AN: Before I begin this chapter, I want to make something clear about all of these fights. Kakashi is not going 100%. Kakashi is depowering himself to avoid leaking as much information as possible about his abilities. Aizawa is watching him, and so he is taking heavy precautions against showing too much of what he can do and is limiting his strength, speed, and his techniques to a very fair degree. He's only shown more under cover of smoke, and the only ability that he can't hide is his reaction and the way he fights because of his instincts. And he's being caught a bit off guard by their abilities because he is fighting with one eye and he hasn't been doing it for that long.
And on another note, I want to say that I've read all of your comments and am taking proper measures against sentences that don't make sense and improper grammar. I've decided to take my time and stop being lazy. I will be reviewing, editing, and fixing a chapter so that it can stop coming out as a fraction of good as it can be.
I thank you all for reading, and I hope you will stick with me throughout the rest of Kakashi's journey.
Kakashi honestly didn't expect this from the blonde. But his quirk did match his personality. A quirk of explosions for one character with an explosive personality and a deep fury in his eyes. Kakashi saw that resolve in his eyes as he got closer and closer.
He wondered how much he would embarrass him.
"Die!" Bakugo roared, pushing one of his glowing hands in front of him.
An explosion rocked the entire building, it felt nearly deafening to everyone in the room, but Kakashi wasn't hurt. He skidded to a halt on the other side of the gym; the boom that had hit his ears brought back memories of his time during the war. A time he was familiar with. A time he wished he never had went through.
Lightning sparked between his two open palms, and he slammed them into the ground. The lightning traveled along the ground in a nearly unpredictable line, something he wanted. He wanted to catch him off guard. He wanted to end this quickly.
Bakugo wasn't an easy opponent, and despite the grandiose view he has for himself, he's a genius at fighting and a natural in combat. He's sat back and watched him fight for more than ten different fights with more than ten different individuals of different styles of fighting. He's confident, and he feels as if he's gained more than enough information to win.
A blast of his explosion sent him airborne as the lightning swam through the ground as if it were going through water.
"I'm not the rest of those extras! I won't get hit by your dumb ass electricity!" He claimed loudly and then stopped himself in midair to aim both of his arms forward. "Die!"
Kakashi forced himself to move faster than necessary, the blinding light and the sound of it reminding him of the explosion an explosive tag would let off. He moved quickly enough to dodge the blast, landing on his feet, and turned to a rapidly approaching Bakugo, coming through the air; his quirk too loud to sneak up on him.
Bakugo yelled as he attacked, aiming to slam his burning hot palm into Kakashi's chest. Kakashi contorted his body before smoke clouds his vision and his ear began ringing. He's acclimated, though, reaching through the smoke and grabbing ahold of Bakugo's arm. He twisted his body before hoisting the boy over his head and slamming him into the concrete ground.
It should've been enough to knock him out. He learned once more that Bakugo was exceptional and that his will was much stronger than the others
Even though he's has the breath forced out of him, he's unrelenting and forces his palms open.
Kakashi blinked once before a bright light covered his vision, and he's suddenly flying through the air. He noticed this and forced his body to move through the air, landing on the wall on the complete side of the gym, bringing chakra to his feet on pure reflex.
His vision was slowly coming back; he didn't have enough time to close his eyes. He won't let it happen again. Admittedly, this was a close second from that Midoriya kid. The only difference was that he didn't hurt himself.
Kakashi notices that he's still hanging on the side of the wall. It probably already went seen by Aizawa, but he still decides to come down.
The smoke slowly clears in the distance and reveals a smirking Bakugo, untouched by even his attacks despite them being close to him.
His finger twitches constantly, and Kakashi takes a closer look. Maybe he is being hurt by his quirk. Just not to Midoriya's degree.
"Didn't I tell you that I would be the one to beat you? I'm the number one hero in training in the entire damned school; no one compares!"
Kakashi feels his hand twitch over and over. "How come you aren't number one in the class then? If I remember correctly, you're the third loser."
Bakugo scoffs, clearly angry at his words, but something is still keeping him from attack. "Oh, please. I don't take this damn test even remotely seriously. I'm the best; no one can even say otherwise. What's written on paper doesn't matter. You're just trying to catch your breath, aren't you!?" He suddenly gets angry. "Well, I won't let you even have that!"
"AP Shot!"
His arm springs forward, and mini explosions rush from his palms. Kakashi immediately runs, dodging all the mini-explosions that begin to smash into the wall near him.
The wall barely takes the impact, and Kakashi consciously tries to avoid it, lest something happen, and catches him off guard once more. He'd been caught off guard once; it wouldn't happen again.
He was confident in that. In his skills. He launched off his left leg, the cracked ground beneath him being destroyed seconds afterward by the mini explosions. Wind rushed in his face as he began to fall from the air, his landing aimed atop Bakugo.
He saw this and prepped his quirk, arms glowing in seeming anticipation. His arms sprung forward, and a powerful blast unleashed, filling the lonely, destroyed gym with near blinding light and a deafening explosion.
