https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-192-Playing-with-Shadow-Clones-Your-Heart-Must-be-Dirty/12558163/
Chapter 193: The Fallen Genius
Chapter 193: The Fallen Genius
"Kakashi, Itachi, how are your preparations coming along?" Mu Yue asked.
"I'm ready for battle anytime," Itachi quickly replied, a faint smile on his face.
"No problems here. I can start fighting," Kakashi calmly nodded, his injuries now fully healed thanks to timely treatment and sufficient rest.
"Then we're all set," Mu Yue smiled, signaling for Itachi and Kakashi to take their positions on the combat field.
Seeing Kakashi's nonchalant expression, Mu Yue silently mourned for him for a fraction of a second.
Since Itachi had already defeated Obito under Kakashi's observation, Kakashi had a rough idea of Itachi's strength and tactics.
However, this wasn't necessarily an advantage for Kakashi. Instead, it might lead him to misjudge Itachi's true capabilities.
Itachi was never one to go for instant kills. He preferred to use only as much strength as needed to defeat his opponent, and even though he could have easily controlled Obito with his Sharingan, he refrained from doing so until the end.
Additionally, Itachi's age was misleading. Kakashi would never have guessed that Itachi, two years their junior, was strong enough to hold back during his fight with Obito.
Of course, even if Kakashi hadn't underestimated Itachi, he still would have likely lost the match. In their normal states, Kakashi and Itachi were fairly evenly matched. But when Itachi unleashed his Sharingan, the situation changed drastically.
Following the customary hand seals, the two ninja locked themselves in opposing stances.
"At the same age, I have to admit he's better than me," Kakashi thought, eyeing Itachi's serious expression.
While he couldn't turn back time and fight Itachi two years ago, Obito's current strength surpassed Kakashi's at the same age, and Itachi had just defeated Obito. In this indirect comparison, Itachi proved to be the more exceptional genius, just as Obito had claimed.
Nevertheless, Kakashi remained confident about the upcoming battle. He attributed Obito's loss to poor combat skills rather than a lack of strength, and while Kakashi had less time to train in the past two years, he had certainly not slacked off on missions, gaining a wealth of combat experience.
"Begin!" Mu Yue announced as the two ninja settled into their starting positions.
Kakashi immediately drew the White Light Chakra Sabre from his back and slashed at Itachi.
Clang!
Itachi, using the Breathing Technique to enhance his physical abilities, swiftly drew the short blade Mu Yue had given him to block Kakashi's strike.
Kakashi's expression remained unchanged as he swiftly and relentlessly directed his blade towards Itachi's vital points.
Kakashi's lightning-fast swordplay put immense pressure on Itachi, and his clothes now bore several gashes.
Realizing the formidable nature of Kakashi's close-quarters swordplay, Itachi quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to create distance before swiftly forming hand seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Itachi spat out a massive fireball that grew to a diameter of three meters as it hurtled towards Kakashi.
Instead of bracing himself against the scorching fireball, Kakashi threw a smoke bomb and dodged to the side.
As the smoke bomb left his hand, Kakashi flung a barrage of shuriken towards the edges of the smoke.
BOOM!!
The fireball plunged into the smoke, detonating upon impact with the ground, and the shuriken, piercing the air at incredible speed, also disappeared into the smoky periphery.
There was no clanging of metal, only the dissipating smoke revealing scorched earth and a scattering of shuriken, with no sign of Kakashi.
Itachi's expression turned thoughtful, and he leaped onto a tree, creating a shadow clone and observing the northern area from his perch. He had thrown the shuriken southward earlier.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!!
True to his prediction, Kakashi appeared from behind a large tree in the direction Itachi had been watching, throwing a flurry of shuriken.
Itachi countered with his own shuriken, deflecting the incoming projectiles, and with a clever twist of his wrist, he altered the trajectory of several shuriken, sending them hurtling towards Kakashi at a bizarre angle.
Clang! Clang!
Kakashi dodged some of the shuriken and deflected the rest, but just as he succeeded in neutralizing the threat, Itachi was upon him, a kunai knife in hand, aimed straight at Kakashi's vitals.
"The battle is over, Kakashi-senpai," Itachi declared.
"The battle is over, but I'm the winner," came a voice from the nearby tree, and a Kakashi clone leaped out, kunai pointed at Itachi's vulnerable spot.
"You should be more cautious of an enemy you've already vanquished," Kakashi advised calmly.
"Your words are wise, Kakashi-senpai," Itachi acknowledged.
Just as Kakashi thought he had secured victory, Itachi stepped out from behind the tree, appearing beside Kakashi in an instant with a kunai pressed against Kakashi's body.
"Looks like I win," Itachi said, a faint smile on his face.
"You are indeed cautious, and an exceptional student," Kakashi said, unfazed by the kunai pressed against him. "But you need to be even more vigilant."
In the next moment, the ground beneath Itachi's feet seemed to come alive, a hand shooting out and pulling Itachi underground, leaving only his head visible.
"If you had been just a little more cautious, you might have had a chance," Kakashi said, appearing beside Itachi and declaring his victory.
