From the lingering haze of dust, Shigure slowly emerged.
The Third Hokage's expression darkened. Don't tell me… Kakashi lost?
But just as that thought crossed his mind, Kakashi also stepped out of the smoke, calmly brushing off the dust from his clothes.
His forehead protector had been lowered again, covering the Sharingan in his left eye. He stared at Shigure for a long while before finally speaking.
"That swordsmanship… it's terrifying," Kakashi admitted. "It's on par with my Raikiri."
He glanced at Shigure, who was still standing there, his breathing steady and composed.
Even after that last burst of power, he doesn't look the least bit fatigued…
Of course, Shigure was fine. Two types of Breathing Techniques were listed in his passive skill panel. For him, those techniques didn't consume energy at all.
Now, with the fight essentially over, Shigure slowly sheathed Zangetsu. The outcome had been clear—he couldn't defeat Kakashi with that last move. But the clash had given him a solid understanding of his own strength.
More importantly, he now had a better grasp of what the Breathing Styles were capable of.
In that final attack, if Kakashi hadn't bought himself a moment to react, the result might've been different. The technique could potentially surpass Raikiri—but only with sufficient preparation time.
And that's the issue.
In real combat, enemies won't stand around and wait for you to power up.
Someone needs to hold the opponent at bay while Shigure prepares the final blow. Clones might help with that in future battles.
After all, he'd only used swordsmanship in this fight. If he combined it with ninjutsu, defeating Kakashi might've been possible.
But Kakashi hadn't gone all out either.
He never used Kamui. If he had, the outcome could have shifted drastically.
"Your swordsmanship is impressive," Kakashi said suddenly, pulling Shigure out of his thoughts. "Your combat ability is outstanding—but you still don't meet my standards."
Shigure blinked and looked up, puzzled.
He's still saying that? Is he planning to continue the fight?
Seeing the renewed determination in Shigure's eyes, Kakashi quickly clarified:
"It's not that I doubt your strength. But you don't understand what's most important for a ninja."
Ah… here it comes again, Shigure thought, inwardly exasperated. Teamwork.
Yes, teamwork mattered—but it wasn't everything. A ninja without it could still accomplish great things.
Still, if that's what Kakashi wanted—
Shigure smiled faintly… and in the next moment, Kakashi's eyes widened.
Two figures leapt from behind him at once—one from the left, one from the right.
"Naruto? Sasuke?"
When did they—?!
Kakashi turned sharply back to Shigure, realization dawning. So that's why he'd sheathed his sword. It wasn't surrender—it was bait. He'd made Kakashi drop his guard just enough to create an opening for a sneak attack.
Wait—Sasuke used the Substitution Jutsu earlier… but when did Naruto get him out? Was this part of Shigure's plan from the start?
Swish!
Naruto and Sasuke's ambush failed—Kakashi effortlessly dodged both attacks, even after his intense battle with Shigure.
As the two landed beside their teammate, they looked slightly dejected.
"Sorry, Shigure," Naruto muttered. "We couldn't pull it off..."
Even Sasuke was silent now.
Shigure had lured the enemy into a moment of complacency to give them an opening—but they hadn't been able to capitalize on it.
Part of Sasuke genuinely felt a little guilty toward Shigure.
But Shigure said nothing. He didn't seem to mind.
At that moment, Kakashi casually leapt onto a wooden training post nearby. Crouching on top of it, he looked down at the three Genin.
"Shigure is not only strong, but smart. Even though his combat ability rivals my own, he still uses strategy to catch me off guard."
Kakashi paused.
If Naruto and Sasuke's sneak attack had been just a bit sharper, I might not have dodged it in time…
"And Naruto, Sasuke—you two aren't bad either."
"But what really surprised me," Kakashi continued, his eyes falling on Shigure again, "is that Shigure understands teamwork."
"At your age, most kids want to be the star. They only think about standing out—not supporting their comrades."
"But earlier, Shigure instructed Naruto to rescue Sasuke and told both of them to hide and strike when I least expected it."
"It was a well-executed plan."
Kakashi stood, dusted himself off, and smiled faintly.
"There's no need to continue."
"You pass."
Sasuke, who was preparing to make another move, froze. "What… did you say?"
Kakashi hopped off the post and landed lightly in front of them.
"I said—you all passed."
"Passed? But we didn't even beat you! And we never got the bells..." Naruto looked utterly confused.
Kakashi gave him a crooked smile. "Did I ever say the only way to pass was by taking the bells?"
"But... you did say our mission was to steal them!" Naruto argued.
"A mission is a mission. Passing is another matter entirely. Who says they have to be the same thing?"
Naruto blinked, clearly dazed by the logic.
There's no connection between the two?
Sasuke frowned. "Then… why did we pass?"
"Take a look at yourselves."
"The three of you are working together now. That's the real point of this exercise. When a team moves as one, it becomes something dangerous—even to someone like me."
Kakashi's tone turned serious.
"I'm a Jōnin, but if you three kept pressing the attack together, eventually I'd slip. It's only a matter of time before you'd win."
He let out a low chuckle.
"This was a test of teamwork—and you nailed it."
He raised his hand in farewell. "Be at the training ground by 8 a.m. tomorrow. Your lives as real ninja begin then!"
With that, he vanished in a swirl of leaves.
For a moment, none of the three spoke.
Naruto slowly turned to look at Shigure, awe written all over his face, tinged with excitement.
He really fought Kakashi-sensei to a standstill… That's crazy.
"Shigure! You're amazing!" Naruto said, eyes wide with admiration. "You went head-to-head with Kakashi-sensei like it was nothing! Can you teach me swordsmanship?"
Shigure gave a rare smile. "I don't mind teaching you—but your chakra nature likely doesn't match the requirements. You might not be able to learn it."
Sasuke had been about to speak as well, encouraged by Shigure's willingness. But after hearing the second half, he paused.
My chakra nature is Fire Release. I probably can't learn that technique either…
"Alright," Shigure said, stretching slightly. "Let's eat. Training starts tomorrow."
With that, he turned and walked back toward the village.
As he moved, a small window blinked into view in his vision.
[Great Sage: Analysis Complete]
[Host does not possess the Sharingan—Lightning Release: Raikiri cannot be learned]
[Congratulations! New skill acquired: Lightning Release: Thunder Step]
Although Raikiri was off-limits without the Sharingan, Kakashi's technique had helped Shigure unlock the elemental transformation for Lightning Release.
Not bad at all.
Very nice.
...
TN:
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[Goal 💎:100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]