The Third Hokage nodded as well, one hand resting behind his back while the other extended forward.
Kakashi took a deep breath.
The next second, the wooden sword cut through the air with a sharp whoosh. His figure flashed in front of the Third Hokage, and he brought the blade down in a diagonal slash.
The Third Hokage turned his body and avoided it without striking back, simply watching.
Kakashi's first strike missed, but his feet never stopped moving. He twisted with the momentum and swept the second strike across horizontally.
The Third Hokage took a step back.
Kakashi pressed forward—third strike, fourth strike, fifth strike.
One attack flowed into the next, as if it were a sequence he had practiced countless times, yet each blow subtly adjusted its angle and force according to the Third Hokage's position.
The children below were staring so hard their eyes were practically popping out.
"So fast!"
"That's the Hatake sword style, right?"
"This is the first time I've seen Kakashi fight this seriously."
Obito crouched in the crowd, staring unblinkingly at that silver-haired figure on the platform.
Rin sat beside him, equally transfixed.
Kakashi's blade grew faster and faster, and his footwork became more and more agile.
In his hands, the wooden sword almost seemed alive—slash, chop, lift, thrust. Every motion was clean and sharp, without a trace of wasted movement.
The Third Hokage still kept one hand behind his back, dodging only with small shifts of his feet and body, but his gaze grew increasingly focused.
When the sequence ended, Kakashi drew back and lowered his sword, breathing lightly.
The Third Hokage looked at him, his eyes full of undisguised admiration.
"Very good. You've already grasped about seventy percent of the Hatake style. More importantly, you didn't follow the form rigidly—every strike adapted to the opponent's movement."
Kakashi lifted his head and looked at him.
The Third Hokage smiled. "There are a few things I can still improve for you."
He raised his hand and demonstrated several movements. Kakashi listened carefully, nodding from time to time.
Down below, Rin's eyes were shining. "The Third Hokage is personally giving Kakashi pointers."
Obito pressed his lips together and said nothing.
But he still didn't take his eyes off Kakashi.
The Third Hokage spent about five or six minutes explaining things to Kakashi before finally stopping.
"That's enough for today."
Kakashi nodded and bowed seriously. "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Third."
The Third Hokage waved a hand, then looked toward Uchiha Toru.
"Next, Uchiha Toru."
Uchiha Toru stepped forward and bowed.
The Third Hokage looked at him, his expression flatter than before. "Begin."
Uchiha Toru took a deep breath. Instead of charging in right away, he quickly leaped backward and formed hand seals.
A small ball of flame burst from his mouth and flew toward the Third Hokage.
A wave of gasps rose from below.
"He really can use Fire Style!"
"The Uchiha really are different."
The Third Hokage stood where he was. Only when the fireball reached him did he lift a hand and form a simple seal.
A stream of water appeared out of nowhere, met the fireball perfectly, and with a hiss, extinguished it instantly into a wisp of white smoke.
Uchiha Toru froze.
"The power of the fire release is decent enough," the Third Hokage said, lowering his hand. "But your hand seals are too slow, and that extra backward jump before casting was unnecessary."
Uchiha Toru opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end only lowered his head. "Yes, sir."
"You can step back." The Third Hokage waved him aside.
Uchiha Toru quietly retreated.
That was it?
Someone down below muttered in a low voice.
"That's all he said to the Uchiha kid?"
"He talked to Kakashi for so long."
Uchiha Toru stepped aside, expressionless, but his fists tightened slightly.
Finally, the Third Hokage looked at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan was standing on tiptoe trying to see better. When he met the Third Hokage's gaze, he blinked.
"My turn?"
The Third Hokage looked at him, and his expression turned amused again. "Come on, let me see what you can do."
Shin-chan blinked.
"Grandpa Third, aren't you tired? You already fought two people."
The Third Hokage froze for a second, then laughed.
"What, are you worried I'll be too tired to beat you?"
Shin-chan thought about it seriously, then nodded.
"A little."
Someone in the crowd couldn't help laughing.
The Third Hokage laughed too, his beard trembling. "Don't worry. I can still handle you just fine."
Shin-chan raised his wooden sword. "Then here I come."
The red figure flashed, and the wooden sword was already cutting toward the Third Hokage.
As he dodged, the Third Hokage carefully studied the child's movements.
There was the shadow of Hatake swordsmanship in them.
But there was no real fixed form.
And yet somehow, every angle was absurdly tricky, as if he didn't need to think at all—his body just knew where to strike.
The most frightening part was that he kept getting faster.
At first, the Third Hokage could dodge easily, but after more than ten exchanges, he realized he needed to get a little more serious.
After twenty exchanges, the distance of his backward steps grew slightly larger.
After thirty, Shin-chan's blade almost grazed his sleeve.
The Third Hokage's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Interesting.
He stopped merely evading and began trying to block with his hands.
The spectators were dumbstruck.
"The Third Hokage is actually taking him seriously?"
"How long has this gone on?"
"This is longer than Kakashi's, isn't it?"
Two more minutes passed before the Third Hokage finally jumped back a step and laughed, waving his hand.
"Alright, alright, that's enough."
Shin-chan stopped, panting. "Grandpa Third, you're amazing."
The Third Hokage stepped forward and rubbed his head.
"No clan inheritance, no formal training, and yet you've reached this level. You're a born ninja prodigy."
Shin-chan's head rocked back and forth from the ruffling, but he didn't dodge away.
The Third Hokage lowered his hand and looked at the three children in front of him.
"Alright then. What reward do you want?"
Kakashi thought for a moment. "I want to borrow some ninjutsu scrolls."
"Very well. I'll have them delivered to your house later."
Uchiha Toru hesitated briefly. "I'd also like to borrow some ninjutsu scrolls."
The Third Hokage nodded again. "I'll have a set delivered to your house as well."
Finally, he looked at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan blinked, his face full of anticipation. "Grandpa Third, can you help me get rid of bell peppers?"
The Third Hokage froze. "Bell peppers?"
"Yeah, those green, awful-tasting bell peppers. My mom always makes me eat them, but I don't want to. Can you order the village to stop planting them?"
The platform fell silent for two seconds.
Teacher Ibuki covered his face with one hand and closed his eyes in pain.
But the Third Hokage burst into laughter again.
Even harder than before—his beard shaking, tears almost coming out.
"Child, that's one thing I really can't help you with."
Shin-chan's face fell. "Why not?"
"Because bell peppers are good for you. They're healthy."
"But they taste bad."
The Third Hokage smiled and shook his head. "Even if they taste bad, you still have to eat them."
Shin-chan let out a long sigh, looking like all the life had drained out of him.
The Third Hokage looked at that expression and laughed again. "How about this—I'll give you a different reward instead. That one, you can look forward to a little."