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The two combatants stood facing each other on the training ground, weapons in hand.
The tense atmosphere was almost tangible, pressing down so heavily that the four young onlookers subconsciously held their breath.
Hidden in the canopy of a distant tree, Minato and Tsunade exchanged a look, taking in the entire scene.
"This..." Minato frowned, instinctively moving to intervene.
"Wait," Tsunade stopped him, crossing her arms. A highly amused smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "What's the rush? Since these brats have so much energy and such strong opinions, let them thrash it out first. It's the perfect opportunity for us to see exactly what they're capable of."
Back on the field.
Kakashi had no intention of using ninjutsu. He simply and slowly drew the short sword strapped to his back. He was clearly still extremely bitter about his defeat in their sword duel four years ago.
The moment the blade left its sheath, a chilling gleam flashed across the metal, the edge seeming to condense an invisible, piercing aura.
This was none other than the legendary ninja blade that had struck fear across the shinobi world: the White Fang, previously wielded by his father, Sakumo Hatake.
After his father's death, he had inherited the legendary short sword.
Opposite him, Shinichi simply held his straight sword calmly in front of him.
The next moment, Kakashi moved!
His figure vanished from his spot. Compared to their spar at the academy four years ago, his movements were faster, more ruthless, and carried an unyielding determination. The short sword tore through the air, transforming into a streak of lightning-fast, freezing light aimed straight at Shinichi!
It was obvious he hadn't slacked off for a single day over the past four years, turning his grief and obsession into fuel to grow stronger.
However!
"Too slow."
Shinichi's calm voice rang out almost simultaneously with the sound of clashing metal.
With a mere flick of his wrist, he swung his sword. The blade appeared flawlessly in the exact path of the White Fang's thrust, like a precisely calculated iron gate.
CLANG!
A crisp impact exploded!
Kakashi felt an irresistible, massive force transmit through his blade. His grip went numb, his forward momentum was brutally halted, and he uncontrollably stumbled backward, his feet plowing two shallow trenches into the dirt.
How is this possible?!
Shock crashed through Kakashi like a tidal wave. The confidence he had built up through over three years of grueling training cracked under a single strike.
However, Shinichi didn't give him time to adjust.
"What are you spacing out for?"
The voice was right next to him!
Kakashi flinched in horror. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shinichi's figure had somehow closed the distance like a ghost.
Gritting his teeth, Kakashi reversed his grip and swung the short sword upward, trying to parry the incoming slash.
But Shinichi was faster. His longsword coiled like a spirit snake, deftly evading the cutting edge. Using the flat of his blade, he once again blocked the White Fang's point of leverage, then violently twisted his wrist, turning the parry into a jarring strike!
Immediately after, he forcefully shoved his sword hand forward. The hard pommel of his sword struck like a heavy hammer, slamming mercilessly into Kakashi's unguarded abdomen!
"Ugh!" Kakashi let out a muffled groan as his body was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string. His back slammed heavily into the trunk of a large tree, shaking the branches and sending leaves showering down.
He fought through the pain. Just as he pushed himself up, Shinichi was already there, sticking to him like a shadow. The longsword descended like a torrential downpour!
Kakashi gritted his teeth, desperately swinging the White Fang to block. The sound of clashing blades echoed rapidly, like rain battering a banana leaf.
He tried to counterattack, searching for an opening. But while Shinichi's swordplay appeared simple, it was flawlessly fluid and continuous. Every single time Kakashi exhausted his momentum and prepared for his next strike, or during the minute gaps between his forms, Shinichi's blade cut in with surgical precision.
"Weak!"
Shinichi's voice was freezing cold. It was accompanied by the muffled thud of the flat of his blade smacking Kakashi's left shoulder, knocking him off balance.
"Weak!"
The longsword traced an arc, the flat of the blade slapping Kakashi's right wrist, nearly forcing him to drop the White Fang.
"Weak!"
The pommel thrust forward again, slamming into Kakashi's ribs and knocking the wind out of him.
"Too weak!"
The final strike was a blindingly fast spinning side kick. Shinichi's heel struck like a battleaxe, slamming viciously into Kakashi's abdomen!
