The two stood on the field, weapons in hand, facing each other in a standoff.
The tension in the air was almost tangible, weighing so heavily that the breathing of the four young onlookers nearby grew a few shades lighter.
From the canopy of a distant tree, Minato and Tsunade, taking in the entire scene, looked at each other.
"This..." Minato's brow furrowed slightly, and he instinctively wanted to step forward to stop them.
"Wait." Tsunade stopped him, crossing her arms with an interested smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "What's the rush? Since these brats are so energetic and opinionated, let them toss and turn for a bit. We can see what kind of tricks they can pull off."
Inside the field.
Kakashi had no intention of using Ninjutsu; he simply slowly drew the short sword from his back. He was clearly extremely unwilling to accept his defeat in that sword fight years ago.
The moment the blade left its scabbard, a cold streak of light flashed across it, the edge seemingly condensing an invisible, sharp Aura.
This was the legendary Ninja tool White Fang, which had made his father, Sakumo Hatake, famous throughout the Ninja World.
After his father's death, he inherited this legendary short sword.
On the opposite side, Shinichi simply stood calmly with his sword held before him.
The next moment, Kakashi moved!
His figure suddenly vanished from his spot. Compared to their encounter at the Ninja Academy four years ago, his movements were faster, fiercer, and carried a sense of relentless determination. The short sword tore through the air, turning into a bolt of cold light like a flash of lightning, piercing straight toward Shinichi!
Over these four years, he had clearly never slackened, turning his grief and obsession into the driving force to become stronger.
But!
"Too slow."
Shinichi's calm voice rang out almost simultaneously with the sound of metal clashing.
He simply turned his wrist slightly and slashed out. The blade appeared unerringly in the path of the White Fang short sword's thrust, like a precisely calculated iron gate.
Clang!
A crisp clashing sound exploded!
Kakashi felt an irresistible, massive force transmit from the blade. His palm went numb, his forward momentum was forcibly halted, and his entire body stumbled backward uncontrollably, his feet plowing two shallow ruts into the ground.
How is this possible?!
A storm of shock surged in Kakashi's heart. The confidence brought by over three years of bitter cultivation developed a crack under this single strike.
However, Shinichi gave him no time to adjust.
"What are you dazed for?"
The voice was right beside his ear!
Kakashi was startled, catching a glimpse from the corner of his eye of Shinichi's figure, which had closed in like a ghost at some unknown point.
He gritted his teeth, swinging his blade upward with a reverse grip, attempting to parry any potential incoming slash.
But Shinichi's movements were faster. His long sword wound around like a spirit snake, skillfully avoiding the blade's edge and using the spine of the sword to block White Fang's point of force again. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he changed the parry into a vibration!
Immediately following that, his right hand holding the sword thrust forward violently. The hard pommel of the sword hit Kakashi's defenseless abdomen like a heavy hammer!
"Ugh!" Kakashi let out a muffled groan as his body flew backward like a broken kite, his back slamming heavily into the trunk of a large tree, shaking the branches and causing leaves to rustle down.
Enduring the pain, he had just braced his body when Shinichi's figure followed like a shadow, closing in again as sword light fell like a torrential rain!
Kakashi gritted his teeth, swinging White Fang desperately to block. The sounds of clashing blades were as dense as rain hitting banana leaves.
He tried to counterattack and find an opening, but Shinichi's sword style seemed simple yet was perfectly fluid and continuous. Every time Kakashi's old strength was spent and new strength had yet to form, or in the tiny gaps during his technique transitions, Shinichi would cut in with precision.
"Weak!"
Shinichi's voice rang out coldly, accompanied by the dull thud of the sword's spine hitting Kakashi's left shoulder, causing his body to tilt.
"Weak!"
The long sword traced an arc, the flat of the blade slapping his right wrist, nearly making him lose his grip on White Fang.
"Weak!"
The hilt thrust forward again, hitting him under the ribs and making his breath hitch.
"Too weak!"
