"Kyoichi-sensei and First Squad?"

  Kakashi was momentarily stunned.

  The sed, he saw Kyoichi arrive with three people—Asuma, Kurenai, and... a five-year-old Shisui?

  Kakashi immediately felt a wave of indignation.

  Shisui might be a prodigy, but so was he! Graduating at five, being a in at six, and having been a in for three years now, he couldn't believe such a team could pose a challenge. He could hahem on his own!

  "inally, I didn't want to step in," Kyoichi said, looking directly at Kakashi. "But yht was just too messy, no teamwork whatsoever. I think it's time you learned what it means to work as a team."

  Kyoichi’s gaze never wavered from Kakashi.

  Yes, this ersonal.

  If Obito's foolishness was excusable, then what about Kakashi?

  Kakashi, however, simply couldn't stand the idea of teaming up with Obito, feeling that cooperating with him would only hinder his own performahis attitude had maed in several missions before—alrioritizing what was best for the mission, even if it meant abandoning his teammates.

  Too cold-blooded.

  And far too overfident.

  Feeling Kyoichi's peing stare, Kakashi let out a cold snort, his defiance apparent.

  "Alright, let’s begin. Fight as you will; I know some mediinjutsu, so I handle minor injuries."

  With that, Kyoichi and Minato used the Body Flicker Teique and disappeared.

  "Go!"

  Kakashi didn’t hesitate.

  Ba the academy, he was already the stro of his peers. Years ter, he couldn't imagine losing to Asuma's group.

  Both sides threw shuriken to disrupt each other while their oppos’ movements.

  Kakashi wasn't reckless.

  He kept an eye on Obito, Rin, and their enemies, carefully assessing their positions. But—

  Boom!

  A smoke bomb erupted, and three "Team One" members emerged from the haze.

  Shadow es?

  Kakashi immediately moved closer to Obito and Rin, but—

  g!

  The csh of ons echoed.

  Shisui's bde came down from behind him.

  The real one... Are they aiming for a decapitation strategy?

  Dodging Shisui's ssh with taijutsu, Kakashi quickly pieced together the enemy's pn.

  "Decapitation? Perfect."

  He drew his White Light Sabre and charged at Asuma.

  "I got this!"

  Obito formed a series of hand seals, spewing a rge Fireball from his mouth.

  Kakashi cursed under his breath, forced to abandon his attack to avoid Obito's fmes.

  Then—

  He noticed something wrong.

  There were only two oppos.

  Where's Kurenai?

  "Watch out!"

  Kakashi’s warning came too te.

  In Obito and Rin’s view, a sea of cherry blossoms began to swirl.

  Dang Blossom Swarm Teique!

  Kakashi immediately dispelled the genjutsu and moved to release his teammates, but—

  Shisui and Asuma had already fiheir seals.

  Fireball Jutsu! Great Breakthrough!

  Fmes roared forward, merging into a massive inferno that engulfed the entranced Obito and Rin.

  Cold sweat dripped down Kakashi's face as he swiftly formed hand seals, smming his hands into the ground to raise ahen wall that blocked the fire.

  Obito and Rin finally snapped out of it, only to hear a voice from behind them—

  "You're dead!"

  It was Asuma’s shadow e and Kurenai!

  ---

  "Kakashi lost," Minato sighed.

  Although Kakashi was still standing, his teammates had been "killed." Defeating the entire opposing team in such a situation was almost impossible.

  Unless his strength far surpassed theirs.

  But clearly, that wasn’t the case.

  Speed alone wasn’t enough.

  Asuma, Kurenai, and Shisui weren’t particurly fast, but their coordination, along with Kurenai's strong sensory abilities, left Kakashi perpetually on the defensive.

  "All three are elite Genin. Kakashi is skilled, but as long as Asuma's team doesn’t try to kill him ht, they won’t have any major issues," Kyoichi remarked casually.

  Splitting them up would have allowed Kakashi to pick them off one by one, but together, their teamwork made even Kakashi's speed insuffit.

  Now, Kakashi’s bde crackled with electricity.

  He’s pushing his limits?

  Kyoichi watched as Kakashi charged toward Shisui, i on ending the fight with one decisive strike.

  Underground, a shadow e burrowed forward.

  One final gamble.

  "White Fang's Sword teiques? No... it’s just for show. Kakashi is going to lose," Kyoichi said, shaking his head.

  Minato, however, wasn’t so certain.

  Kakashi still had a ce. If he could defeat Shisui, taking down the remaining two one by one wasn’t out of the question.

  But the moment, he uood Kyoichi's fidence.

  As Kakashi’s bde desded, Asuma blocked it!

  Though Asuma’s arm was badly injured, bleeding profusely, his Wind Release Chakra ralized Kakashi's Lightning Chakra.

  Meanwhile, Shisui and Kurenai attacked Kakashi’s shadow e and real body simultaneously.

  It was over.

  "Enough. Stand down, Kakashi."

  "Yes, sir," Kakashi said bitterly, l his bde.

  He felt humiliated.

  If Asuma hadn’t protected Shisui, that st strike could have "killed" him.

  "Not satisfied?" Kyoichi sneered. "Team battles are never about one-on-one. What good is being strong on your own unless you’re at Minato-sensei’s level? Otherwise, stop dreaming."

  He wasn’t exaggerating.

  Minato’s Flying Thunder God Teique made him nearly invincible in the right ditions, while Kyoichi’s Earth Spear Teique, bined with his other jutsu, gave him an edge over most oppos.

  And Kakashi?

  He was still just a "gss on"—fragile and easy to ter. Without the Sharingan, even his chakra reserves were merely adequate.

  Why did he think he could take on three people alone?

  Kakashi’s face darkened, but he couldn’t deny Kyoichi’s words. The fight had ended in an indisputable loss.

  "Rin, your issue is taijutsu. You’re a mediinja, but that doesn’t mean you eglect close bat. Even Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin, is a terrifyingly powerful fighter. If necessary, you should sider learning the Chakra Scalpel teique."

  Kyoichi turo Rin, who seemed deeply shaken by her performance.

  She hesitated before asking, "Sensei, do you mean... use the Chakra Scalpel to injure oppos?"

  "Sever tendons, muscles, blood vessels—anything to restrict their movements. Isn’t that enough?"

  Kyoiodded.

  Rin stared at him in shock. She had heard of the Chakra Scalpel but had never sidered it as a bat tool.

  But the more she thought about it, the more se made.

  Who said the Chakra Scalpel couldn’t be used offensively?

  "Sensei, what about me?" Obito asked urgently.

  Rin had received advice, so he wao know his.

  "You?" Kyoichi smirked. "Train harder, suffer more, and gain experience. You’re out of your mind."

  Gcell