Chapter 193: The Fallen Genius
"Shisui and Kakashi, are you both ready?" Mugetsu asked calmly.
"I'm ready to fight anytime," Shisui replied with a faint smile.
"No problem, we can start now," Kakashi said, his voice steady as he nodded. After receiving treatment and enough rest, he had completely recovered.
"Then let's begin," Mugetsu said with a smile, gesturing for both to take their positions on the battlefield.
As he watched Kakashi's composed expression, Mugetsu silently mourned for him—for exactly 0.1 seconds.
Since Kakashi had already witnessed Shisui defeat Obito, he had a general idea of Shisui's strength and fighting style. Unfortunately, that knowledge might actually work against him.
Shisui never liked finishing fights with overwhelming force. He always used just enough power to secure victory—and that tendency often misled opponents. If Shisui had activated his Sharingan during his match with Obito, the boy would've been trapped in Genjutsu immediately. But Shisui hadn't even needed to use it until the very end.
Moreover, because of his youthful appearance, Kakashi would never imagine that this boy—two years his junior—had held back during his previous fight.
Even if Kakashi had guessed correctly, the outcome would likely remain unchanged. Under ordinary conditions, their strength was similar, but once Shisui used his Sharingan, the balance would shatter.
Following Konoha's sparring tradition, both raised their hands and formed the Confrontation Seal.
If we were the same age, I'd probably lose to him, Kakashi admitted inwardly as he studied the focused Shisui.
He couldn't turn back time, but he knew one thing: Shisui was already stronger than Obito, who himself had surpassed Kakashi's younger self. That alone proved Obito's earlier words—Shisui was a genius among geniuses.
Still, Kakashi's confidence didn't waver. He believed Obito's loss was due not to inferior strength, but to poor combat sense. Kakashi, with his vast mission experience, was confident in his battle instincts.
"Begin!" Mugetsu announced.
Kakashi immediately drew his White Fang Short Sword and lunged forward, slashing straight at Shisui.
Clang!
Reacting instantly, Shisui enhanced his physical ability through controlled breathing and drew the short blade Mugetsu had given him. The two swords clashed with sharp metallic sparks.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed, his movements blindingly fast. The short sword danced in his hand, cutting at Shisui's vital points with precision.
Under the barrage of attacks, Shisui's clothes began to tear in several places. Realizing Kakashi's swordsmanship was sharper than expected, Shisui used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat several meters and formed quick hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball, nearly three meters wide, burst from Shisui's mouth and roared toward Kakashi.
Facing the searing flames, Kakashi didn't counter directly. Instead, he tossed a smoke bomb and vanished into the thick cloud.
At the same time, a storm of shuriken sliced through the edge of the smoke, heading toward Shisui.
Boom!
The Great Fireball slammed into the ground, exploding within the smoke cloud. When the smoke cleared, only scorched earth and scattered shuriken remained. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen.
Shisui's eyes narrowed. As expected of him.
He leapt into a tree, created a Shadow Clone, and began observing the northern treeline—Kakashi's most likely hiding spot, since his earlier attacks had come from the south.
Whoosh!
Just as predicted, Kakashi appeared from behind a large tree to the north, hurling a flurry of shuriken.
Shisui countered by throwing his own, deflecting Kakashi's attack—and through the ricochet, redirected several of his own shuriken to strike from odd, unpredictable angles.
Clang! Clang!
Kakashi twisted his body, deflecting most of them with his blade, but just as he exhaled in relief, Shisui appeared in front of him, kunai aimed straight at his chest.
"Kakashi-senpai, this battle is over," Shisui said calmly.
"The battle is over, yes," Kakashi's voice came from behind. "But I'm the winner."
Another Kakashi stepped out from behind a tree, holding a kunai to Shisui's back.
"You should always watch for the enemies who've already disappeared," he said smoothly.
"Kakashi-senpai, you're absolutely right," Shisui replied evenly.
Just as Kakashi allowed himself a brief smile of victory, Shisui's form flickered—and the real one appeared behind him. A kunai pressed gently against Kakashi's throat.
"It seems I'm the one who won," Shisui said, smiling faintly.
"You're certainly cautious," the Kakashi in front of him said, unruffled. "But you'll need to be even more careful than that."
Suddenly, a hand shot out from beneath the earth—grabbing Shisui's ankle and pulling him down until only his head remained above ground.
"If you'd been a little more careful, you might've won," the real Kakashi said, emerging from behind another tree with a calm smile. "But this time, victory is mine."
From the sidelines, Obito's jaw dropped as the situation flipped yet again.
"That guy Kakashi is way too sneaky! Both Shadow Clones were fakes!" he groaned.
Might Guy scratched his head and muttered, "All this trickery… a good kick would've ended it faster."
