Chapter 662: Dream Realization
Chapter 662: Dream Realization
Saturday morning.
Daichi woke up early and went for a half-hour run. After that, he bought a baked bun for breakfast and headed towards the Southern Forest while eating.
Today was the day his seniors would engage in the ranking battle.
After enrolling in the Ninja Academy, Daichi rarely trained with Kakashi and the others. He was curious about the changes in his seniors' strengths.
For this reason, Daichi had declined numerous weekend invitations from his classmates.
The morning forest exuded a slight chill, despite the sun having risen and casting its golden rays upon the trees. However, the temperature remained unaffected.
As the sunlight filtered through the treetops, it dappled the winding forest path, creating patches of golden light. Daichi paused momentarily, taking in the sight.
The interplay of light and shadow formed a beautiful, mottled landscape.
"If Deidara-senpai were here, he'd probably take a picture," Daichi thought to himself.
Click!
The sound of a camera shutter echoed.
Daichi turned around instinctively and saw Deidara and Zishui waving at him.
Deidara took a photo, sealed the camera back into a scroll, and then approached Daichi with a smile, greeting him. "Good morning, Daichi."
"Good morning, Deidara-senpai, Zishui-senpai," Daichi replied.
"You're so lucky, Daichi. You became Yu Sheng Mu Yue's disciple even before starting school. What kind of life do you have at the Ninja Academy?" Deidara reminisced about his recent visit to the academy and couldn't help but sigh.
If he had been taught by Yu Sheng Mu Yue before even starting first grade, Kakashi wouldn't stand a chance. He would be the ultimate genius.
"Um, you mean a normal school life?" Daichi asked uncertainly, as he had no prior experience to compare it to.
"Normal? It's like the protagonist's treatment in a ninja novel!" Deidara patted Daichi's back enviously.
If given the chance, Deidara would gladly let Kakashi be bullied by him every day in exchange for Daichi's privileged treatment.
As they ventured deeper into the forest, they encountered Rin Nohara and Kakashi.
When the five of them arrived at the designated battle location, they saw Maito Gai warming up, with Yu Sheng Mu Yue standing by his side.
After exchanging greetings, Yu Sheng Mu Yue took out a wooden box and asked Deidara and the others to draw lots.
"I'll do it!" Deidara volunteered and confidently drew a lot from the box without hesitation.
His confidence stemmed from the power of his Divine Might.
Deidara reached into the box, grabbed a paper ball, and immediately withdrew his hand.
"Number four," Deidara said as he quickly opened the paper ball and revealed the number before stepping aside.
The first person to draw lots had no significance in terms of their number. It was the subsequent draws that determined the opponents.
Kakashi quickly stepped forward and randomly picked a paper ball from the box.
"Number one," Kakashi said as he opened the paper ball and showed it to Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
Deidara secretly lamented that Kakashi was the opponent he most wanted to face in the first round.
With everyone's strengths being relatively close, any loss could occur without a fierce battle.
If he couldn't defeat Kakashi, even if he eventually became the strongest disciple, it would be an unsatisfying ranking battle.
"Number two!" Maito Gai opened the paper ball in his left hand and gave Kakashi a thumbs-up with his right.
"My friend, this is the bond between us!"
Kakashi: ...
What bond? There were only four of them; it was normal to be paired up.
"However, with the current situation, drawing Maito Gai is a good lot," Kakashi thought to himself.
Among Deidara, Zishui, and Maito Gai, Kakashi found Deidara the most challenging to deal with.
Deidara's Divine Might was a perfect counter to his Mindless Blade. Unless Kakashi could move faster than Deidara's reaction time or his attacks were powerful enough to affect space, his Mindless Blade would be ineffective.
Unfortunately, Kakashi couldn't achieve either of these conditions.
Zishui's strength might not surpass Maito Gai's, but Maito Gai had the advantage of transparency in intelligence. Kakashi was well aware of his techniques.
After obtaining the Trifoliate Sharingan, Kakashi couldn't gauge Zishui's overall strength.
Most importantly, Kakashi had thoroughly understood the inspiration he gained from his battle with Uchiha Sasuke. Now, he was using the 'Mindful Blade,' and his explosive power had reached a new level.
Being familiar with Maito Gai, Kakashi could more easily seize upon Maito Gai's exposed flaws and end the battle with a single strike.
Although he already knew his number before drawing, Zishui still ceremoniously displayed his paper ball.
After a ten-minute warm-up, Yu Sheng Mu Yue, acting as the referee, announced that the battle was about to begin.
"Kakashi, number one, versus Might Guy, number two."
Both of them paused their warm-up routines and headed towards the sparring ground.
