimi even appeared to have a slight edge.

But Tsukimi, at the center of the fight, knew exactly how far apart they were.

Bolstered by Tailed Beast Chakra, Yugito surpassed him in physical strength, explosive speed, and even endurance. Worse, her power was still climbing.

He was holding a slight advantage only by drawing on his extensive combat experience.

To put it bluntly, the girl was fighting like an idiot!

But Tsukimi knew that the longer the fight dragged on, the more obvious their gap would become. Dodging with Flash Step would grow harder, and