Just as Kakashi thought victory was his, the situation reversed. Shisui's Shadow Clone suddenly retaliated, taking down both of Kakashi's clones in a single movement.
Then, one of the shuriken scattered on the ground shimmered and transformed—revealing the real Shisui. His eyes gleamed crimson as he activated his Sharingan.
"Kakashi-senpai, you're right," Shisui said calmly. "A ninja should always be cautious—more and more cautious."
Kakashi instinctively looked toward him—and froze.
"Sharingan!" His heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected to see the Uchiha clan's legendary dojutsu in a first-year Academy student.
The next instant, thick trees erupted from the earth, wrapping around his limbs and torso. Kakashi struggled, but his body refused to move.
Wood Release? he thought in disbelief. Everyone in Konoha knew the legend of that power—the jutsu of the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi. But Shisui was Uchiha, not Senju.
That could only mean one thing.
Genjutsu.
Realizing it, Kakashi tried to break the illusion by disrupting his chakra flow—but Shisui's follow-up attack came too swiftly. Before he could act, he felt the cold edge of a short blade press against his chest.
The illusion shattered. Kakashi blinked, finding Shisui standing right beside him, kunai poised for a decisive strike.
"Thank you for the match, Kakashi-senpai," Shisui said, wearing a calm, almost serene smile.
The outcome didn't surprise him. Though many Academy teachers had compared him to Kakashi—calling him the "next genius"—Shisui never once believed he'd lose to Kakashi. He was Mugetsu's first disciple, after all.
When Kakashi had thrown the smoke bomb earlier, Shisui had already activated his Sharingan, tracking every subtle movement through the haze. From that moment onward, every move—the shuriken feints, the clones, even the false openings—had been deliberate traps.
Victory had been assured long before the final strike.
"There's no need to thank me," Kakashi said quietly. "You won because you were stronger."
He spoke without resentment—only reflection.
Until today, he had never lost to anyone his age. In fact, he had even defeated ninja several years older. But today, he'd lost twice—once to Might Guy, his equal in age, and once to Shisui, two years his junior.
Losing to Guy had shocked him but felt reasonable. Guy was relentless, and even Kakashi's late father had acknowledged his potential.
But losing to Shisui… that was different. It wasn't shocking—it was absolute. Shisui's strength, speed, and composure were beyond question.
Am I still a genius? Kakashi wondered silently.
When people had called him that two years ago, he hadn't smiled—but deep down, he'd accepted it as truth.
He'd graduated the Ninja Academy at five, top of his class. At six, he'd passed the Chunin Exams on his first try. Back then, he had been the youngest Chunin in decades.
If that wasn't genius, what was?
But now—now he was nine years old, and what had he achieved since then? His raw power had barely grown. His missions gave him experience, yes, but no longer any brilliance.
No new breakthroughs. No legendary accomplishments.
Just… another Chunin. A slightly younger one.
Maybe I used to be a genius, he thought bitterly. But I'm not anymore.
His mind drifted back—to that long, blood-soaked night when everything had changed. The night when the word "home" lost its meaning.
From that night onward, when he called out, "I'm home," no one answered.
"Kakashi, are you alright?" Mugetsu's voice broke through the haze of memory.
The warmth in his tone pulled Kakashi back to reality. When he looked up, Mugetsu was smiling softly, his hand resting gently on his shoulder.
"If you're tired, rest for a bit," Mugetsu said with a calm smile. "Training is important—but your body is your true foundation."
Kakashi exhaled, nodding slightly before walking back toward the observation area.
As soon as he arrived, Obito's teasing voice rang out. "See, Rin? I told you Kakashi couldn't win! Shisui can even beat me, so dealing with Kakashi is a piece of cake!"
Kakashi shot him a cold look. "I can't beat Shisui, true—but beating you, an Uchiha without a Sharingan, would be easy."
Obito flinched, frowning.
Rin stifled a giggle behind her hand, while Kakashi sat down with a sigh. But inside, Obito's words lit a small fire in his chest—one of quiet determination.
No matter what, he refused to fall behind Obito.
"Damn it, Kakashi!" Obito snapped. "I'll awaken my Sharingan sooner or later!"
Kakashi answered with a dry, mocking laugh.
Realizing his mistake—how his words sounded like an admission of inferiority—Obito quickly added, "Even without the Sharingan, I can still beat you!"
"Then prove it," Kakashi said flatly. "If you can defeat Guy, then maybe I'll believe you."
"I…" Obito's mouth opened, but no words came out. Remembering Guy's monstrous speed and strength from that morning, he suddenly didn't feel so confident.
"Alright, you two," Rin said with a warm smile, stepping between them before they could start another argument. "You're both amazing. But Obito—it's your turn next. Go prepare for your fight."
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