"Shisui, Kakashi, how are your preparations?" Mokgetsu asked.
"I can fight anytime." Shisui quickly replied with a faint smile on his face.
"No problem, we can start fighting." Kakashi nodded calmly, saying that with timely treatment and enough rest, he was now fully recovered.
"Then there's no problem." Mokgetsu smiled as he let Shisui and Kakashi walk to the combat area to prepare for battle.
Seeing Kakashi's calm demeanor, Mokgetsu silently mourned for him for 0.1 seconds.
Since Shisui had already defeated Obito under Kakashi's watch, Kakashi had a general understanding of Shisui's strength and methods.
But for Kakashi, this was actually not a good thing; it would cause him to misjudge Shisui's strength.
Because Shisui never liked to finish the fight with one blow, he would use just enough power to defeat his opponent. If Shisui used his Sharingan, Obito would have been completely controlled by Shisui's genjutsu long ago, but Shisui never used it until the end.
Additionally, Shisui's age was very deceptive. Kakashi would never expect that someone two years younger than them could hold back in a fight with Obito.
Of course, even if Kakashi did not underestimate Shisui's strength, Kakashi would likely still lose to him. Under normal circumstances, Shisui and Kakashi's overall strength were about the same, but the situation would change once Shisui used his Sharingan.
Following Konoha's sparring habits, they both performed the Seal of Opposition.
"At the same age, I'm indeed not as good as him." Kakashi thought, looking at Shisui who looked very serious.
Although he couldn't go back two years and fight Shisui, Obito's strength now surpassed his six-year-old self, and Shisui had defeated the current Obito. In an indirect comparison, Shisui was indeed, as Obito said before, even more of a genius.
However, Kakashi was still confident about this battle. He felt Obito lost not because of lack of strength, but due to poor battle skills. While he hadn't trained much in the past two years, he hadn't stopped doing missions, so he had very rich combat experience.
"Begin the battle!" As the two got into position, Mokgetsu announced the start of the fight.
Kakashi immediately drew the White Fang Short Blade from his back and slashed towards Shisui.
Clang!
Shisui used breathing techniques to enhance his physical abilities, quickly drawing the short blade Mokgetsu gave him, blocking Kakashi's incoming strike with the White Fang Short Blade.
Kakashi's expression remained unchanged as his hands moved extremely fast, fiercely attacking Shisui's vital points with his blade.
Kakashi's rapid swordplay put immense pressure on Shisui, leaving several scratches on his clothes.
Realizing the strength of Kakashi's close combat sword skills, Shisui immediately used the Instant Body Jutsu to create distance and quickly formed hand signs.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Shisui spewed a large amount of flame from his mouth, which rapidly formed into a three-meter fireball that shot towards Kakashi.
Faced with the blazing hot Great Fireball, Kakashi chose not to confront it directly, instead throwing a smoke bullet and dashing aside to evade.
At the moment Kakashi threw the smoke bullet, he immediately tossed a large number of shuriken to the edge of the smoke.
Boom!!
The fireball plunged into the smoke, hitting the ground and causing an explosion. At the same time, the swiftly thrown shuriken penetrated the edges of the smoke.
No sound of metal clashing was heard. As the smoke cleared, there were only some charred land and scattered shuriken on the ground, with no sign of Kakashi.
Shisui appeared thoughtful, jumping onto a tree, using a Shadow Clone on the tree to observe any movement in the northern direction, as he had thrown the shuriken towards the south earlier.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
Just as expected, Kakashi suddenly appeared behind a large tree in the observation area, throwing a large number of shuriken.
Shisui also threw shuriken to knock down the incoming ones, and through these collisions, directed several shuriken at odd angles towards Kakashi.
Clang clang!
Kakashi evaded some shuriken while knocking down others, but just as he successfully neutralized them, Shisui came at him with a kunai in hand.
"Kakashi-senpai, the match is over." Shisui said.
"The battle is indeed over, but the victor is me." Another Kakashi sprang from the tree, holding a kunai aimed at Shisui's vital spot.
"You should be more cautious of an enemy who has already disappeared." Kakashi calmly advised.
"Kakashi-senpai, you make a good point."
Just as Kakashi thought he had won, Shisui stepped out from behind the tree, instantly appearing next to Kakashi with an Instant Body Jutsu, pressing a kunai against him.
"It seems I've won after all." Shisui said with a faint smile.
"You're indeed very careful, quite an excellent student, but you need to be even more cautious." Kakashi, unfazed by the kunai against him, calmly spoke.
In the next moment, the ground beneath Shisui extended a hand, pulling Shisui underground, leaving only his head above ground.
"If you were a bit more cautious, perhaps there'd be hope for victory, but this time, I win." Kakashi, appearing next to Shisui, declared his victory.
Obito, who was watching the battle, was utterly confused by the constant shifts in the unfolding scenario, unable to resist commenting:
"That Kakashi guy is really sly, using two shadow clones as bait."
