After Kakashi forced Lock back, he didn't immediately pursue. Instead, he stopped and stared at his opponent with a sharp, calculating gaze.
"All the shuriken were knocked down. I saw where they landed. So… how did you appear behind me?"
His voice was calm, but there was real doubt flickering in his eyes. He prided himself on noticing every detail, yet Lock had slipped through anyway.
Before Lock could even think of what to say, Yagyū-sensei spoke, folding his arms.
"He didn't transform into a shuriken," Yagyū explained, his tone carrying admiration. "He turned into a stone instead. When you focused on intercepting the shuriken, his clone sent that stone rolling near your position. You were distracted, your eyes on his hands… and in that instant, Lock was already behind you."
The class stirred with realization, murmurs of amazement spreading through it.
"Using the shuriken as a distraction, then slipping in with something simple and unexpected… clever." Yagyū's gaze lingered on Lock, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.
Lock scratched his cheek awkwardly. In truth, he'd just improvised, trying to mimic the "tactic" Kakashi had accused him of earlier. But looking at the way everyone reacted, he felt like he was living in someone else's legend.
What caught his attention, though, wasn't their praise—it was Kakashi's hand. That last moment, when the boy had drawn his short blade… he had deliberately twisted it, striking with the back instead of the edge. He could've cut him. He chose not to.
"Kind, huh…" Lock thought, his lips pressing into a thin line. For all his genius, Kakashi was still a boy with a heart.
Kakashi, meanwhile, stood stiffly, his expression unreadable. He had thought Lock would repeat the earlier tactic. Instead, Lock had twisted it into something different, and it nearly caught him. For someone so young, that adaptability was frightening.
"But I won't give up easily."
His voice cut through the silence, steady and filled with pride. His fingers tightened around his short blade. "Next, I'll fight you with everything I've got."
Lock's body tensed. Even though Kakashi was small, his presence felt heavy. His instincts screamed a warning—this was no ordinary opponent.
Kakashi raised the weapon with both hands. The blade gleamed faintly, carrying with it the aura of the White Fang. He was still just a child, but even so, there was something dangerous in the way he stood.
"What weapon do you use?" Kakashi asked.
Lock pulled out a kunai, twirling it once in his hand. "This is enough."
He didn't need to say more. Kunai and shuriken were the bread and butter of shinobi. In the right hands, they were deadlier than any sword.
"Remember," Yagyū's tone turned stern as his eyes flicked between them. "This is a spar. Hold back before things go too far."
Neither boy answered. They were already moving.
Two small figures shot forward, colliding in the center of the training ground. Steel rang against steel, kunai against blade, sparks flashing with every clash.
Kakashi's movements were sharp, refined, his short sword stabbing like a viper, always angling toward a vital point. His skill belied his age—trained, drilled, inherited from the White Fang's lineage.
Lock wasn't as polished, but he was fast. Faster than Kakashi expected. His strength carried through each swing of the kunai, forcing Kakashi to adjust his footwork, forcing him back step by step.
The exchange became a blur of strikes and parries. The class leaned forward, breathless. This was no children's scuffle—this was a clash of shinobi in miniature.
"They're already fighting like genin…" Yagyū muttered, unable to hide his astonishment.
Minutes passed. Neither side gave in. Sweat formed on their brows, their movements gradually slowing. For all their talent, their bodies were still young, their stamina not endless.
Around them, the students gawked in disbelief. They'd always known Kakashi was strong—so strong they thought no one could match him. But now…
"This is the second-to-last in our class?" someone whispered hoarsely. "Are you kidding me?!"
Lock and Kakashi separated again, both panting, chests rising and falling rapidly. They locked eyes, each seeing the same thing reflected—acknowledgment.
Kakashi clenched his fist tighter around his blade. His expression hardened.
"Lock. You're the strongest peer I've ever fought. To honor that…" He took a breath. "I'll defeat you with real ninjutsu. The ninjutsu I just learned."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Real ninjutsu?"
That wasn't the Clone Jutsu, or the Transformation Jutsu. It meant the genuine thing—the techniques only proper shinobi were supposed to use.
So young, and he already had that kind of power?
"Super genius…" Yagyū's eyes widened, his voice trembling with excitement. "Konoha's future… truly, it's in front of me."