Evenly Matched Against Evenly Matched

The next day, Tahm still came to the Forest of Death.

Although prey was getting harder and harder to find, this was still the only place around Konoha where Tahm could make a profit.

Sigh. If only I were a ninja. Then I could legally leave the village, hunt monsters, level up, and even earn mission bonuses. As a summoned beast, I have to wait until Hinata graduates a few years from now before I can follow her out on missions.

Tahm wandered around the forest for a long time. Even with the minimap, he couldn't find a suitable target, and he couldn't help thinking this.

But can a toad become a Konoha ninja too? Should I go find my cheap senior brother Jiraiya and have him talk to the Hokage, so I can get a ninja identity as well?

As Tahm walked, he kept an eye on his system minimap, hoping to find some prey that had slipped through the net. However, the minimap's detection range of one thousand meters was still insufficient. After slaughtering his way through the forest for a month and becoming its overlord, Tahm's presence had long since been firmly remembered by the surviving beasts. They would flee the moment they sensed him from several thousand meters away.

Huh? An avatar suddenly appeared on the minimap. Had someone sneaked up beside him? Although the map couldn't display the name, this appearance seemed somewhat familiar.

"Hatake Kakashi!?" Tahm shouted in surprise.

The next moment, he saw the avatar move and shift to another position. Yet all that reached Tahm's ears was the rustling of branches and leaves swaying in the wind. Without the minimap, Tahm would never have imagined that such a sound had been made by someone moving at high speed.

"Come out. I know you're here." Tahm faced the place where Kakashi was hiding and calmly delivered a line that fully displayed the bearing of an expert.

The instant his voice fell, a shadow abruptly appeared before Tahm. It was a ninja wrapped up from head to toe and wearing the standard Anbu outfit, complete with a fox mask.

"You actually saw through my identity." Kakashi spoke with some wariness. "It seems Shimada's report still rated you too low."

The next moment, Kakashi attacked. According to the report, his opponent was a terrifying ninja beast that killed without reason, was cunning and shrewd, and even possessed abnormal fetishes. According to Shimada, the opponent's speed and strength far surpassed those of a chunin, and he also possessed a powerful stunning ninjutsu, making him extremely troublesome. The fact that Kakashi had been discovered and identified so easily showed that the opponent understood Konoha very well and must have some kind of conspiracy. Regardless, striking first was never wrong.

Kakashi's hands flashed as he rapidly formed hand seals. Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!

In an instant, enormous chakra transformed out of thin air into a flood like a great waterfall, crashing down toward Tahm.

Tahm had never expected Kakashi to attack without a word. He only had time to activate combat mode before the huge wave slammed him to the ground. This was the first time Tahm had been hit head-on by such a large-scale ninjutsu. His health bar instantly dropped by nearly 500 points—fully one-fifth of his health had been wiped out in a single blow.

Tahm quickly scrambled to his feet and shot his tongue toward Kakashi.

Kakashi was struck by sudden inspiration. Remembering Shimada's report about the opponent's bizarre, unavoidable attack, he immediately formed hand seals the instant Tahm moved and activated the Substitution Technique he had prepared in advance.

The giant tongue struck Kakashi, but instead of the dull thud of hitting flesh, a cloud of smoke burst open. Kakashi's body, left standing in place, had turned into a section of wood.

This was the first time Tahm's targeted attack had missed. His somewhat inflated confidence instantly cooled. It seemed that as long as one's reaction speed exceeded the speed of his attack, the Shinobi World's common Substitution Technique was enough to dodge his cheat-like targeted attacks.

Kakashi's battle instincts, however, were sounding an alarm. This ninja beast had taken an A-rank ninjutsu head-on and seemed unaffected, yet had still launched a swift counterattack. It was highly likely to possess a special ability that granted immunity to large-scale ninjutsu. Moreover, if Kakashi hadn't used the Substitution Technique in time just now, he would definitely have been hit. Although the Substitution Technique was simple, its timing was crucial. If he missed once during close combat, the consequences would be disastrous.

I need to end this quickly! Kakashi made his decision, opened his left eye, and revealed a blood-red pupil. Sharingan: Hypnosis!

Tahm, who was looking straight at Kakashi, suddenly felt drowsy. It seemed as though his brain had stopped working. Only one skill on the system panel was flashing, as if calling out to him.

Acting on instinct, Tahm used Cure for Scurvy. An orange glow rose from his body, removing all negative effects, and Tahm quickly broke free of the hypnosis. Kakashi, who had just condensed a spinning Rasengan in his hand, was stunned by this. He had no choice but to charge forward and complete the attack.

Seeing the Rasengan spiraling through the air toward him, Tahm silently thought, Alpha Strike! Unlike a normal attack, this move was truly as fast as a streak of light. In an instant, Kakashi lost sight of his target, and several streaks of light flashed across his body, dealing devastating damage.

Did I win?

Just as the thought arose in Tahm's mind, the Kakashi he had struck suddenly turned into a cloud of smoke—it was a Shadow Clone!

Where's the real one? Tahm couldn't find Kakashi's figure on the minimap either. It was as if he had used some kind of invisibility technique.

Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique! The ground beneath Tahm suddenly caved in, forming a deep pit. A hand violently seized Tahm's foot, trapping half of his body underground.

Kakashi immediately emerged from the earth. His blood-red Sharingan stared at Tahm's every subtle movement, while dazzling lightning flickered in his hand, giving off a shriek like a thunderbird.

This was the most powerful lightning attack, Chidori!

Just as the arm wrapped in lightning was about to mercilessly pierce Tahm, a burst of purple light instantly appeared around his body. His enormous form vanished, causing Kakashi's Chidori to strike empty air and slam into a huge tree as thick as a millstone. The massive trunk was instantly shredded into dust by the lightning. The tree collapsed with a crash, sending a cloud of dust billowing up.

Where did he go? Kakashi grew wary. Then he suddenly discovered that Tahm had appeared dozens of meters away, completely unharmed.

Is this the Flying Thunder God Technique? Kakashi's assessment of Tahm's danger reached its peak. Three tomoe spun in his Sharingan as he prepared for a battle to the death.

Tahm, meanwhile, was shaken. He could tell that if he had taken that Chidori head-on, he probably would have died or come very close. Fortunately, he still had his ultimate skill, Riftwalk, which allowed him to flash to the other side in time.

So this is the strength of a top jōnin in the Shinobi World? Even with skills this bizarre, I can only barely fight him to an even match. No wonder he's known as Hatake Evenly Matched.

Seeing lightning once again begin to gather faintly in Kakashi's hand, Tahm immediately decided to use his final killing move:

"Don't move! I'm your grandmaster-uncle!"