"Zhi Shui, who do you think will win, Kakashi-senpai or Guy-senpai?" Daichi curiously asked Zhi Shui.
Zhi Shui's face showed a thoughtful expression, but he didn't answer immediately.
"Guy has a higher chance of winning. He's very strong, and with the Eight Gates Technique combined with the Stone Breath, he has no obvious weaknesses and is very versatile," Deidara, sitting on the other side, analyzed for Zhi Shui.
Even now, Deidara still believed that Might Guy was the biggest obstacle on his path to becoming the strongest disciple.
He wasn't afraid of Kakashi's Mindless Blade or Zhi Shui's illusions, but when facing Might Guy, Deidara could only rely on brute force, lacking any sophisticated tactics.
"Of course, Kakashi might not lose either. He's been training diligently lately, and who knows what secret techniques he might have up his sleeve," Deidara added.
Seeing that Deidara had covered both sides, Zhi Shui decided not to say anything.
At their current level of strength, it was difficult to predict a clear winner just by talking.
"I see," Daichi nodded, feeling like he hadn't heard anything useful.
"Deidara, how do you know this? Do you often hang out with Kakashi?" Haruno Rin turned to ask after hearing their conversation.
"Not really, I just happened to pass by a few times," Deidara replied.
As he spoke, his gaze was drawn to the two figures on the sparring ground, and the battle was about to begin.
"Begin!"
With Yu Sheng Mu Yue's command, Might Guy and Kakashi both focused their breathing to enhance their physical abilities.
"Eight Gates Technique, Gate of Injury, open!"
At the same time, Might Guy directly opened the fourth gate of the Eight Gates Technique, releasing a massive amount of chakra from the gate, causing his aura to surge rapidly.
Whoosh! Might Guy unleashed his chakra with incredible speed, rushing towards Kakashi. The sheer velocity stirred up gusts of wind, lifting dust and pebbles from the ground.
Huff! Daichi only caught a glimpse of a green flash before Might Guy's fist, accompanied by a howling wind, struck towards Kakashi's head.
Facing this perilous scene, Kakashi remained unmoved, as if determined to withstand the powerful punch.
But at the moment of impact, Kakashi sidestepped at an almost impossible angle, as light as a breeze.
The two were old rivals, and Might Guy was well aware of Kakashi's mastery of the Transparent World, so he had anticipated this.
Might Guy immediately followed up with a sweeping leg towards Kakashi's lower body, but Kakashi nimbly leaped over the attack range and, while in mid-air, threw three sharp kunai towards Might Guy, sealing off his front and back positions. Might Guy, however, swiftly dodged to the side, successfully evading the kunai.
In this first exchange of probing attacks, neither gained the upper hand.
Bang, bang, bang!
Might Guy scanned his surroundings and, with a swift movement, appeared near a tree not far away. He broke off a branch and kicked it towards Kakashi, attempting to disrupt his vision.
Swish! Kakashi decisively drew the Yama Yo from his back, infused it with chakra, and unleashed a slashing attack, cutting the incoming broken branch in half.
Numerous broken branches filled the air, constantly crashing to the ground with a resounding boom.
The falling debris and dust obscured their vision.
"Eight Gates Technique, Gate of Life, open!"
"Finger Jutsu!"
At this moment, Might Guy opened the fifth gate of the Eight Gates Technique, concentrating an enormous amount of chakra in his fingers, and fired a rapid-moving air blast towards Kakashi.
Thud! Kakashi, judging by the changing dust and smoke, sensed the incoming attack and swiftly positioned the Yama Yo in front of him, precisely blocking the blast. Despite his efforts, the powerful force still pushed him back a meter.
Just then, Might Guy's breathing became intensely focused, and his aura suddenly became even more formidable.
"Yang Seal Release!"
Kakashi swiftly released the Yang Seal and immediately entered the Lightning Style Chakra Mode.
"Leaf Great Cyclone!"
In the next instant, the rapidly approaching Might Guy kicked out an incredibly fast spinning leg.
The mere kick hinted at the formation of a cyclone, revealing its astonishing speed and strength.
Sizzle!
With the enhancement of the Lightning Style Chakra, Kakashi's reflexes and physical abilities improved, allowing him to retreat from Might Guy's attack range with lightning speed.
Even with the fifth gate of the Eight Gates Technique and the Rock Style Chakra Mode, an ordinary spinning leg kick could easily shatter boulders.
Kakashi had the means to withstand such attacks but was unwilling to endure the pain.
"Leaf Strong Force Cyclone!"
