Leisure time always flies when you're not about to get punched in the face.
The last team had just finished their match, which meant one thing: the final individual battles were about to begin.
From the six teams who made it this far, eighteen genin prepared for their one-on-one matches—randomized by draw.
At the waiting area, Kakashi Hatake squinted at the crooked number tag pinned to Rin's chest and casually reached over to fix it.
Rin's face turned a shade pinker than her ninja sandals. Her heart pounded, and she dared not meet his eyes.
Meanwhile, a girl with delicate features and ruby-red eyes approached with a friendly smile.
"Rin, looks like we're matched up first," said Kurenai Yuhi, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I won't be holding back, so you'd better not either."
"Eh? Oh, uh… sure, Kurenai. Let's give it our best."
Rin was momentarily thrown off. She and Kurenai were friends—and had even giggled late into the night over Kurenai's awkward tales of Asuma's attempts at flirting.
And judging by the amused twinkle in Kurenai's eyes, she'd noticed Rin's tiny crush on Kakashi.
"Rin, you gotta be careful," said Obito, who was nervously adjusting his goggles. "Kurenai's genjutsu is no joke."
Obito, the only one on the team who graduated like a normal person, had firsthand experience of Kurenai's illusions in class—and the trauma stuck.
Kakashi said nothing. He simply shoved his hands in his pockets and watched the match-up unfold. As Tsunade's disciple, he knew Rin's strengths better than anyone.
"Don't worry, Obito. I've got this," Rin replied, confidence flashing in her eyes.
The Arena
Two slender kunoichi stood face-to-face on the battlefield.
From the stands, they looked delicate—too soft for shinobi warfare.
"Kawaii~ But seriously, aren't these two support types? This is gonna be a snore-fest."
"Who cares if they fight? Cuteness is justice!"
"Yup! Pretty girl showdown—let's gooo!"
Voices from the crowd buzzed like flies over cotton candy.
"Asuma," Kakashi said, still staring straight ahead, "Thoughts on your sweetheart?"
"I believe in Kurenai," replied Asuma Sarutobi, who didn't take his eyes off the field for even a second.
"Begin!"
As soon as the referee barked the command, the two girls threw kunai and closed in.
Clang! Clang!
Their blades met mid-air and dropped harmlessly to the ground.
But their eyes didn't break contact. Their feet didn't slow.
Then it began: hand-to-hand combat.
Despite their delicate looks, the girls moved with explosive speed. Rin's strikes carried bone-crunching force, courtesy of her training under Tsunade.
As she began to release more of her strength, Kurenai quickly realized she was outmatched in taijutsu.
"This is bad." Kurenai gritted her teeth and used a Body Replacement Jutsu, narrowly dodging a crushing blow.
"Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion – Nirvana Clone!"
Multiple Kurenais suddenly surrounded Rin, each identical in appearance.
Then—she cast it.
"Illusion: Sakura Falling Technique!"
A flurry of phantom petals rained down. Rin's eyes glazed over as she stood paralyzed, her head drooping.
Got her. Kurenai stepped in for the finishing blow.
Except—Rin's head snapped up. Her hand darted forward and grabbed Kurenai by the throat.
"Guh—!"
Kurenai struggled, stunned.
"I'm sorry," Rin whispered, and her strength crushed Kurenai's resistance completely.
"YEAH! Rin won!!!" Obito shouted, pumping his fist from the stands.
Asuma's eyes narrowed. "She broke through Kurenai's genjutsu that fast?"
Kakashi's lips twitched under the mask.
Tsunade's influence ran deep. Rin's chakra control was excellent, and with careful training, breaking illusions from genin-level opponents was child's play.
"Alright! My turn!" Obito cracked his knuckles. Then immediately got destroyed by Might Guy.
Which was honestly kind of impressive.
Obito, even with his Sharingan, had underestimated Guy's one talent: insane training.
Guy had trained relentlessly for a year and a half and somehow brute-forced his way into unlocking the Third Gate—the Gate of Life!
Even Kakashi blinked. This guy's stamina bar has no business being that long.
Still, as soon as Guy wrapped up his victory dance, the stadium quieted again.
A new figure stepped calmly into the arena.
Uchiha Shisui.
"Oh, we're starting that early?" Kakashi sighed, slipping his hands back in his pockets as he entered the field.
Kakashi vs. Shisui.
"Please advise me, Kakashi-senpai."
Shisui didn't let the calm entrance fool him. As the leader of the first team to reach the tower, Kakashi was tagged as dangerously unpredictable.
"You're too polite. Just don't cry when I ruin your day."
Shisui's smile flickered. Yep. Definitely dangerous.
"Then I won't hold back."
His Three Tomoe Sharingan spun to life. With a flash of hand seals and sword unsheathed, ten Shisuis materialized around Kakashi.
Kakashi's eye twitched. "You're leading with your trump card? I'm flattered. Most people wait until dinner to bring out the fancy wine."
The Phantom Body Flicker Technique—Shisui's signature move.
These weren't clones. They weren't illusions. Every single one had partial physical form. They were both real and not. Time-space trickery layered with precision.
The ten Shisuis moved in, swords ready.
Kakashi, unimpressed, stood still. Left hand on the sheath. Right hand on the hilt.
"Hatake Style: Wind Blade – Circular Slash."
BOOM.
Wind and blade chakra erupted outward like a tornado. Shisui's instant-bodies were caught mid-attack and scattered like leaves in a hurricane.
"Note to self," Kakashi said casually, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder. "Maybe use a different trick next time you charge a guy surrounded by airborne razor blades."
Shisui narrowed his eyes.
"Impressive. But how many times can you pull that off?"
Rather than answer, Kakashi smirked. "Try me."
Shisui did.
He vanished again, flickering between attacks. But Kakashi had trained under Sage Mode—his reflexes were now borderline prophetic.
Clang!
Kakashi blocked every strike. Over a dozen fatal slashes, parried with effortless timing.
But he knew one thing: this couldn't last forever.
His trump cards—Sage Mode and Flying Thunder God Technique—were off-limits for now.
If this drags out, I'll have to start naming my injuries. Time to speed this up.
Kakashi deliberately left an opening.
Shisui struck—his blade plunged into Kakashi's right chest.
"Kakashi!!" Rin screamed from the stands.
Shisui's eyes widened. "Senpai! I—I didn't mean—!"
"Nervous System Rupture."
Kakashi's right hand dropped the sword, and with his left, he jabbed Shisui in the gut, sending a paralyzing current through his entire nervous system.
Shisui collapsed—completely immobilized.
Then Kakashi calmly formed a chakra scalpel and severed the chakra pathways in Shisui's limbs.
"You lose," he said, yanking the sword out of his own chest.
The wound began healing almost immediately.
"I used a Forbidden Technique, so it's fair," Kakashi added. "I'm not that noble."
Shisui looked stunned. "Your healing… that fast?"
Kakashi shrugged. "I cheat."
The referee called the match. Kakashi kneeled beside his opponent and used Healing Jutsu to reconnect Shisui's severed meridians.
"Your medical ninjutsu is incredible," Shisui said, amazed as sensation returned to his limbs.
"No big deal," Kakashi said, "I moonlight as a medic when I'm not saving the world or getting stabbed."
"You're strong, senpai. If we were the same age, I doubt I could beat you."
Kakashi extended a hand.
"Let's skip the rivalry part and go straight to the 'we're friends now' bit."
Shisui grinned and clasped his hand. "Deal. I've got a thousand questions I wanna ask anyway."
"You're lucky I like hearing myself talk."