If Kakashi were to rank the people he disliked the most, the number one spot would go to the uncle his father had saved, who had ungratefully blamed his father in return.
The second spot would probably go to Kaito.
He had never met someone so annoying!
A punch to the bridge of the nose!
An elbow to the abdomen!
A kick to the side of the face…
ugh, couldn’t reach, this bastard was too tall…
a kick to the hip bone!
A stomp to the…
you know where!
The flurry of attacks was fierce and fluid.
Kakashi held nothing back, feeling a long-lost sense of exhilaration.
The only flaw was that, although Kaito was forced to retreat continuously, he managed to block all the strikes and even found openings to counterattack twice, which Kakashi had to swiftly shut down.
‘Has my strength really regressed from not having real combat practice for so long?
I actually failed to take Kaito down in an instant.’
As they separated and stood their ground, he heard Kaito across from him actually say, “Is that all you’ve got?”
Wow, this guy was truly infuriating!
Kakashi slowly reached back, his hand grasping the short sword slung behind him.
Teacher Daiki, acting as the referee, had a slight change in expression.
Just as he was about to intervene, the Third Hokage gently patted his shoulder and smiled.
“Don’t worry.
I am watching; nothing will go wrong.”
‘Something is going to go wrong,’ Kaito sighed inwardly.
After the first round of clashes, he realized he was genuinely struggling against Kakashi.
He was at a significant disadvantage in speed and didn’t have much of an edge in technique either.
As expected of Kakashi.
Even after slacking off for half a year, he was still the genius who broke the record for the youngest promotion to Jonin.
It made sense; after Obito and Rin died one after another, Kakashi had wallowed in grief for who knew how long, yet he still became an elite Jonin in his twenties, a core pillar of Konoha.
What did half a year of slacking off even matter?
And now, he was going to use his blade.
Kaito quickly smoothed his hair into a serious style, and his entire aura shifted accordingly.
Kakashi was not Hizashi Hyuga.
It seemed he had to give it his absolute all and use the growth and effort he had accumulated recently to defeat him!
Kaito reached into his ninja pouch, pulled out a kunai, slipped the ring over his middle finger, and gave it a spin.
‘Throwing Jutsu, add four points!’
The attribute panel flickered.
Kaito suddenly felt as if the spinning kunai was perfectly synchronized with his mind, forming an inexplicable connection.
Throwing Jutsu Level 1 (100%+2%) (Current template limit reached)
‘Huh?
What the hell is this?
It didn’t level up to 2?’
Kaito was stunned for a moment, but he had no time to investigate.
With a hook of his finger, the kunai stopped spinning.
He flicked his wrist, sending the kunai shooting straight at Kakashi!
Kakashi held his short sword horizontally.
His expression tightened slightly as he caught Kaito’s hand swiftly brushing past his ninja pouch out of the corner of his eye.
A second kunai was already flying toward him.
‘One in the open, one hidden?’
‘No, that’s not it!’
Under Kakashi’s slightly surprised gaze, the second kunai actually caught up to the first.
They struck each other, and both simultaneously changed direction!
One flew at his face, the other aimed for his feet!
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, not panicking in the slightest.
He stepped back with his right foot to dodge while swinging his short sword to deflect the kunai aimed at his face.
But right at that moment, his pupils shrank.
There was actually another kunai!
‘When was the third kunai thrown?’ He hastily changed his defensive strategy, slashing at the third kunai with the White Fang’s blade while leaning his head far back to evade.
Clang!
Along with the crisp sound of the blade striking the kunai, a sharp sting flared on his cheek.
A small piece of his mask was sliced open, leaving a faint scratch on his face.
‘This kind of kunai throwing technique…’ Kakashi was somewhat surprised.
‘If there’s a fourth kunai, I’ll be in trouble…
A fourth one!’
His heart tightened.
He quickly straightened up, holding his blade horizontally in high alert, only to see Kaito across from him awkwardly patting his ninja pouch.
“Teacher Daiki, can I borrow a few kunai to throw?” Kaito asked.
Daiki opened his mouth, looking a bit dumbfounded.
Even he didn’t know when that third kunai had been thrown.
More importantly…
when did Kaito learn such flashy kunai throwing techniques?
The Third Hokage, however, saw it clearly.
