"Master Raiden, you lost!"
Kakashi stood behind Uzumaki Raiden, holding a kunai to his neck with a relaxed smile on his face. Hearing Kakashi's confident tone, Uzumaki Raiden couldn't help but feel the urge to hit him.
"You think you've won?"
"Is that so? Do you really believe I'm so easily defeated?"
Uzumaki Raiden smiled faintly. Without any visible movement, a weak electric arc suddenly crackled on Kakashi's wrist.
In an instant, Kakashi felt a numbing sensation in his wrist, as if struck by lightning. His grip loosened, and the kunai quickly slipped from his hand. As it fell, Uzumaki Raiden swiftly caught it and hurled it towards Uchiha Obito in the distance.
The kunai, enveloped in a faint glow of lightning, pierced the ground near Obito's feet with a soft thud. The force of the impact scattered the snow, creating a small crater, and the kunai was buried deep into the earth.
Seeing this astonishing display, Kakashi instinctively clutched his wrist and distanced himself from Uzumaki Raiden. Meanwhile, Obito, sweating profusely, realized that if the kunai had hit him, it might have left a sizable hole.
"If you're not willing to kill me, there's no way you can defeat me."
"Come on, don't hold back! Give it your all!"
Uzumaki Raiden turned to Kakashi and the others with a smile.
After leaving the battlefield, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara exchanged glances and silently nodded. Obito quickly retrieved two smoke bombs from his ninja pouch and smashed them onto the ground.
A thick cloud of purple smoke quickly engulfed them, spreading a pungent odor throughout the forest. The dense smoke concealed not only their movements but also their scents.
"Do you have a bit of fighting spirit? But this trick will only work against ordinary ninjas."
Uzumaki Raiden crossed his arms, calmly watching Kakashi and his team's actions. He wanted to see how much progress Kakashi, without the Sharingan, had made over the years. He also wanted to assess whether Obito, who had yet to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, was worth nurturing, and whether Rin Nohara, the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, had the potential to become Konoha's second perfect Jinchūriki.
"Zzzt!!"
A sudden crackling sound erupted from the thick purple mist. In the next second, a large blue dog, formed from lightning chakra, burst forth and charged towards Uzumaki Raiden.
The speed of the beast was impressive. In the blink of an eye, it reached Uzumaki Raiden and bit down on his arm. However, Raiden's arm was already enveloped in a layer of light lightning armor, and the dog's teeth couldn't penetrate it.
"Is it still at this level?" Without even activating Kagura's Eye, Uzumaki Raiden could tell the jutsu was Kakashi's. The deep disappointment in his eyes was evident—Kakashi's fighting style remained unchanged, offering no surprises.
Once again, this level of ninjutsu might work against ordinary jōnin, but it was ineffective against those with advanced bloodline limits or special abilities. Even if it could cause some trouble, its effectiveness was quite limited.
The Kakashi that Uzumaki Raiden wanted to see was not one who could only fight ordinary ninjas.
In a flash, Raiden grabbed the lightning dog's neck and crushed it effortlessly. The creature dissipated into faint sparks of lightning in his grasp.
Just then, a sharp cry echoed from a nearby tree.
"Chidori!"
Kakashi crouched at the base of a large tree branch, gripping his right wrist with his left hand as violent lightning chakra gathered in his palm. The sharp chirping sound resonated through the forest.
Uzumaki Raiden quickly turned to face Kakashi, slightly raising an eyebrow and bending his knees in preparation. At that moment, the air behind him suddenly grew scorching hot.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive ball of flames burst through the purple mist, heating the air around it. In an instant, the flames engulfed Uzumaki Raiden, covering his figure in a sea of fire.
As the flames hit, Kakashi seized the opportunity and sprinted forward, his Chidori crackling with intensity as he thrust it straight into the burning figure.
"Screech!!!"
The piercing sound didn't cease even as Kakashi struck. However, instead of impact, he felt an immense resistance. A powerful force gripped his wrist tightly.
As the flames dissipated, Uzumaki Raiden emerged unscathed—his clothes untouched. He stood before Kakashi with a cold expression, firmly gripping his wrist and preventing the Chidori from advancing further.
"A simple combination attack and a low-level feint."
"Too weak."
Without hesitation, Uzumaki Raiden bent down and slammed Kakashi into the ground. The force of the impact created a small crater.
Boom!
However, Kakashi's form disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"A shadow clone?"
Uzumaki Raiden muttered as his gaze shifted to the woods beside him.
Ten meters away, behind a large tree, Kakashi observed Raiden through the leaves, breathing heavily. The previous attack had taken a toll on him. Beside him, Uchiha Obito and Rin Nohara crouched, keeping their eyes on the battlefield.
"Kakashi, that kind of attack won't work on Master Raiden. Even your Chidori was effortlessly blocked."
"The only way to defeat him now is with my Sharingan. If my genjutsu succeeds, we can win!"
Obito whispered confidently, pointing to his Sharingan with an eager smile. After Kakashi's failed attacks, he saw his chance to shine in front of Rin.
"Sharingan..."
"Alright, if you're confident, give it a shot."
"I'll create a distraction while you find an opening to use your genjutsu. I also have a technique I want to test."
After a brief moment of thought, Kakashi nodded, unconsciously leaving Rin out of the strategy, as she was a medical ninja.
Obito was surprised that his rival accepted his idea so readily. After a moment of realization, he grinned—feeling that his strength was finally recognized by Kakashi.
Determined, Kakashi put aside any distractions and emerged from the forest, walking slowly toward Uzumaki Raiden.
"Oh? Have you given up?"
"Where are Obito and Rin?"
Uzumaki Raiden smirked as he watched Kakashi step forward.
"No, I just want to test my newly developed jutsu. Obito would only get in the way, and I don't want him interfering."
Kakashi shook his head slightly, stopping a few meters away from Raiden.
"Master Raiden, I've just finished developing this technique, and I can't control its full power yet—so be careful!" Kakashi warned, his face serious.
Seeing Kakashi's determined expression, Uzumaki Raiden's curiosity was piqued.
"Don't hold back. Let it all out—opportunities like this are rare!"
Uzumaki Raiden smiled and motioned for Kakashi to bring it on.
(End of this chapter)