HSU: Ch. 316

The Sharingan truly was a very convenient cheat.

Itachi was both talented and hardworking. He had trained his Sharingan to a high level. But when it came to perception, the Sharingan and the Byakugan were ultimately two different tiers.

The Sharingan could see chakra, but it didn't possess the same physical-level insight as the Byakugan. At most, it could gauge chakra levels through color differences.

Itachi couldn't be certain whether this was Kakashi's real body, but since he was here, he had to test it.

Testing went both ways.

Everyone could probe, and everyone could act.

He pretended not to notice the trap beneath his feet and fell down as if unsuspecting, back first toward the ground.

Suddenly, the swirling mud split apart. Kakashi burst out, and the unique sound of Chidori rang out. At the same time, Itachi turned midair, opened his mouth, and shot out a Great Fireball.

The blaze illuminated Kakashi's body, tinting it with fiery hues.

This time, Itachi didn't hold back on chakra.

Judging by the undulating earth around Kakashi, Itachi had no doubt he was still manipulating earth.

Since Kakashi was deliberately avoiding eye contact, engaging him in close-quarters taijutsu wasn't a cost-effective tactic.

Itachi's taijutsu was the weakest of his three main skills, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu, but it was still at the top tier. Non-specialist taijutsu users couldn't easily overpower him in overall technique. Unfortunately, Kakashi's taijutsu was among the best of his generation, only Guy might be more specialized.

Though they were both of a similar type, Itachi and Kakashi each had their own preferences.

But both were masters of flexible ninjutsu use and had a rich arsenal of techniques, top-tier in the field of ninjutsu.

Facing the incoming fireball, Kakashi thrust his Chidori forward, extending it into a long blade. Lightning crackled across his body, forming a protective layer.

In an instant, the bursting lightning tore through Itachi's fireball. Kakashi didn't slow down, thrusting up toward Itachi.

The lightning pierced through him, but he scattered into a flock of black crows.

This wasn't genjutsu, but Itachi's signature medium-based clone technique.

He had even named it: Crow Clone Technique.

The technique projected his chakra into summoned black crows. It consumed less chakra than a shadow clone but was just as hard to distinguish. Once the enemy cut the chakra, the clone would revert to crows and disperse.

If they could scatter, they could also regroup.

And that wasn't all, it had other clever uses.

The dispersed crows, dozens of them, each bore a pair of Sharingan.

At last, Kakashi locked eyes with the Sharingan.

If Shisui's genjutsu was subtle and silent like spring rain, then Itachi's approach was to forcibly break through.

He was an assault-type genjutsu ninja.

Kakashi's body suddenly froze, Itachi had forcefully caught him with Sharingan genjutsu.

At that moment, he emerged from one of the crows just as it exploded into smoke, he had transformed himself into a black crow earlier, perfectly integrating into the Crow Clone Technique.

Just as he lunged at Kakashi, Boom!

The Kakashi wielding Chidori exploded into a burst of lightning, it was a lightning clone.

The lightning easily broke through Itachi's chakra defense, but he dissolved into a black crow within the lightning burst.

That crow was cooked instantly.

The other crows fluttered farther away from the lightning, but one landed on the ground and reverted into Itachi.

This was his real body.

And not far ahead, Kakashi's true self also emerged, still manipulating earth with the surrounding mud.

In the middle of a dazzling exchange of feints and tests, both of them unleashed jutsu at blinding speed. Their clone techniques were skillfully used, very technical.

The pacing was fast, the reactions sharp, it was a beautiful display.

The jonin in the stands were thoroughly entertained.

It was much more exciting than the fights during the Chunin Exams.

But not everyone was impressed.

"Too weak," came the cold evaluation from the stands. Madara spoke, "The Uchiha clan was once known for their vast chakra reserves. And now, one of them is being suppressed by a nameless nobody? Pathetic."

Sasuke looked toward Madara, wanting badly to defend Itachi.

"Sasuke, remember, don't learn from your brother," Madara immediately shut down Sasuke's first attempt at rebuttal. "He's incompetent. As an Uchiha, he's not even fighting a Senju, and yet his chakra is being outmatched. That can only mean one of two things, either he doesn't work hard, or he simply lacks talent."

After saying that, he turned to Yosuke.

"You must also train your diligently. If something this disgraceful ever happened to you, it would be unacceptable."

