Chiba didn't take a break.
After a brief exchange, he vanished forward in a flicker of movement.
kid suppressed his own speed to match Chiba's.
The two clashed in earnest—fists, kicks, no holding back.
Then, kid suddenly disappeared.
Chiba sensed danger and instantly shifted tactics, whipping a kick backward.
Boom!
A dull explosion echoed, the ground cracking under the impact.
kid raised an eyebrow.
A kick too?
And it's even stronger than his punch…
Interesting!
He faintly recalled Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength taijutsu.
The technique Chiba had created—it carried a trace of that same power.
Even while evading, kid found himself analyzing every motion.
Then suddenly—
a pulse of chakra bloomed around Chiba's fist.
Bang!
kid was blasted back, airborne.
Fortunately, it was only chakra that hit him. Midway through the flight, he rereaped control, flipped in midair, and landed on a tree trunk—then launched himself back with a counterattack.
Lee, watching from the side, was trembling with excitement.
If he had already mastered the Eight Gates, he probably would've opened them right there just to cheer them on.
When Chiba had taught him earlier, he'd said that once the technique was mastered, any part of the body capable of exerting force could be used as a weapon.
Now Lee was seeing it firsthand—shoulders, elbows, fists—each one could strike with power.
Though their strength varied, st an ordinary person, any one blow would have been devastating.
It was only because kid's body was tough as steel that he could take the hits—and the longer they fought, the more fired up he became.
"Burn, youth!!"
kid roared, sending a blazing kick toward Chiba.
Chiba's eyes sharpened.
That speed—completely different from before!
From the shadows, a certain Copy Ninja who had been secretly observing rushed out the moment he heard the sound.
kid was being too reckless!
How could he unleash that level of force st a child—
Hiss!
Kakashi's thought froze as he saw Chiba's hands glow—two chakra needles formed instantly.
The chakra was condensed to an extreme density. Though shaped like needles, their edges were sharp enough to cut like chakra scalpels.
Not only that—Chiba clearly possessed some kind of precise sensory control.
A flick of his wrist—
a blur—
they passed each other.
kid's pose was perfect, but he didn't move for a long while.
"kid, what if you'd actually hurt Chiba?"
"Ahahahaha, I just got a little carried away!"
kid stood up, the corner of his eye twitching.
It hurt.
Damn, this kid really got him good!
But—
in front of Lee, he couldn't show weakness.
So he raised his thumb and grinned.
"Li, you saw that, didn't you? As long as you train seriously, even through taijutsu alone, you can still walk a path of glory! You can become an exceptional ninja!"
"Yes, kid!"
Lee didn't suspect a thing.
kid took a step—and his face twitched .
He knew very well that the muscles in his foot had been sliced.
"Well, well! Isn't this my eternal rival, Kakashi? How about a hot-blooded handstand race to Konoha Hospital? First one there wins!"
And before anyone could stop him, he flipped over into a handstand.
Ah… much better that way!
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, expression unreadable.
If you're injured, just go to the hospital normally…
Getting too excited fighting your own student and hurting yourself—it was embarrassing, but understandable.
Still—
why drag him into it?
Kakashi pretended not to hear, continuing to read his book like a passerby.
"Kakashi! Truly my eternal rival!"
"kid, I'll go with you!"
"Good! Let's move out!"
And so, kid—still upside down—raced off toward the hospital, with Lee close behind.
Chiba could only stand there in silence.
This…
Yeah, this whole hot-blooded culture was still a bit too much for him.
Kakashi lowered his book and looked at him.
"That technique of yours—what do you call it?"
"I haven't named it yet."
"It's an interesting one. Looks like you're trying to imitate Lady Tsunade's secret art. Chakra reinforcement combined with raw muscle control—no wonder you went to study in the medical unit."
Kakashi wasn't like kid.
kid's focus was… well, unique. He was passionate about the spirit of things but often missed the finer points.
Kakashi, on the other hand, had been curious from the start about why Chiba had joined the Medical Department.
Now it made sense.
Partly because of the chakra scalpel—
and partly because of the technique he'd just seen.
Without that time observing and learning in the hospital, Chiba could never have completed something like it.
And what's more—
when kid lost control at the end, ramping up his speed and strength, Chiba's reaction was flawless.
In that brief exchange, Kakashi had thought of someone—
Orochimaru.
The same kind of natural genius.
"That's right," Chiba admitted. "But I've never actually met Lady Tsunade, so I don't know how her technique works. I just heard stories, guessed at the principles, and developed something based on that."
Kakashi, the so-called Copy Ninja, master of a thousand jutsu, could easily see through the structure of the technique.
"Interested in joining the ANBU?" he asked suddenly.
"ANBU?"
Chiba blinked.
Wait, Kakashi hasn't resigned yet, has he?
"Yeah. The Assassination Tactics Special Squad. You've probably heard of it."
Kakashi nodded slightly.
Chiba frowned, thinking for a long while before shaking his head.
"To be honest, I am interested—but not right now. ANBU's a place for battle-hardened killers. I'm still in the stage of building knowledge and refining my foundation."
Kakashi fell silent, his single visible eye studying the boy quietly.
If it were anyone else, they would have been thrilled just to hear an invitation to ANBU.
But this kid…
He was twelve. Not even a graduate yet.
And instead of excitement, he worried that joining would interfere with his study plans.
Even Kakashi, in his youth, hadn't been this calm.
This kid wasn't cold—he was simply too rational.
Every step he took seemed to follow a plan he'd already mapped out in his head.
Kakashi sighed inwardly.
After a pause, he scratched his head awkwardly.
"All right then. If you ever have questions, you can come to me. Well… if you can find me. If not, then forget it."
"Wait, Kakashi-senpai—actually, there is something I wanted to ask."
"Oh?"
Kakashi turned his head, surprised at how fast that came.
Then, just in case, he added a disclaimer.
"If I happen to know the answer."
"I've heard you're highly skilled with the sword. The samurai from the Land of Iron also practice swordsmanship. How does their style differ from yours?"
Chiba didn't know much about the Land of Iron.
Aside from a few of Mifune's techniques, he knew almost nothing.
But Kakashi, as a former ANBU captain, naturally did.
After a short pause, Kakashi explained,
"They're samurai by blood. For them, chakra is just a tool—to enhance strength and speed—not the core of their art.
My father and I, however, focus equally on both—swordsmanship and chakra.
As for the Uchiha clan's kenjutsu, that's centered around ninjutsu itself…"
He gave several examples in a row before finally glancing back at Chiba.
"You asking this because you're researching swordsmanship?"
"Yeah. I heard the Land of Iron doesn't train in ninjutsu—just sword arts. I got curious."
"Their swordsmanship was born in the Warring States era," Kakashi explained simply.
He went on for a while, and though some of what he said Chiba already knew, much of it was new to him.
By the end, Chiba felt his perspective had broadened considerably.
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