Five years!
From the exact day he learned of Kakashi Hatake's birth, that figure had become a mountain in his plans—one he absolutely had to conquer.
For this battle, his tactical core was ruthlessly simple: close the distance, force a physical brawl, suppress entirely, and leave absolutely zero space for his opponent to cast Ninjutsu.
From the very first second, Shinichi had dragged the fight into his own rhythm. His initial, faster-than-expected blitz shattered Kakashi's footing, immediately followed by heavy strikes backed by overwhelmingly superior strength.
He used a torrential storm of Taijutsu to pin his opponent deep within the mud of close-quarters combat, ruthlessly severing any possibility of forming hand seals or creating distance.
Let alone five-nature Ninjutsu, Kakashi couldn't even find a fractional opening to cast a basic Clone or Substitution Jutsu.
This victory wasn't an accident. It wasn't a fluke. It was a meticulously premeditated, surgical strike targeting a specific weakness, utilizing his unique advantages to magnify that weakness infinitely.
The sun beat down just as fiercely as before, but the shock hanging in the air was slowly mutating into a complex tangle of emotions.
Looking at the calm, black-haired boy standing in the center of the field, many people were truly seeing him for the first time. They mentally ripped the name "Shinichi Higashino" out of the "hardworking honor student" box and placed it somewhere entirely new, realizing he required a complete reevaluation.
"Shinichi! Shinichi! SHINICHI!!"
Takashi was the first to snap out of the collective daze. He threw his fists in the air and screamed at the top of his lungs. His shout was like a spark dropped into a vat of boiling oil; Class 2 instantly erupted!
"He won! Shinichi won!"
"That was amazing!"
"Shinichi! Shinichi!"
Cheers, roars, and gasps of utter disbelief exploded from the Class 2 ranks. The deafening noise formed a glaring, almost painful contrast to the deathly silence gripping Class 1 across the field.
Many students from Class 2 felt a surge of shared pride, their faces flushed with excitement. Meanwhile, the students of Class 1 were mostly still trapped in a massive state of cognitive whiplash—lost, confused, and bewildered.
"How is that possible? How could that bastard Kakashi lose...?" Obito Uchiha muttered, his face blank.
The roaring cheers startled the two homeroom teachers out of their own shock. Sensei Matsumoto and Sensei Inoue exchanged a quick glance. Matsumoto took a deep breath, stepping forward to fulfill his duty as a proctor and officially announce the completely unexpected outcome.
"Wait a moment, Sensei."
Shinichi's clear voice rang out again. With a smooth motion, he slid his kunai back into the pouch on his thigh.
He looked at Kakashi, who was slowly pushing himself up from the ground. Shinichi's face still bore that familiar, disarmingly warm smile.
"Kakashi, you haven't used your true strength yet, have you?"
He paused, his tone shifting into one of leading certainty.
"I've heard that Lord White Fang's kenjutsu is unmatched across the shinobi world. He's a master of the blade who strikes terror into the hearts of countless enemies. As his son, surely your kenjutsu is just as formidable?"
As he spoke, Shinichi walked over to the nearby weapon rack and pulled out a standard katana.
Just winning isn't enough!
It's nowhere near enough!
He refused to leave any room for excuses like "luck," "fluke," or "the opponent was careless." He wouldn't allow his victory to be dismissed as a mere accident born of Kakashi underestimating him.
What he needed was an undeniable, comprehensive victory. He needed to crush Kakashi in the very field where everyone assumed Kakashi was strongest.
Drawing the crowd's attention to kenjutsu was his meticulously planned next step.
If the father was a legendary, world-shaking blade master, then the son must have naturally inherited that terrifying talent for the sword. That was the most logical, immediate assumption people would make.
Especially in this world, where bloodlines were practically worshipped.
Even though Kakashi had casually defeated every opponent over the past few months without ever drawing a blade, that didn't stop people from believing that Kakashi with a sword was his complete, ultimate form.
Whether that was actually true or not didn't matter. Once public opinion and perception took shape, it became the truth.
He needed to take the narrative "Shinichi Higashino defeated Kakashi Hatake" and upgrade it to "Shinichi Higashino defeated Kakashi Hatake at his absolute peak," driving that "fact" like an iron nail into the depths of everyone's consciousness.
"So, Kakashi, would you allow me to witness the brilliance of Lord White Fang's kenjutsu?"
Shinichi took a deep breath, slowly drew the katana from its sheath, and looked at him seriously.
"Allow me to truly experience the full extent of your power."
This sentence was another carefully calculated trap. With these few words, Shinichi silently dropped the crushing weight of expectation and legacy squarely onto Kakashi's shoulders.
Given Kakashi's pride as a genius, combined with his deep-rooted reverence and protectiveness regarding his father's legacy, it was virtually impossible for him to use Ninjutsu in the upcoming bout after being so formally challenged to a sword fight. To do so would be, in his eyes, a disrespect to his father's kenjutsu.
Shinichi had banked on exactly this. He was dragging Kakashi right back into the arena where Shinichi held the absolute advantage: pure physical confrontation and cold-steel clashes.
Simultaneously, it eliminated the risk of Shinichi getting blindsided by a sudden Ninjutsu attack.
Naturally, the standard kendo Shinichi had learned at the dojo couldn't compare to the elite Hatake Kenjutsu Kakashi had learned directly from the White Fang.
But when blades clashed, [Innate Godly Strength] provided overwhelming, crushing power; [Kenjutsu Apprentice] boosted his overall physical coordination; [Tenacious] granted incredible resilience and stamina; and [Agile] enhanced his flexibility and speed.
Stacked together, Shinichi still retained a massive, insurmountable advantage in raw physical specs.
On the field, every eye and every ounce of expectation zeroed in on the silver-haired genius as he stood back up.
"Fine."
Kakashi slowly raised his head. Those eyes, usually carrying a hint of lazy indifference, finally sharpened into something lethal.
He didn't say another word. He simply reached back to the pouch on his waist and drew a short sword, perfectly sized for his height and reach.
The two boys faced off once again. Round two was about to begin.
"Steady, Shinichi!"
"You've got this, Shinichi! You can win!"
Cheers erupted from Class 2 once more, though this time the wild exuberance was replaced by a tense, nervous anticipation.
Over in Class 1, the deathly silence finally shattered.
"Go, Kakashi!"
"Show him Lord White Fang's kenjutsu!"
Among them, Obito Uchiha—who had just been cheering for Shinichi to win—was now yelling the loudest and most desperately of all, his face flushed red.
"You bastard, Kakashi! You're a genius, aren't you?! Don't you dare hold back again! Use everything you've got and win!"
In the center of the field, Kakashi seemed entirely deaf to the surrounding noise. With a slight twist of his wrist, he shifted his grip from a standard hold to a reverse grip—a stance far better suited for rapid thrusts and deceptive maneuvers. He leaned his body forward slightly.
The next instant, he moved. His silhouette violently blurred, transforming into a streak of silver lightning skimming across the ground.
Moving at blinding speed in erratic, unpredictable zig-zags, he circled Shinichi rapidly, hunting for the perfect angle to strike.
Shinichi stood dead center, gripping his katana with both hands. His calm eyes tracked that silver streak flawlessly.
He knew perfectly well that his solid, foundational kendo couldn't hold a candle to the intricate variations and lethal precision of the Hatake clan's kenjutsu.
His path to victory lay in dragging the fight back into his own rhythm: using overwhelming power to break technique, and absolute simplicity to shatter complexity.