Konoha's third practice field stood silent in the early morning light. Minato'team had arrived early, save for one.
"Obito is late again," Kakashi sighed, his silver hair catching the sunlight. In the circular-walled exercise field, only he, Rin, and their teacher Minato Namikaze were present.
"Kakashi..." Minato began, his blue eyes serious.
"Hm?" Kakashi looked up at his sensei.
"Try your best to avoid hurting Chiba," Minato advised, his tone implying he didn't believe Chiba could defeat Kakashi.
Kakashi sighed. "Yes... after all, he is the disciple of our teacher's beloved girlfriend. I know." He didn't feel threatened by Chiba, although he was curious about the new graduate.
Minato could only respond with a helpless smile to Kakashi's nonchalance.
Suddenly, a breathless voice called out, "I'm sorry, I'm late! I just lost my way..." Obito Uchiha, goggles askew on his head, rushed over.
"I'm too lazy to lecture you," Kakashi sighed deeply.
Rin watched the exchange with a quiet smile, her gaze drifting past Obito to the four figures approaching from the gate.
"They're here," Rin announced softly.
Obito joined Kakashi's side, panting slightly. "You're sure you won't lose, right?"
"Yes..." Kakashi replied, barely glancing at his teammate.
Surprisingly, Obito didn't bristle at the dismissive response. Instead, he asked more seriously, "Kakashi, I will definitely become a Chunin this time."
Kakashi studied Obito for a moment before replying with a noncommittal, "hai..."
By then, Chiba and his group had arrived. Kushina Uzumaki, her red hair vibrant in the morning light, looked around and asked, "Where is the Third Hokage?"
Minato smiled apologetically. "The Third Hokage is dealing with urgent affairs. I'm afraid he can't come. This time, Homura will witness."
"Homura?" Kushina's gaze fell on the Ninja assistant in the center of the field. She nodded. "It's okay, as long as you don't go back on the deal."
Minato's smile turned slightly strained at her words.
The two teams walked to the center of the exercise field, leaving Chiba and Kakashi standing opposite each other.
Kakashi regarded Chiba coolly, Minato's whispered advice echoing in his ear: "Control your strength well, don't let him lose too badly." He also felt the expectant gazes of Obito and Rin boring into his back.
He sighed inwardly. 'Why do I have to compete with this guy...' Still, he resolved to take the match seriously for Obito and Rin's sake.
Across from him, Chiba stood tall, Kushina's words "you must win" ringing in his ears. He felt the weight of Hirohiko and Yukina's expectations behind him.
'Not to mention, for the sake of barbecue, go all out!' Chiba thought, trying to psych himself up. Facing the prodigy Kakashi, he felt a twinge of uncertainty. Kakashi, already a skilled Ninja at 8, possessed at least elite Ninja strength...
Chiba's mind raced with calculations and strategies.
The referee, Homura, looked between the two young ninjas and announced, "Then, let's start the Ninja duel!"
Kakashi's hands moved to form a seal as he assessed his opponent. 'This Chiba must specialize in taijutsu, like Gai. His physical skills should be comparable... I'll create some distance first.'
"Start!" Homura's voice rang out.
Before the word fully left his lips, both Chiba and Kakashi leapt back, creating a sizeable gap between them.
'What? He's keeping his distance?' Kakashi's visible eyes widened slightly in surprise. 'This... doesn't favor taijutsu.'
Chiba, for his part, stared intently at Kakashi. 'As expected, he must have judged me a taijutsu specialist. He's creating distance for Ninjutsu...'
Determined to seize the advantage, Chiba decided to go all out from the start. After all, this was Kakashi he was facing.
From the sidelines, Yukina Hyuga's pale eyes widened as she observed Chiba's Chakra surge. 'Is this what Chiba meant? His Chakra is enhancing his muscle tissue... He's truly amazing!'
Beside her, Hirohiko activated his Sharingan instinctively. Observing Chiba's Chakra flow, he was taken aback. 'This... this amount of Chakra! It's more than mine. Last time we competed, his Chakra was only at Genin level. Now, it's Chunin level! Has he really advanced so much in just a month?'
A pang of jealousy shot through Hirohiko. 'Is he going to surpass me?'
In the field, Kakashi's hands flew through a series of seals, which Chiba watched intently.
'This seal...' Chiba frowned, his own hands mirroring the movements.
"*Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!*" Kakashi's hands slammed into the ground, and a cone of soil erupted, hurtling towards Chiba.
'It is the Earth Dragon Bullet.' Chiba finished his own seals just in time.
"*Water Release: Water Wall!*" Water surged from the ground around Chiba, spiraling into a column and instantly encasing him.
The soil cone collided with the water wall, turning into wet mud that splattered on the ground. The water wall then collapsed into a small puddle.
'Ninjutsu? He can use Water Release too?' Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise.
He wasn't the only one shocked. Even elite Shinobi like Minato and the referee were taken aback.
The Water Wall, a B-rank Ninjutsu, required significant Chakra and precise control over Water Nature. Chiba's proficiency wasn't limited to physical skills; his Ninjutsu was equally remarkable.
'This... is like a second Kakashi!' The thought echoed through the minds of the observers.
"When did you learn Water Release?" Kushina exclaimed, while Hirohiko and Yukina gaped in astonishment.
As the water curtain fully dispersed, however, Chiba was nowhere to be seen.
Kakashi scanned the area, his mind racing. 'Where is he? Up?' He looked skyward, seeing only clear blue and drifting clouds. 'Front, back, left, right, not above, then...'
He abruptly looked down just as a pair of hands burst through the ground, gripping his ankles tightly.
'This is *Earth Release: Underground Decapitation Technique*!' Kakashi realized, finding himself immobilized.
"It's over..." Chiba's voice came from behind him, a kunai positioned under Kakashi's chin.
"Kakashi lost?" Obito exclaimed in disbelief.
"I believe in Kakashi. He won't lose," Rin stated firmly.
As if to validate her faith, just as Chiba was about to declare victory, he felt cold steel against his own neck.
"You lost," Kakashi's voice announced from behind.
Kakashi's captured form exploded into a cloud of white mist, revealing a partially buried log.
Chiba's eyes narrowed. 'A substitution? As expected, it's not that easy.'
The tension in the field ratcheted up another notch as the two young ninjas faced off once more, each reassessing their opponent with newfound respect.