The final blow was a swift side kick from Shinichi as he spun around. His heel was like a battle-axe, kicking Kakashi hard in the stomach!
"Puff!"
Kakashi could no longer hold it in; a mouthful of bile mixed with blood sprayed from his mouth. His body curled up as he flew back again, rolling several times on the ground before barely coming to a stop.
Shizune, Kurenai Yuhi, Uchiha Obito, and Rin Nohara were already dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open unconsciously.
In their expectations, a battle between two already famous Genius Chunin should have been a fierce and evenly matched struggle between a dragon and a tiger.
In fact, Kakashi had graduated earlier, become a Chunin earlier, and performed more missions. Logically, his combat experience should have been richer.
However, the scene before them completely overturned their perception.
It wasn't that Kakashi wasn't strong; his speed, blade techniques, and reactions far exceeded those of an ordinary Ninja, leaving the onlookers feeling startled.
But in front of Higashino Shinichi, it was like an adult disciplining a disobedient child—restrained at every turn and utterly pathetic.
Shinichi had used only the most basic Taijutsu and sword skills to completely suppress Kakashi, who was wielding White Fang and giving it his all!
"Disappointing."
Shinichi stood with his sword sheathed, looking at Kakashi, who was struggling to crawl up nearby. His voice carried a cold indifference.
"You've disappointed me too much, Kakashi."
Shinichi shook his head slowly, his gaze sweeping over the cold, gleaming White Fang short sword in Kakashi's hand, his lips curling into a mocking arc.
"Why are you so weak, Kakashi? Is your so-called conviction, your so-called persistence, only at this level? Clinging to the shadows of the past, wrapping yourself in a set of self-deceiving cold rules, thinking you can prove something, or surpass something?"
He paused, his gaze falling back onto Kakashi's pale face, and mocked:
"It seems that inheriting this blade didn't allow you to inherit a matching capacity. The so-called Konoha's White Fang... Heh, looking at it now, it's nothing more than some outdated, obsolete reputation that has been discarded by the era."
"Shut up!!!"
Kakashi suddenly erupted with a roar like that of a wounded beast.
"I won't allow you to insult my father!"
Chakra erupted without reservation! The ground for several meters around his feet shattered with a bang, sending gravel flying!
This time, his surge was far faster than any previous attempt. He gripped the White Fang short sword with both hands, turning it into a pale and determined streak of light that tore through the air, piercing straight toward Shinichi!
This strike was fast! Fierce! Desperate!
However, facing this awe-inspiring and world-shaking strike, Shinichi's expression remained calm to the point of being cold.
Just as the tip of White Fang's blade came within three meters of him.
Shinichi moved.
It was just a simple sidestep.
The movement wasn't large, but it was exquisite to the point of perfection, allowing the blade that condensed all of Kakashi's strength and emotion to graze past his clothes.
At the same time, the long sword in his hand rose silently, tracing a simple and unadorned arc that condensed immense force and precise control.
There were no dazzling sparks, no ear-piercing bangs.
Only a dull, heart-shuddering...
Bang!
Silver metal fragments, like frozen teardrops, scattered and splashed, refracting a brief and desolate light under the sun before clattering into the dust.
Time seemed to have been paused at this moment.
On the training ground, one could hear a pin drop.
Shizune covered her mouth, Kurenai Yuhi's pupils shrank suddenly, Uchiha Obito's mouth hung wide open but he couldn't make a sound, and Rin Nohara's gasp was stuck firmly in her throat.
Even Minato and Tsunade in the distance were stunned.
Broken.
That short sword, which symbolized a legend of Konoha, carried countless stories and glory, and also bore the tragedy of a fallen hero—the White Fang.
It was broken!
Kakashi remained in his forward-thrusting posture, frozen in place.
His hands were still held as if gripping the blade, but the weight in his palms was very light and airy.
He slowly, extremely slowly, lowered his head, his gaze dull as it fell upon his hands.
There, he held the blade his father had left behind.
No, it could no longer be called a blade.
Only the hilt and a half-broken remnant remained, along with the dull fragments scattered all around.