Chapter 116 Suppression

Bright and dazzling sparks were left behind with each fierce clash.

Swish!

With a single slash, Toshiro shattered the shadow Kakashi had left to disrupt his attack rhythm. Without any pause, his blade slashed diagonally, forcing Kakashi, who was attacking from a blind spot behind him, to retreat once again.

Ignoring the opponent's defensive methods, the bright blade forced Kakashi to retreat again, firmly maintaining control of the field. Then, he launched another round of attacks as swift as a storm, making it increasingly difficult for his opponent to catch his breath.

Toshiro's attacks were always able to precisely control his strength at high speed, causing maximum damage with each strike.

The precise control of chakra and force put tremendous pressure on his opponent, Kakashi. From the moment the close combat began, Kakashi's nerves were tightened, causing increasing physical and mental strain.

Ding!

Another clash of blades forced Kakashi, who had fully fallen into a disadvantage, to pull back a safe distance from Toshiro.

He needed time to regroup and re-evaluate how to face the increasingly dangerous attacks.

If the battle continued like this, it wouldn't be good for him. He might be able to hold out for another ten or twenty rounds, but the result would not change.

He moved his wrist a bit, feeling the burning pain in the joint, and looked at Toshiro, who had stopped pursuing him and was about ten meters away.

[Not good!]

Even though the opponent had stopped pursuing, Kakashi's mood became even heavier!

He recalled the opponent's swordsmanship during the battle. 

The trouble with his moves was that he could frequently change his attack trajectory at high speed, as if physical inertia didn't exist in his hands.

Slash! Stab! Cut! Smash! Flick! Stun!

Various basic sword techniques seemed to be played out flawlessly by the opponent, occasionally bringing trouble and making him cautious.

Some Konoha-ryu and Uchiha-ryu moves were also mixed in.

The connection between these moves was also perfect, often forming a continuous combo when executed.

This made it more difficult for him to respond!

Yes, it was a set of moves!

To Toshiro, the so-called secret techniques of various schools were just layered routines, ignoring their swordsmanship philosophies.

By breaking down these sword moves and recombining them in an orderly manner, it was easy to form some very useful routines during combat.

It was like the combo moves in games from Toshiro's previous life. Combining control, positioning, forcing, defense, baiting, and ultimate moves often yielded good results.

Kakashi was the first test subject for these initially formed routines. Although this model seemed immature to elite jounins like Morisaki-sensei, the results were quite good after some testing.

Otherwise, Toshiro wouldn't have given the opponent chances to catch his breath repeatedly. He would have increased his output and taken down Kakashi in one wave, not dragging it out until now.

"What's the matter? Can't hold on anymore?"

Looking at the panting Kakashi in front of him, Toshiro taunted, "If you can't, let's settle it with one move!"

Years of consistent physical training and Yang Release practice had given Toshiro significant advantages.

The most obvious was his height, which was much taller than kids his age. Coupled with the age difference, it felt like he was bullying a child.

After their exchange, Toshiro had a rough understanding of Kakashi's level. He had experienced enough of the famous Hatake swordsmanship.

Kakashi's swordsmanship could only be considered decent, nowhere near as advanced as Toshiro had imagined.

Hatake Sakumo's early death was indeed a significant loss. Given Kakashi's age, he only had a good foundation in swordsmanship.

He was too young to understand the deeper levels of his family's sword techniques.

This wasn't Kakashi's fault. For a five-year-old, managing his life while becoming a genin was already difficult.

Becoming a strong swordsman solely through his father's notes and his training would be too demanding.

The pressure he posed to Toshiro was limited!

He didn't even activate the Sharingan!

Indeed, until now, Toshiro hadn't used his trump card. He suppressed Kakashi solely with his swordsmanship.

An Uchiha who had awakened their Kekkei Genkai and one who hadn't were two different people.

The difference could only be felt through experience.

Like the future 'Obito,' who, without any adaptive training for his newly awakened Sharingan, could still cooperate seamlessly with genius Kakashi. This was the clearest example.

Not to mention Toshiro.

After the heartful training with Morisaki-sensei, his strength was incomparable from before.

If not for his age and chakra limits, applying for a special jounin status now would be no problem.

"Alright! One move to decide the outcome!"

Without much hesitation, Kakashi rare spoke, responding to Toshiro's proposal.

There was no other choice. If he didn't agree, Toshiro could still win by dragging it out.

His disadvantage was too obvious, anyone could see it.

Toshiro and Kakashi's dialogue also made Minato in the field nervous.

For him, he had to give it his all, or a single oversight could lead to regret.

The audience in the stands didn't share his concerns. Especially some indifferent spectators who were cheering enthusiastically, as if the two fighting were their teammates.