Kapitel 31: Chapter 31: Sparring

Under the immense impact, Kakashi landed on the ground after a side flip and quickly leaped back, putting distance between himself and SoraKi.

Battles between ninjas can be extremely swift; when there's a significant disparity in strength, they often end in an instant. For example, later on, Kakashi would instantly defeat the Demon Brothers, and Asuma would swiftly eliminate the Sound Ninja pursuit squad. But fights can also be prolonged, like the clash between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage, which lasted three days and two nights before a victor emerged.

Currently, between Sora Ki and Kakashi, their strengths are closely matched. When Kakashi occasionally gains the upper hand, SoraKi can quickly pull back to recover from his disadvantage. Likewise, when Sora Ki has the advantage, Kakashi can do the same.

Just like now.

However, SoraKi had no intention of stopping while he was ahead. His style has always been to strike when the enemy is weak.

SoraKi charged toward Kakashi at extreme speed, so fast that he almost left afterimages.

"Doton: Earthquake Wave!" Using the momentum from his retreat, Kakashi widened the gap between himself and SoraKi and quickly formed hand seals.

In an instant, Kakashi completed the seals and slammed his hands onto the ground. The entire action was completed in one fluid motion.

The ground immediately undulated like ocean waves.

Sora Ki lost his footing, and his forward momentum was hindered. The tremors not only didn't weaken but seemed to intensify. Without thinking, Sora Ki leaped into the air.

If he were fighting an enemy, SoraKi might not dare to so boldly jump into midair. After all, with no footing, it's easy to become a target.

But in a spar with Kakashi, SoraKi had no such concerns; Kakashi didn't have shuriken or kunai on him. Otherwise, Kakashi wouldn't have engaged in close combat in the first place.

Sure enough, Kakashi didn't have shuriken in his hands. But Kakashi was, after all, an excellent ninja—or rather, an excellent ninja in the making.

Seeing Sora Ki jump into the air to evade his jutsu, Kakashi swept his hands over the ground, grabbing some smooth river pebbles, and threw them at Sora Ki like shuriken.

"Darn it," SoraKi thought, breaking into a cold sweat. "I forgot—when Madara and Hashirama first met, they practiced shuriken throwing by skipping stones. Now, in this practice spot by the stream, there's no shortage of perfectly sized pebbles."

Fortunately, Sora Ki remained calm in the face of danger. While in midair, he quickly formed hand seals. "The best defense is a good offense," he mused. SoraKi wasn't someone who would become helpless just because a few stones were flying at him.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Sora Ki took a deep breath, and a two-meter-wide fireball burst from his mouth, engulfing the space before him and shooting toward Kakashi on the ground.

As for the pebbles Kakashi threw, they were quickly reduced to ashes in the intense heat of the flames.

"With this level of heat, it's more than enough to smelt steel!" SoraKi still had the leisure to think whimsically.

Because of the angle, a fireball descending obliquely from midair is the hardest to defend against. His vision blocked by the flames, SoraKi couldn't tell if Kakashi had dodged it.

The flames engulfed the area where Kakashi stood with a loud boom. A huge pit half a meter deep was created by the impact of the fireball. The flames burned intensely but quickly; within just over ten seconds, they extinguished.

Peering into the large pit, SoraKi saw no trace of Kakashi—as expected. If Kakashi were that easy to deal with, he wouldn't be Kakashi.

Sora Ki scanned the surroundings. Kakashi's concealment skills were quite impressive; SoraKi hadn't been able to locate him at all.

He searched carefully but truly couldn't find Kakashi. He wasn't sure whether he was lacking or if Kakashi's stealth was just that good.

Turning around, SoraKi walked toward Obito, shouting, "Kakashi, are you going to hide like a turtle? I'll count to three. If you don't come out, I'm done playing with you!"

SoraKi shouted, but there was no response from the surroundings.

"One," he called out, raising a finger. The area remained silent.

"Three," SoraKi said.

But everything stayed quiet, except for Obito watching excitedly from the side, eager for his turn to spar.

"Where did he go?" SoraKi wondered, stepping toward Obito. Outwardly, he appeared indifferent, but inside, he was deeply shaken. "So this is Kakashi's true strength! If he tried to assassinate me like this, I'd be done for—I can't find a trace of him."

Suddenly, from beneath the ground where Sora Ki was walking, a hand shot out and grabbed his ankle as he lifted his foot. "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu," Kakashi's voice echoed from underground.

Bang! The ground beneath Sora Ki crumbled instantly, and he sank into the earth, leaving only his head exposed above ground.

Kakashi stood beside him and said softly, "You lost."

"Lost?" Looking at Kakashi, Sora Ki revealed a slight, satisfied smile. Despite his mature demeanor, Kakashi was still young and had the desire to win.

"Actually, I wanted to say you didn't win," Sora Ki replied, gesturing to another spot. There, another Sora Ki stood quietly beside Obito, watching Kakashi.

With a "poof," the buried Sora Ki turned into a cloud of smoke and vanished.

"A clone jutsu—no, a Shadow Clone Jutsu," Kakashi muttered, his expression turning grim.

Seeing Kakashi's face darken as he charged forward, Sora Ki thought, "Uh-oh, is Kakashi angry?"

He quickly pushed Obito forward, shouting, "Kakashi, I surrender! Why don't you spar with Obito instead?"

True to his spirited nature, Obito said, "What, is it my turn now?" Turning to Sora Ki and seeing him nod, Obito confidently placed his hands on his hips and proclaimed, "Haha! Finally, it's time for me, Uchiha Obito, to take the stage!"

But Obito's confidence didn't last long. In Kakashi's anger-fueled onslaught, he swiftly taught Obito a harsh lesson.

Kakashi began with a powerful overhead strike, smashing into Obito. As Obito stumbled back, flailing his arms, Kakashi dashed forward, making Obito feel a chilling wind as sharp as blades.

For the next half hour, Kakashi and Obito thoroughly demonstrated to Sora Ki what a deep-seated grudge looked like, what it meant to be brutally ruthless and too horrific to watch.

After half an hour, both Kakashi and Obito sported swollen faces, lying exhausted on the ground.