Outside of the gym, birds took off from the trees, leaving their homes behind from being startled by the shaking from the ground and the large bang that was half covered up by the building.
Bakugo first had the thought that he'd hit his target, but a feeling descended his spine, and he suddenly felt vulnerable, a feeling he absolutely hated. He tried to turn and see what was making him feel that way, but he couldn't get his body to move. It was then he noticed something different about the air.
He felt like something was surrounding him as if it could grab and strangle the air.
"What... the hell... is this..." Bakugo had begun to hyperventilate, his body panicking to gain air which only further worsened his situation. His chest heaved tightly and constricted. His head started spinning as if he were in a whirlwind, trapped and unable to escape. Between his vision, clouded by his lack of air and the dust surrounding him, he saw a black figure standing above him.
Red eyes widened.
The figure stood almost regal. As if everything beneath him were filth and trash to be discarded. A waste of time. Darkness cascaded the regal scenery, and suddenly, a bright red moon behind the figure reflected his shadow across him. But he still couldn't see a face. Just dark gray, stormy eyes that held nothing but superiority.
What was he seeing? How? Why? He wanted to know, but he still couldn't breathe. The lack of air made it hard to think beyond what he saw.
Kakashi was about to finish the blonde off. He could tell early that, unlike his classmates, Bakugo did have the will to try his best. It was probably due to his very apparent superiority complex, and because of that, he wanted no one to be able to beat him. That made him tenacious and willing to take him on using his best. In his current shown abilities, Bakugo outclassed him in most categories except for speed. But he had the mobility to match it. With the way he used his quirk, he had more skill than the morons most of his class were, but he was still just like them. He had barely any actual combat ability, relying solely on his quirk.
If Kakashi used even half his power, Bakugo would be flat on his back in a second. He needed to get this fight over with, so when he saw an opportunity to use an ability out of view when black smoke and dust rose to the top of the gym, he knew he could use Genjutsu. Even without his Sharingan, he was pretty good.
He gripped the blue tracksuit on the boy, about to pin him to the ground and officially take his win when Bakugo's palm had turned in his direction and glowed brightly.
Kakashi barely reacted. It was his instincts as a Shinobi that saved him. But he didn't expect that. He landed on the ground, curiosity instantly filling his being. That was a Genjutsu where one saw something that scared them. Only a strong-minded individual could break out of it. He was stronger than anticipated.
Bakugo felt like he was going to throw up. He forced himself to his feet, leaning over like a boulder had been placed on his back. He was surrounded by falling debris, his skin covered in soot from his attacks, and his arms were shaking visibly now. A sign of his pain, but the boy was grinning madly as if he didn't feel it. He was also breathing heavily, like an animal with food being taunted in its face just out of its reach.
Scratch that; he was now the most challenging opponent he'd faced so far. A thought he didn't want to admit and wouldn't admit aloud. The teen would be all too happy to hear it.
Finally, the dust settled, and the black smoke cleared the air. The crowd of students behind them all had varying degrees of surprise. Bakugo had indeed lasted the longest between them all, and he also was still standing after the dust had settled, something none of them had been able to accomplish.
"Look, guys! Bakugo's still standing."
"We can all see just like you, Uraraka." Tsu croaked.
"A lot of explosions went off just now," Midoriya noted as he fiddled with his own hands, nervous. "Even in the smoke, Kacchan could still fight against Hatake. Just like me, he must've also been watching him closely."
"I'm not surprised he's doing so well."
"I thought you didn't think he would win, Todoroki," Tokoyami said, looking at the multi-hair-colored boy.
"I don't think he'll win." He replied coolly. He remembered and counted every single explosion he'd heard. He didn't know Bakugo's upper limit in using his quirk, but Bakugo was trying to injure him with every attack, which could mean two things. He was limited, which he doubted since he mostly used his quirk during the Sports Festival. The other was that his upper limit changed depending on how strong the explosions were and how often he used that, which was the most likely.
Either way, from the looks of things, Bakugo wasn't built to go the distance, and if he didn't change his fighting style, he would get too tired to fight. He looked beaten enough, but his opponent didn't even seem like he'd been touched at all.
With all the explosions going off, some that could be felt even where they stood, one would think that Kakashi would've gotten hit once. But other than soot and dust, he looked as if the blonde hadn't even touched him. He didn't look tired or even worried in the slightest. His gray eyes didn't even hold confidence or anything, just blank, as if he were staring off into space, but the way his eyes would twitch at the slightest movements said otherwise.
His fist clenched in his pants pockets. His turn was soon coming.
"Don't you think it's time we end this?" Kakashi glances past Bakugo. "I still have two other opponents left to fight."
Bakugo's face went red. "You fucking bastard! Smug son of a bitch!" His hands lit up again, "Don't you dare look past me!" He yelled in pure anger, an explosion even more significant than the last, destroying major parts of the gym.
Heavy breaths and shaky arms were the only signs that Bakugo was still conscious. At this point, his eyes could barely stay open. He'd used far too much of his power. His arms were beginning to get bad. Another blast like that would probably render his arm useless; his subsequent attacks had to be careful. He promised to make the extra pay for pushing him so far and acting like he was superior.
