Chapter 5: Battling Kakashi
To save his comrades, Sakumo Hatake abandoned a mission intelligence that was within easy reach, which brought immeasurable losses to Konoha, who were still at the negotiating table.
Konoha had spent enormous effort and sacrificed countless Ninjas, yet the victory they were about to achieve was ruined in an instant due to Sakumo Hatake's soft-heartedness. For a time, the entire Konoha denounced him. His countless sacrifices of blood and sweat were forgotten, and his glory was ignored. He became a sinner of Konoha, despised by everyone!
The former hero was dismissed as trash who did not follow the Ninja rules. Even the Ninja he saved joined the others in despising him. Feeling abandoned by the world, Sakumo Hatake had not shown his face since returning to the village.
Even Kakashi was isolated at the Ninja Academy. Previously, everyone looked at him with eyes of envy and admiration, bestowing upon him flattering titles like'Son of the Hero White Fang' and 'Genius.' Now, everyone avoided him, privately calling him the son of the Ninja World's disgrace.
Kakashi swung his short blade, seemingly completely indifferent to everyone's gossip, but his hollow eyes and his constantly repeating movements betrayed his troubled heart.
Of course, not everyone isolated Kakashi.
"489, 490, 491..."
Might Guy was still doing push-ups near Kakashi. The rhythm of his ups and downs was exactly the same as the frequency of Kakashi's blade swings, as if they were competing.
"Biu biu biu~"
Uchiha Obito provided his own sound effects as the shuriken he threw hit the bullseye from various angles. He raised his head proudly and shot a provocative glance at Kakashi.
These two simple-minded creatures didn't understand at all what was happening to Kakashi; their only thought was to compete with the Genius Kakashi!
Rin Nohara looked at Kakashi with a worried expression. Girls are more sensitive, but there was nothing she could do, so she could only worry in vain.
Unfortunately, Kakashi's soul had long since flown to Sakumo Hatake, and he was completely unaware of the young girl's feelings.
Hyuga Tatsumi's thoughts were also on Sakumo Hatake, thinking about how he could fleece this 'fat sheep' for some benefits.
"If I can change Sakumo Hatake's fate, it wouldn't be too much to get another silver light sphere, right?"
Just thinking about it made him bubble with joy, but how should he go about it?
His gaze turned toward Kakashi, thinking about where to start.
"Kakashi, what's the fun in practicing alone? Let's have a match."
Hyuga Tatsumi jumped in front of Kakashi and said seriously, "Not the kind of sparring we do in class, but a battle using our full strength."
Kakashi sheathed his blade and frowned, "Why?"
"You look like you have a lot on your mind. Let's have a fight to release it." Hyuga Tatsumi organized his Ninja tool pouch, ensuring he could quickly retrieve tools during the battle.
"What should we bet this time? Hmm... how about this: if I lose, I'll treat you to a big meal at my house; otherwise, we'll go to yours."
"Fine." Kakashi thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"The collision of youth—it's so hot-blooded! Alright, I'll be the referee!" Might Guy pushed himself up with both hands and jumped, excitedly crowding between Kakashi and Hyuga Tatsumi.
Asuma complained, "Didn't you say if you couldn't do 500 push-ups, you'd run 500 laps on your hands? You're only one short."
"Eh, really?" Guy scratched his head, but seeing that Hyuga Tatsumi and Kakashi were already facing off, he immediately threw that question to the back of his mind.
"The collision of youth is a rare sight. It won't be too late to do the punishment after school." He walked between the two with a serious expression and commanded, "Form the Seal of Confrontation!"
Hyuga Tatsumi and Kakashi stood facing each other, extending and crossing their right index and middle fingers while curling the other three. The Chakra within both of them began to condense rapidly.
"Start!"
As Guy's arm swept down, Hyuga Tatsumi and Kakashi moved simultaneously, two afterimages quickly colliding.
"So fast!"
Obito, Asuma, and the others were shocked. The battle had just begun, and the two hadn't used the Body Flicker Technique, yet their speed was already difficult to capture with the naked eye.
Hyuga Tatsumi's fist smashed heavily toward Kakashi. He hadn't opened his eyes, and Kakashi hadn't used the Hatake Clan's blade techniques. Both were just testing each other and hadn't used their full strength.
Bang!
Kakashi used his left arm to block Hyuga Tatsumi's fist, then performed a side kick toward Hyuga Tatsumi's vulnerable knee.
Swish!
Hyuga Tatsumi took a step back to dodge, and before Kakashi could retract his leg, he closed in again, driving a knee toward his abdomen.
Kakashi pressed his hands together against Hyuga Tatsumi's knee, blocking the damage while using the momentum to flip away from the engagement zone. He then kicked off the ground to change direction, attacking Hyuga Tatsumi from the side.
Bang!
Hyuga Tatsumi chose to meet him head-on, throwing a punch that clashed with Kakashi's. Both were shaken back two steps by the other's strength before closing in for close-quarters combat once more.
"Amazing!"
Might Guy's eyes sparkled. This kind of fist-to-flesh combat style was his favorite.
Obito took off his goggles and watched the battle seriously. Even with the pride of the Uchiha Clan, he had to admit that the strength of these two was above his own.
