So close… it seems I've won.
Kakashi's eyes locked on Yuichi, whose body was paralyzed by lightning.
Even if Yuichi had overwhelmed Shikamaru earlier, qualification was already secured—because the rules never demanded victory by defeat alone. His sheer ninjutsu speed was more than enough proof he was Jōnin-level.
But Kakashi could not afford to falter. He was Konoha's Copy Ninja, an Elite Jōnin. To be defeated by a child, especially one forbidden from using Wood Style, would disgrace his very name.
I cannot lose.
"Zi—zi—zi!"
Raikiri shrieked in his palm, its light flaring as it cut down toward Yuichi's face.
A small hole… with his healing ability, he'll recover. But I'll at least land this blow.
Yet at that instant—Yuichi smiled.
The faint curl at the edge of his lips sent a chill down Kakashi's spine. Something was wrong.
Fwoosh!
A massive swell of chakra erupted from Yuichi's palm.
Ninjutsu? He shouldn't be able to move—!
Before Kakashi's eyes, the chakra condensed and began to swirl, shaping itself into a perfect sphere.
"…Rasengan!?"
Kakashi's pupils shrank. That jutsu—developed by the Fourth Hokage—how could Yuichi possibly wield it? He had never once shown this before!
But there was no time to dwell.
The Rasengan collapsed mid-formation, bursting into a violent storm of chakra. Wind roared outward, blasting Yuichi's own body sideways.
Raikiri tore through empty space.
Kakashi's eyes widened. He… used the backlash to fling himself out of range?
Ingenious. In the blink of an eye, Yuichi had turned failed ninjutsu into escape.
The crowd erupted in gasps. Even Nara Shikaku's sharp mind faltered—he had assumed the fight ended the moment Yuichi was paralyzed. Yet here he was, defying inevitability once again.
Yuichi's body spun through the air. By the time he righted himself, the numbness had already worn off. He pressed his hands together mid-flight, chakra swelling in his throat.
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
Thin, razor streams jetted from his lips, slicing forward. The power of this technique could sever even the roots of the sacred tree.
Kakashi's Raikiri sputtered out; forced to abandon offense, he twisted aside. The streams missed—but behind him, stone cracked as three deep holes were gouged clean through the earth.
The gathered Jōnin exchanged uneasy glances. Earth-style was supposed to counter water… yet Yuichi's jets had bored through solid rock as though it were paper.
Too strong…
But Kakashi had no time to reflect.
"Tick."
Water dripped into a puddle beneath him. The sound was followed by a blur.
Yuichi's figure materialized from the water itself, body spinning low, left hand forming a rapid seal.
Body Flicker? No… this speed…!
Realization struck. A water-enhanced Body Flicker Technique… a technique all his own.
Before Kakashi could evade, Yuichi's leg whipped upward.
Boom!
The kick smashed into his jaw, launching him into the air. From the sidelines, Might Guy stiffened. The scene was all too familiar—this was the very same movement Yuichi had once used against him.
But Yuichi wasn't done.
Rather than press the advantage with taijutsu, he began to weave seals. Fast, precise, unbroken. For the first time, he did not skip a single hand sign—pouring chakra into every motion.
"This is the one… I've been waiting to try."
Both palms slammed onto the ground.
"Water Style: Violent Dragon's Bite!!!"
BOOOOM—!
Chakra surged like a bursting dam. Water roared into existence from bare soil, gushing forward in torrents. Pillars erupted skyward one after another, geysers tearing open the arena.
Kakashi, helpless in midair, twisted desperately, narrowly dodging two columns—but he could not stop what came next.
A shadow rose from the spray.
The shadow became a shape.
And the shape became a dragon.
Enormous, coiling, its scales gleaming with chakra, it dwarfed every water-style ever witnessed. Even the Water Dragon Bullet seemed like a harmless snake beside it.
Kakashi's breath caught. This… this isn't Water Dragon Bomb. This is something entirely different.
The beast's roar split the heavens. Steam billowed, the very air boiling.
"What is that technique!?"
"I've never seen it before—"
"It's not Water Dragon Bomb…!"
Even Shikaku froze, lips tight. His mind churned. Another self-created ninjutsu… this boy…
The enormous dragon surged toward Kakashi, blotting out the sky.