Kakashi let out a soft breath, his eyes showing a seriousness he had never had before. He formed a few seals, and blue Lightning Release chakra suddenly appeared in his hand.
"Zzzzz…"
Kakashi bent his waist, spreading one palm. The crackling of electricity slowly rose, as if a thousand birds were chirping cheerfully.
Minato touched his chin as he watched Kakashi perform the technique, and said lightly,
"Kakashi has been developing his own Lightning Release ninjutsu for the past few months. This should be that jutsu of his!"
Obito instantly turned into pure lemon essence, sour beyond words.
"Kairen has Wood Release, Kakashi can even develop his own ninjutsu, and I, Uchiha Obito, haven't even awakened my Sharingan yet!"
Kairen looked at the low humming blue lightning in Kakashi's hand. At this point in time, it was indeed around when Kakashi developed Chidori, so it wasn't surprising he could use it.
Kakashi also warned Kairen, "Kairen, be careful. I still don't have complete control over this jutsu."
Lightning Release chakra could stimulate cellular activity, bringing unimaginable speed, defense, stimulation—deadly…
Kakashi used his Lightning Release chakra to amplify his speed, and once he charged, he couldn't fully control it.
Kairen smiled, raised one hand, and beckoned him. "Come."
Kakashi stomped his foot, turning into a streak of blue lightning rushing forward.
Kairen thought carefully—what should he use to block?
When someone has too many ninjutsu options, choosing becomes troublesome—Earth Flow Wall, Water Formation Wall, Wood Pillar Wall… or maybe he should just take it head-on with his forehead?
No. As the successor of Show-off Release, he naturally had to use the flashiest technique.
Right… that one!
Kairen smacked his fist into his palm—he thought of a move.
Under the watching eyes of the group—
Kairen extended one hand. A swirling gust slowly condensed within it. In the blink of an eye, a blue-white spherical cyclone floated above his palm.
Obito widened his eyes and tugged Watergate's clothes desperately. "Minato-sensei! Minato-sensei! Isn't that your Rasengan?! How does Kairen know it?!"
"You ask me?! Who am I supposed to ask?!"
Minato also had no idea why Kairen could use his Rasengan. He had never taught him.
Kushina protested loudly, "Kairen! That's copyright infringement! You're infringing!"
Kairen curled his lip. Infringement? This counts as infringement?!
Not only would he infringe, but he would also illegally modify it.
Kairen's Rasengan began to change as his surging chakra poured into it.
The Rasengan grew bigger and bigger, eventually completely covering Kairen's figure, becoming a super Rasengan nearly two meters in diameter.
"Super Big Ball Rasengan!"
Obito was so shocked he nearly tore Minato's clothes apart. "So big! So big! Such a big Rasengan!"
Kushina also muttered, "Kairen's really is so big. Minato, yours is way too small. This is how a Rasengan should be used, right?"
Minato: "…"
Kairen pushed the giant Rasengan forward.
Kakashi slammed the brakes, carving two meters of skid marks into the ground. He stared blankly at the massive Rasengan, his eyes filled with nothing but blinding white.
A Rasengan bigger than a person—have some manners, will you?!
Kairen suddenly stopped. The giant Rasengan slowly dispersed in the air, leaving only Kakashi's stunned face at the scene.
Kairen smiled calmly. "Kakashi, you became a Chūnin at age six. They say you're the genius of the Ninja Academy, yet right now you're looking unusually pathetic!"
In his previous life, he had always stood united with Obito. In school, the guy cared about only two things—first, wooing Yūhi Kurenai, and second… wooing Yūhi Kurenai.
Beating Kakashi was like venting Obito's long-standing frustration. Today, Kairen fulfilled that obsession.
"Kakashi lost?!" Rin exclaimed in shock.
Among their peers, Kakashi was undeniably a top-tier genius. When everyone else in the Academy was still playing ninja games with teachers, Kakashi was already carrying the White Fang short blade, cutting people and seizing territory.
A prodigy like that was naturally seen as the second White Fang.
But today he lost—to someone his age—to someone who used to be at the bottom of the class.
Kakashi lowered his head, staring at the ground. It reflected his own image like a puddle of water. Being defeated by someone his own age—he couldn't imagine the complexity in his heart.
From the moment he saw Kairen control water and fly in the sky, he knew he wasn't his opponent. But knowing the answer didn't make the reality any less disheartening.
"Kakashi! Come save me!" Pakkun's voice was still echoing.
Kakashi turned his gaze. Kairen's shadow clone was already using a blade to scrape Pakkun and the others' butt fur.
Kairen walked over, snapped his fingers, and the wooden vines binding Pakkun's group withdrew. The dog-slayer turned into a puff of white smoke.
The dogs fled in terror toward Kakashi, hiding behind his pants, not daring to look at Kairen.
This guy kills dogs—too scary! Far too terrifying!
Minato moved closer to Kakashi and rubbed his silvery hair.
"Kakashi, the road of a ninja is long. Being defeated isn't something shameful."
Kakashi had always advanced smoothly, extremely stubborn in certain aspects. Encountering setbacks was actually a good thing for him.
Kushina planted her fists on her hips and closed in on Kairen, glaring fiercely.
"How do you know Minato's Rasengan? Did you peek?"
Kairen waved his hand.
"Don't slander me. I absolutely did not put Pangolin in your house to spy."
"Then where did your Rasengan come from?!"
Kairen smiled faintly and spread his five fingers—five small Rasengan formed above them.
"With my chakra control, do you really think I couldn't form this kind of chakra cyclone?"
Rasengan was just rotation, compression, and stabilization of chakra. Anyone whose chakra reached a certain level could form it—just usually not tightly enough.
Ōtsutsuki could use a huge bubble containing seven or eight Rasengan.
Kushina thought carefully and felt Kairen made some sense.
You couldn't deny that someone with Kairen's talent could conceive a technique like Rasengan.
And even if Kairen had secretly learned it—so what? Being able to secretly learn it and actually master it was a skill. Most people wouldn't learn it even if Minato taught them personally.
Obito walked up and circled around Kairen twice, scrutinizing him carefully.
His gaze looked as if he were examining a total stranger.
Kairen felt weird being stared at and asked, "What's wrong with you, Obito?"
Obito declared firmly, "You're not Kairen! The real Kairen is already dead. This Kairen is possessed by a ghost!"
Damn, you found out! Since that's the case, I won't act anymore. Today I'll finish off you Uchiha Obito—and ride Rin right in front of you.
Kushina punched Obito on the head. "Idiot Obito! You're just jealous of his strength!"
Obito clutched the large bump on his head and said to Kairen,
"How did you get this strong in just one year? Even Kakashi can't beat you."
"Hurry and tell me how you got stronger. I want to become as strong as you too."