As he watched the Chidori draw closer and closer, a gleam seemed to appear in Sōkyū Hatake's eyes.
"Kami-e!" At the very last instant, Sōkyū Hatake used Kami-e.
Kami-e was one of the defensive techniques of the Six Powers in "Pirate King." By releasing all strength throughout the body, the user could control their body as freely and effortlessly as drawing on paper, applying it flexibly in combat to adapt to all kinds of situations.
This was also a skill Sōkyū Hatake had obtained from a check-in last month.
Of course, this skill had given Sōkyū Hatake something of a sudden insight. He had always struggled a little with the timing of its use, but this time, thanks to Kakashi, Sōkyū Hatake had executed Kami-e perfectly!
"What is this?!" Kakashi stared in disbelief at the Chidori that had been dodged. Although he had held back a great deal, and even if it had hit Sōkyū Hatake, it would at most have left him bedridden for a day or two.
Still, this really was the first time someone had simply dodged it like that.
"Hehe, you can't control it now, can you?!" Sōkyū Hatake said with a wicked grin. This was an excellent opportunity.
One drawback of using Chidori was that Kakashi could not control his direction, meaning he would charge straight ahead just like that!
For Sōkyū Hatake, this was a perfect opportunity!
"Soru! Secret taijutsu technique! Thousand Years of Death!" Sōkyū Hatake focused his gaze on Kakashi's rear and brought his hands together, leaving only his index and middle fingers standing upright.
Squish!
Almost in an instant, Sōkyū Hatake's hands plunged straight in!
"What?! Aaaaaaah!!!!" Kakashi's body shot forward. Even that tremendous pain could not compare to the psychological damage.
"You lost this time, didn't you, my little fellow disciple's student?" Sōkyū Hatake said as he walked over to Kakashi. Getting revenge like this really did feel wonderful.
Kakashi silently adjusted his posture and silently rose from the ground. A murderous aura enveloped Sōkyū Hatake.
"Ahem, the match is over. Let's leave it here for today. I'm hungry." Looking at Kakashi's expression, Sōkyū Hatake spoke rather meekly.
Just as Sōkyū Hatake was about to leave, a pair of large hands landed on his shoulders.
"Heh, you think you can just leave like that?" Kakashi's sinister voice rang out, and the hands on Sōkyū Hatake's shoulders gripped him tightly.
"Um... is it too late to apologize?" Sōkyū Hatake swallowed. That sneak attack had only succeeded by chance. If Kakashi got serious, all he could do was run.
"What do you think?" Kakashi said coldly, one hand already poised to strike.
"Chunin Kakashi, Lord Hokage wants to see you." Just then, an Anbu ninja appeared at the training ground and spoke directly to Kakashi.
"Yes! I'll head over right away!" At the sight of the Anbu, Kakashi immediately grew serious.
"Good, get there as soon as possible! I still have to notify the next person!" With that, the Anbu ninja left.
"Looks like you're heading to the battlefield too?" Sōkyū Hatake remarked perceptively. Danzo had already left with those one thousand ninja, and there was clearly no need for reinforcements yet.
In other words... was this for something else?
"I don't know, but since it's Lord Hokage's request, I'll head over first," Kakashi said, releasing his hands as he spoke.
"All right, take care, bro," Sōkyū Hatake said, then turned to leave.
"I remember you called this... the secret taijutsu technique, Thousand Years of Death, right?!" The instant Sōkyū Hatake turned around, Kakashi formed the same hand gesture Sōkyū Hatake had just used and thrust straight at that spot on him.
"Iron Body!" Sōkyū Hatake had known all along that Kakashi would not let him off so easily. The moment he sensed something wrong behind him, the blood throughout his body had already begun circulating.
Iron Body was one of the defensive techniques of the Six Powers in "Pirate King." It pumped strength into a thoroughly trained body, giving it the hardness of iron. Even ordinary bullets and blades could not break through it.
Clang!!!
"Aaaaaaah!!!!" Kakashi clutched his hands and staggered back several steps, shouting. Just now, it had felt as though he had jabbed a block of iron, leaving his hands feeling as if their bones had broken.
"Hehe, I'm off!" Sōkyū Hatake said, then left the training ground.
"Tch, that little brat." As Kakashi looked toward where Sōkyū Hatake had gone, a smile appeared beneath his mask.
It seemed... this younger brother of his was full of mysteries too.
Still, Kakashi could feel Sōkyū Hatake's affection for him as family.
So...
"Damn! That brat really didn't hold back!" Kakashi limped away, still muttering something under his breath.
After Kakashi left, Sōkyū Hatake's figure suddenly appeared back in the same spot.
"My foolish older brother, when will you be able to break free of the demons in your heart?" Sōkyū Hatake watched Kakashi's retreating figure.
He knew that Kakashi carried many burdens in his heart. To Kakashi, they were both motivation and shackles.
In the original story, Kakashi had been an unrivaled existence in terms of potential.
An elite Jonin of Konohagakure, he was known as Konoha's Number One Technician and was proficient in over a thousand ninjutsu, excluding kekkei genkai. "Jin no Sho" showed that he possessed chakra of seven attributes. A former member of Konoha's Anbu, a student of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the leader of Team 7, he later received Obito Uchiha's transplanted Sharingan. Having used the Sharingan to copy over a thousand ninjutsu, he became known as the "Copy Ninja" and "Sharingan Kakashi," names that resounded throughout the nations.
Age at graduation from the Ninja Academy: five. Age at promotion to Chunin: six.
That record was a staggering achievement no matter where one looked.
It also spoke volumes about just how much of a genius Kakashi was.
But Kakashi was still not perfect enough!
One could even say that his genius was a major factor hindering Kakashi's progress.
This world had no shortage of geniuses, but it lacked perfection!
And genius was the furthest thing from perfection!
Watching Kakashi's retreating figure, Sōkyū Hatake pursed his lips. He still needed to work harder.
Although there were still many years before the main storyline began, he had to remember that this was no peaceful era.
What lay ahead was not just the Third Shinobi World War, but also the Night of the Nine-Tails and the night of the clan massacre. All of these... required strength to survive!
Before you continue