"?"

Why was he suddenly angry?

Was it because he'd been eating chips too loudly?

Yosuke looked a little reluctantly at the bag of chips in his hands. He had just opened it, and now he wasn't allowed to eat?

He carefully rolled up the open end of the bag and clipped it shut with the clip he always carried. Then he put it away and focused on watching Itachi's fight.

Madara was very pleased with this attitude. He thought, This kid's teachable.

So, with proper posture and tone, he added a few more comments, "Still, the way he uses clone techniques, and how he integrates genjutsu with ninjutsu and taijutsu, that's something you two should study. He does have his unique strengths."

"Yes, yes! Nisan's genjutsu and clone techniques are super strong!" Sasuke quickly nodded. Finally, some praise! He had to back it up so Madara wouldn't change his mind again.

Madara glanced at him but didn't expose his little tactic.

Because truthfully, there was a lot about Itachi that Sasuke could learn from.

Over this period of teaching the two kids, he had come to accept one thing: if he weren't pursuing the Eye of the Moon Plan, and was just choosing a student, Yosuke would actually be the more suitable candidate.

Because Sasuke, like Itachi, was also a "technician-style" Uchiha, same category. But perhaps with more chakra.

Yosuke, though, well, you could tell he was his father's son. He showed real potential to become an all-rounded "hexagon" powerhouse, like Madara himself or Masashi.

Back on the field, the battle between Itachi and Kakashi was growing more intense.

Itachi was a master of rhythm. His sharp observational skills always allowed him to use the most appropriate jutsu at the most effective moment.

Kakashi, however, came well-prepared. He chose the most effective way to deal with the current Itachi, using shadow clones that couldn't be distinguished by the Sharingan to lure him out, then launching sustained attacks focused on large-scale and mid-to-long-range ninjutsu.

As time went on, even the jonin in the stands began to struggle to keep straight faces.

This was Kakashi?

How did he have this much chakra!?

On the field, earth surged like rivers, charging violently forward. Beyond its immense defensive power, Kakashi's ghost-like mobility with Earth Release stunned the onlookers.

Several Hokage were even nodding in approval.

Sakumo… your son truly inherited your talent…

Hiruzen couldn't help but think of that man again.

The White Fang's death was the greatest failure of his time in office.

Everyone had misjudged that man.

Sakumo, like the young Hanzō, was a samurai in a ninja's skin.

At this moment, they all seemed to have forgotten about Itachi. But it wasn't their fault, Kakashi was demonstrating the sheer dominance that came with high chakra reserves. His tactics fully suppressed Itachi, who couldn't respond in kind due to his limitations.

For the elders in the Sarutobi faction, the thought was simple now: If we'd known Kakashi would be this powerful after giving up the Sharingan, why would we ever have needed the Uchiha to offer help?

Among the Uchiha spectators, however, a heavy, stifling atmosphere was spreading.

Masashi and Shisui were already preparing themselves, no matter what, they couldn't let Madara go off the rails.

Madara had said that if Itachi lost, he'd handle it himself. And he was the kind of man who meant it. A man whose every word was law didn't speak empty threats. He showed off by telling the truth.

On the field, even without looking up, Itachi could feel the eyes of his clansmen on him from the stands.

They were full of disappointment.

He had anticipated an even match… imagined a hard-won victory… but never, ever, had he expected to be so thoroughly suppressed.

Kakashi truly was a man with few weaknesses.

But that didn't justify how ugly this fight was going.

This duel wasn't just about himself. It wasn't just about a single Mangekyō Sharingan.

For the first time in his life, a crushing sense of shame surged through him.

He felt like his Will of Fire had dimmed, had lost its light, the Will of Fire was crying!

How could he protect the village like this? How could he embody the Will of Fire like this!?

Under this immense shame, his spiritual energy began to expand. The fluctuations in his spiritual energy couldn't be perceived by anyone. Not even the Byakugan of the Hyūga clan could see it.

They weren't Kaguya, after all, she could see at a glance the chakra of Indra and Asura hidden within Naruto and Sasuke, and could even perceive the "Yin-Yang power" granted to them by Hagoromo.

If the Byakugan had that level of insight, the Hokage's office wouldn't have let them remain on the sidelines.

With eyes like that, they wouldn't just be weapons, they'd be national treasures. At the very least, they'd be treated like precious round relics.

