Some people, even when they grow stronger, always get thrashed.
Because they keep facing enemies stronger than them.
Sasuke, no doubt, was one of those.
Why?
Well… probably his fate.
A fate even Shen Mo found tricky, shown in his utter blindness to the strength gap. Even a god couldn't save him now.
Sure enough…
Kakashi let out a low sigh.
"Ha…"
He glanced at the notched kunai in his hand, looking at Sasuke, smug before him. "I planned to settle this with taijutsu alone, but if the current you left the team… you'd die for sure!"
"What are you saying, Kakashi sensei?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I'm not arrogant enough to think I'm invincible, but I'm a revenger. I will get stronger!"
First, surpass Kakashi, then grow stronger—stronger than that man!
A stronger self—how could he die?
"No, you don't get it. The man you hate, his strength…" Kakashi still gripped the battered kunai.
But his aura shifted, and even Sasuke subconsciously sensed something.
What's this?
It felt like…
The Kakashi before him was different somehow.
"Sasuke," Sarutobi Hiruzen chimed in, his aged voice tinged with nostalgia, reaching everyone's ears.
"Your sensei, Kakashi, isn't like ordinary jonin. He's a true genius. Graduated ninja academy at five, chunin at six, jonin at twelve. On the battlefield back then, he earned a fearsome name—Copy Ninja Kakashi."
Kakashi's record, in this peaceful era, was jaw-dropping.
At the age most kids graduated the academy, he was a jonin.
And made a name on the battlefield.
"So cool!" Naruto seemed startled. "Kakashi sensei's that amazing? He doesn't act like it!"
"So, him accepting you, willing to lead your team, surprised me too," Sarutobi mused.
Surprised, my foot.
Shen Mo rolled his eyes inwardly.
It was clearly planned.
But he just watched. Sasuke needed a reality check to see his cans weren't nearly enough. Clearly, Sarutobi's sudden praise was a hint for Kakashi to get serious.
And Sasuke…
Looking at Kakashi, he seemed stunned by that unbelievable record.
Unlike him, who'd gained power through cans…
Kakashi, through sheer talent, was a jonin at twelve.
Like that man.
Geniuses among geniuses.
If so…
"If I beat you!" Sasuke raised his sword at Kakashi, eyes burning with fervor, "doesn't that mean I'm strong enough to take on that man—Uchiha Itachi—for revenge!?"
He shouted Uchiha Itachi's name outright.
Right, he hadn't drawn a Sword Physique yet, could still get stronger.
But Sasuke, thinking of revenge, couldn't hold back.
Kakashi shot him down.
"If your enemy's Uchiha Itachi, even I have little chance of winning," Kakashi said firmly. "Let alone you, who can't beat me now. If you left the team to chase Itachi… you'd die, Sasuke!"
Kakashi valued comrades.
He wouldn't let a disciple he'd accepted die in vain.
So—snap him out of it!
"Fine, let's keep going!" Sasuke, stung by Kakashi's words, glared angrily. "That wasn't my full strength!"
He'd held back plenty.
"Then… let's show you a real ninja's life-or-death fight." Kakashi reached up, slowly lifting the headband over his scarred eye.
He opened it.
Sasuke's pupils shrank, looking at Kakashi's crimson eye in disbelief.
Sharingan! It was a Sharingan!
Even among the Uchiha, only a few had this kekkei genkai!
Why—why did Kakashi have a Sharingan?
Sasuke opened his mouth to ask, but the words caught, unsaid.
Because… killing intent.
Kakashi formed ninjutsu seals, chakra surging wildly, whipping up a whirlwind.
In that moment, Sasuke truly felt it.
The Kakashi before him was like a beast—a cheetah poised to hunt.
A single shaky breath, a twitch of an eye, and carelessness could mean death!
His sword hand trembled slightly.
"Sasuke, if you call yourself a revenger, see me as the one you hate," Kakashi's voice drifted from all directions, carried by the wind. "And I'll face you like a true enemy… with intent to kill!"
True or not…
That battlefield-honed killing intent…
Sasuke felt it viscerally.
"Damn… damn it!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, gripping his sword tight. His feet moved in intricate steps, splitting into phantom-like afterimages, charging Kakashi.
Seven Star Steps!
A footwork paired with swordsmanship, the best movement skill Sasuke drew last night.
Illusory yet real, weaving unpredictably.
Sarutobi saw it instantly—a B-rank or higher taijutsu with high growth potential, maybe even A-rank or beyond.
What other powers did Sasuke gain in one night…?
But now…
Facing Sasuke's fierce assault, Kakashi seemed oblivious.
"Got you!"
Sasuke sent phantoms ahead, his real self behind, sword at Kakashi's neck. One push, and Kakashi's life would end.
"I win," Sasuke said confidently.
"Sasuke…" Kakashi, sword at his throat, spoke low. "An Uchiha, yet you don't know what the Sharingan does?"
"What!?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
Suddenly, a hand burst from the ground, grabbing his leg.
The Kakashi before him vanished in a puff of smoke.
A clone? When did he make the seals?
"Headhunter Jutsu!"
Kakashi gave him no time to think, unleashing the ninjutsu.
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