"As long as I awaken my eyes, I can catch up and even surpass them," he hoped silently in his heart.
Asuma's expression was a bit unsightly. As the son of the Hokage, he had his pride, but he understood that there was a significant gap between him and those two in Taijutsu.
"Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu... perhaps I can surpass them in Ninjutsu." He thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi. With the guidance of this Professor of Ninjutsu, he was confident he wouldn't be inferior to the two in the future.
"Hyuga Tatsumi, Kakashi..." Kurenai Yuhi silently repeated their names, engraving their strength into her heart.
Rin Nohara watched the two with worry. Although her theoretical grades were good, her strength was lacking, and she couldn't see their movements clearly.
Bang!
With a loud bang, Hyuga Tatsumi and Kakashi separated again. They stared intently at each other. After exchanging dozens of moves, they had basically figured out each other's strength and speed. The real battle was about to begin.
Clang!
Kakashi drew the short blade from his back, leaning forward slightly like a cheetah eyeing its prey.
"Byakugan, Activate!"
Hyuga Tatsumi's eyes turned pale blue-white, black marks appeared in his pupils, and the veins around his eyes bulged. His entire aura became extremely dangerous.
Their commotion had already attracted the teachers' attention. Several adult Ninjas arrived nearby, ready to terminate the battle at any moment.
Swish!
Kakashi took the initiative to attack, charging toward Hyuga Tatsumi like a flash of white light, causing several Chunin to widen their eyes in surprise.
"The Hatake Clan's Body Flicker Technique!"
A Chunin recognized the reason for Kakashi's speed. Sakumo Hatake was able to win the fine title of Konoha's White Fang not only because of his miraculous blade skills but also because this Body Flicker Technique played a major role.
"He learned it at such a young age?!" Everyone marveled.
While the onlookers were surprised, Hyuga Tatsumi, facing the blade directly, dared not be careless. He quickly pulled a Kunai from his tool pouch and engaged Kakashi in battle.
Clang, clang, clang, clang... the sound of metal clashing rang out incessantly. Hyuga Tatsumi did not fall into a disadvantage during the fight; he even faintly suppressed Kakashi.
The watching Ninjas shook their heads and sighed, "No matter how fast the Hatake Clan's Body Flicker Technique is, it cannot escape the lock-on of the Byakugan."
"Yes, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan is truly powerful."
"Tatsumi's own cultivation cannot be ignored either; otherwise, even if his eyes could see it, it would be impossible to suppress Kakashi if his body couldn't keep up."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Indeed, after fighting for so long, they could see that Hyuga Tatsumi's physical fitness was even superior to Kakashi's.
Kakashi also understood this. After separating from a collision, his hands formed seals, and with a "poof," a cloud of white smoke covered him.
When the white smoke dissipated, three Kakashis rushed toward Hyuga Tatsumi from different directions, their presence and movements being exactly the same.
"Clone Jutsu? No, it's the Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Shadow Clone Jutsu, a B-rank Ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama. Unlike the ordinary Clone Jutsu, which only serves to confuse the enemy, this technique creates physical Clones by evenly distributing the user's Chakra. The Clones have independent consciousness, can perform physical attacks, and return their memories and experiences to the original body upon dispersal.
"You idiot Kakashi, the Shadow Clone Jutsu can't fool the Byakugan!" Obito shouted from the sidelines, voicing everyone's thoughts. No one understood why Kakashi would do this.
"Is this the final strike?"
Hyuga Tatsumi dared not be careless. Given Kakashi's current Chakra reserves, after fighting until now and performing the Shadow Clone Jutsu, he wouldn't be able to last much longer. The next moment would decide the winner.
"Then let's do it!"
He put the Kunai back into his pouch, took a deep breath, and assumed a special attacking stance.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
The invisible Eight Trigrams diagram enveloped all three Kakashis simultaneously. Dense palm strikes were everywhere, hitting the three Kakashis like a torrential rain.
Poof! Poof!
Two of the Kakashis immediately turned into smoke and dissipated. After the last Kakashi took a palm strike, he also exploded into a cloud of smoke with a "poof," turning into a wooden log that fell to the ground.
"What a fast Substitution Jutsu!"
Hyuga Tatsumi's gaze narrowed, but he did not panic. He jumped in place, narrowly avoiding a pair of hands reaching out from underground, and then slammed a palm toward the ground.
"Stop!"
The watching Chunin were startled and wanted to intervene, but it was too late. Hyuga Tatsumi's attack speed was too fast.
If hit in the head by the Gentle Fist, Kakashi would surely not survive. Rin Nohara and the others closed their eyes in fear, only opening them carefully to look at the field when they didn't hear a sound.
Hyuga Tatsumi stood still, his right palm only a few centimeters away from Kakashi's head!
"I lost."
Kakashi stared blankly at the palm stopped above his head and uttered those three words in disappointment.
Hyuga Tatsumi pulled Kakashi out of the ground and smiled, "We're at 39 to 39 now, a tie. But don't forget the bet this time."
Kakashi nodded in silence, though he didn't feel much better. How could those previous child's play matches compare to this bout?