Just as Obito started celebrating his victory in his mind, an unexpected turn of events occurred. The Kakashi hit by the Fire Release explosion turned into a puff of smoke and vanished.
Obito naturally didn’t think he had killed Kakashi; if the Fire Release had killed Kakashi, his body would still be there.
“It was a Shadow Clone!” Obito realised too late that he was in trouble. When he let his guard down, Kakashi, hidden underground, made his move.
“Konoha Secret Taijutsu Technique: One Thousand Years of Death!”
Kakashi, forming the Tiger hand seal, suddenly burst from the ground and attacked Obito’s vulnerable spot.
“Ahhh!” Obito’s face twisted in pain as he jumped several meters high, and even after landing, he clutched his heavily injured area in agony.
Obito lay on the ground, butt up in the air, yelling in fury, “Kakashi, you sneaky bastard!”
“You were too careless,” Kakashi said calmly, walking over. “If I were an enemy, you’d be dead multiple times by now,” he added bluntly.
“Damn it…” Obito couldn’t refute this because he had lost, not to a powerful jutsu but to a simple Shadow Clone.
Obito wouldn’t feel so resentful if he had lost in a jutsu duel. This loss was purely due to Kakashi’s superior combat experience.
Unlike Obito, who was still a student, Kakashi had been a ninja for over three years, having experienced real life-and-death battles.
“Stop boasting. If you want to dream of beating me, you need to train for a few more years,” Kakashi said nonchalantly.
In reality, Kakashi was more shocked than he appeared. During their fight, Kakashi assessed that Obito now had the strength he had at six years old, meaning Obito could pass the Chūnin Exams if he were eligible.
This rapid improvement astounded Kakashi. Just a few months ago, Obito couldn’t beat him when he was five, yet he had reached Kakashi’s six-year-old level.
If not for his overwhelming combat experience, defeating Obito would have required more effort from Kakashi.
“How did he improve so quickly without even activating the Sharingan?” Kakashi wondered. If Obito had awakened his Sharingan, rapid progress would have made sense. But with it, this was understandable.
“Damn it, if only I had the Sharingan, or if I had fully mastered the Flame Breathing technique…” Obito thought, pounding the ground in frustration.
If he had mastery of Mokutsuki-sensei’s level of breathing technique, there was no way Kakashi could make him this miserable.
“Damn Kakashi, I was careless this time. Once I’m healed, be prepared for defeat,” Obito vowed, determined to learn from this defeat.
“With your current level, you wouldn’t beat me even after a thousand tries,” Kakashi said flatly.
Obito had improved, but he was still far from being able to defeat Kakashi.
“Just wait and see,” Obito said, feeling underestimated, as he walked away, still nursing his injured area.
“Uh, are we interrupting something?”
“Maybe, but sensei said to meet at the Hokage’s office for a mission,” one of Kakashi’s teammates said.
Kakashi stood there calmly while Obito walked away in humiliation, clutching his injured area.
“Nothing’s interrupted. We’re done fighting. He’s free now,” Obito said, not looking back.
“Let’s go,” Kakashi said coldly, glancing at Obito’s retreating figure.
“We have a bit of time. Sensei said this mission would be tough,” the teammate reminded.
“As a ninja, I’m always ready for a mission,” Kakashi said, heading towards the Hokage’s office.
Seeing Kakashi so composed, his teammates followed without further comment.
…
Because of the embarrassing location of his injury, Obito took some time before seeking out Mokutsuki, hoping for a review to prepare better for his next fight with Kakashi.
After all, if Kakashi was going on a mission, it might be a week or even longer before he returned. Obito could use that time to get stronger.
“You used the Full Concentration Breathing too early,” Mokutsuki said after hearing the details of Obito’s fight with Kakashi.
“With your current stamina and chakra, you can’t maintain the breathing technique for long. The crucial burst from Full Concentration Breathing should be saved for a decisive moment.”
Though he hadn’t seen the battle firsthand, Mokutsuki could already tell there were many flaws in Obito’s approach.
“I see, I did feel a bit tired after using it,” Obito listened intently to Mokutsuki’s analysis.
“But you did well to push Kakashi this far. He’s known as a genius, and even a new teacher like me has heard stories about him from the academy,” Mokutsuki said, smiling.
“Kakashi is just one step. I’ll beat him soon enough,” Obito declared, hoping his achievements would make Mokutsuki proud one day.
“I believe you will, Obito,” Mokutsuki said warmly. “But for now, it will be challenging. You need to train harder,” he continued, describing Kakashi’s current strength.
Obito only had about 1,100 points regarding chakra, whereas Mokutsuki had observed Kakashi having around 2,500 points months ago. This alone showed Obito was outclassed in chakra.
Mokutsuki needed clarification about Kakashi’s exact jutsu data but knew from the Earth-Style Wall that Kakashi’s jutsu proficiency was likely superior. Also, Kakashi’s quick recovery and counterattack indicated his taijutsu and combat experience surpassed Obito’s.
Aside from not having fully mastered the breathing technique, Mokutsuki needed help to see where Obito had an advantage.
“Kakashi, is this strong?” Obito was taken aback by Mokutsuki’s analysis, realising he had underestimated Kakashi.
“Good thing I came to see Mokutsuki-sensei,” Obito thought, relieved. He couldn’t bear another humiliating Thousand Years of Death.
Just as Obito felt a newfound appreciation for Mokutsuki, Mokutsuki received a notification.
(Chapter End)
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