"What an outstanding performance!"
Kimura Kazuya praised with admiration.
There was no doubt that Kakashi had wasted a jutsu, needlessly expending some of his stamina. And he would continue to drain his energy further.
Although Shūichi Hoshita's clones didn't have much combat power, they concealed his real body among them, forcing Kakashi to waste his energy taking down the charging clones while staying highly alert to guard against Shūichi's sudden attacks.
Which one was the real Shūichi?
Kakashi leaned against the earth wall he had created, punching the approaching clones one by one while observing and contemplating.
Was it Obito Uchiha? Asuma Sarutobi?
Suddenly, he noticed that the figures in front of him and on either side were forming hand signs.
Which one was real? Or was this another trick?
In a split second, after taking down two more clones, Kakashi quickly formed hand signs.
Another wall of earth rose in front of him.
At that moment, Kakashi was sandwiched between two walls.
Meanwhile, Shūichi also finished his hand signs.
The real Shūichi was the one on the left—now disguised as Asuma Sarutobi—who breathed out a streak of flame that pierced through several clones and shot between the two walls, rapidly expanding into a fireball.
Boom!
The flames exploded, but Kakashi had already leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the blast.
Clang! Clang!
As he descended, Kakashi deflected two kunai, only for Shūichi's clones to rush at him, obscuring his vision.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
One by one, the clones were destroyed.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Shūichi moved in and kicked Kakashi away.
This time, he appeared as Obito Uchiha.
Kakashi rolled a few times on the ground before jumping back up, bringing his hands to his mouth.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Almost simultaneously, Shūichi completed another set of hand signs and spat out a streak of flame, forming a fireball.
The same Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Boom!
The two fireballs collided, scattering flames and cracking the ground.
When the flames dissipated, Kakashi was breathing heavily.
His stamina was severely depleted.
Shūichi was also panting, but he was in slightly better shape.
He had used the Clone Jutsu, the Transformation Jutsu, and two Fire Release jutsus.
Kakashi had used two Earth Release jutsus and one Fire Release jutsu.
But clearly, the chakra required for the Clone Jutsu and Transformation Jutsu was far less than that for Earth and Fire Release.
However, by this point, both of them were exhausted.
A ninja battle doesn't usually involve big, flashy jutsu duels.
For Genin and Chūnin, taijutsu skirmishes, weapon exchanges, and traps or sneak attacks are the norm.
Jutsu clashes? Most ninjas don't have that much chakra, and Genin and Chūnin typically don't know many offensive jutsus.
Shūichi's father was a Chūnin, but aside from basic techniques like the Substitution Jutsu and Body Flicker Jutsu, he only knew two offensive jutsus.
His mother, being a Genin, only mastered one Wind Release jutsu, Gale Palm.
Jutsu clashes? That's just not a thing.
So, after intentionally exhausting Kakashi's stamina, Shūichi engaged him in hand-to-hand combat again.
Punches landed solidly, both fighting until their last bit of energy was drained.
There was no doubt that Kakashi held the upper hand in terms of skill, strength, and sheer speed.
But Shūichi had the advantage in stamina and dynamic vision.
In the end, neither could overpower the other, and they were both too exhausted to continue.
"A brilliant match!"
Kimura Kazuya couldn't help but praise them, finally understanding why the Third Hokage wanted these two to face off.
If it had been anyone else, they might not have pushed each other to their limits.
Especially Shūichi—his abilities were nowhere near this level last term.
Meanwhile, Obito Uchiha and the other classmates were stunned.
Shūichi had always been impressive in theory, scoring perfect marks on every exam.
But in practical combat, he was only considered upper-middle tier.
Yet now, he had left the top-ranked Kakashi in a rather sorry state, and their match ended in a draw.
This was even more shocking than the visual impact Shūichi had created earlier with his combination of the Clone and Transformation Jutsus.
…
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi had finished his observation.
There was no doubt that the fight between Shūichi Hoshita and Kakashi displayed a level of skill typically seen in Chūnin, a feat that even many Chūnin couldn't match.
Sarutobi had long known about Kakashi's excellence, but this time, he focused more on Shūichi Hoshita.
Undoubtedly, the information from Danzo was accurate without any exaggeration.
Adding to that were Shūichi's mature thinking, his self-discipline surpassing that of an adult, and most importantly, his understanding and maintenance of the Will of Fire.
There was no doubt that Shūichi was a civilian genius worthy of significant investment.
"Ten years from now, he might be another Minato..."
Sarutobi smiled broadly, harboring great expectations for Shūichi.
This also solidified his decision to train Shūichi.
But how should he train him?
Orochimaru was the first to be ruled out.
Sarutobi had felt that his disciple, Konoha's strongest Shinobi at the time, Orochimaru had undergone significant changes after the 2nd Ninja War.
Not only him, but Tsunade had also been nearly destroyed after the deaths of her brother and lover.
Thinking about this, Sarutobi's mood grew somber.
Jiraiya?
Sarutobi shook his head quietly.
He was originally an excellent candidate—Jiraiya was his disciple, outstanding in strength, and skilled at teaching.
Unfortunately, Jiraiya was often driven by what he called fate, spending most of his time traveling the world.
Even Minato had been nearly left to fend for himself, though he still turned out excellent.
"Shūichi has a greater advantage than Minato did initially. With his level of self-discipline, he just needs a mentor to guide him forward."
"Especially in terms of ideology..."
Sarutobi's decision was gradually taking shape.
---
September of the 38th year of Konoha passed in a flash.
Shūichi had also mastered the third Fire Release technique, Dragon Fire Jutsu, and was only two C-rank Fire Release techniques away from completing the requirement for the [Fire Release Expert] Tag.
This day happened to be a weekend. After a five-day interval, Shūichi went to the Tenka's Shop with the prepared explosive tags.
Since the start of school, he had only visited the Tenka's Shop on weekends, spending the weekdays making explosive tags at home using the materials he brought back.
Two tags a day for five days amounted to ten tags, totaling 2,000 ryo.
After receiving the payment, Shūichi looked at Tenka and asked with a smile, "Sis Tenka, you must know Fire Release techniques, right?"
Tenka smiled and asked, "Oh? Shūichi, do you want to learn Fire Release techniques?"
Shūichi nodded eagerly, looking at Tenka with anticipation.
In the ninja school, he was a talented student, mature and gentle.
In the eyes of Sarutobi and Tsunade, he was still a talented student, but with a mindset comparable to an adult.
In Tenka's eyes, however, he was just a pitiful, hardworking, five-year-old orphan.
Seeing Shūichi's expression, Tenka smiled and said, "Since you've been working so hard on making these explosive tags, I'll teach you a Fire Release technique!"
She then led Shūichi to the back of the shop, where there was a small testing area suitable for trying out jutsu.
"Now, pay close attention. This Fire Release technique is called Phoenix Flower Jutsu. It creates multiple fireballs to attack the enemy."
"You've already learned the Fireball Jutsu, so Phoenix Flower Fire Jutsu should be manageable. It requires more control over your chakra to direct the fireballs."
"Additionally, this technique can be used in conjunction with kunai to increase its power and control the attack's trajectory, making it harder for the enemy to evade."
As she explained, Tenka, dressed in a qipao, slowly performed the hand signs.
Shūichi, ignoring Tenka's impressive figure, focused on her hands, committing the sequence of hand signs to memory.
Rat - Tiger - Dog - Ox - Rabbit - Tiger!
Tenka completed the hand signs and with a mouthful of air, released three fireballs in a triangular formation.
Boom!
The three fireballs hit the ground three meters away, creating three scorched craters.
(End of Chapter)
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