Kakashi was drenched in sweat, panting heavily. His clothes were a mess, but he still gripped his blade tightly with both hands, keeping his guard up against Aburame Shiki.
Moments earlier, Kakashi had used the Body Flicker Technique with everything he had, barely escaping the encirclement of Shiki's parasitic insects. But that had been his last burst of strength.
The chakra consumption was far greater than he expected. His entire body radiated exhaustion and warning signals.
This was the price of flawed intelligence—and he knew it.Thankfully, this was only a live-combat exercise at the Ninja Academy.
Out on a real battlefield, this mistake would have meant death.
"Kakashi-kun still underestimated me," Aburame Shiki said calmly, a faint smile on his lips. "My control over my kikaichū is much stronger than you think."
It wasn't just a comment directed at Kakashi. It was a message to everyone watching.
High above, the Third Hokage observed through his Telescope Technique. When he saw Shiki's performance, he exhaled softly.
"The Aburame clan is about to produce a legend," he murmured.
To see such command of the clan's secret insects—without even using their rare phosphorus species—was extraordinary.If Shiki ever employed the phosphorus-type bugs, his growth would skyrocket even further.
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped the pipe in his hand, a grandfatherly smile forming.
On one hand, it affirmed that under his leadership, Konoha continued to prosper—small clans like the Aburame were rising, developing exceptional talent.
On the other hand, Shiki belonged to the same generation as Namikaze Minato, the rising star of the village. The Aburame clan supported Minato politically, and Shiki's strength only reinforced that alliance.
And crucially, the Aburame clan—though gifted—was not powerful enough to threaten the Hokage's authority.
If it were the Uchiha clan producing a genius of this caliber, Hiruzen thought wryly, he'd be forced to either indoctrinate them harder with the Will of Fire…Or Danzo would take matters into his own hands.
Kakashi said nothing in response to Shiki's earlier remark. He knew Shiki was right. Intelligence was the backbone of every shinobi operation. Gathering it—or using misleading intel—was standard practice.
Kakashi had acted on incorrect information, made flawed decisions, and ended up exactly where Shiki had driven him.
He forced himself to inhale deeply. Instead of resting, he pushed himself upright. While he still had a shred of chakra left, he would use it all. If he paused now, fatigue would overtake him completely.
Once that happened, he wouldn't be able to move—he'd be helpless.Better to gamble everything now.
Aburame Shiki watched Kakashi charge toward him again. This was exactly the moment he wanted.
He summoned a portion of his insects together, compressing them into a massive, writhing swarm.A moment later, the cloud surged forward like a living black storm, crashing toward Kakashi.
These were assimilated parasites—insects completely merged with Shiki's chakra system. His control over them was absolute. More than simply obeying him, they burned with heightened vitality and power for a brief window.
Although it shortened their lifespan drastically, in that short time their strength was overwhelming.
Kakashi clenched his teeth, squeezing the last drops of chakra from his body. He remembered Hatake Sakumo's lessons.
For three days, he had struggled to learn his father's secret technique—the Slashing Wave—but it was notoriously difficult. He had never successfully unleashed it.
Right now, though, he had no choice.Cornered and desperate, Kakashi's will hardened.
"Be careful!" he shouted at Shiki. "I can't control the power of this next move!"
Kakashi gripped his blade with both hands and swung, unleashing a burst of invisible chakra.
A razor-sharp Slashing Wave spiraled forward, cutting through the swarm—
—but the insects barely hesitated, reforming instantly and crashing down over Kakashi, engulfing him.
At the same time, Kakashi's Slashing Wave continued flying straight toward Shiki.
Shiki's expression sharpened.
"Secret Technique: Insect Wall."
He judged that he could withstand it. Stimulating the vitality of the surrounding insects, he commanded them into a densely layered shield.
Two ANBU operatives suddenly appeared. One dove into the swarm to pull Kakashi free, ensuring the boy wasn't harmed.The other kept his eyes locked on Shiki, ready to intervene the instant the child faced mortal danger.
Kakashi's Slashing Wave slammed into Shiki's Insect Wall with tremendous force. The barrier shuddered but held.After a brief struggle, the chakra blade dissipated.
Shiki remained standing, hands tucked casually into his pockets, coat collar up, his silhouette wrapped in shadows.Mysterious. Untouchable.
The entire training field fell silent.
Kakashi's experimental Slashing Wave, Shiki's overwhelming insects—their clash left every student and teacher stunned.
The gouges torn into the ground, the buzzing masses swirling protectively around Shiki…It was clear.
These two weren't ordinary Academy students.
"Monsters…" someone whispered.
"No kidding. They're practically real shinobi already."
"Kakashi is still so cool—even when he loses!"
The class erupted in chatter, whispering in awe.
Uchiha Obito stood frozen.He'd known Kakashi was strong—but this strong?
When he saw Rin staring anxiously at Kakashi, Obito clenched his fists.
I'll defeat Kakashi one day. I'll make Rin look at me like that.
Shiranui Genma and Gekkō Hayate exchanged looks.
"Aburame Shiki is on a whole different level," Hayate murmured.
Kakashi wasn't physically harmed—Shiki had never allowed his insects to attack, only envelop him. Still, Kakashi's chakra was completely drained.
Recalling the moment his Slashing Wave had collided with the Insect Wall, Kakashi felt bitter frustration.Even with everything he had, he'd barely managed that one attempt.
He wasn't sure he could ever reproduce it so cleanly.
At last, Yoshino Taiga stepped forward, breaking from his stunned silence.
"Victory goes to Aburame Shiki!"
Even he was shaken.If he faced either Shiki or Kakashi seriously, he wasn't sure he could win.
The ferocious insect techniques, Kakashi's terrifying chakra blade—this was what true genius looked like.
Kakashi stared at Shiki, breathing hard but determined.
"I'll catch up to you soon, Shiki," he said through clenched teeth.
Shiki nodded. "I'll keep working hard too, Kakashi."
Though… you may not catch up as quickly as you think, he admitted inwardly.
But rather than grow complacent, Shiki reviewed the fight meticulously. There was still a weakness.
His insects were powerful, but their physical durability was lacking.
I need a way to strengthen them further…I need Hashirama's cells as soon as possible.