After executing the spinning leg kick, Might Guy swiftly adjusted his position and followed up with a backspin kick, continuing to kick towards Kakashi. However, Kakashi sidestepped to the side, evading the attack.
"As expected, this battle is looking promising." Kakashi concentrated a large amount of chakra, infusing it into his Lightning Style, pushing his technique to its peak.
The probing phase was over; it was his turn to attack!
Zzzzz!
Blue arcs of electricity crackled around Kakashi, and his body reached its pinnacle with the support of his breathing technique and Lightning Style chakra enhancement.
Kakashi tightly gripped Yama Yo and charged forward. With the flickering electricity on his body, he resembled a true bolt of lightning.
Might Guy, full of excitement, clenched his fist and met him head-on.
Just as the two were about to clash, Kakashi suddenly swung his sword.
Yama Yo, enveloped in lightning, left trails of electricity in the air, carving a crescent moon that slashed towards Might Guy.
Might Guy didn't possess the Transparent World, but he was very familiar with Kakashi's sword techniques.
He sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blade, and simultaneously unleashed a powerful right punch aimed at Kakashi's abdomen.
Bang!
Just as Might Guy's fist was about to connect with Kakashi's abdomen, a layer of black Armored Color appeared on Kakashi's stomach.
Zzzz!
At the same time, Kakashi's free left hand shot out a bolt of electricity.
Might Guy desperately dodged, avoiding a vital area but getting his shoulder grazed by the electric bolt. Even with the protection of the Armored Color, Kakashi was still knocked back five meters.
Whoosh!
Without a moment's rest, both of them used the Instant Body Switch Technique almost simultaneously, engaging in another round of close-quarters combat.
Kakashi's blade left streaks of cuts on Might Guy's body, but Kakashi was not faring well either. Although it wasn't visible on the surface, his body was in excruciating pain.
The decline in their conditions caused their movements to lose the initial agility and swiftness, becoming sluggish.
After ten seconds of this slowed-down combat, as if by mutual understanding, both of them suddenly sped up again and simultaneously unleashed their most powerful techniques.
"Golden Horizon!"
Might Guy burst forth with a massive amount of chakra, extending his index and middle fingers to slash out a golden thread with unbelievable speed and strength.
"Mindless Blade: Improved!"
Kakashi channeled a vast amount of Lightning Style chakra into Yama Yo, and the sword was enveloped in dazzling purple lightning.
The thunderous roar of lightning erupted, and a thick purple lightning bolt slashed out.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The golden thread and purple slash collided, like two massive mountains crashing into each other, creating a terrifying impact.
Daichi, who was observing the battle, had to use his chakra to stabilize his stance, preventing him from being swept away by the terrifying aftermath.
Crack!
The next moment, the golden power shattered like a broken mirror, and the terrifying lightning force rushed towards Might Guy.
"Battle ends, Kakashi wins!"
Yu Sheng Mu Yue teleported in front of Might Guy, entering the Lightning Style Chakra Mode and casually releasing a massive amount of lightning to counteract the attack, and at the same time, announcing the result of the battle.
This outcome was within Yu Sheng Mu Yue's expectations.
[Name: Kakashi Hatake]
[Chakra: 15,500 (???)]
[Skills: Lightning Nature Transformation (Mastery: 3400/15,000), Earth Nature Transformation (Mastery: 1400), Hatake Sword Technique (Mastery), Lightning Breath (Mastery: 4000), Armored Color (Proficient: 1800/3000), Dream Realization (Proficient: 1000)...]
[Name: Might Guy]
[Chakra: 18,000]
[Skills: Yin Nature Transformation (Beginner: 1), Stone Breath (Mastery: 2200/15,000), Day Tiger (Proficient: 600), Golden Horizon (Proficient: 400/3000)...]
The skill disparity between the two was evident from their status panels.
While the Eight Gates Technique and Stone Breath were powerful, Kakashi had a significant lead in skills.
Unless Might Guy truly gave it his all, his chances of winning against Kakashi in their current state were slim.
Might Guy still lacked the Armored Color, and even an entry-level version of it would be a significant improvement for him.
"Haha, worthy of being called a true friend!"
Despite his defeat, Might Guy didn't show any frustration but instead gave Kakashi a thumbs-up in admiration.
"But I'll catch up soon, my friend. You better be prepared."
"Just don't come every day, and we're good." Kakashi leaned on Yama Yo, using it as a walking stick, and panted heavily in response.
His chakra was still somewhat insufficient; Yama Yo was powerful but consumed a lot of chakra.
PS: I had some noodles, made three trips to the bathroom, and wasted some time, so I'm a bit late.
At least I managed to complete the 8k words.
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(End of Chapter)
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