He didn't know what he'd expected when he heard footsteps from the smoke. He gritted his teeth as a growl escaped his throat. He tried forcing his shaking arms to stop. He couldn't.
"How," he growled, "how the hell... are you not hurt?!"
"Because," his voice was impassive and unsentimental. It was stony, iron-hard in its speaker intent. "I'm stronger than you."
"You fucking bastard!" Bakugo ignored his screaming muscles, using one hand to force up the other. It lit up like the light of a Christmas tree. "If you're so much better than me, then you shouldn't feel the need to dodge this attack!"
Midoriya felt mortified, eyes wide in anxiety. "W-what is Kacchan doing? He's already hurt. Why is he unleashing explosions like that?"
"This is what I meant when I said Bakugo would lose." Todoroki's smooth and calculating voice broke through the low rumbling that was getting louder by the second. His arms were crossed over his PE uniform as he stared at the battle with calculating eyes. "He's too emotional and prideful. Hatake's too skilled for him to handle. His arrogance is costing him victory. He's experienced enough in his own right to win, but his reckless way of fighting isn't doing him any favors. He's already lost. This last stretch is just desperation."
Kirishima turned away from Todoroki, who he'd been staring at as he spoke, and frowned as he turned to Bakugo. "Come on, Baku-bro," he muttered, his fist shaking. "You can win."
Kakashi narrowed his eye at the request, wondering if the boy believed he would just stand here and take a blast that probably would be strong enough to kill him. He was confident and took necessary risks when he needed to, but he wasn't suicidal. He knew he was better than the blonde. Proving it in any other way was pointless.
Still, he could make this battle easier.
"Come at me then. I won't move."
A wicked grin spread across Bakugo's face; his hand lit up even brighter if that were possible, and sweat poured down his face in seemingly tons. "I can't wait to wipe that confidence out of your eyes! Now die!"
A blast shot from his hand so fast that Kakashi could feel the pressure of the air seconds before the attack was going to hit him.
"Howitzer Impact!"
The explosion rocked the area once more, crashing through the roof's concrete composition and blasting through miles of trees in the immediate vicinity. It wasn't just an ordinary explosion. It was the strongest Bakugo had ever made. He hadn't ever gotten thy angry before. His pride and abilities had been insulted far too much by an extra who'd appeared out of thin air. He wasn't supposed to be a part of their class.
His hearing slowly returned, but he could still hear a slight ringing. It would take longer to go away. His whole body was shaking now; he could barely stand. His arms fell limply to his sides, his eyes straining to stay open.
Aizawa shouldn't have let it go on. Bakugo's quirk was too destructive, and the boy barely held any restraint when he felt insulted. He was worried that his student had killed Kakashi. He hoped Kakashi didn't just stand there and take a blast like that; he was too smart for that.
The thought that he may have killed someone didn't go through Bakugo's mind as a laugh escaped his mouth. He sounded like he was going mad. "That's what you get, dammit. Don't ever... insult me like that."
"What power," Midoriya muttered, almost breathless.
Having covered up to avoid being momentarily blinded by the blast, Todoroki asked, "Did he actually take that head-on?"
"That could kill someone, right?" Uraraka muttered, voice shaky and eyes widening slightly.
"He's gone too far this time," Tokoyami said, gritting his teeth.
"I think I just peeped my pants." Mineta screeched shakily.
Clutching her ringing ears, Jiro was nealt on the ground in pain, her body shaking. The pain from how loud that explosion was was something she couldn't describe.
"He's dead, isn't he?" Kiminari muttered. "He has to be. There's no way he isn't."
"Bakugo," Kirishima muttered, pupils, shaking.
The thought finally crossed Bakugo's mind that he may have just done severe damage as he looked through the extensive gaping hole in the concrete gym, burning through the trees for what seemed to be miles. Then, he heard a sound, a sound so loud to him that even his explosion didn't compare.
Footsteps. Tap. Tap. Tap. They weren't frantic. They were eerily calm, so calm that the mere sound put fear into his heart. He went numb, only feeling his heartbeat increase more and more as the footsteps got louder and closer.
Soon, he saw a figure coming through the thick pale dust from the cement. Finally, he saw Kakashi. He looked no different than when he started this fight. Untouched and unburned. And he looked bored now. How could he look like that? His attack had to have surprised him, even if it was just a little bit.
"How," he muttered in disbelief, and then he began yelling. "HOW THE HELL ARE YOU NOT HURT?"
His voice carried over the silent room several times as he began breathing hard, his heart unable to understand what was happening before him.
Kakashi made to retake a step; his foot didn't even touch the ground before he disappeared from view entirely.
Bakugo gasped, red irises widening. He felt the other teen right behind him, but he didn't have to strength to turn to him. All he could do was stand there, fear showing through his red orbs.
"Did you think I'd just sit there and take your attack? You're a fool, an arrogant fool."
"Y-you... lied?"
Suddenly, his body went limp, and his eyes began to close, darkness taking over. Before he went unconscious, he heard him talk one last time.
"I used to be just like you."