Might Guy scratched his head, thinking that all these flashy tricks were no match for a good, solid kick.
Just when Kakashi thought he had won, an unexpected turn of events occurred. The shadow clone Shisui suddenly counterattacked, taking down both Kakashi's shadow clones along with him.
A shuriken on the ground suddenly turned into Shisui, who quickly activated his Sharingan and said:
"Kakashi-senpai, you're right, a ninja should indeed be cautious and more cautious."
Kakashi instinctively looked at Shisui, directly seeing the blood-red eyes of Shisui.
"Sharingan!" Kakashi's heart trembled wildly; he never expected to see the Uchiha clan's legendary Sharingan on Shisui, who was still a freshman at the Ninja Academy.
In the next instant, Kakashi suddenly found himself ensnared by large trees that had sprouted around him, leaving him immobile.
Kakashi knew the ninjutsu that could control plant growth was famous in Konoha and the Ninja World, used by the God of Ninjas, Senju Hashirama, known as Wood Release.
But knowing an Uchiha like Shisui couldn't possibly use Wood Release, Kakashi quickly deduced he was under a genjutsu. He tried to break free, but Shisui's series of attacks were too fast, and Kakashi soon felt the sharp short blade close to his body.
As the genjutsu ended, Kakashi saw Shisui appear beside him.
"I concede, Kakashi-senpai," Shisui said with a calm smile.
Winning against Kakashi was within his expectations, even though he always heard the Ninja Academy teachers comparing him to Kakashi, saying he was the second Kakashi. But Shisui never thought he would lose to Kakashi because he was Mokgetsu's first disciple.
When Kakashi first used the smoke bullet, Shisui had already activated his Sharingan to track Kakashi's position, and every subsequent attack was Shisui's deliberate bait.
After the first exchange was over, his victory was already certain.
"There's no need for concessions; you won with your own strength." Kakashi said, his expression complex.
Before today, he had never lost to a peer or even ninjas several years older.
But today, he lost twice: once to Might Guy, who was the same age as him, and once to Uchiha Shisui, who was two years younger.
Losing to Might Guy surprised Kakashi, yet seemed reasonable since Might Guy worked so hard and had been acknowledged by his father.
This battle lost to Shisui, and Kakashi was convinced. Shisui's overall prowess indeed surpassed his.
"Can I still be considered a genius?" Kakashi questioned himself internally.
Two years ago, when others called him a genius, Kakashi wouldn't smile at it, but he internally agreed.
He graduated from the Ninja Academy as the top in his class at five and became a Chunin by passing the Chunin Examination at six. If this didn't qualify as a genius, then what did?
But now, could he still be called a genius? A new year had begun, and if not by age, he was already considered nine.
How much had his strength improved compared to when he was six, and what genius feats had he accomplished?
None, his hard power had not significantly enhanced; only the accumulation of experience made it seem like he was steadily progressing. And there hadn't been any more extraordinary feats; he was just a slightly younger Chunin.
Maybe he was once a genius, but now he no longer deserved to be called one.
Kakashi pondered when he became like this. As he thought on, the scene in his mind became clearer, a deep night, a bloody night. Since that evening, when Kakashi called out "I'm back," no one ever responded again.
"Kakashi, are you feeling unwell?" Mokgetsu asked softly, seeing Kakashi's pale face.
Mokgetsu's voice pulled Kakashi out of his memories. Returning to the present, the warm smile of Mokgetsu greeted him, easing Kakashi's heart a little. He then shook his head and replied:
"I'm fine, just lost in thought."
Mokgetsu placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and said with a smile:
"If you're tired, you should rest a bit. Cultivation is important, but taking care of your body is the foundation."
Kakashi nodded slightly, then went back to the viewing area to rest.
"Rin, see, I told you Kakashi wouldn't win. Shisui can even defeat me; dealing with Kakashi is a piece of cake for him."
Kakashi saw Obito disparaging him as soon as he reached the viewing area.
"I may not be able to beat Shisui, but defeating an Uchiha without activated eyes like you would be a breeze." Kakashi retorted without hesitation.
Hearing Obito's words, Kakashi felt a renewed drive for training. No matter what, he mustn't lose to Obito.
"Damn Kakashi, I'll have a Sharingan someday, too," Obito countered upon hearing Kakashi's voice.
Kakashi responded to Obito with a laugh.
Obito quickly realized his words just admitted he was no match for Kakashi without a Sharingan, and he swiftly corrected himself: "Even without a Sharingan, I can defeat you."
"Then prove it to me by defeating Guy. That would indeed show you have the strength to defeat me," Kakashi said calmly, as the upcoming battle was between Obito and Might Guy.
"I..." Obito was at a loss for words. Considering Might Guy's speed and strength shown that morning, Obito was genuinely unsure.
"Alright, you're both amazing. Obito, you should prepare for the battle," Nohara Rin said with a gentle smile.