The atmosphere thickened with tension as both sides squared off. Yet, amidst the forming battle lines, two figures stood still—Kakashi Hatake and the Fourth Raikage, A.
Ten meters separated them, their eyes locked. Kakashi's Sharingan glowed ominously, ghostly red with rotating tomoe—its gaze as chilling as it was calculating.
"Interesting eyes," Raikage A scoffed. "Didn't expect to see Uchiha blood in you. Can't get the Byakugan, but a Sharingan's a decent trophy."
"Hmph," Kakashi replied coolly, "you won't be getting either."
"Arrogant brat. You'll pay for your ignorance."
A crackling aura of blue lightning surged across the Raikage's body, his hair standing wildly from the charge.
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode!"
More than a technique—this was his Thunder Armor, honed through years of battle.
The piercing crackle of lightning howled like an electric tempest, wrapping the Raikage in a blinding aura. He stood like a war god—stoic, wrathful, peerless.
His steely gaze carried the pressure of an apex predator. The sheer force radiating from him was suffocating.
This was the man known as the fastest shinobi alive after the passing of the Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze.
Kakashi's face tensed slightly. Raikage A, in his mid-thirties, stood at the physical prime of a warrior's life. He might not have reached the monstrous power of the Fourth Great Ninja War yet, but he was dangerously close.
Kakashi, no longer the reckless youth of old, knew better than to overestimate himself. This was not a foe to take lightly.
In the ninja world, battles could be decided in seconds. Knowledge—intel—often tipped the scale more than raw power.
Why had Shikamaru defeated Hidan? Not just intellect, but preparation. Knowing your enemy was half the battle.
Even brilliance meant nothing without that.
Asuma's death had proven that cruel truth.
And here, Kakashi had the edge: he knew Raikage A's patterns and techniques—knowledge gleaned from war archives and Anbu intelligence.
Still, sheer data couldn't close a gap of raw speed and power. The Raikage could obliterate an opponent before they even blinked—unless they had the reflexes to match.
Even the Susanoo's fabled defense had once cracked beneath this man's assault.
What chance did lesser defenses stand?
Sensing the storm about to erupt, surrounding shinobi instinctively cleared out. No fool would linger near a clash of Kage-tier titans. Friendly fire from such a battle would leave no survivors.
Kakashi slowly raised his right arm, chakra surging into the sword he now wielded—Kiba, the fang-like blade he'd reforged.
Lightning danced along the edge—but subtly, it began to shift. Wind chakra seeped in, altering its tone and edge.
The air around Kakashi trembled. His aura surged, cold and lethal.
The Raikage narrowed his eyes. "Not bad… You've got presence, kid. A proper pupil of the Yellow Flash. But let's see if you've got the skill."
Kakashi said nothing, his Sharingan never blinking, tomoe spinning faster.
Raikage A scowled. Kakashi's silence grated on him.
Then—crack! Thunder roared as A vanished.
Even with the Sharingan, Kakashi barely saw a blur.
"Even if you can see me, you can't move fast enough!"
"Lariat!"
Raikage A's elbow streaked toward Kakashi's chest like a thunderbolt. One hit from that would shatter bone, crush organs, kill.
But Kakashi was gone.
Body Flicker!
He vanished the instant before impact, leaving only a blur behind.
Raikage A's pupils contracted in disbelief.
That wasn't just high-speed movement—there was no chakra surge. Was it raw physical speed?
Before the thought could settle, Kakashi reappeared behind him.
His blade now crackled with wind chakra—an elemental counter to lightning.
"Hatake Sword Style: Thousand Winds Slash!"
Wind nature chakra was sharper, finer. With it, Kakashi's blade became like a scalpel—no, a guillotine.
He swung at Raikage A's back.
But A twisted, throwing his armored forearm in the way.
Clang!
A metallic screech rang out. The Raikage's armor split slightly—cracked by the wind-infused edge.
"Fast… Impressive," A growled, staring at the damage. "You really are his student. But not fast enough."
Kakashi exhaled slowly, unfazed. He hadn't expected the fight to end there.
He pulled back, distancing himself as the Raikage rotated his arm.
"You're more dangerous than you look," Raikage A admitted, a rare glint of thrill in his voice. "Not since Minato have I felt this push."
To match speed with the Raikage—his domain—was to step into his world.
And Kakashi had done it.
"Liger Bomb!"
A burst forward, lifting his arm overhead in a hammer motion, his chakra surging to its peak.
Kakashi responded instantly.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A massive stone barrier erupted from the ground.
But—
"Fool. You think earth can stop me!?"
Raikage A's foot slammed down.
The wall exploded into debris—torn apart like twigs.
But behind it, nothing.
He blinked.
Left—clear. Right—clear. Above—nothing.
Below!
A cold voice echoed: "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The shattered earth morphed, liquefying into a heavy bog. Raikage A's legs sank deep—mobility stifled.
Fury ignited. His chakra exploded outward.
BOOM! Mud and stone erupted in all directions like shrapnel.
"Kakashi!! Stop hiding!"
"I see… You really don't play around," Kakashi murmured, reappearing a few meters away. His Sharingan spun calmly, analyzing every twitch.
The fight was just beginning.
The Duel doesn't end here… it only gets more intense.
30+ chapters ahead are already waiting.
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