Obito, witnessing the constantly shifting tides of the battle, was thoroughly bewildered. "This guy Kakashi is truly cunning. Both shadow clones were decoys."
A shuriken on the ground suddenly transformed into Izumi, who swiftly activated his Sharingan and said, "Senior Kakashi, you're right. A ninja should indeed be cautious, again and again."
Kakashi subconsciously looked towards Izumi and directly met his eyes, now tinted with a bloody hue.
"Sharingan!" Kakashi's heart trembled violently. He never expected to see the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, renowned throughout the ninja world, in the eyes of Izumi, who was still a student a year below him.
In the next moment, Kakashi found himself restrained and unable to move as trees suddenly sprouted and bound him.
Kakashi recognized the ninjutsu that allowed control over plant growth. It was the Wood Release used by the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, which was famous in the ninja world.
But as an Uchiha, Izumi naturally wouldn't be able to use Wood Release, and Kakashi quickly realized he had fallen for a genjutsu. He tried to dispel it, but Izumi's rapid onslaught left him no opportunity, and he soon felt the sharp short blade against his body.
As the genjutsu dissipated, Kakashi saw Izumi standing beside him.
"My apologies, Senior Kakashi," Izumi said with a nonchalant smile.
Winning against Kakashi was within his expectations. Although he often heard the ninja school teachers compare him to Kakashi, saying he was second only to Kakashi, Izumi didn't believe he would lose to Kakashi because he was Mu Yue's first disciple.
From the moment Kakashi first used the smoke bomb, Izumi had activated his Sharingan to capture Kakashi's position, and the subsequent attacks were all baits set by Izumi.
With the first clash concluded, his victory had already been determined.
"There's no question of letting me win or not. You won with your true strength," Kakashi said with a complex expression.
Before today, he had never lost to anyone his age, or even to ninjas several years older than him.
But today, he had lost twice—once to Might Guy, who was the same age as him, and once to Uchiha Izumi, who was two years younger.
Losing to Might Guy surprised Kakashi, but he also found it reasonable. After all, Might Guy was so diligent and had even earned his father's recognition.
As for losing to Izumi, Kakashi accepted it gracefully. Izumi's displayed comprehensive abilities indeed surpassed his own.
"Can I still be considered a genius?" Kakashi asked himself inwardly.
Two years ago, when others called him a genius, Kakashi wouldn't have smiled, but he would have agreed inwardly.
He had graduated from the Ninja Academy at the top of his class at the age of five and became a Chunin by passing the Chunin Exams at the age of six. If he wasn't considered a genius, then who was?
But could he still be considered a genius now? A new year had arrived, and if they didn't go by age, he would already be nine years old.
How much had he improved since he was six years old? Had he achieved anything worthy of a genius?
No, his raw strength hadn't improved much. It was only the accumulation of experience that made it seem like he was constantly progressing. He hadn't displayed any other extraordinary feats either. He was merely a slightly younger Chunin.
Perhaps he could have been called a genius in the past, but he no longer had the qualifications to be called one now.
Kakashi began to ponder when he had changed so much. As he continued to think, the scene in his mind gradually became clear. It was a deep night, a night tinged with blood. After that night, Kakashi had returned, but no one had responded to him again.
"Kakashi, are you feeling unwell?" Mu Yue asked with concern, noticing Kakashi's pale face.
Mu Yue's voice pulled Kakashi out of his memories. When he returned to his senses, he saw Mu Yue's gentle and warm smile, which soothed his heart a little. He shook his head and replied, "I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."
Mu Yue placed her hand on Kakashi's shoulder and smiled. "If you're tired, take some rest. Cultivation is important, but your health is the foundation of your cultivation."
Kakashi nodded slightly and then returned to the viewing area to rest.
"Little Lin, I told you Kakashi wouldn't win. Izumi can even defeat me, so dealing with Kakashi is a breeze for him," Obito said, belittling Kakashi.
As soon as Kakashi arrived at the viewing area, he heard Obito bad-mouthing him.
"I indeed can't beat Izumi, but defeating you, an eye-less Uchiha, is still very easy," Kakashi retorted without holding back.
Hearing Obito's words, Kakashi's motivation to cultivate doubled. No matter what, he couldn't lose to Obito.
"Damn you, Kakashi! I'll get the Sharingan eventually, too!" Obito retorted upon hearing Kakashi's voice.
Kakashi responded to Obito with a mocking laugh.
Obito immediately realized that his previous statement was tantamount to admitting that without the Sharingan, he wasn't Kakashi's opponent, and he quickly changed his tune. "Even without the Sharingan, I can still beat you!"
"Then prove it to me," Kakashi said nonchalantly. "Defeat Guy, and you'll indeed have the strength to beat me." The next match would be between Obito and Might Guy.
"I..." Obito was at a loss for words, feeling genuinely inadequate in the face of the speed and strength Might Guy had displayed earlier.
"Alright, you're both amazing. Obito, you should prepare for your battle now," Hanabi said gently.
(End of Chapter)
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