When Kaito reached for his ninja pouch the second time and threw the second kunai, he had simultaneously palmed the third one in his hand.
It was just done very discreetly.
He stroked his beard, highly pleased.
Kaito had indeed brought him quite a pleasant surprise.
If his opponent hadn’t been Kakashi, even Asuma would have likely stumbled against that move.
A civilian genius!
Kakashi was also excellent.
Heaven truly blessed Konoha.
The classmates had long been standing there in stunned silence.
Many of them were just now realizing that kunai could be thrown like that.
The precision and power required for the second kunai to catch up to the first was terrifying to think about.
‘If I were in Kakashi’s place…’ Hizashi Hyuga felt a chill in his heart.
‘I’d probably be skewered full of holes.
To think this damn civilian had a trick like this up his sleeve!’
Rin clasped her hands together, her expression filled with worry.
Obito, on the other hand, had stars in his eyes.
‘Kaito actually knows such a cool move!
I have to make him teach me!’
“Teacher Daiki, do you have any kunai?” Kaito’s voice rang out again.
“Kunai…” Daiki instinctively reached for his ninja pouch before snapping back to reality.
He said sternly, “An average ninja carrying three kunai is already considered a lot.
If you recklessly throw them all away on the battlefield, where would you get the chance to ask someone else for more?”
“So you don’t have any?” Kaito curled his lips and turned to Kakashi.
“Hey, you idiot whose face almost got ruined, come on!
I’ll show you how to catch a bare blade with empty hands!”
Kakashi raised a hand to touch his face.
The cut from the kunai had already stopped bleeding.
Adjusting his mask, he didn’t hold back in the slightest.
His figure blurred as he dashed right in front of Kaito.
The White Fang’s short sword slashed upward like a streak of starlight tearing through the sky, aiming straight for Kaito!
Kaito sank his stance, channeling his chakra, and stomped heavily on the ground.
With a loud bang, a ring of air expanded outward as his figure vanished instantly, reappearing at Kakashi’s side.
The Third Hokage frowned.
His foundational chakra control was decent, but given Kaito’s age, that move must have drained at least a third of his chakra reserves.
Against the Hatake clan’s kenjutsu, which was renowned for its speed, such a tactic was likely useless.
A foolish move!
He had underestimated Kaito.
Kaito’s chakra reserves had grown significantly recently, so that burst only consumed a fifth of his energy.
However, the Hokage’s other judgment was correct—it was useless against Kakashi.
Kakashi simply twisted his wrist, retracting the missed slash.
He transitioned from extreme motion to absolute stillness in an instant, then spun his body, slicing backward with the White Fang!
The short sword moved incredibly fast, yet it didn’t make a single sound cutting through the air, as if wind resistance simply didn’t apply to his blade!
“He has inherited a fraction of the White Fang’s true legacy,” the Third Hokage stroked his beard, sighing in gratification.
Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock, and he accidentally plucked out two strands of his beard.
“This child, this child…”
Clang!
Kakashi was stunned, staring blankly for a moment at the object blocking his White Fang short sword.
‘What is this?’
‘It looks like a kunai?’
‘Where did this kunai come from?
Didn’t he throw all three of them?!’
‘Eat this kick!’ Kaito leaped into the air, executing a 180-degree spinning back kick that landed squarely on Kakashi’s chest.
With a heavy thud, Kakashi staggered and slid backward.
He twisted his body to disperse the force and retreated over a dozen steps, but still ended up falling flat on his rear, coughing repeatedly.
“Kakashi!” Rin and the others cried out in alarm.
Kakashi shook his head to signal he was fine.
He slowly stood up, staring warily at Kaito, who had just kicked him and was now swiftly retrieving the three kunai he had thrown earlier.
“Your kunai…”
Kaito spread his hands, holding all four kunai together for him to see.
“Teacher Daiki was right.
How could I throw all my kunai at once?
If it didn’t end the battle, how awkward would that be?
So I kept one in reserve…
Don’t give me that look, this is called tactics.
Do you understand tactics?
Oh, Kakashi, you great genius, your IQ is just…
tsk!”
‘Kakashi correction progress 80% Gained free attribute points * 2’
‘Oh ho, that’s a nice return on investment.’
Kaito beamed with joy, smoothing his bangs.
Kakashi’s heart flared with rage as he gripped his short sword.