Training Ground Forty-Three, Konoha.
Under the moonlight, seven chūnin stood around the field in silence.Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma, Mitarashi Anko, Yūhi Shinku, Hagane Kotetsu, Kamizuki Izumo, and Ebisu all watched the center with serious expressions.
Uchiha Yoru and Hatake Kakashi faced each other.
They had been classmates once. Not close, but not strangers either. Kakashi had graduated too early for bonds to properly form, yet Yoru still counted among the few people Kakashi didn't completely shut out.
Yoru shrugged casually, a faint smile on his face."Kakashi, how about we stretch a little?"
He had his own reasons. Losing wouldn't hurt his reputation. Kakashi was already Konoha's golden prodigy. Winning, on the other hand, would speak for itself.
Kakashi glanced at the surrounding faces. He could see it. Some calculation, some pressure, but also genuine concern. They weren't mocking him. They were trying to pull him back.
"…Fine."
His voice was flat. Cold. This was Kakashi at his darkest, still deep in his ANBU years.
A breeze passed through the field. A single leaf drifted down.
The next instant, both figures vanished.
Bang. Bang.
They reappeared in motion, fists and feet colliding at blinding speed.
The observers stiffened.
Even Asuma, Shinku, and Anko, all elite chūnin, could only track afterimages. This wasn't chūnin-level taijutsu anymore. It had already crossed into jōnin territory.
"So fast…" Guy whispered, eyes burning.
Yoru's heart pounded.Twelve-year-old jōnin… this isn't hype. This guy really is built wrong.
Kakashi's speed was frightening. Clean. Efficient. A style sharpened by real battle. No wasted motion.
But Kakashi was just as shocked.
Heavy.
Not just fast. Every blow Yoru threw carried weight, like a hammer wrapped in speed. Kakashi's arms were already starting to numb.
So this is an awakened Uchiha…
Bloodline growth. Rapid physical amplification. Kakashi assumed Yoru's leap in strength came from the Sharingan awakening and its evolution. The timing fit too well.
They broke apart almost simultaneously, sliding back across the grass.
Neither had the upper hand.
"Insane," Guy muttered. "Without the Eight Gates, I couldn't keep up."
Yoru smiled.
And in the same motion, his hands blurred.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Before Kakashi's feet had fully stopped, the seals were already complete.
Snake. Goat. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.
Too fast.
Kakashi's eye widened.
A massive fireball burst from Yoru's mouth, nearly three meters tall, heat crashing across the training ground in an instant.
"What— that fast?!" Anko blurted out.
Hand seals weren't just memorization. They depended on chakra flow, circulation, and control. Even for a C-rank jutsu, this speed was abnormal.
Kakashi reacted immediately, forming seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
But he was late.
The two fireballs collided at close range.
Kakashi leapt back the moment his jutsu released.
Boom!
Flames exploded outward. Heat washed across the field.
Kakashi's left eye was fully exposed now.
Three tomoe spun slowly.
This wasn't a spar anymore. He had acknowledged Yoru as an equal.
"Water Style: Water Shark Bullet Jutsu!"
Using the lake behind him, Kakashi chained seals smoothly. Not as fast as Yoru, but still impressive. The water surged, forming a massive shark-shaped projectile that tore forward.
Everyone watching felt it.
That was real combat sense. Years of war and ANBU missions compressed into instinct.
But Yoru didn't dodge.
Instead, his hands moved again.
Faster.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A B-rank technique.
Kakashi knew the moment he saw the seals.
Damn it.
He began counter-seals instantly, planning to use the lake's advantage.
Too slow.
The massive wave of fire crashed into the water projectile. Steam exploded upward with a shriek, the water attack evaporated outright, and the remaining flames surged forward.
"Not enough time!"
Kakashi released chakra from his feet and dropped straight into the lake.
The flames roared across the surface, turning the water red with reflected firelight.
Steam rolled across the field.
The observers stared, eyes shining with shock.
This wasn't about bloodlines anymore.
This was skill.
Pure, terrifying skill.