NIHM: Ch. 07

Fū and Torune exchanged a glance before once again launching an attack on Kakashi.

Fū showed impressive swordsmanship from behind, occasionally trying to use Mind Body Switch Technique on Kakashi, while Torune unleashed his bugs, forcing even Kakashi to be cautious in his defense. The two coordinated so seamlessly that they didn't seem like freshly formed teammates at all, but rather seasoned comrades who had trained and fought together for a long time.

Standing to the side and quietly observing was Kazuha, who now seemed like the most isolated figure on the field.

He didn't make a move. To him, this scene appeared to be a pre-team formation test, secretly also a subtle contest between the Hokage and Danzō. As for what exactly was being contested, that was open to speculation.

Earlier, before the test began, Kakashi had said: whoever holds a bell by 10:00 passes.

And there were only two bells. Now, with Fū and Torune clearly on the same team, they wouldn't betray or split from each other.

So what he had to face was not a simple 3-vs-1 scenario… But rather a 1-vs-1, 1-vs-2, or even possibly a 1-vs-3 situation.

Although he had confidence in his strength, he wasn't arrogant. He chose to stay back and observe.

Kakashi seemed to notice this too. So after tangling with Fū and Torune for over twenty minutes, his bells were snatched by them.

"Oh no, how careless of me."

But Fū and Torune didn't believe it was truly his carelessness, after all, they themselves were surprised to have successfully taken the bells. Now with the bells in hand, the two exchanged another glance, and without any hesitation, each darted off in opposite directions.

Clearly, they had chosen to run and hide, planning to return only after time was up, thus securing their passage.

Kazuha watched all of this. Though he didn't know exactly how their success would affect his own outcome, he didn't want to just stand by.

He looked at the fleeing Fū and Torune, hesitated for a moment, then chose to chase after Torune.

This caught even the onlooking Kakashi off guard. Was that random? Or did he not realize? Or… was it intentional?

Based on the earlier battle, anyone observant would realize that Torune was the more troublesome opponent, especially with his bugs. One careless moment could prove disastrous.

And yet, Kazuha had still chosen to go after him.

This piqued Kakashi's curiosity. Still, curiosity aside, he then turned and headed toward Fū's direction.

This test, rather than a team assessment, was more of a match between the Third Hokage and Danzō.

The core of the match: Would Kazuha become a subordinate of Danzō's Root, or the Third Hokage's subordinate?

And the condition for victory was for Kazuha to seize both bells.

Of course, there was another possibility.

If Kakashi reclaimed all the bells, then all three candidates would fail, and Kazuha would be forced to repeat the test. However, that was a last resort, to be used only if all else failed.

At present, Fū was only twelve years old, his strength still lacking compared to the level he would eventually reach before the Fourth Great Ninja War. At most, he was at the level of an elite chunin. With the support of his clan's secret techniques, he might barely qualify as a special jonin.

But against Kakashi, a true elite ninja, that wasn't nearly enough. And so, he took less than ten minutes to track down Fū by following subtle clues.

This time, he didn't act lazily as before. His attack was swift and decisive, giving Fū no chance to fight back, he swiftly took him down and retrieved one of the bells.

Boom—

Just then, a distant explosion echoed through the forest. At that moment, his expression changed, as if he had received some kind of signal or sensed something.

With a Body Flicker, he dashed toward the direction where Kazuha was located. Within a few minutes, he arrived, only to find Kazuha sitting casually on a tree branch, a bell dangling loosely in his hand.

Below him, Torune was slumped against a tree trunk. The ground around him was scorched black, as if burned by intense heat. Blood was at the corner of his mouth, and he had lost consciousness.

Aside from that, there were hardly any signs of battle at the scene. Clearly, the fight hadn't lasted long.

It was likely that Torune had been defeated in just one exchange.

Simple.

Brutal.

Efficient.

Kakashi's shadow clone had been hiding nearby and saw exactly how Kazuha struck.

It was a form of taijutsu.

Or rather, nintaijutsu, a hybrid combat style.

It featured exceptional Body Flicker movement, and a devastating right kick infused with fire chakra.

Scorching.

Explosive.

Lightning-fast.

This was an entirely new kind of nintaijutsu.

Something reminiscent of Kumo's combat style, yet fundamentally different, it was fire-style based.

This boy already had the combat power of a jonin. And not just because of his taijutsu, Kakashi's shadow clone had feigned a sneak attack earlier, and Kazuha had dodged it instantly.

That level of reaction is a basic requirement for a jonin.

In fact, it was one of the key traits distinguishing a standard jonin from an elite one.

The difference wasn't just about powerful secret techniques, it was also about experience in battle and personal growth in covering weaknesses.

If jonin were the backbone of a village, then elite ninjas were the pillars in the making.

As he looked at Kazuha, a complicated expression formed in his eyes.

Another Uchiha genius, huh? This kind of presence and pressure, not even Itachi had this back then.

That was the conclusion he came to as he stared at Kazuha. Then, he made a decision in his heart.

Without announcing the results, he slowly raised his forehead protector, revealing the Sharingan beneath it.

A three-tomoe Sharingan eye instantly locked onto Kazuha, exerting a wave of pressure. In that instant, his eyes instinctively reacted, stimulated by Kakashi's eye power.

A pair of eyes, even redder than Kakashi's, appeared in Kazuha's gaze. Powerful, yet not evil. Instead, they were pure and crystalline, like two ruby-like jewels marked with tomoe.

"Oh… Sharingan. So you've awakened it too. And it's already three tomoe," Kakashi said, taking a deep breath as he stared into Kazuha's eyes.