Chapter 23: Kakashi: Looks Like I Can’t Hold Back!

"Sensei, why aren't they setting up more traps?" Maya asked, confused.

"Neji, what do you think?" Guy turned to Neji, curious about his thoughts. Today's special training session had been arranged primarily for Neji's growth, so Guy wanted to hear his analysis.

"They can't afford to," Neji replied coolly. "As a jonin, Kakashi's perception far surpasses ours."

Lee nodded slightly, as if to say, "I agree."

Guy smiled and said, "That's correct. Part of being a ninja is analyzing the situation and formulating the most suitable strategy. However, Neji, you only addressed one aspect. The other reason is that they can't waste their energy."

"Energy?" Neji frowned slightly. He hadn't considered that factor, but surely conserving energy over a short time like this wouldn't be such a big deal, right?

"They haven't eaten breakfast. By now, their stamina has likely dropped to half of what it should be. They need to make careful decisions about where to expend their remaining energy. The traps they've set are mostly designed for retreat, not offense," Guy explained.

"..." Neji activated his Byakugan for a closer look.

It was true. The tree spikes were arranged primarily along retreat routes, clearly meant as defensive measures. Compared to that, he realized their team hadn't even considered such details in their previous battle with Guy.

Tactically, he was already a step behind.

This guy… Neji silently observed the battlefield, his respect for Kai growing.

At this moment, Kakashi was casually strolling through the forest. His demeanor was so relaxed, it seemed like he didn't care about any potential ambush.

"Well, well, you've got patience, I'll give you that. But remember, time's ticking. If you can't grab the bells in time, you'll still lose, so it's not me who should be worried." Kakashi spoke lazily, his voice carrying through the trees.

Tenten's heart raced, but Kai remained still, so she suppressed her urge to attack.

Kai was calm. Right now, Kakashi wasn't truly relaxed—he was on guard. The moment they made a move, Kakashi would retaliate in an instant, and they wouldn't stand a chance.

They had to wait.

Loves reading, huh? Kai thought, smirking slightly. Once you're caught up in the story, your concentration will slip. Even if you're still aware of most attacks, it'll be better than your current focus.

Both sides showed great patience.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. He had already located one of them, but the other two remained elusive.

The one he found… must be Tenten, right? The girl from the Moonlight Clan had decent stealth skills, and as for Kai, well, he was no ordinary genin. Otherwise, Kakashi wouldn't have considered recruiting him into the ANBU before leaving his post.

In terms of raw talent, Kai was already on par with a jonin in some areas. In fact, he could be classified as a "Special Jonin" without question.

Thus, the main threats were Kai and Kasa.

Tenten, she was just bait.

Kakashi continued reading his book while silently analyzing where Kai and Kasa might be hiding. The three of them wouldn't be too far apart. So, once he caught one of them, the others would definitely spring into action.

Kakashi closed his book. Any further, and he'd reach a pivotal moment in the story, but he couldn't afford to get too engrossed.

His opponents were no ordinary genin.

However, just as he shut his book—

Swish, swish, swish!

Kunai flew out from the shadows, dozens of them connected by thin steel wires, quickly surrounding Kakashi.

What reckless abandon!

Kakashi was momentarily surprised. This Tenten girl was no ordinary kunoichi either.

Still, kunai alone wouldn't pose much of a threat…

Kakashi deftly dodged the initial volley, but soon realized the situation was more complicated than he thought.

Chakra threads? Double control of the kunai!

The kunai seemed to come alive, shifting positions and colliding with each other to block off every escape route.

Kakashi's expression turned serious as he quickly formed hand seals.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A powerful gust of wind roared through the forest, sweeping up dust, leaves, and the kunai in a turbulent vortex. The resulting debris cloud obscured all vision of Kakashi's location.

"Change positions!" Kai instantly recognized the danger and began channeling chakra.

A split second later—

Boom!

A figure burst out of the ground, quickly closing the distance between them.

So fast!

Before Kai could fully react, Kakashi was already bearing down on him with startling speed.

This is the power of a jonin?

Kakashi's eyes were cold as he held a kunai in hand, ready to strike.

"Leaf Shadow Dance."

In an instant, another figure appeared behind him.

But in the next moment—

Poof!

"Fast!" Neji gasped in surprise.

It wasn't just Kakashi—Kai was also incredibly fast. That strange chakra technique of his had activated in an instant, allowing him to counter and destroy Kakashi's shadow clone.

If it had been him in Kai's place, even with his mastery of the Rotation technique, he doubted he could've blocked that chakra-based strike in time.

How strong…

"That kid's Rasengan, in terms of speed, is as fearsome as the Fourth Hokage's," Guy said, his tone unusually serious.

"That technique belongs to the Fourth Hokage?" Maya asked, turning to Guy.

"No, it's not. Although the result is similar, this technique was created by Kai himself," Lee proudly clarified.

Self-taught? Neji was even more shocked.

That guy...

"Move up a bit. The next part is crucial!" Guy jumped to a nearby tree branch.

At that moment, Kakashi's real body emerged from the ground, launching an attack towards Tenten. She was mid-jump, moving from one tree to another, and couldn't dodge in time.

In a split second, chakra threads flew out, sticking to Tenten's body and pulling her out of Kakashi's direct path like a puppet, narrowly avoiding his attack.

However, Tenten froze in place, unable to move.

"Illusionary Technique: Narakumi no Jutsu!" Kakashi intoned, naming his genjutsu aloud.

"Are you not going to act? Even though you have a kekkei genkai, you must be nearby. Maybe you're waiting for a better opportunity, but are you willing to risk her life for it?" Kakashi taunted, his voice dripping with challenge as he stood next to the paralyzed Tenten. His kunai slashed through most of the chakra threads that had been restraining her.

Kasa hadn't found the perfect moment to strike, but now, as Kakashi said, she had no choice but to act to save Tenten. Otherwise, Tenten would die.

As Kakashi's kunai moved towards Tenten—

A blade materialized out of nowhere, slashing silently at Kakashi's neck like a phantom.

This is... Stealth Release?

Kakashi's skin prickled, but he quickly realized that Kasa hadn't mastered the full scope of Stealth Release. What she possessed was merely the ability to completely suppress her presence. She had likely been hiding among the trees using a transformation technique until now.

Kakashi quickly abandoned Tenten, spinning around and delivering a powerful back kick to Kasa's sword hand. Though Kasa held onto her blade tightly, the force of the kick knocked both the sword and her hand off course.

At that moment, Kai arrived, but he wasn't alone—

Clink, clink, clink!

Huh?

Damn!

Kai had already broken the genjutsu on Tenten!

Kakashi immediately sensed the danger as he heard the bells ringing. Instantly, he struck Tenten's hand with a sharp blow, knocking the bell loose before snatching it back. In the same moment, he performed a substitution jutsu, vanishing from the scene.

Hiding in the shadows, Kakashi wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.

These three kids… they're no pushovers.

Holding back too much won't cut it!

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