Rihi had analyzed his own strengths and weaknesses before the battle began. This was his usual way of thinking.
After all, only by knowing oneself and one's enemy could one find a way to secure victory.
Others might not know their opponent's abilities and ninjutsu, but for Rihi, who was intimately familiar with the plot of Naruto, he had long since memorized the characteristics and ninjutsu of any character with a name.
This was the power of Rihi's intel!
Facing the Kakashi of this era, his exceptional taijutsu and ninjutsu were the key obstacles to Rihi's victory.
Rihi, on the other hand, had many powerful ninjutsu, but his chakra reserves were limited. Trying to defeat his opponent with just a couple of jutsu was next to impossible.
Besides, Rihi had only trained for ten days, so it was impossible for his physical abilities to have improved drastically. Thus, defeating Kakashi in taijutsu would also be extremely difficult.
Rihi understood that there was only one way to win this duel: touch his head mid-battle.
As long as he touched Kakashi's head during the duel, he could gain another enhancement. Given Kakashi's strength, the rewards were highly likely to be good. If he could get a reward that would guarantee victory, he could turn the tables.
Therefore, the most crucial step in this duel was to touch Kakashi's head.
It seemed like a long time had passed, but in reality, Rihi had come to this conclusion in an instant.
The battle was about to begin.
Kakashi held nothing back, charging at Rihi with incredible speed.
Rihi, however, didn't want to get into a close-quarters fight so quickly. Watching the rapidly approaching Kakashi, Rihi's eyes shifted slightly as a plan formed in his mind.
His hands formed seals as fast as a phantom. His Kage-level speed was imperceptible to everyone present.
Then, Rihi reached into his ninja tool pouch, flinging kunai and shuriken one after another at Kakashi.
Thanks to his diligent training, Rihi's kunai-throwing skills had improved immensely. The thrown kunai faintly sealed off Kakashi's possible paths of movement.
Kakashi showed no weakness, drawing his own kunai and precisely deflecting all the shuriken to the ground. This, however, caused his forward charge to pause for a moment.
This was the opportunity Rihi had been waiting for. He quickly closed the distance, but he didn't go for the head-touch right away. He knew his previous attack hadn't troubled Kakashi much.
Rihi swiftly attacked Kakashi. Using his Kage-level chakra control, he focused chakra to the soles of his feet and burst forward, instantly appearing in front of Kakashi.
Rihi's sudden appearance made Kakashi's eyes sharpen. He hadn't expected Rihi to be this fast.
Rihi pushed off with both feet, sending himself into a spin. He started with a low kick, followed it with a high kick during the rapid rotation, and finished with a heel strike.
"Konoha Hurricane!"
Having mastered the Strong Fist style, Rihi's taijutsu had improved significantly. Furthermore, he had integrated the power-channeling method of Monstrous Strength into his Konoha Hurricane, making the move extraordinarily powerful.
Clearly, Kakashi felt the pressure. After deflecting the first part of the attack, he realized he couldn't block this move head-on. He dodged and evaded, avoiding Rihi's attack, but the kunai in his hand was kicked away.
Kakashi rubbed his sore wrist.
"You're strong, but even the strongest technique is meaningless if it doesn't hit its target."
This brief exchange drew gasps of astonishment from the surrounding students.
"That's Kakashi! This Uchiha Rihi is actually holding his own against him!"
"Wow, that Uchiha boy is so handsome. I wonder what his personality is like."
"They're both so handsome. How can I choose?"
...
Rihi paid no attention to the voices around him. At this moment, he only wanted to defeat Kakashi.
*This technique won't last much longer. I have to end this quickly,* Rihi thought, casting a subtle glance at the kunai on the ground closest to Kakashi.
But no matter how subtle the glance, it couldn't escape the notice of Kakashi, who was watching Rihi's every move.
*Why did he look at a kunai that's already on the ground? I don't know yet, but I can't let him get what he wants.*
Kakashi's usual lazy demeanor was gone, replaced by a serious and solemn look in his eyes.
*This boy named Rihi is no simple foe. I'll have to take this seriously.*
Kakashi drew a kunai and swiftly leaped forward. His footwork and speed were completely different from before.
If before Rihi could roughly predict Kakashi's movements and block them, now he couldn't tell where Kakashi's attack would come from.
Watching the rapidly approaching Kakashi, Rihi let out a sigh of relief.
*He noticed, as expected. Or rather, I'm glad he noticed.*
Seeing that he couldn't stop the charging Kakashi, Rihi didn't just wait to be defeated. He drew his own kunai and stood ready.
But this time, the close-quarters combat was completely one-sided. No matter how Rihi defended, Kakashi always managed to attack from his blind spots.
Yet when Rihi tried to attack, Kakashi would dodge away like a startled rabbit.
*The Hatake Sword Style!* Rihi was shocked. To think it could unleash such power with just a kunai, not even a short sword. He couldn't be underestimated.
"Rihi, I don't know why you looked at that kunai, but I'm sorry, I won't let you succeed."
Kakashi gripped his kunai with both hands and slashed down diagonally.
Rihi raised his kunai to parry, but a sharp *CLANG* of metal on metal rang out, and his kunai was knocked to the ground.
But Rihi smiled.
"You really did see it. I'm glad you did."
Suddenly, the kunai that had just been knocked to the ground at Rihi's feet went *POOF!* and transformed into Rihi.
"What! How did he do that?" the students in the audience exclaimed in shock.
"Even the Clone Jutsu can't do something like that!"
Only Kakashi, Asuma, and the other more knowledgeable students, along with the chunin instructor, remained silent.
They understood that this wasn't an effect achievable by a simple Clone Jutsu, but a much more advanced technique--the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
By using the Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Transformation Jutsu in succession, he had turned a shadow clone into a kunai, then launched a surprise attack at the critical moment.
The only thing that puzzled those who had been watching the fight closely was when Rihi had performed the hand seals.
Rihi didn't give them much time to think. The shadow clone instantly attacked, unleashing a spinning back kick at Kakashi with astonishing speed and power.
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"
The powerful, heavy kick forced Kakashi to abandon his attack on the real Rihi. He dodged out of the Strong Whirlwind's range, and with a swift flick of his kunai, he dispelled the shadow clone.
But where was the real Rihi?
A voice suddenly came from behind Kakashi. "See? You left yourself wide open."
A hand touched Kakashi's head. Immediately, Kakashi grabbed Rihi's arm in a reverse grip, intending to throw him over.
But Rihi suddenly exerted his strength, breaking free from Kakashi's hold and shooting away from him like an arrow from a bow.
*DING! You have touched a C-Rank Ninja: Hatake Kakashi. Please select one of the following rewards:*
*Hatake Sword Style*
*Hidden Leaf Secret Taijutsu Technique: A Thousand Years of Death*
*Moderate Enhancement to Physical Attributes*
Looking at the rewards before him, Rihi didn't hesitate for a second and chose "Moderate Enhancement to Physical Attributes."
In truth, Rihi was conflicted. A Thousand Years of Death was useless to him right now when he lacked a decisive finishing move.
And while the "Hatake Sword Style" was powerful, he couldn't use it in Konoha. It was the Hatake clan's ancestral sword style, and he couldn't explain how he knew it.
After all, who would believe that a child with no connection to the Hatake clan, who hadn't even awakened his Sharingan, could instantly master their sword style?
So, the seemingly unremarkable "Moderate Enhancement to Physical Attributes" became the best choice.
*Reward has been distributed.*
As the cold system voice sounded, Rihi knew this battle could now come to an end.