Since even the Hyūga couldn't see it, the Uchiha were no different in this regard.

Honestly, no one expected Kakashi to perform like this. Under unchanged conditions, the amount of chakra a ninja had could be a decisive factor, and right now, Kakashi was a textbook example of this.

Because of this, no one was actually disappointed in Itachi.

Kakashi had always been a technical-type ninja. His issue was low chakra, which meant he had to be extremely efficient with his jutsu. It limited both his endurance and his tactical options.

Once that limitation was gone, it was only natural that his strength would undergo a fundamental change. No one expected the improvement to be this dramatic.

Due to the Hyūga's observations, everyone had now realized that he actually removed Obito's Sharingan.

In other words, this current version of Kakashi was operating with his original chakra capacity.

Turns out he was a chakra powerhouse all along!

To be fair, Itachi was a very traditional Uchiha, fully skilled and technical. His main issue was also stamina, just like Kakashi.

Originally, hehad better endurance than Kakashi, since his chakra consumption was more controllable. But Kakashi could remove the eye and go full "blue-bar explosion." Itachi couldn't do that, his chakra remained the same whether or not he used the Sharingan. And realistically, he had to use it. The Sharingan was the core of his combat style.

One adapted, the other didn't. Given that, the current matchup made perfect sense.

So if anyone was disappointed, it wasn't with Itachi.

"Masashi-nii," Shisui said while watching Kakashi's performance in admiration, "If Kakashi doesn't re-implant Obito's eye, with his current strength, the village has gained another Kage-level ninja. As expected of White Fang's son."

"That's right," Masashi replied. "Among the Sarutobi faction, he was always the most talented of his generation."

After all, someone who became the Sixth Hokage couldn't possibly be weak.

Technical ninjas usually had excellent chakra control, quick thinking, and boldness. That meant fast reflexes and strong decision-making.

In this generation of Konoha ninjas, technical mastery reigned supreme, and Kakashi and Itachi were at the top.

Originally, Kakashi was supposed to be like Minato, specialized in a single powerful move. Itachi was the one expected to have a wide variety of jutsu.

But in reality, it was Kakashi who had the variety, while Itachi was more specialized.

The key difference? Itachi didn't have any S-rank jutsu. Kakashi did.

Itachi didn't even have A-rank jutsu. Based on his jutsu repertoire, he was a standard high-level jonin. He didn't pursue large-scale destructive power. His focus was small combo techniques, targeting individuals.

When it came to A- and S-rank jutsu, it was no longer just about how hard a jutsu was to perform. These jutsu were typically forbidden or secret techniques.

Any jutsu that qualified as a "forbidden" technique or met an "extremely advanced" standard was considered A-rank. If it met both and became a ninja's signature move, it became S-rank.

For example, Chiyo's One's Own Life Reincarnation technique was A-rank when treated purely as a forbidden technique. But once it took on the qualities of a signature or ultimate move, it became S-rank.

These kinds of jutsu often touched on the fundamental laws of nature. Edo Tensei was another such example.

Chidori was also an A-rank jutsu.

As an A-rank jutsu not based on mystery but raw offensive power, Chidori was both powerful and highly practical.

When Kakashi was in the ANBU and refined the technique further, cutting through actual lightning, it evolved into Raikiri, S-rank.

That was a technique so powerful it could disrupt natural phenomena.

This was what Itachi currently lacked.

However...

In the viewing stands, Masashi rested his chin on one hand and casually crossed his legs. He wanted Itachi to win, and he had reason to believe it was possible.

Aside from his chakra shortcoming, Itachi's capabilities were all top-tier. When training Itachi in ninjutsu, he had carefully accounted for that one flaw.

He had never treated Itachi like an all-rounder.

This time, he hadn't expected Kakashi to gouge out his eye and return to being White Fang's son either.

But it didn't matter.

Even though he had always been obsessed with collecting ninjutsu, it was for research purposes, to understand the principles of ninjutsu. He had long since understood that the strength or number of ninjutsu alone was not the key to victory.

Otherwise, the foundation of the ninja era wouldn't have been built on the most basic Three Body Techniques.

On the field, a roaring earth dragon was suddenly cleaved in two.

Itachi leapt out, his short blade pointing directly at the Chidori in front of him.

