However, something unexpected happened to Kakashi. Just as he saw Mutsuki in front of him vanish into thin air like his Shadow Clone did a moment ago, there was no bell dropping.
"It's a Shadow Clone!" Kakashi's pupils contracted suddenly. He immediately wanted to swing behind him, but as he had this thought, a cold Kunai pressed against his neck.
"When using Shadow Clone tactics yourself, you should also consider whether the enemy is using the same tactic." Mutsuki, appearing behind Kakashi, said.
"After all, I'm not always within your line of sight."
Kakashi remained silent. He had previously taught Obito not to act recklessly, and now it was his turn to be schooled.
Upon hearing Kakashi's reprimand, Obito swiftly arrived on the scene to mock him.
"Enemies have disappeared from your sight, and yet you rush in without careful observation. If Yumi-sensei were an enemy, you'd be dead," Obito said bluntly.
Seeing Kakashi also fail, Obito felt some of the pain on his body lessen.
His own failure didn't matter as long as Kakashi didn't succeed.
"At least I took down Captain Yumi's Shadow Clone. It's better than being knocked down without even touching anyone," Kakashi countered upon hearing Obito use his own words against him.
Mutsuki smiled without speaking. With the current Kakashi and Obito, and Guy, if he didn't hold back, his Shadow Clone could easily deal with them all.
Because Kakashi was specially instructed by Hiruzen, although Mutsuki felt Hiruzen wouldn't be bored enough to spend hours watching them fight for the bell, he still didn't reveal too much of his strength, lest Hiruzen use Telescope Jutsu to see something.
Surroundings were pre-checked with Byakugan and Sensory Ninjutsu, no ANBU surveillance.
'After all, Kakashi isn't his son; he shouldn't be that concerned' Mutsuki thought to himself.
"Because what I faced wasn't just a Shadow Clone. I persisted for a while against Yumi-sensei's real self. You couldn't handle Yumi-sensei's real self when it appeared," Obito retorted.
"Maybe the one who initially knocked you down was also a Shadow Clone," Kakashi sneered.
"Absolutely not!" Obito firmly denied Kakashi's words.
"You agree, right, Guy?" Obito, seeing Guy approaching, tried to bring him onto his side.
"Discussing this is pointless. We all failed," Guy said.
He felt whether it was a Shadow Clone or the real self, they all were defeated and couldn't grab the bell. Everyone was in the same boat.
Guy's response was unexpected for Obito; Guy remained neutral, not siding with anyone directly.
"Summarizing your failures is good, but pay attention to areas where you fell short," Mutsuki intervened in the debate.
"There's still some time before the sun sets; you still have a chance."
"In fact, your abilities are not weak compared to your peers. Why not try teamwork? The power generated through cooperation can make one plus one greater than two," Mutsuki reminded.
The classic bell-stealing exercise is actually about assessing teamwork. As long as the students cooperate, the sensei will to some extent ease up. In general, it's impossible for three newly graduated Genin to steal something from a Jonin.
Mutsuki initiated this classic exercise to encourage Kakashi, Guy, and Obito to communicate more and make Kakashi realize that his teammates are different now.
Upon hearing Mutsuki's words, the more mature Kakashi essentially understood the implicit message. He had been a Chunin for over two years and was quite clear about these matters.
"It seems we have to cooperate," Kakashi decided reluctantly, aiming to complete the bell-stealing task first.
On the other side, although reluctant, Obito quickly adjusted himself inwardly and walked up to Kakashi, saying:
"Kakashi, by now you should know that going alone won't work. Let's cooperate. The three of us should work together."
"Let's burn our youth together!" Guy also invited Kakashi.
"Cooperation is fine, but I must be the one to formulate the battle plan," Kakashi disregarded Obito's previous words, expressionless.
"Why does it have to be you? Can't we discuss it together?" Obito said somewhat defiantly.
"Is my experience as a Chunin for over two years not enough?" Kakashi said calmly.
"Your arrangements were too crude. If Captain Yumi hadn't been lenient, you wouldn't have had any chance at all."
Kakashi directly used his Ninja rank to assert dominance. Obito couldn't think of a counterargument at the moment. He regretted not meeting Mutsuki earlier; otherwise, he might have been a Chunin too.
However, it was impossible for Obito to concede to Kakashi, so Obito said:
"Don't end up losing even with your battle plan."
"Then we'll deal with it when we lose," Kakashi replied indifferently.
If they still lost after reaching this point, Kakashi could only say that Mutsuki never intended to let them pass this training from the beginning.
Then, Kakashi instructed Obito and Guy to set traps and carefully explained the next steps of the battle plan to them.
"I've arranged for a Shadow Clone to keep an eye on Captain Yumi. The one sitting over there is the Shadow Clone; the real self has hidden away. Later, I'll have the Shadow Clone lure Captain Yumi's Shadow Clone over here. His real self will surely follow, and then we..."
