Fight, fight!

Why?

Why did that man have a Sharingan?

The Sharingan was the Uchiha Clan's kekkei genkai!

Sasuke Uchiha was stunned. He stared at Kakashi Hatake in disbelief-or, more precisely, at his Sharingan.

He was certain that, apart from himself, the only person left in the entire Uchiha Clan was Uchiha Itachi, whom he thought about killing every waking moment!

So where had that man's Sharingan come from?!

The sight before him left Sasuke Uchiha utterly dazed.

"What's wrong?"

Naruto Uzumaki looked back and forth in confusion, not understanding what had happened. He could also see that something was wrong with Sasuke Uchiha.

That eye of Kakashi Hatake's was certainly unusual, but why was everyone reacting like this?

Although Naruto Uzumaki had been somewhat rude to Guy-sensei earlier, Rock Lee still kindly explained, "Lord Kakashi's eye is a Sharingan, and the Sharingan is the Uchiha Clan's kekkei genkai. In the entire Shinobi World, only they can awaken eyes like that."

"Ohh!"

Naruto Uzumaki understood. So an eye from Sasuke's family had ended up with Uncle Kakashi.

But he had even more questions now, though he could only hold them in for the moment.

"They're about to start!!!"

Might Guy suddenly called out a warning!

Some time earlier, at the Root Base.

"You're saying Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake headed for Training Ground 19?"

"Yes, Lord Danzo!"

Hidden in the shadows, Shimura Danzō tightened his grip on his cane. At last, a trace of a smile appeared on his normally inscrutable face as his scheme came to fruition.

They were finally fighting!

He had leaked the news about the Hokage candidate to Shihōin Naraku precisely so that he would turn against Kakashi Hatake over it, perhaps even fight him to the death in secret.

But even after several months had passed, Shimura Danzō had heard no good news that gave him cause for celebration.

Instead, news arrived that Shihōin Naraku had become the Medical Department Director, leaving him even more puzzled.

Did Shihōin Naraku not want to become Hokage?

Shimura Danzō flatly refused to believe it. He felt that Shihōin Naraku was retreating in order to advance, and that he would inevitably slip up.

All he needed to do was wait for the two to turn against each other, then finally throw the evidence of their fighting before everyone in Konohagakure, destroying their chances of becoming Hokage for good.

After all, few people could accept someone brutally fighting their comrades and friends for the sake of becoming Hokage.

And now, at last, the moment he had been waiting for had come!

"Move out!"

"To Training Ground 19!"

"Yes!"

Shimura Danzō took two loyal subordinates with him and hurried toward Training Ground 19.

Meanwhile, in the office of the Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the crystal ball on his desk, frowning at the two figures it displayed: Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake.

"Naraku withdrew voluntarily, and I approved Kakashi yesterday. By rights, the two have no reason to fight..."

But then it occurred to him that this might have been Kakashi Hatake's idea. Kakashi intended to use this fight to convince himself!

"This is good, too. If one fight can let Kakashi Hatake put his hang-ups behind him completely, Konoha will gain another elite jonin!"

"Puff, puff..."

Smoke wreathed the office...

For a moment, it seemed as though many people were watching the two figures in the center of the training ground!

A weightless fallen leaf drifted through the air, slowly descending.

Watching Kakashi Hatake lift his forehead protector, Shihōin Naraku grew thoroughly excited. Now this was going all out!

The tension between them mounted!

The leaf drifted between them, then settled on the ground.

Boom!

Bang!

The ground beneath Shihōin Naraku's and Kakashi Hatake's feet exploded simultaneously. Gravel and dirt flew as spiderweb-like cracks split the earth.

The two closed in at a speed barely visible to the naked eye, then slammed violently together, terrifying force erupting at that instant.

Crack!

The instant Shihōin Naraku's and Kakashi Hatake's fists collided, the ground centered on them abruptly caved in. Dense cracks spread outward, and a circular shock wave expanded, knocking over Naruto Uzumaki and the others watching from the sidelines.

"Get back!"

Might Guy stood where he was and warned them without turning his head, his eyes still fixed on the two in the field.

Naruto Uzumaki and the others stubbornly tried to stay where they were, but amid the violent tremors, explosive waves of air kept sweeping toward them, making it impossible to stand steady.

Bang, bang, bang...

Following their furious collision, Shihōin Naraku's and Kakashi Hatake's fists and feet flew. Their figures leaped and shifted rapidly, tangled together so closely that it was difficult to tell them apart.

Boom!!!

Shihōin Naraku suddenly stamped one foot into the ground. Terrifying monstrous strength poured out, like the power of a giant. In an instant, the earth collapsed into a huge crater, and dust billowed into the air, shrouding the surroundings.

A fierce gust struck him head-on. Every hair on Kakashi Hatake's body stood on end, and he flipped away several times in an instant to dodge.

But the gale whipped up by that monstrous strength still swept Kakashi Hatake into the air. His hands rapidly formed hand seals...

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Chakra surged in his throat. The next second, an enormous fireball spewed from Kakashi Hatake's mouth, blasting down toward Shihōin Naraku's position.

Scorching heat swept outward, but Kakashi Hatake still did not stop moving. He knew perfectly well that this alone could never defeat Naraku.

So, after unleashing the Great Fireball, his hands rapidly formed hand seals again.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique!"

Kakashi Hatake suddenly expelled a mass of swirling wind from his mouth, which rapidly grew into a gale in the air!

The fire rode the wind's might, and the wind fueled the flames!

With the gale's support, the Great Fireball hurtling down surged wildly in force. The fiercely burning fireball swelled to several times its size, pouring out waves of heat intense enough to crack the earth. A scorching blast struck head-on.

The spectators on the outskirts involuntarily swallowed, as though the searing flames had already reached them.

Rumble...

As though he had failed to react, the raging fireball smashed into the ground and exploded. Flames wantonly unleashed their immense power, burning and scorching everything around them.

"Did he dodge?"

"He didn't dodge?!"

"Big Brother Naraku's dead?!"

Most of those watching looked on in horror as the immensely powerful fireball struck Shihōin Naraku.

Only a handful frowned at the still fiercely burning flames without saying a word!

"Huff... huff..."

Kakashi Hatake landed on the ground, breathing hard. Although the two ninjutsu he had just used in succession were both C-rank, their power could be increased according to how much chakra he put into them, and Kakashi had indeed expended quite a lot just now.

"Crack... pop... thud, thud..."

Amid the towering flames, a figure emerged wreathed in flickering firelight. His footsteps sounded like drumbeats, each step ringing out as he strode forward firmly and powerfully.

Kakashi Hatake's pupils trembled violently. The ninjutsu had clearly hit him just now, so why had the Fire Release done no damage at all?

Flames were clearly still flickering along the edges of his clothes, but as he walked slowly forward, they went out one by one. Shihōin Naraku's clothes were not even wrinkled.

"Here he comes!!!"

Bang!

As though teleporting, Shihōin Naraku stepped down, but the instant his foot landed, he was already beside Kakashi Hatake. Then he sent him flying with a kick!