Why should they refuse to acknowledge me?

Faced with Kisame's sudden assault, Kakashi's expression changed, but he did not panic. Almost without thinking, he formed the signs of Snake, Boar, and Dog, then slammed his hand onto the ground. With a thunderous rumble, a towering earth wall swiftly rose before him.

Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall.

Like Kisame's Water Style: Exploding Water Wave, it was a B-rank jutsu, and specifically designed to counter Water Style with Earth Style. Kakashi even took the extra moment to use some chakra to sculpt several lifelike dog heads into the wall, making it appear quite formidable.

Kisame's assessment of this showmanship was:

"All flash, completely useless except for looking cool."

Standing atop a three-story wave, Kisame gestured for Kakashi to take a good look around. Only then did Kakashi realize the scale of Kisame's Exploding Water Wave was far greater than he'd imagined—within moments it had circumvented the Earth Flow Wall and flooded the entire training ground.

The area had become a pond, entirely turned into Kisame's domain.

With a splash, Kisame sank beneath the water, vanishing without a trace.

Just a few seconds passed.

A barrage of shark-shaped water bullets shot out from below, attacking Kakashi from every direction. If even one managed to bite him, only dismemberment awaited.

Is this guy serious?

Kakashi hadn't expected Kisame to come at him so ruthlessly right from the start, as if the Hidden Mist had specifically sent him to assassinate the Leaf's prodigy.

In the nick of time—

With swift, darting movements, Kakashi skimmed across the water's surface like a dragonfly, pushing his agility to the limit, even leaving afterimages. He weaved through the encirclement of sharks; though the danger seemed overwhelming, he always managed to escape at the last moment.

This was Kakashi.

Despite the sluggishness caused by his stomach troubles, not a single shark managed to touch even the hem of his clothes.

Still, after dozens of rounds, his movements slowed, and his legs faltered.

Kisame would not let such an opportunity slip by.

Suddenly, a massive whirlpool formed beneath Kakashi's feet, throwing him off balance and dragging him down. Five sharks immediately surged from the whirlpool's edge, swarming him.

Water Style: Five Feeding Sharks.

Kakashi's body was quickly torn apart, devoured by the sharks.

"Kakashi!" Nearby, Guy clasped his thick black hair, shaking his head desperately as he let out a heart-wrenching scream.

Kisame surfaced and said to Guy,

"No need to worry about your friend. That was just a shadow clone."

As expected.

Kakashi's true body appeared at the entrance to the training ground, his gaze locked intently on Kisame.

From the beginning, it had been a shadow clone accompanying Might Guy, intended to gather intel on Kisame’s abilities.

The reality was, this Hidden Mist genin was even tougher to deal with than Kakashi had imagined.

His body was unwell now.

So he resolved to end things quickly.

Just then, the water Kisame had created with Exploding Water Wave began to dissipate, stripping him of his environmental advantage.

Swiftly, Kakashi launched himself at Kisame. In his hand, somehow, a white short blade had appeared, its silvery light radiating with mysterious brilliance.

White Fang's Short Blade, the weapon once wielded by Sakumo Hatake, famed for cleaving through battlefields and striking fear into countless enemies.

Oh?

Kisame’s eyes lit up at the sight of the blade, and he immediately felt the urge to snatch it.

As Kakashi, swift as a phantom, closed in to attack, Kisame remained calm. He raised his left hand and snapped his fingers crisply.

Boom!

An explosion erupted on the training ground along Kakashi’s path, blocking his advance, with fire and shockwaves threatening to engulf him.

Kakashi’s pupils contracted as he forcibly halted and leapt aside, narrowly dodging the blast.

He then moved in a zigzag pattern, darting left and right, relentlessly closing in on Kisame.

But Kisame snapped his fingers again.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—

A series of explosions erupted all around Kakashi. No matter how he dodged, there was nowhere to stand.

This was because Kisame, before the fight began, had used the Exploding Sword: Hydro Blade’s power to bury detonating tags all throughout the ground.

After dodging more than ten blasts, Kakashi was finally sent flying by an explosion.

Clang.

His White Fang Short Blade slipped from his hand, landing nearby.

Kakashi struggled to rise, but his already weakened body, now injured by the explosion, quickly failed him, and he collapsed.

Kisame, triumphant, walked over with hands in his pockets, casually picking up the fallen White Fang Short Blade.

"That’s right. I laced your ramen yesterday with laxatives—it was my doing. And last night, I filled the training ground with detonating tags. Clearly, I was better prepared for this duel, so I win."

Kisame looked down at Kakashi, boasting of his victory.

Kakashi remained silent, gritting his teeth and glaring fiercely.

It was obvious he refused to accept defeat.

"Why does everyone I beat show that same dissatisfied expression? I really don’t get it," Kisame complained, feeling he had won fair and square, so why the resentment?

How dare you ask such a question?

Kakashi raged inwardly, convinced that Kisame was not only despicable, but utterly shameless.

"Fine, I’ll give you one more chance—a proper duel, no tricks. Kakashi, I want you to lose with no regrets."

Kisame spoke as he spread his arms toward Kakashi, indicating he would not use any more detonating tags.

He stepped back to stand ten paces away, unmoving.

A minute passed.

Under Kisame’s gaze, Kakashi pushed himself upright with both hands, his iron will forcing him to his feet once more.

Kakashi knew that with his current weakened state and depleted chakra, he had only a single chance to attack.

His final chance.

He had to defeat Kisame, that shameless villain.

Driven by this determination, Kakashi swiftly produced a scroll, unfurled it, and bit his finger, writing special symbols with his own blood.

He then held the scroll and rapidly formed the seals.

Summoning: Earth Style: Tracking Fang Technique.

The instant the seals were completed, the ground beneath Kakashi swelled, as something moved quickly underground, closing in on Kisame.

The answer was revealed soon enough.

"Woof woof!"

Seven or eight ninja dogs of various sizes and shapes burst from the earth, leaping en masse toward Kisame.