BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
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With most readers reaching the seventh and final chapter, the events had already reached their peak.
"Kakashi-sensei facing Sasuke… I've never felt this excited before!"
"Are we about to witness a real shinobi battle with our own eyes?"
"Wait… It's a budding Genin against an experienced Jonin!"
"What are you talking about? Obviously, Kakashi-sensei won't fight him seriously."
"What? But Sasuke is the genius of the Uchiha clan! According to the Third Hokage himself, he shouldn't be underestimated."
"Genius or not, it doesn't matter. It won't make any difference against a Jonin."
"Man, Sasuke's mission isn't to defeat Kakashi—just to get one of the bells."
"Look, even Kakashi looks forward to seeing the strength of the Uchiha descendant."
"Hahaha! That's right! My Uchiha clan is the most elite family in Konohagakure village! Kakashi looks even cooler now!"
"He really said it…"
"Haha! Starting today, I'll respect the Hatake clan!"
"Ohh, seems the Hatake clan consistently produces such strong, intelligent talents."
Many members of the Kurama, Hyūga, Akimichi, Sarutobi, and other clans felt the urge to vomit as they watched the Uchiha clan brag over a tiny compliment from a fictional character in a manga!
Although young Kakashi was indeed the son of Sakumo Hatake, it wasn't guaranteed at all that he'd grow up to become Jonin-level. His future in the manga was nothing but the author's imagination—or so they believed.
Once the excited crowd calmed down, the battle in the manga began: Sasuke versus Kakashi.
Fugaku's eyes sparkled as he looked at the manga pages, where the fight was drawn with exaggerated precision.
Even the grass beneath Sasuke and Kakashi—one of the smallest details—was drawn with astonishing professionalism. Readers felt as if the drawn scene was moving, forming an epic moment.
Sasuke stood facing Kakashi, the wind moving his hair to cover the headband of Konohagakure.
In the next moment, he pulled dozens of sharp shuriken from the small pouch at his belt and threw them at Kakashi. That was his first attack.
In the manga page, the shuriken blades formed spiraling trajectories, passing through the spot where Kakashi had just been standing before he dodged them.
Only to find another trap waiting for him—dozens of kunai almost struck him, but ended up embedded deeply in a tree.
Readers' eyes widened in shock. Was this how ninjas fight? Where were the superpowers?
The civilians among the crowd were confused. They had always heard that ninjas could walk on water, spit fire, manipulate rocks, summon whirlwinds, and create clones! They had seen Naruto create a thousand real clones, which shocked them to the core… but so far, they hadn't seen anything more amazing than what Naruto had done!
They waited for the Kakashi vs. Sasuke fight to reshape their expectations.
But the battle turned into close combat—taijutsu, to be precise. This widened many eyes with the sheer skill of young Sasuke, who fought with incredible flexibility, kicking, punching, and dodging like a seasoned close-combat fighter.
On a certain side of the Art Store, a man suddenly shouted, drawing many eyes toward him.
The man was a young adult in his twenties, with neatly trimmed black hair, thick eyebrows, and a large nose. He looked like a carbon copy of Maito Gai.
"Close-combat! This is how men fight! Go for it, Sasuke-kun!"
Maito Dai shouted with passion. He loved seeing fights by fists and feet, where the strongest punch truly decided the winner.
"Hey, eternal Genin, stop shouting. You're ruining my focus on the chapter," said a member of the Akimichi clan sarcastically, though his annoyance was clear.
Hearing someone call him 'Eternal Genin' again didn't bother Maito Dai at all. He didn't even look his way. Instead, he turned to the small child beside him—who happened to look exactly like him—gave him a thumbs-up and a bright smile, saying:
"Look, my son, this is how men fight!"
"Yes, father!" The five-year-old boy beside him nodded enthusiastically.
