"Switch!"
Naruto and Sasuke bumped palms in tacit agreement. Naruto quietly stepped back while Sasuke stepped forward to take his place.
After being hit by Naruto's Typhoon Breakthrough, Kakashi had completely dropped any sense of underestimation. With a pained look, he tucked away his now coverless copy of Icha Icha Paradise and stared seriously at Sasuke.
"No way Sasuke is as ridiculous as Naruto, right?"
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said helpfully. "Sasuke's not as strong as me, and he definitely can't use the jutsu I just used."
After all, Sasuke's chakra nature is fire and lightning—wind release is basically foreign territory to him.
Naruto added matter-of-factly, "That jutsu used up, like, a full one percent of my chakra. Good thing I've already recovered it."
Kakashi: I'm offended.
"Hmph. I'm not as strong as Naruto, and I can't use Wind Release," Sasuke admitted easily. After training together so long, he truly admired Naruto more than anyone in the village.
Who else has seen Konoha at 3 or 4 in the morning?
Naruto's basically got a timeshare there.
His relentless, almost fanatical training style had earned Sasuke's genuine respect.
Sasuke opened a scroll from his ninja pouch and said calmly, "But Kakashi-sensei, if you're underestimating me because of that—"
Kakashi: When did I say I was underestimating you?
Poof! With a puff of smoke, a short sword appeared in Sasuke's hand.
Most of the sword techniques and taijutsu Naruto had learned from Danzo were shared with Sasuke. Add to that secret techniques from places like Hozuki Castle, and Sasuke's power was nothing to scoff at now.
"Better be careful not to take a hit," Sasuke warned—and in the next second, he vanished.
Sigh. Why don't these kids ever just talk things out? Kakashi drew a kunai and disappeared as well.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The air rang with a flurry of metallic clashes as Sasuke's short sword and Kakashi's kunai clashed again and again in high-speed taijutsu—or rather, kenjutsu—combat.
Kakashi had been trained in his clan's swordsmanship since childhood and had become a jōnin at twelve, initially known as a close-combat ninja.
But after the Kannabi Bridge incident and losing one eye—replaced with a friend's Sharingan—he gave up his prized swordsmanship in favor of ninjutsu.
Not being a Uchiha, Kakashi's Sharingan couldn't be deactivated. It constantly drained his chakra, leaving him "low on blue" in almost every fight.
The Kirigakure incident, where he was forced to kill teammate Rin Nohara, had also left him adrift and guilt-ridden. That once-brilliant prodigy had become a burned-out shell of a man, surviving on nothing but R18 novels.
And still, even now, his taijutsu stats were impressive:
Taijutsu: 8
Strength: 7
Speed: 8
In Konoha, those were top-tier numbers.
He was just... a bit short on stamina.
After another intense clash, both Sasuke and Kakashi retreated slightly, sensing a natural break.
"You're strong," Sasuke admitted.
You're stronger, Kakashi thought.
Sasuke's Kenjutsu was nearly flawless. If not for a lack of experience, Kakashi wasn't sure he'd have held out.
Looking at Sasuke now—sword in hand, cool and confident—Kakashi was hit with déjà vu.
Same sword skills. Same level of genius. Same ridiculous good looks.
It's like I'm looking at my younger self.
"What just happened?" Sakura was totally lost. Her eyes couldn't keep up with the speed of the fight.
But she wasn't stupid—she realized something major had just gone down.
As expected of Sasuke-kun... he's going toe-to-toe with Kakashi-sensei!
Naruto, meanwhile, had watched the entire fight clearly and frowned.
From his perspective, Sasuke had been slightly on the back foot.
But it was just probing—neither had gone all out yet.
"Again!"
For once, Sasuke's normally cool face lit up with excitement. Without even realizing it, he was matching a jōnin head-on.
I've gotten this strong already?
Itachi... I'm coming for you next!
His confidence skyrocketed.
For a moment, he felt like... Supa Sasuke.
But the truth?
Kakashi was holding back.
He wasn't just a taijutsu user anymore.
He was proficient in:
Ninjutsu
Taijutsu
Genjutsu
Summoning
Barriers
Seals
Even a bit of the Eight Gates
He had copied over a thousand jutsu—whatever type of enemy he faced, he could adapt.
That's why they called him Kakashi of the Sharingan... and why "Fifty-Fifty Kakashi" could hold his own with anyone.
He was a textbook six-attribute ninja.
His only weakness?
Low chakra.
Like... painfully low.
One burst, and he's out.
In his fight with Sasuke, he'd only used pure taijutsu so far.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In just a few heartbeats, they'd clashed dozens of times again.
It was almost even—Sasuke's relentless, wave-like attacks versus Kakashi's superior speed, which let him block each strike at the last possible moment.
Then—
"Crescent Moon Dance!"
Finally going all out, Sasuke split into three clones—coming at Kakashi from the left, right, and above at blistering speed.
Kakashi's eyes widened.
These kids fresh out of the Academy are this aggressive?!
He recognized the technique instantly—Mikazuki no Mai.
One of his old ANBU comrades had used this same move.
It was the pinnacle of Konoha-style swordsmanship.
Three become one. Infinite variations. A flawless technique.
And Sasuke, fresh out of the Academy, was using it?!
Sasuke was faster than some of Kakashi's old ANBU teammates.
Realizing he couldn't keep holding back, Kakashi reached for his forehead protector and lifted it—
—revealing his three-tomoe Sharingan.
The red eye spun wildly, the three tomoe circling as it activated.
With the Sharingan's dynamic vision, Sasuke's movements slowed to a crawl in Kakashi's eyes.
Got you!
At the same time, Sasuke caught sight of Kakashi's eye and was stunned.
The Sharingan?!
Why does Kakashi have a Uchiha's eye?!
The sudden shock made Sasuke falter—just enough for Kakashi to effortlessly dodge the Crescent Moon Dance.
Naruto frowned hard from the sidelines.
He hadn't told Sasuke anything about Kakashi beforehand.
He'd wanted a fair comparison, so no one had extra intel.
Preparation makes a huge difference in battle.
On a real battlefield, that kind of hesitation would've already gotten Sasuke killed.
Naruto couldn't stay quiet anymore.
He shouted, "Sasuke, what the hell are you doing?!"
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