"This really isn't fair, you know."
Kakashi gave Kaede a deadpan look. "No wonder I've never been able to beat you. Having a Kekkei Genkai is basically cheating."
Kaede chuckled. "Since when has using a Kekkei Genkai in battle counted as cheating? But if it bothers you that much, I'll fight you again, without using that ability."
Kakashi was indeed a genius.
Though they both inherited the bloodline of Konoha's White Fang, Kaede's talent in ninjutsu didn't quite match Kakashi's. But that didn't matter, he was still stronger, because he had put in more time training!
The effects of his time acceleration didn't just apply to combat, it extended to training too. Ever since he arrived in this world, Kaede had spent at least twice as much training time as Kakashi!
"…No, forget it."
Kakashi paused, then shook his head.
A Kekkei Genkai was an innate ability, it wasn't cheating. Even if he managed to beat Kaede without one, it wouldn't really mean much.
In the ninja world, no one ever said you couldn't use your Kekkei Genkai.
"But just having a Kekkei Genkai doesn't mean you'll always be stronger than me. If you slip up, I might surpass you."
He stared at Kaede, not showing even a hint of discouragement. After all, Kekkei Genkai weren't invincible.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, didn't have a Kekkei Genkai either, yet his name shook the entire ninja world, and many in Konoha considered him the strongest of the Five Kage!
"Then I'll be waiting for the day you surpass me."
Kaede smiled and reached out to pat Kakashi's head, but Kakashi immediately stepped back with a frown.
Just as he was about to snap at Kaede for treating him like a kid, a loud and energetic voice suddenly rang out from nearby.
"Ahhh! Kakashi! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"
Kaede turned to see a boy in a tight green jumpsuit bursting out of the bushes—his look was unmistakable.
Might Guy!
Without even sparing a glance at Kaede, Guy leapt straight toward Kakashi and lashed out with a flying spinning kick.
"Let's settle this, Kakashi! Take this—Leaf Hurricane!"
"…"
Kakashi glanced at Guy with his usual dead-eyed look and silently blocked the strike with one arm before countering with a horizontal kick of his own.
Guy absorbed the blow with seemingly endless energy. "This time I'm definitely gonna win, Kakashi! Bring it on!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
In the blink of an eye, Guy and Kakashi were locked in fierce hand-to-hand combat.
Just like in the original story, Guy had viewed Kakashi as his rival since their Academy days, constantly training and challenging him.
Kaede watched the two going at it, shrugged, and leapt up into a nearby tree to watch from above, completely uninvolved.
A man who would one day master the Eight Gates and beat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into the dirt, leaving lasting trauma on survivors like Fuguki Suikazan, Guy's taijutsu talent was undeniable.
Though he hadn't yet learned the Eight Gates, his raw physical prowess already let him pressure Kakashi in close combat. But the moment Kakashi started using ninjutsu, the fight's outcome was clear.
Crackle! Zap!
Still irritated from losing to Kaede, Kakashi didn't hold back. After exchanging a few blows, he suddenly unleashed a Lightning Release technique.
ZAP! Guy flew back with a yelp, his hair standing straight up and the scent of burnt cloth in the air.
"Ugh… dammit…"
Guy lay sprawled on the ground, smoking slightly. Even though he'd clearly lost, he didn't seem the least bit discouraged.
"Next time… I'm totally gonna win…" he muttered, sparks still flickering from his mouth.
Kakashi crossed his arms and looked down at him.
"You should probably give up now. You beating me is even less likely than me beating Kaede."
"Thanks for the support…"
Guy slowly pushed himself off the ground and gave Kakashi a thumbs-up.
Then, blinking, he tilted his head.
"Wait… what did you just say?"
"Nothing important," Kakashi replied with a shrug.
But Guy furrowed his brow and glanced up at Kaede, still perched in the tree, his eyes filled with doubt.
Did Kakashi just say… he couldn't beat Kaede?
Guy had never really compared the two brothers. After all, Kakashi had graduated at five and became a chūnin at six, while Kaede had only ever ranked near the top of their class.
Must've misheard. Kakashi probably meant that Guy beating him was less likely than Kaede beating him…
Relaxing at the thought, Guy's brows smoothed out again.
Swoosh!
Kaede leapt down from the tree and looked at the two of them.
"You two gonna keep training, or grab something to eat first?"
Thanks to Guy's frequent challenges, Kaede had gotten used to him. Despite the odd stares that followed Guy and his father Might Duy wherever they went, Kaede never looked down on them, not one bit.
After all—
One of them would eventually open the Eighth Gate, destroying the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and scarring the survivors mentally.
And the other… would nearly kick Kaguya Otsutsuki's coffin open in a battle against Madara.
Honestly, Kaede felt kinda guilty for eyeing the Eight Gates technique himself.
That said, mastering the Eight Gates was both simple and extremely hard. The basics were easy enough that any ninja could learn it, it was a straightforward, brutal form of taijutsu, but to truly master it required years of hellish training and discipline.
Which is exactly why only people like Guy and Duy had the willpower to push through and perfect such a grueling technique.
"Since I lost to Kakashi, I'll do 3,000 squats before I eat."
Guy answered without hesitation and immediately began squatting in place, completely ignoring Kakashi's exasperated stare.
Seeing Guy jump right back into training, Kakashi shook his head and turned to Kaede.
"I'm not hungry either. I'll keep training too."
It wasn't that Guy had inspired him.
It was Kaede.
With Kaede pulling ahead thanks to a Kekkei Genkai, Kakashi could feel the distance between them widening. If he didn't push himself, that gap would only grow.
And that was something he simply couldn't accept.
"Suit yourselves," Kaede said casually.
"I'm gonna go eat. You guys keep at it."
He didn't mind.
His daily rhythm was completely out of sync with regular people's. Thanks to his time acceleration, he ate at least five meals a day, and trained far more than both Kakashi and Guy combined.
************
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