His name was Maito Gai, the son of the man known across Konoha as the Eternal Genin, due to his rank never rising above Genin even though most of his peers had already become Chunin at least, and the most talented among them even made Jonin—like Sakumo, who made a name for himself in the previous war as the White Fang of Konoha, now an Elite Jonin close to becoming the next Hokage.
But none of this discouraged Maito Dai. He founded his family, raised his son, and was ready to push him to achieve what he couldn't. All while still training his own secret taijutsu technique—one no one yet knew about.
On the next page, the intense battle between Sasuke and Kakashi continued—Sasuke kicking, Kakashi blocking without even blinking.
In a panel that widened the eyes of both Maito Dai and his son, Sasuke spun 180 degrees after a blocked kick and punched with incredible flexibility—but Kakashi blocked that too.
Then Sasuke kicked again with his other leg, in a breathtaking scene for father and son. They were captivated by the fight!
But in the next moment, their breaths grew sharper—because somehow Sasuke kicked from above and managed to touch one of the bells with his fingers!
"Woooh-ho! He almost took it for real!" Maito Dai exclaimed in awe.
…
[— 'This one's not bad. I can't even read "Make Out Paradise" while we're fighting!' Kakashi admitted his inability to read his book, particularly when dealing with Sasuke.
…
"Huh?"
"… I…" Sakura seemed to awaken from the genjutsu at that moment.
'I remember! Sasuke was dying… And when I saw that I…'
"SASUKE—!!! Don't die… Don't leave me!"
"Where ARE you?!" She still believed what she saw even after escaping the illusion.
…
"… Is that a rock? The tree stump! So that's what it looks like from behind…" Naruto was still hanging upside down, then he noticed something.
"Hey… the lunch boxes are on top of the boulder!"
"Shinobi are supposed to read the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings… Right? Hee-Hee-Hee-Hee!" Naruto laughed proudly at his own cleverness.
…
"I admit it. You're not like the others." Kakashi acknowledged.
"HMF…" Sasuke snorted, forming hand seals. 'Horse! Tiger!'
'Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu! (Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu)'
Seeing this, Kakashi's eyes widened in genuine shock. "WHAAAT—?!"
'That technique is beyond the capacity of any novice… His chakra shouldn't be enough yet to perform it!' Or so Kakashi thought. —]
…
When readers saw the torrent of fire pour from Sasuke's mouth and destroy a large portion of the ground where Kakashi had been standing, they were utterly shocked.
Even Uchiha clan members who had been annoyed by Sasuke earlier could not help but acknowledge the boy's talent.
"He has chakra on par with a Chunin at this age… Incredible. Truly incredible."
The Uchiha clan head clapped with joy as he watched Sasuke's fight with Kakashi.
Even when Sasuke was defeated by being pulled underground by Kakashi, he didn't flinch.
"This talent… he may become someone great in the future! He reminds me of that person…"
Even thinking of that person made the current Uchiha clan head shiver.
…
Hiruzen watched the entire fight with analytical eyes—from beginning to end.
"He surpasses Naruto by far… His taijutsu skills are superior, his combat intelligence is superior, his planning is superior, his methods are superior… And he hasn't even shown those unique eyes yet…"
When Danzo saw Sasuke perform Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu, his eyes narrowed almost entirely…
In all his life, he hadn't seen an Uchiha this talented at such a young age… Sasuke seemed to be the only one.
'Unfortunately, he is a fictional character. Otherwise, he would've been excellent material for use—worth the patience and the slow harvest.'
Danzo sighed regretfully.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 39: End of the Volume — Team 7's Failure!
Chapter 40: Be on My Side.
Chapter 41: Are You Kidding Me?
Chapter 42: The Hundred Seal.
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 56.
There are 19 advanced chapters available now:
5 chapters in the Silver tier ($5 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Gold tier ($10 subscription), and 5 more chapters in the Platinum tier ($15 subscription).
On Patreon and Ko-fi, too.
In the coming days, chapters will be made available for all tiers, reaching up to 50 advanced chapters… Enjoy!