"Be careful not to do anything unnecessary," Kakashi cautioned after the explanation.
Then Kakashi had Obito and Guy hide, while he himself also concealed his real self, commanding the Shadow Clone to lure Mutsuki.
When the Shadow Clone lured Mutsuki into the trap area, Shuriken suddenly flew from all directions towards Shadow Clone Kakashi and Shadow Clone Mutsuki.
Shadow Clone Kakashi knew his mission and didn't dodge, instead turning around to use Lightning Release Ninjutsu to delay Mutsuki. Instantly, both Shadow Clones were pierced and dispersed.
"That's a good tactic. It would have been dangerous if it weren't for the Shadow Clones," Mutsuki quietly said to Kakashi, who was observing the surroundings.
God knows how surprised Kakashi was at this moment. Mutsuki had silently approached him again!
Kakashi used Body Flicker Jutsu to go directly to the ground, creating some distance between him and Mutsuki. Just now, Mutsuki's "Successful praise" really scared Kakashi, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
However, Mutsuki didn't rush to attack. He jumped down to the ground under a tree and continued to smile, saying, "That was well done this time, learning from the lesson of last time."
Although the situation was a bit unfavorable, Kakashi, who had faced real life-threatening situations before, managed to remain calm. He carefully observed Mutsuki and immediately shouted, "This is not the real self, it's a Shadow Clone. Don't come out yet, continue to wait for the opportunity!"
He remembered seeing Mutsuki resting on the grass before, and even if he brushed off the grass and dust, it was impossible for him to be so clean that not even a speck of dirt remained. Yet the Mutsuki in front of him looked completely as if he had changed into a brand new set of clothes.
Then, Kakashi cautiously watched Mutsuki. Whether it was the real self or a Shadow Clone, Mutsuki was not easy to deal with; his speed was too fast.
"Are you sure going alone is fine? Have you forgotten how you failed not long ago?" Mutsuki continued, charging at Kakashi and throwing punches.
Mutsuki's speed was fast, and his strength was not small. Even though Kakashi tried his best, he found it very difficult to handle, quickly receiving two punches and a kick, appearing quite embarrassed.
"It's only a failure if they come out now. As long as they stay hidden, there's still a chance to snatch the bell," Kakashi countered.
If they revealed everyone's whereabouts just to defeat the Shadow Clone, then the combination they had prepared would be useless. They had no chance of winning in a direct confrontation. It would be better for him to hold off Mutsuki's Shadow Clone for now, while Guy and Obito continued to stay hidden and search for Mutsuki's real self's location, still giving them a slim chance of victory.
Kakashi had good thoughts, but holding off Mutsuki turned out to be more difficult than he anticipated.
His vast combat experience and precise and swift swordsmanship were completely ineffective against Mutsuki. It seemed Mutsuki could anticipate all of his attacks. Kakashi couldn't even touch Mutsuki's clothes, while enduring countless strikes from Mutsuki.
Mutsuki was much stronger than Kakashi imagined, to the point where Kakashi couldn't understand why a ninja of this caliber would be a sensei at the Academy. With such skill, they could earn a fortune by taking on missions.
Kakashi grew increasingly exhausted, while Mutsuki's assaults became more ferocious. He was gradually reaching his limit.
Despite accumulating more and more dirt on his body, Kakashi still didn't intend to call out Obito and Guy.
His mindset remained the same: there was still a possibility of success if they didn't come out, but if they did, failure was certain.
For the mission, he could abandon his teammates, and he could even abandon himself. Moreover, this wasn't even a real fight.
Crack!
Mutsuki seized Kakashi's vulnerability, knocking the short blade out of Kakashi's hand and then smashed a fist toward him.
Just as Kakashi prepared to endure the heavy blow, a voice full of passion rang out.
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
Suddenly, Guy appeared, swiftly delivering a Whirlwind Kick toward Mutsuki, forcing him back and saving Kakashi from harm.
Saved by Guy, Kakashi didn't show a smile but instead frowned and asked:
"Weren't you supposed to stay hidden? Exposing your position now means there's no hope of success."
"I don't understand what you're saying, but I know that I don't train just for the sake of training. This power is meant to protect the ones I care about!" Guy stared at Mutsuki and declared.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Then, a fierce-looking fire dragon suddenly appeared, flying straight toward Mutsuki. As Mutsuki attempted to dodge, it turned sharply, successfully pushing Mutsuki back further.
"What a joke! I, Uchiha Obito, don't need a victory obtained by abandoning my comrades!" Obito continued, throwing Shuriken at Mutsuki.
Seeing Obito join in, Kakashi's brow furrowed even more. In his heart, he knew this training was destined to fail.
However, he wouldn't give up directly. Since it had come to this, they might as well make a final effort.
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