Kakashi looked at Yao. He couldn't help but recall the scene from yesterday when the Third Hokage summoned him privately to the office.
"...It's possible Yao has mastered the Fourth's Flying Thunder God Technique. Kakashi, test him thoroughly!"
Even someone as steady as Kakashi had felt a massive wave of shock in his heart upon hearing that news. The Flying Thunder God? The signature jutsu of his mentor, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage?
Because of this, Kakashi had quickly dealt with Naruto and Sasuke to create an environment for a one-on-one duel with Yao. He wanted to force out the deepest secrets hidden within this youth!
"As expected of Kakashi-sensei. Looks like I'll have to get serious too!" Yao's smile remained gentle, but his eyes became sharp.
In the next moment, Yao's hands moved into a blur of hand seals across his chest: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The speed of the hand seals was staggering! The moment the words fell, a massive, blazing fireball—like a miniature sun—roared toward Kakashi. The heatwave was so intense that the distant grass began to wither and curl.
"What?!" Kakashi's heart jolted.
What incredible hand seal speed! It was definitely far beyond a regular Chunin—it was close to Jōnin level! And the scale and power of this Great Fireball... was a bit much, wasn't it? Was this a jutsu a fresh Genin graduate could launch?
Kakashi didn't dare be careless; he used Body Flicker to retreat, constantly dodging. However, Yao's attacks were relentless, like flowing mercury.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Release!" "Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
One after another, Fire Style ninjutsu poured out relentlessly. At this moment, the scorching, rolling flames seemed to possess a life of their own. From every direction and in various forms, they blocked, pursued, and blanketed every possible escape route Kakashi could take.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sounds of explosions were incessant; flames shot into the sky, and thick smoke billowed. The once-level ground was blasted into craters, and the surrounding trees were ignited, crackling as they burned. Kakashi traversed the sea of fire at high speeds, dodging skillfully. His Sharingan had long been activated, capturing and analyzing every movement and chakra flow from Yao.
'This hand-seal speed... and he's mastered so many Fire Style jutsu... he's simply a monster!''Moreover, the power of each jutsu far exceeds the standard!''The most critical point is... this massive chakra reserve! After releasing so many C-rank and B-rank Fire Styles consecutively, his chakra shows no sign of depletion?''Is this really a Genin who just graduated from the Academy?'
Kakashi felt his worldview being severely shaken. He himself had become a Jōnin at the age of twelve, but he felt that he was far from being as "abnormal" as Yao Uchiha was now!
"It's not over yet, Kakashi-sensei!" Yao's voice rang out.
His hands moved into seals again. This time, the seal sequence was even more complex, and the condensed chakra felt even more terrifying.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!" Yao shouted.
A ferocious giant dragon, composed entirely of searing flames, tore through the dust and lunged toward Kakashi. The power of this Great Dragon Fire was already approaching A-rank! Facing this unavoidable strike, Kakashi's pupils shrank; he could no longer rely solely on Taijutsu.
Kakashi slammed his hands together: "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
A massive earthen wall carved with dog heads rose abruptly, standing directly in front of the flame dragon.
Rumble!!!
The explosion echoed through the training ground. Earth and stone flew everywhere as dust filled the air. The Mud Wall shook violently under the impact of the Great Dragon Fire, becoming riddled with cracks, but it finally managed to block the strike.
As the dust slowly settled, Kakashi stood behind the broken wall, breathing slightly. He stared intently at the black-haired youth amidst the embers.
Was this Yao Uchiha... truly a twelve-year-old kid? His seal speed, ninjutsu power, and chakra capacity had reached a mind-boggling level!
Yao stood among the dying embers, looking at the slightly disheveled Kakashi with a playful smirk: "Kakashi-sensei, you dealt with Naruto and Sasuke because you wanted a private environment to test my depth, didn't you? Simply dodging and defending won't be enough. If you don't show some real skill, I'm afraid you won't find out much."
"..."
Kakashi was silent for a moment, then showed a hint of genuine interest: "What a clever and troublesome brat... It seems if I don't get serious, I'll truly be looked down upon."
Kakashi closed Icha Icha Paradise, stuffed it back into his tool pouch, and his aura suddenly became sharp and deadly. "Well then, as you wish!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Kakashi's hands became a blur: "Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A massive torrent of water surged out of thin air, forming a savage dragon head that lunged at Yao with irresistible force.
"Bring it on! Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!" Yao was not to be outdone. Another fiery dragon soared into the air, clashing violently with the cold water dragon.
Boom!!!
A piercing explosion sounded, and thick white steam instantly diffused, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Got you!" Kakashi's voice rang out like a ghost within the steam: "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
The ground beneath Yao's feet instantly softened as two earthen arms lunged out to grab his ankles. Kakashi had used the steam to hide his presence and burrowed directly beneath Yao for a lethal surprise attack.
Poof!
With a light sound, the Yao that was captured turned into a Substitution Log.
"Above!" Kakashi reacted instantly, his Sharingan snapping toward the air. He saw Yao... who had appeared on a tree branch at some unknown point, hands rapidly forming seals.
"Too slow!" Kakashi barked. His speed exploded to the limit, arriving behind Yao in an instant. A kunai glinted as it thrust toward Yao's back.
Bang!
The kunai pierced Yao's body, but the sensation was wrong. Kakashi's pupils shrank as the "Yao" he had stabbed vanished in a cloud of white smoke.
A Shadow Clone!? Kakashi was shaken to the core.
How was it possible? Between that dense fire attack, the substitution, and then this shadow clone... when did he form the seals? I didn't sense any abnormal diversion of chakra at all! Kakashi had been using his Sharingan the entire time, confident he could see through any clone. But Yao's shadow clone was unbelievably realistic.
Could it be that since the fire-clash, he had been fighting a shadow clone the entire time? That was too ridiculous!
Just then, the heavy steam behind him was stirred, and Yao abruptly manifested. His hand seals were complete, his chakra condensed to the peak, and the surrounding temperature spiked.
Yao's voice sounded with the composure of a strategist whose plan had succeeded: "Caught you, Kakashi-sensei! Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Roar!!!
A violent torrent of blazing fire erupted, dividing into upper, middle, and lower sections, swallowing all of Kakashi's escape routes like a tsunami. The terrifying flames instantly evaporated the lingering steam, and the searing air swept through the training ground.
From a distance, Naruto, who was tied up, and Sasuke, who had just awakened, felt a suffocating, burning pain. Sasuke stared at the sea of fire, his eyes filled with shock. A fire style of this power... how was this possible?
Yao landed on the ground, his face not red and his breath not labored. Using high-level Fire Style consecutively would normally be a burden, but with the Sage Body, his chakra was simply too vast. These few jutsu were a drop in the bucket for him.
"Did it work? No... the opponent is 'Copy Ninja' Kakashi; it won't be that simple."
Sure enough, from within the flames came Kakashi's voice—still lazy, but filled with praise: "What an amazing Fire Style. I almost got roasted alive!"
"Lightning Style: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!"
A piercing screech sounded! A brilliant flash of lightning, shaped like a tiger, tore through the flames. The violent lightning chakra dispersed the fire entirely. Kakashi reappeared.
Kakashi reappeared.