"Fujiwara Lock, Kakashi wants to challenge you. Will you accept?"
Yagyū-sensei glanced at Lock. He had already fought once today, so maybe he'd refuse—but deep down, the teacher knew Lock wouldn't back down.
Sure enough, Lock suppressed the grin tugging at his lips and stepped forward slowly.
"I accept the challenge."
If it were anyone else, he might've declined. But Kakashi was different.
Every generation in Konoha produced a genius who stood above the rest: the First Hokage, Madara, the Sannin, and soon the Fourth Hokage, Minato. And among this generation, no question shone the brightest—Hatake Kakashi.
He wasn't even a full shinobi yet, but already terrifying. Lock remembered: Kakashi graduated from the Academy at just five years old, and that year had only just begun. By six, he'd reach chūnin. At this moment, Kakashi might already be fighting at genin-level or higher. Among his peers, only someone like Itachi Uchiha—who wasn't even born yet—could compare.
So Lock accepted. Not out of arrogance, but caution. He wanted to measure himself against this prodigy.
Yagyū's face turned stern. "Very well. Since both of you agree, then begin. But remember—hold back enough not to cripple each other."
Lock and Kakashi faced off, several meters apart. Both wore serious expressions, the air tense.
Then Kakashi spoke first.
"I'm not like the others. I saw through the tactics you used to defeat Obito earlier."
"...?"
Lock blinked, confused. Tactics? What tactics? Did I even use any?
But Kakashi misunderstood the look on his face and pressed on.
"Everyone else thought you won because Obito was weak. But that's not it. Your plan was flawless—it even took me a while to unravel it."
"What plan?" Obito blurted, voicing the question on everyone's mind. Even Yagyū leaned forward, curious.
Kakashi explained with absolute seriousness:
"You didn't just use one clone—you used two. Counting your real body, there were three of you. But while we only saw two, you secretly combined Transformation Jutsu on yourself, turning into a shuriken."
Gasps went around the crowd.
Kakashi continued, his voice sharp and precise:
"One clone threw you—the transformed shuriken—as a feint. Obito thought it was just an attack, but in reality, you used that moment to slip behind him, completely unnoticed. That's when you unleashed your so-called 'Millennium Kill' and defeated him instantly. Am I right?"
Silence. Then the students all erupted at once.
"So that's how it was!"
"No wonder it looked so weird—what a genius move!"
"Unbelievable, to use Clone and Transformation at the same time like that..."
Even Yagyū's eyes widened. He knew what it meant for a student to coordinate two jutsu simultaneously and weave them into such a perfect feint. "A true genius... I've found a treasure," he thought, already planning how he'd nurture Lock further.
Lock just stood there stiffly, numb. What the hell is this guy talking about...?
He wanted to scream. He hadn't thought of any grand "tactic." He'd just used Clone, slipped behind Obito with his invisibility, and jabbed the poor guy in the butt. That was it.
Now Kakashi had woven an elaborate explanation out of thin air, and everyone swallowed it whole.
Lock opened his mouth... then shut it again. What could he say? If he told the truth, no one would believe him anyway.
Damn it... this isn't my tactic at all! How did Kakashi even come up with this crap?!