"Wind Release?" Shisui was a bit surprised. "When did he learn that?"

"It's been over a year," Masashi replied. "If you don't train at least three chakra natures, how are you supposed to survive out there?"

"Then he's just like you back in the day," Shisui mused. "This combo's pretty good."

"Of course," Masashi said, watching the fight. "Our clan's strongest suits have always been Fire Release and Wind Release."

In his view, as an Uchiha, Wind Release was a must-learn.

Back then, although his main elements were fire and water, that didn't mean he ignored wind.

Aside from how it was used with clone techniques, fire techniques generally had high chakra consumption, water techniques were all high-consumption, but wind techniques were low-cost and highly versatile.

Combined with the Sharingan's chakra perception, it became the most cost-effective option in close to mid-range combat.

On Itachi's short blade, wind chakra was wrapped around it in a perfect form, focusing all the power on the edge of the blade.

Any area-of-effect attack came with the problem of power dispersal, Kakashi's large-scale Earth Release was no exception.

The scarlet color in Itachi's eyes seemed to intensify.

Kakashi paused his attack, Itachi had Wind Release? That was intel he didn't know. He had never seen Itachi use it before.

"You've been hiding your power," he said as he looked at the sword, the flickering green light on it reminding him of his father.

Back then, when the White Fang used his short blade, a white light would also gleam along its edge.

The White Light Chakra Sabre was, in fact, quite ordinary, just a regular chakra blade. The white glow came from Sakumo's chakra, though Kakashi never quite understood the exact reason.

The only thing he was sure of was: it wasn't due to elemental ninjutsu.

He saw the weak point in my chakra using the Sharingan, he thought, glancing at the audience stands.

It was no secret that Itachi had studied genjutsu and the Body Flicker Technique with Shisui in his early years, and now studied elemental ninjutsu and chakra perception under Masashi.

No student under the White Ghost was ever ordinary.

Besides the brats taking the Chunin Exams this time, the other two who had trained under Masashi were already making names for themselves in the Konoha ninja forces, Itachi being slightly older, and the other being Anko.

She was also in the jonin class. Though not as dazzling as Itachi, she was still one of the top members, with her snake-style ninjutsu executed flawlessly.

White Ghost and White Fang, both had "white" in their titles, but he had to admit, the name that White Ghost made for himself far outshined that of White Fang.

White Fang was a nightmare at the mission level, but ultimately still limited by personal strength. White Ghost, on the other hand, had stirred the entire world, a one-man army monster.

Oh, that description had to be updated now, to one man who could destroy a village.

Kakashi glanced at Itachi ahead. He didn't make eye contact with the Sharingan. Earlier, he hadn't even looked at Itachi's blade, as the blade's surface could reflect the Sharingan.

"Let's continue," he said in a low voice, once again sinking into the earth using.

Itachi said nothing.

He felt like his Sharingan was seeing more clearly than ever.

This change, Masashi had once explained, was a result of enhancing the body's energy through Yang Release, which in turn boosted mental energy. One of the results was exactly this: improved Sharingan clarity.

Previously, training his body had manifested mainly in increased chakra reserves, but hadn't had a major impact on his Sharingan.

Now, the improvement came at just the right moment.

Enough to elevate his combat effectiveness by a significant margin.

The core abilities of the Sharingan rose in sync, improved perception meant better motion tracking and genjutsu capability too.

Right now, he could clearly see where Kakashi was underground.

However, being able to see him was one thing, his Wind Release wasn't strong enough to cut through such a thick earth layer. He didn't have enough chakra for that kind of attack, it would be highly inefficient.

He formed a hand seal with one hand.

Suddenly, layers of white mist began to rise on the field. The swirling mist seemed heavy, rolling across the rumbling ground like the spring torrents of melting snow. To the audience, once the mist blanketed the battlefield, it began rising in spirals, like curling clouds of smoke.

Both the Uchiha and Hyūga recognized this jutsu.

The signature ninjutsu of Kiri, named directly after the village itself: Hiding in Mist Technique.

When combined with the Silent Killing technique, this jutsu had earned Kiri its early reputation for deadly assassinations, making assassination missions a lucrative business for them.

That was, until an Uchiha copied the entire set.

This was Kiri's greatest loss in the Third Ninja War, not just militarily, but financially, as a whole combat style had been leaked.