"I just finished the written chūnin exam and passed it, and you're already here for the practical test? How anxious is the Fourth Hokage?"
Yun's voice carried across the training field, calm but tinged with a hint of mockery. He stood casually, one hand resting on his sword's hilt, gazing at the figure across from him — Hatake Kakashi. The young man looked as though he'd just rolled out of bed, his famous half-lidded "dead fish" eyes radiating boredom.
Kakashi tilted his head slightly, acknowledging the remark without any hurry. "Aren't you a little too arrogant in your current state?"
He gave the faintest shake of his head. "It hasn't even started yet. And with your power, this test is just a formality."
As if to emphasize his readiness, Kakashi reached up and slowly lifted his forehead protector. His left eye, previously hidden, now locked on Yun. The three-tomoe within began to rotate deliberately — a silent promise that he was done taking things lightly.
"Having used that power before," Kakashi continued, "you should know its cost. It's just a test. The Mangekyō shouldn't be necessary, right?"
Uchiha Yun allowed a small, knowing smile to spread across his face. "You fainted after one shot due to lack of chakra, but I am not like that..." His tone carried both confidence and provocation.
Still, he thought privately, Kamui at long range was faster than Obito's hollowfication — not something to scoff at. But this was only a spar, a test, not a battle to the death.
From the sidelines, the blond figure of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, spoke up in a calm but firm tone. "It's just a test. Don't use the Mangekyō Sharingan, after all, it consumes a lot of chakra."
As soon as he finished, Minato raised one hand, signaling for the match to begin.
Both Yun and Kakashi formed the seal of confrontation.
*Swish!*
In the blink of an eye, Yun vanished from his starting position. His body flickered forward with incredible speed, reappearing directly behind Kakashi. Cold steel kissed the side of the jōnin's neck.
"You are too lazy. It's over." Yun remarked, the kunai steady in his grip.
Kakashi's voice was quiet, almost teasing. "You're the one who really didn't take it seriously, right? You didn't even open your three-tomoe Sharingan."
*Bang!*
The Kakashi before him burst into a cloud of white smoke. A substitution.
'So…'
Earth Style ∙ Headhunter Jutsu!
*Swish!*
A faint noise came from beneath Yun's feet — but before the jutsu could connect, he was already gone.
Kakashi emerged from underground, only to see three spinning tomoe glaring back at him from Yun's eyes.
Four faint silver threads glimmered in the air.
Snake → Dragon → Rabbit → Tiger!
Fire Style ∙ Dragon Fire Jutsu!
Flames roared forth, snaking along the steel wires, forming the head of a fire dragon as they surged toward Kakashi.
Tiger → Snake → Rat → Snake → Tiger!
Water Style ∙ Water Formation Wall!
Kakashi's hands blurred, completing seals in a heartbeat. Water from a nearby training ground pool surged upward, solidifying into a towering wall to block the oncoming blaze.
*Fsshhh…*
Steam exploded outward, clouding the air in a dense haze. Kakashi's Sharingan darted around, trying to pierce through the white curtain.
'No good.' In this kind of environment, his normal Sharingan vision didn't give him much advantage.
Wind Style ∙ Great Breakthrough!
A gust blasted forward, parting the mist. Since it wasn't Hidden Mist Jutsu, there was no chakra in the vapor to sustain it — just ordinary steam.
And then—
*Swish!*
A glint of steel cut through the cleared air. A long sword slashed past Kakashi, narrowly missing his face.
"Your reaction speed is very fast." Yun remarked coolly.
Kakashi stepped back, kunai raised in a defensive stance. "You are not slow yourself. Even compared to Shisui's Body Flicker, you are not slow."
*Bang!*
Steel met steel as Yun's blade clashed with Kakashi's kunai, sparks bursting between them.
Yun broke contact, fingers flashing through seals: Rat → Tiger → Dog → Ox → Rabbit → Tiger!
Fire Style ∙ Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
Six blazing spheres burst forth, each carrying chakra threads to control their arcs, surrounding Kakashi from multiple angles.
But Kakashi's own hands were already moving.
Tiger → Hare → Boar → Dog!
Earth Style ∙ Mud Wall!
Boom!!!
A massive earthen barrier erupted upward, its surface carved into the snarling heads of four dogs. The flames slammed into it, scattering embers in all directions. Yun's eye twitched at the sight.
"Huff… huff…" Kakashi was already sweating.
Yun frowned. "It's one thing if you're out of chakra, but did you really have to put dog heads on it? That's just asking for embarrassment."
Without waiting for a reply, Yun leapt from above, sword slicing downward in a heavy arc.
*Bang!*
The force sent Kakashi skidding backward.
Yun didn't relent — he charged forward again.
*Screee…*
The shrill cry of a thousand birds split the air, abruptly cut short. Lightning surged around Kakashi's right hand.
The advanced form of Chidori — Raikiri!
*Swish!*
The boost from lightning chakra sent his speed skyrocketing. In a heartbeat, he was upon Yun, thrusting forward.
If this hadn't been a test, that blow would have gone straight for the chest.
*Puff!*
The strike pierced Yun's shoulder — yet something felt off.
'A shadow clone!'
'When? Right after the Phoenix Fire? During the Earth Flow Wall?
"Did you guess it?" Yun's voice came from behind. The clone dispersed into smoke as the real Yun's sword came crashing down.
*Bang!*
Steel clashed with kunai again, but Kakashi's lightning-clad hand shot forward immediately.
"How is that possible?!"
The Raikiri pierced Yun's form effortlessly — yet there was no blood, no resistance.
The blade was blocked, but Yun's boot connected solidly with Kakashi's stomach, sending him flying.
Kakashi rolled and rose, eyes wide. "It's not a physical entity? Why?"
Five identical Yuns now surrounded him, each gripping a sword, each wearing the same expression.
'But that earlier sword drop… that kick… they had been real. How could the strike he landed be fake?'
'Wait!'
His mind flashed back to three years ago — the masked man's battle with Shisui in the Kamui space. The technique Shisui used then…
'Was this the Body Flicker merged with Sharingan genjutsu?'
Kakashi steadied himself, kunai at the ready. "So that's how it is then huh? Shisui's famous technique was never just Body Flicker. It was combined with the Sharingan's illusions… that's the true "Shunshin no Shisui"."
Yun smirked. "Oh? You figured it out in just a single clash? But have you thought of a way to beat it yet?"
Like shadow clones but not shadow clones — the five Yuns spoke in eerie unison. "What you face now is both real and unreal. Illusions, yet every attack can kill you."
Kakashi's tone was grave. "Indeed. I underestimated you because you weren't using Mangekyō. Thinking that the power of a normal Sharingan is nothing compared to it… and yet here you are, holding back."
He formed a seal.
*Poof!*
A shadow clone appeared beside him.
"Huff… huff…" Lightning flared in his hands again. "Even if I can't tell which of you is real… I'll treat every attack as if it is."
*****
Support me on my Ko-fi page and gain early access to my creations.
https://ko fi.com/rroy28 (put a "-" between "ko" and "fi")
You can access up to 30 advanced chapters.