Kakashi's first probing attack arrived!
He cut in abruptly from Shinichi's blind spot; his short sword, silent as a viper, stabbed toward the elbow joint of Shinichi's sword-hand at an extremely tricky angle.
Shinichi did not attempt to parry this swift blow with his long sword; that might result in a miss.
He reacted in the most direct way possible—he took a sharp half-step back while engaging his waist to generate power. Borrowing the momentum of his retreat, he unleashed a heavy yet swift horizontal sweep with his katana—using offense as defense. The blade cut across every possible path of Kakashi's advance!
This strike was heavy and ferocious, yet shockingly fast, carrying a whistling wind pressure!
Kakashi's pupils constricted slightly. He instantly aborted his thrust, unhesitatingly leaning back and spinning away like a willow leaf caught in the breeze, narrowly allowing the blade to graze past the tip of his nose.
He refused to engage and gave Shinichi no chance to leverage the momentum for a pursuit; with a tap of his foot, he slid away in another direction.
After experiencing the crushing defeat in the first taijutsu duel, Kakashi was already acutely aware of Shinichi's inhuman strength.
Therefore, as this second sword duel began, his tactics were crystal clear from the start:
Maneuver, find an opening, kill in one hit, and absolutely never give the opponent a chance to utilize his strength advantage.
Thus, in the first round, the exchange happened within millimeters, yet there was no substantial collision.
But soon, Kakashi's offensive rose like a relentless tide.
His figure flickered left and right; his short sword sometimes stabbed straight like lightning, and other times slashed like a gentle breeze toward weak points like the knees, wrists, and ribs.
His swordsmanship was agile and deceptive, his footwork exquisite. He fully utilized the flexibility of the short sword and his own speed, demonstrating the characteristics of speed and variation inherent in the White Fang style to their fullest extent.
Shinichi, however, was like a reef in a torrent. His range of movement was small, but every step was stable and solid. He gave up on chasing Kakashi's ghost-like figure, focusing instead on defensive counterattacks.
He wielded his katana, turning it into the most effective tool for blocking and repelling.
Every swing was heavy and powerful, stirring up the wind. He did not seek to hit, but only to force Kakashi back, preventing him from getting close enough to complete his exquisite combos.
Schwing!
The short sword sliced past Shinichi's arm, cutting his clothes, but his timely muscle tensing and slight turn of the body deflected most of the force, leaving only a shallow mark.
Whoosh!
The katana slashed back, but Kakashi had already leaped away in anticipation; the blade struck only a lingering afterimage.
Swish!
Kakashi rolled in low to the ground, slashing upward. Shinichi abruptly raised his knee, using an "iron knee" to knock the blade off course, while simultaneously smashing down with the hilt of his sword to force his opponent back.
After several rounds, the scene presented a strange equilibrium: Kakashi's offensive was like a violent storm, yet every time he was about to succeed, he was neutralized or forced back by Shinichi's immense strength and near-instinctual defensive intuition.
Outside the field, none of the students dared to breathe loudly; their eyes were glued to the scene.
The two homeroom teachers—Mr. Matsumoto and Mr. Inoue—wore tense expressions, their bodies leaning slightly forward, their gazes locked like falcons on every movement of the two in the field.
Chakra was already quietly circulating within their bodies, ready to intervene at any moment should a situation arise that might cause serious injury or worse to the students.
His speed is fast, but! Not as fast as mine! And not agile enough! Perhaps I can do this...
A sharp glint flashed in Kakashi's eyes; his plan was set. No longer satisfied with probing maneuvers, his figure paused for a split second before exploding with a speed that far surpassed his previous limits, transforming into a straight, silver flash of a thrust!
He finally took the bait!
The corners of Shinichi's mouth curled up. It was the exact moment when Kakashi had pushed his speed to its peak, when his old momentum was spent but new momentum had yet to generate, and his trajectory was most difficult to alter.
Shinichi moved too!
[Agility (White): You are more dexterous than the average person; body coordination and action speed are both slightly increased.]
It was true that he only had the [Agility] affix, which provided a small boost to his flexibility and speed; on paper, speed did not appear to be his strong suit.
But affixes were ultimately just equipment; the personal panel did not display the stats he had built up through his own training.
Furthermore, supported by his powerful physical constitution and boosted by chakra, Shinichi could also perform miracles with brute force when it came to speed!
Bang!
The gravel beneath his feet exploded outwards!
There was no retreat, no parry. Instead, with a speed in no way inferior to Kakashi's thrust, he charged head-on toward that silver flash.
The katana in his hand transformed into a precise, swift upward slash, concentrating all his strength and speed!
This strike launched later, yet seemed to anticipate everything. The blade aimed for the space at the forefront of Kakashi's thrusting path, as well as the joints of his sword-wielding arm!
It was a precisely calculated interception!
If Kakashi's speed was like a ghost—elusive and unpredictable—then Shinichi was like a steady yet volatile gale; calm at the eye, but once it erupted, it destroyed everything in its path.
And this was the moment of eruption!
Kakashi's pupils abruptly constricted as he faced this oncoming slash, which was faster than he could have imagined.
He wanted to change his move, he wanted to dodge...
But at terminal velocity, his body was difficult to control; all his momentum and force had been poured into this single thrust.
Retreat? Too late!
Dodge? The blade had already sealed off every angle!
Cancel the attack? His center of gravity was already committed!
He had no choice but to take it head-on!
Clang!!!
The short sword and the katana finally collided, solidly and unavoidably!
The sound was ear-splitting, far exceeding any previous exchange!
Sparks flew where the blades met!
Kakashi felt an irresistible, flood-like force smash into his blade. His arm went numb with pain, and the short sword in his hand trembled violently, nearly flying from his grasp. His defense was instantly blown wide open, leaving him completely exposed!
Now!
A cold light burst from Shinichi's eyes. The volatile gale finally broke free of its restraints, transforming into a destructive tsunami!
He took a step forward, his aura climbing to its zenith. Holding nothing back, he brought the katana down in a simple, brutal, overhead smash!
No frills, no tricks—only the purest power and speed!
And Kakashi, once again, felt with absolute clarity the sensation from their first battle—Shinichi's relentless pursuit upon gaining the upper hand, a suffocating storm that left him no room to breathe!
Clang!
The first strike! It blasted away the short sword Kakashi had barely managed to raise!
Thud!
The second strike! The back of the blade smashed viciously into Kakashi's hastily raised arm, eliciting a grunt of pain as his defense utterly collapsed!
Swish!
The third strike! The icy blade edge came to a steady halt against the skin of Kakashi's neck, delivering a bone-chilling cold.
The storm had risen suddenly, and just as abruptly, it ceased.
Once again, the weapon in Shinichi's hand rested steadily against Kakashi's throat.
The field fell into absolute, deathly silence, as if all sound had been sucked away.
Only that long sword, a symbol of complete victory, reflected a ruthless sheen in the sunlight.
The outcome, at this moment, was no longer in dispute.