A gentle breeze blew by, swirling the dust on the ground and carrying a faint scent of gunpowder smoke.
In the arena, Aoki Yoru and Kakashi stared each other down.
"If I remember correctly, we haven't crossed paths since graduation."
"Yeah, that was nearly five years ago."
Aoki Yoru spoke with a sigh of emotion, "Time really flies. I must thank you for your guidance, Kakashi-sensei."
He thought back to when he was just a trembling orphan who only wanted to survive in this Ninja World.
Successfully making it through the Fourth Shinobi World War and striving to live until boruto was his greatest dream back then.
Later, he met Kakashi, and his fate changed.
He truly was a good teacher—at least, he was for Aoki Yoru.
He never withheld Ninjutsu of various attributes and was even generous with his signature techniques.
And most importantly, he allowed him to enter the circle of the Hokage lineage.
This was also why the previous Third Hokage and the current Fifth Hokage were so indulgent toward him.
Five years have passed since then.
To put it bluntly, if he wanted to escape now, even Senju Hashirama wouldn't be able to keep him there.
The only ones who could make him feel threatened were those from the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Those guys were monsters, hardly human at all; the species gap was just too large.
Clang—
Kakashi, on the opposite side, actually summoned a Ninja sword from a scroll and slowly drew it out.
"Hmm?"
"Kakashi-sensei, when did you start using a sword again?"
If he remembered correctly, after obtaining the Sharingan, Kakashi had grown accustomed to fighting with it.
Known as Konoha's number one technician, the Copy Ninja who mastered a thousand Ninjutsu.
Kakashi revealed his Sharingan. "Well, over the last few years. Besides, when fighting you, it's more convenient to use a blade."
He then looked at the sword in his hand with a nostalgic expression. "This was my father's blade. It's been a long time since we fought together."
Aoki Yoru gave him a speechless look; was there a need to be so serious? This was just a regular sparring match.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Suddenly, Team Asuma, Team Kurenai, and Team Guy, who had just been at the gathering, appeared at the edge of the field.
The summoning beasts of Sakura and Jieyi just now had piqued some people's curiosity, leading them here to check it out.
Katsuyu was Tsunade's summoning beast, something almost all Jonin knew, and there was no signal of an enemy invasion.
However, the battle with that lizard made their hands itch with curiosity.
Jonin with some level of skill all came to watch the excitement.
"Oh! Aoki Yoru and Kakashi are actually going to spar," Asuma said in surprise.
"This is youth! I didn't expect them to have a match."
Guy showed an excited expression. "Should I join in?"
Tenten, beside him, rolled her eyes. "Guy-sensei, it's better if you don't interfere. Didn't you see that Lady Tsunade and Jiraiya-sama are both here?"
Hearing this, Guy looked disappointed; it was a rare opportunity to compete with them.
During the last war with the Land of Lightning, he was sent to the border of the Land of Earth for defense; during the enemy attack on the 'Fire Festival' two years ago, he was out on a protection mission with his beloved students.
For some reason, he hadn't encountered a troublesome enemy since reaching adulthood.
Could it all be the arrangement of the heavens?
This made him very frustrated; he also wanted to fight once with everything he had.
At this moment, the Chakra in both Aoki Yoru and Kakashi had condensed to its peak.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Two voices spoke simultaneously.
Before the words even faded, both figures vanished from their spots at the same time.
Only two intertwined afterimages remained in the arena, moving so fast their trajectories were almost invisible, leaving behind a series of crisp metallic clangs and constantly exploding lightning.
The onlookers could only hear the "clink, clink, clink" of clashing weapons and the sharp whistle of torn air, unable to capture their movements at all. Even Tsunade and Jiraiya couldn't help but straighten their backs.
Lightning darted across the field like two silver threads chasing each other, sometimes colliding, sometimes crossing. The entire area was shrouded in blinding electrical light, and even the air crackled from the intensity.
"So fast..."
Kurenai watched the battle in the arena, dumbfounded. Even as a Jonin, she could only see blurry shadows.
She then gave a bitter smile. "If I encountered them, I'd probably be killed in an instant, right?"
Among the students, only Hyuga Neji could barely see their shadows with his Byakugan active; the others were just staring wide-eyed, trying to find the two.
If not for the sounds of collision and the vibrations in the air, one might think no one was there.
"So fast. Both Kakashi-sensei and Senior Aoki are so fast."
Sakura watched with a dazed expression.
She really hadn't expected the two of them to be this strong.
Clang—
The moment the loud bang erupted, the two used the counterforce to fly backward simultaneously, landing steadily at opposite ends of the arena as the lightning dissipated.
Aoki Yoru looked at Kakashi, his face still carrying a trace of shock.
He had expected Kakashi's strength to improve, but not to this extent.
In their high-speed exchange just now, they had used the first through sixth forms of Thunder Breathing, interspersed with clashes of the White Fang Sword Style.
Judging solely by Breathing Styles and swordsmanship, Kakashi was not at a disadvantage.
It seemed that after shedding the shackles of the Sharingan and being nourished by white zetsu cells, Kakashi's talent was finally being displayed without reservation.
At this time, Kakashi looked at Aoki Yoru with a serious expression; he had already anticipated that Aoki Yoru would keep up.
After all, the boy's talent was even more terrifying than his own.
He then took a deep breath, and a wisp of lightning and a light breeze emerged from his nostrils.
"Wind-Thunder Breathing: Roaring Wind and Howling Thunder!"
Kakashi's blade carried an aura of intertwined lightning and wind. His slashes not only had the explosion of lightning but were also wrapped in invisible wind blades.
If Aoki Yoru hadn't used Chakra to protect his body, the mere passing air currents would have carved fine bloody gashes into his skin.
He looked at Kakashi's technique, his eyes lighting up. "Oh! A combination of Wind Breathing and Thunder Breathing?"
He himself usually specialized in Thunder Breathing and Sun Breathing, and had never thought about combining other attributes.
Outside the field, Jiraiya and Tsunade also watched intently, observing their breathing frequencies and Chakra usage.
At their level, they could see the principles at a glance; if they wanted to mimic it, it would only be a matter of time.
However, this Breathing Style could indeed enhance their strength.
In the arena, Kakashi was now combining almost all five major attributes in pairs. Some of the moves left Aoki Yoru in awe.
"This is very similar to the Third Hokage's Five-Element Ninjutsu, just used more freely."
"If this guy uses three attributes of Breathing Styles simultaneously, won't he develop a Kekkei Tota?"
Clang—
He used the impact of the weapon clash to leap backward, disengaging from the battlefield.
"In that case, how about you try this move?"
A stream of heat then emerged from Aoki Yoru's mouth. He raised nightfall and slashed down with force.
"Sun Breathing: Getsuga Tensho!"
A flaming crescent slash, carrying the high temperature of the sun, roared into existence. The ground it passed over cracked and charred, moisture was instantly evaporated, and even the air popped and crackled under the extreme heat.
Carrying a scorching heat capable of melting everything, it charged straight toward Kakashi.