The battle started quickly.
And ended even faster…
Caught off guard, Asuma Sarutobi took a punch to his right eye. Covering his swollen eye socket, tears almost fell. He gritted his teeth and glared at Akira, his eyes full of unwillingness!
He had lost—but he refused to accept it. Clenching both fists, he once again declared the classic line:
"Damn it! Next time I won't lose to you again. When we're allowed to use ninjutsu in real combat, I'll definitely make you regret it!"
This guy really didn't give the Hokage's son any face at all!
He hit too hard!
Couldn't he have held back a little? His image was damaged now. He was the Hokage's son!!
Akira: "..."
He really hadn't done it on purpose. But shouldn't Asuma consider his own problem?
The punch was already coming at his face—if he didn't dodge, how was that Akira's fault?
Akira even worried about parents coming to complain…
He said helplessly, "Your standards are quite flexible. This is already the third time. Can't you change the line?"
Written exams, ninja tool throwing practice, real combat…
Asuma's "standards" were indeed flexible. If he lost, he would always find a new excuse. It was hard to tell whether to praise his perseverance or something else…
"Don't look down on me. I've already mastered several ninjutsu. I don't believe your talent in ninjutsu will also be this strong!" Asuma rubbed his right eye, anger flashing in his left.
How could the Hokage's son keep losing to one person?
He set himself a small goal—he must surpass Akira once. He refused to believe someone could be truly omnipotent—learn something once and master it instantly!!
[Ding. Mission complete. Reward being distributed…]
Hearing the system notification in his mind, Akira suddenly remembered a line full of imposing aura. His tone became low and calm:
"Those who lose to me have never been regarded as opponents. I give you time to chase—until you can no longer even see my back…"
He had cheats. What were others using to chase him?
Asuma: "..."
So pretentious!
He decided that he would secretly train his ninjutsu and, in next semester's ninjutsu practical class, astonish everyone in one stroke—defeat Akira in a single move and reclaim the glory that should belong to the Hokage's son!!
The two formed the Seal of Reconciliation.
It was someone else's turn.
After round upon round of combat, the top few ranks had already become clear.
Only the final first-place battle remained.
Without surprise, the final two contestants were the first- and second-place students in written exams—
Akira and Kakashi Hatake!
This was undoubtedly the highlight match. The boys and girls in class were all paying close attention. Even Teacher Oda, a Chunin, was extremely focused.
Whether Akira or Kakashi, both had defeated their opponents easily in real combat—almost as if they hadn't even taken it seriously.
The saying went—
"Sorry, couldn't make it interesting for you."
That was the feeling in the hearts of everyone who had lost to Akira or Kakashi. The gap in strength was too obvious…
In the field, Akira and Kakashi stood facing each other.
They had already formed the Seal of Opposition.
Kakashi did not immediately attack. Instead, he looked at Akira with unprecedented seriousness and calmly asked:
"Akira, have you learned any ninjutsu?"
Akira paused slightly, then shook his head. "Not yet."
As mentioned before, Akira had a bit of obsessive perfectionism. If he didn't completely perfect the Monster Strength Punch, he couldn't eat or sleep peacefully. He simply had no mood to learn other ninjutsu.
But now that Monster Strength Punch had been perfected, it was indeed time to start learning ninjutsu.
The Ninja Academy would officially teach ninjutsu next semester—namely the "Three Body Techniques." However, those with conditions could naturally learn earlier.
One step ahead meant every step ahead!
Hearing Akira's answer, Kakashi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "Is that so?"
He actually wanted to go all out against Akira. If it was only basic taijutsu, it felt somewhat dull. It would also be difficult to judge Akira's true strength…
He already possessed the strength of a Genin. These childlike sparring matches didn't interest him much…
As if guessing Kakashi's thoughts, Akira's eyes flashed slightly.
"What? Want to truly fight me? Not just basic taijutsu?"
At this point in the timeline, Kakashi had not yet lost his arrogance. He was sharp and confident—and had already vaguely regarded Akira as an opponent.
In the original story, Kakashi entered the Academy at five and graduated at five—meaning it was this very year. He wouldn't delay until the third semester…
Reasonably speaking, Kakashi should have already learned ninjutsu. On top of that, his father was the White Fang of Konoha, Sakumo Hatake. It was likely he had also mastered some formidable Hatake blade techniques.
Kakashi wanted a serious battle with him!
Interesting!
"Correct." Kakashi did not deny it. He continued calmly, "I feel that fighting only with basic taijutsu is somewhat boring. But since you haven't learned ninjutsu yet, we'll have to wait for the future…"
Since Akira hadn't learned ninjutsu, Kakashi felt it wouldn't be fair to go all out.
There was a significant gap between knowing ninjutsu and not knowing it.
Moreover, he had also mastered a set of Hatake blade techniques passed down by his father…
[Ding. As the future Soul King who will rule the Three Realms, the host cannot evade any challenge from a Shinigami. Please remember: geniuses are merely stepping stones for the host!
Mission issued: Defeat civilian genius Kakashi Hatake in an unrestricted battle!
Mission reward: Bakudō #1 · Sai!]
Hearing the system mission in his mind, Akira's eyes gleamed slightly. He smiled at Kakashi and said:
"Although I haven't started learning ninjutsu yet, I also have my own trump cards. If you want to fight seriously, I actually don't mind…"
Even without the system mission, Akira had wanted to have a proper match with Kakashi.
He wanted to see just what level the original genius—who entered and graduated the Academy at five—truly possessed!
"Trump cards?" Kakashi was somewhat surprised. His spirit lifted slightly as he asked seriously, "So you've decided to seriously fight me? Not just basic taijutsu?"
Akira nodded and smiled. "I'm also somewhat interested in the Hatake clan's blade techniques. You should already know Hatake-style kenjutsu, right?"
Akira hadn't forgotten that he still had a mission—
To master the four basic techniques of Zankensōki!
Hakuda corresponded to taijutsu. Akira had spent nearly a month training basic taijutsu—it could be considered learned.
Kidō had already been obtained through system rewards: Hadō #1 · Shō, Hadō #4 · Byakurai, and now Bakudō #1 · Sai.
Hohō corresponded to Shunpo, which he had just obtained after defeating Asuma—he now had the method to learn it.
What remained was "Zan"—swordsmanship. Akira currently had no entry point for that.
In Japanese martial arts, swords and blades weren't strictly distinguished. Kenjutsu and battōjutsu were essentially part of the same concept.
The Hatake clan's blade techniques were the first avenue Akira thought of for learning "Zan."
After all, the Ninja Academy wasn't the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy. There were no formal swordsmanship courses. He would have to find his own way…
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