The two blades met with a violent clash, releasing a burst of sparks that lit up the space between them. The force behind both swords was immense, but neither fighter gave ground. For a moment, there was a perfect deadlock—raw power versus raw power.
Santoryu felt a small sense of relief. His body, bolstered by the First Gate, was able to match Kakashi's strength blow for blow. But that realization brought another: even after unlocking the Eight Inner Gate's first stage, he was only on par with Kakashi. If this was his limit with the gate opened, then his base strength was still behind Kakashi's. That thought lingered, sharp and unsettling.
Santoryu launched a swift attack with the sword in his left hand, aiming directly at Kakashi. In response, Kakashi quickly retreated, narrowing his eyes as he reassessed the situation. But he didn't stay back for long. In the blink of an eye, he darted forward again, this time angling his approach from Santoryu's left.
Kakashi had observed something important: Santoryu kept his left eye closed. He understood why—it was a tactical decision to enhance vision through his dominant eye, perhaps compensating for depth perception or focus. But it also created a blind spot, a vulnerability Kakashi had no intention of ignoring.
He struck from the left, certain that Santoryu wouldn't see it coming.
But then something unexpected happened.
Even without seeing the blow, Santoryu reacted. His left-hand blade intercepted Kakashi's strike with precise timing, the steel-on-steel clash echoing sharply. Sparks flew again.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "He sensed that?" he thought, surprised.
He needed to be sure. He launched another attack from the left, then another—always targeting that apparent blind spot. Each time, Santoryu blocked it, reacting not with his eyes, but with something deeper.
Kakashi quickly realized what was happening.
Reactive listening, he thought. He's mastered it to the point that he can sense attacks even outside his field of vision.
Kakashi attributed Santoryu's reaction to his attack to keen hearing, but in reality, Santoryu was using 'Observation Haki,' which Kakashi, of course, did not know.
Eventually, both fighters slowed. Their breathing had grown heavier, their movements a little more measured, their stamina slightly worn down. They paused, facing each other in silence, acknowledging the other's skill.
"You've mastered your three-sword style well," Kakashi said finally, his tone respectful. "And it seems you've worked on your left-side weakness too."
Santoryu gave a small nod in return, expression calm. He wasn't surprised by the outcome. He had trained relentlessly for this very moment—and it was paying off exactly as he had expected.
Kakashi remained composed and continued speaking. "But a ninja's arsenal isn't limited to swordsmanship alone."
With that, he smoothly sheathed White Fang into the scabbard on his back. Without pause, his hands blurred through a rapid sequence of hand seals—so fast they were nearly a blur—and in an instant, he released a powerful jutsu.
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique.
A torrent of searing flame surged toward Santoryu, roaring like a living creature. The temperature spiked, the air shimmered, and the fire raced across the battlefield like a dragon's breath unleashed.
Santoryu didn't flinch.
He tightened his grip on both swords, muscles coiled with focus, and responded with a counterstrike of his own.
Two Sword Style: 72 Pound Phoenix.
With a sharp cry, he unleashed two spiraling air slashes, each one spinning outward with immense force and precision. The twin blades of compressed wind surged forward, meeting Kakashi's fire head-on.
The impact was explosive.
Flame and wind collided mid-air in a chaotic spiral of energy. The phoenix slashes didn't just block the fire—they pushed it back, slowing its advance and finally canceling it out entirely. The two forces neutralized each other, vanishing in a burst of sparks, wind, and smoke.
But Santoryu wasn't finished.
As the smoke cleared, he had already shifted into a new stance—the signature posture of his Three Sword Style: Onigiri.
Wasting no time, he launched forward with blinding speed. His body became a blur, slicing through the air in a single fluid motion. One moment, he was in front of Kakashi. The next, he was behind him, posture low from the follow-through of the technique.
Then, slowly, Santoryu rose to a standing position, completing the arc of the attack in silence.
Blood burst from Kakashi's torso, streaking from his abdomen to his chest in a cross-pattern—two diagonal slashes and one horizontal, carved cleanly across his body. The result of Santoryu's Three Sword Style: Onigiri was immediate and brutal.
From a distance, Santoryu's father froze in shock. His eyes widened, his breath caught. He wanted to shout—maybe in warning, maybe in protest—but the words never left his mouth. Kakashi looked grievously wounded, and concern for both warriors tightened in his chest. Had his son gone too far?
But before panic could take hold, the scene shifted.
Kakashi's bloodied figure was suddenly obscured by a burst of white smoke. When it cleared, all that remained in his place was a wooden log, deeply slashed from the same pattern of strikes.
It was the Substitution Technique. Classic shinobi misdirection—and it had worked. Kakashi had avoided the devastating blow at the last possible moment.
Santoryu, however, wasn't caught off guard.
Thanks to his mastery of Observation Haki, he sensed the deception even before the smoke cleared. He could feel Kakashi's real presence, subtle but unmistakable, just twenty meters away—perched silently atop a tree branch, watching him with calm calculation.
A second later, Kakashi made his next move.
He reached into his ninja pouch and hurled a flurry of kunai and shuriken, weaving them through the air in unpredictable arcs designed to confuse and overwhelm. It was a tricky, calculated barrage—thrown with the skill of a seasoned assassin.
Santoryu didn't blink.
With fluid grace and razor focus, he intercepted every projectile with his three swords, deflecting each blade mid-flight. Metal clanged against metal in rapid succession, and one by one, the kunai and shuriken clattered harmlessly to the ground. Not a single scratch reached him.
His eyes never left Kakashi.
Or rather—the spot where Kakashi had just been. Because now, the ninja was gone.
Vanished.
Santoryu narrowed his gaze, sharpening his focus. He reached out with his Observation Haki again, scanning for intent, for movement, for chakra. He thought carefully.
There was only one technique Kakashi might use now—one suited for this kind of silent, underground approach.
Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique.
Santoryu braced himself, his body tensing. He knew what was coming.
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