The leaves rustled softly, though no wind stirred. Kakashi's single eye had sharpened into something like steel, the lazy, half-lidded gaze gone. For the first time, Renjiro felt a pressure that pressed against his skin, like an invisible hand gripping his throat.
"Stay sharp," Kakashi murmured.
Then he moved.
Too fast!
Renjiro's pupils contracted as Kakashi blurred forward, his body disappearing in a burst of speed. Instinct screamed—he dropped low, reinforcing his legs just as a kunai whistled past where his throat had been. Dirt exploded behind him as Kakashi pivoted mid-step, his other hand flashing in a strike.
Renjiro raised his arm in time. Thud! The impact sent shockwaves through his bones, rattling his teeth. Pain lanced up his forearm, even through reinforcement.
He staggered back. He's faster… sharper…
"Don't blank out now!" Obito's shout rang out. The Uchiha lunged in, kunai clumsy but his spirit fierce. For a heartbeat, Kakashi's eye flicked toward him.
Renjiro seized the opening. Chakra surged into his legs—he launched forward, aiming a reinforced fist at Kakashi's ribs.
Boom!
The punch connected. Bark shattered as Kakashi's body slammed against a tree. Dust billowed, the trunk groaning from the force.
Obito's jaw dropped. "…You actually hit him?"
Renjiro exhaled, shoulders rising and falling. His knuckles throbbed. That reinforcement really works.
But the dust cleared—and Kakashi stepped out, brushing dirt from his shoulder as if nothing had happened. His eye curved in amusement.
"Good," he said evenly. "At least you're not dead weight."
Renjiro's stomach twisted. That blow should've done more…
Kakashi blurred again. Renjiro barely raised his guard before a heel crashed against his side. Pain detonated through his ribs, and he hit the ground hard, breath ripped from his lungs.
"Renjiro!" Obito's voice wavered.
Renjiro coughed, vision swimming. His body screamed in agony, but deep inside, the familiar ding whispered faintly in his mind.
Ding! Daily Quest Progress Registered.Muscular strain sustained. Adaptation threshold increasing…
He grit his teeth, forcing himself up. Sweat dripped down his temple, blood tasting bitter in his mouth.
"You're still standing?" Kakashi asked, voice unreadable.
Renjiro smirked through the pain. "I don't go down that easily."
Obito, fired up, rushed beside him. "Tch! Don't hog the fight, Nara! We'll take him together!"
Renjiro's eyes flicked at him. For once, he didn't argue. "…Fine."
They launched forward side by side. Obito's wild swings forced Kakashi to parry, while Renjiro targeted every gap, his reinforced strikes growing sharper, his chakra control steadier with each exchange.
For the first time, Kakashi had to give ground.
But just as hope flickered—Kakashi vanished from their sight.
Renjiro's instincts screamed. He turned—too late.
A kunai's edge rested against his throat. Kakashi's voice was calm, almost bored. "And that's why effort alone isn't enough."
Renjiro froze. Sweat beaded at his brow, but the fire in his eyes didn't dim. His fists clenched. Not enough yet… but it will be.
Kakashi sheathed the kunai, stepping back. "Not bad. You're tougher than most. But if you can't close the gap faster… you'll never survive out there."
Obito grumbled, dropping flat on the ground. "Tch… you didn't have to humiliate us like that."
Kakashi didn't respond. His gaze lingered on Renjiro for a moment longer—searching, measuring—before he finally turned and walked away.
Renjiro stayed standing, chest heaving, his ribs screaming in protest. And yet, deep inside, a single thought burned bright as a torch:
One day, Kakashi… I'll surpass you.