"Pfft!"
Kakashi couldn't hold it in anymore. A mouthful of stomach acid mixed with bloody froth sprayed from his mouth as his body curled up and was sent flying once again, rolling across the ground several times before barely skidding to a halt.
Shizune, Kurenai, Obito, and Rin watched in absolute stupefaction, their mouths hanging open subconsciously.
In their minds, a duel between two already-famous genius Chunin should have been a fierce, evenly matched clash of titans.
In fact, considering Kakashi had graduated earlier, become a Chunin earlier, and completed more missions, he theoretically should have had richer combat experience.
Yet the scene unfolding before them completely shattered their expectations.
It wasn't that Kakashi wasn't strong. His speed, his swordplay, and his reflexes far surpassed those of an average shinobi, even shocking the onlookers.
But in front of Shinichi Higashino, it looked like an adult disciplining a disobedient child. He was countered at every turn, reduced to a pathetic state.
Using nothing but the most fundamental taijutsu and sword techniques, Shinichi had completely and utterly suppressed Kakashi, who was wielding the White Fang and fighting with everything he had!
"Disappointing."
Shinichi lowered his sword and stood tall, looking down at Kakashi, who was struggling to get back up. His voice dripped with icy indifference.
"You disappoint me, Kakashi."
Shinichi slowly shook his head. His gaze swept over the gleaming White Fang short sword still gripped in Kakashi's hand, and a mocking smirk curled his lips.
"Why are you so weak? Kakashi? Is this the extent of your so-called convictions? Your so-called perseverance? Clinging desperately to the shadows of the past, wrapping yourself in a set of self-deceiving, cold rules... Did you really think that would prove something? That it would allow you to surpass anything?"
He paused, shifting his gaze back to Kakashi's pale face, and delivered the final blow:
"It seems that inheriting this blade didn't grant you the caliber required to wield it. The so-called White Fang of the Leaf... Heh. Looking at it now, it's nothing more than an outdated, obsolete title."
"SHUT UP!!!"
Kakashi suddenly erupted with a roar like a wounded beast.
"Don't you dare insult my father!"
His chakra exploded without reservation! The ground beneath his feet shattered in a several-meter radius, sending crushed rock flying!
The speed of this charge far exceeded any of his previous attempts. Gripping the White Fang with both hands, he transformed into a pale, desperate streak of light, tearing through the air to thrust straight at Shinichi!
This strike was blindingly fast! Ruthless! Absolute!
Yet, facing this terrifying, earth-shattering attack, Shinichi's expression remained so calm it was almost cruel.
Just as the tip of the White Fang entered within three meters of him...
Shinichi moved.
It was nothing more than an incredibly simple sidestep.
The movement was small, but calculated to the absolute pinnacle. It perfectly allowed the blade—which carried all of Kakashi's strength and emotion—to graze past his clothes.
Simultaneously, the longsword in his hand rose silently, carving an unadorned arc that condensed a massive, overwhelming force and flawless precision.
There were no blinding sparks. There was no deafening crash.
There was only a muffled, heart-stopping sound.
Crack!
Silver fragments of metal exploded outward like frozen teardrops, briefly reflecting a desolate, chilling light in the sun before clattering into the dust.
Time seemed to freeze at that very moment.
You could hear a pin drop on the training ground.
Shizune covered her mouth. Kurenai's pupils shrank to pinpricks. Obito's mouth was wide open, but no sound came out. Rin's gasp was trapped in her throat.
Even Minato and Tsunade, watching from afar, were stunned.
It was broken.
The White Fang short sword—the blade that symbolized a legendary chapter in Konoha's history, carried countless stories and glories, and bore the tragic fall of a hero.
It was broken!
Kakashi remained frozen in his forward-thrusting stance.
His hands still loosely held the grip, maintaining the posture of wielding the sword, but the weight in his palms felt incredibly, sickeningly light.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he lowered his head, his vacant gaze falling to his hands.
There, he held the blade his father had left him.
No, it couldn't be called a blade anymore.
All that remained was the hilt, half a shattered blade, and the dull fragments scattered across the ground.