Chapter 10: Kill a Hundred Enemies, Lose Ten Thousand

Ahead, Kakashi kept performing Seal Formation, trying to use Ninjutsu to block Qimu Chao's movement, thereby giving himself time to hide again and devise a plan.

Behind, Qimu Chao pressed forward step by step; whether Earth Release or Fire Release, or traps made with Ninja Tools, none could halt his stride. He didn't even need to draw a blade—just a light flick of his finger sent out Five-Colored Thread, forming a crisscrossing interception net that nullified Kakashi's attacks.

It was also Kakashi's first time witnessing this use of Five-Colored Thread; he had originally thought it was merely a simple offensive Ninjutsu, but now it appeared both offensive and defensive, especially the defensive part in his brother's hands being watertight.

So strong, indeed a brother.

When there is a gap in strength, it can indeed spur the desire to catch up, but once the gap widens beyond a certain point, that desire changes.

Unreachable.

However, the current Kakashi won't abandon the chase just because the strength gap is huge; after all, the two are brothers.

If brother is stronger, I must work even harder.

Just like now.

The running Kakashi ahead halted, drew the Short Sword he had been carrying behind him, and pointed its tip at Qimu Chao.

"Oh? Not running away?"

Qimu Chao raised an eyebrow, a smile on his face.

"Anyway I can't escape, might as well go all out."

While speaking, Kakashi removed the weight he was bearing, which he had learned from A Kai; these Sealed Wristbands, forged with sealing arts, together exceed an adult's weight.

He knew his brother didn't have these, and brother wouldn't train this way.

Weight…

Just as Kakashi thought, Qimu Chao indeed had no such weight on him; such arduous training wasn't suitable for him.

"Wrist, ankle, and waist together must be over a hundred kilograms; wearing these all the time, be careful you won't grow tall later."

The instant Kakashi shed the weight and assumed his stance, Qimu Chao sprang forward in a single arrow step, appearing right before Kakashi.

Seeing his brother move so fast, Kakashi's pupils narrowed: "Is that Instant Body Technique, or just sheer speed?"

There was no time for him to keep pondering; the formal Ninja Duel they had planned seemed to have turned into a routine brotherly spar.

In the next instant, Qimu Chao raised his hand to slash, and the weight‑free Kakashi forcefully blocked the strike.

"Seen it, can keep up, can block!"

That thought arose inside him; after enduring Qimu Chao's cleave, Kakashi switched to offense, the Short Sword in his hand slipping around Qimu Chao's Tachi, his fingers adjusting the grip, and he slashed toward his chest.

The speed of that swing was, in fact, comparable to Qimu Chao's earlier slash.

That's the flexibility of a Short Sword compared to a long blade.

Heh…

Hearing his brother's laugh, Kakashi instantly sensed something off; his brother's mastery of sword technique was on par with his, the pros and cons between long and short blades were crystal clear to him, so where had he erred?

Before he could continue thinking, he felt a heavy blow to his abdomen; he seemed a bit overconfident, as Qimu Chao had been wielding the blade solely with his right hand all along, his left hand clutching the scabbard.

For an ordinary person, a Tachi—a long blade—must be held with both hands, otherwise it could be knocked out of one's grasp in battle.

But Qimu Chao's strength far exceeds that of a normal person; even with a single hand on the blade, he could suppress the force of Kakashi's two hands.

The scabbard struck Kakashi's abdomen, forcing him back a few steps; as Qimu Chao was about to advance, he saw Kakashi covering his abdomen with one hand while the other hand launched a Kunai, cutting a barely visible steel wire tied nearby.

In the next moment, a massive wooden stake shot straight toward him.

Within such a brief span, besides attacking himself, he could also set these traps; Kakashi was far stronger than a year ago.

A genius is a genius; can the students in Ninja Academy, whether in tactical planning or combat skill, match even one percent of Kakashi now?

As the elder brother, Qimu Chao felt gratified, but since the fight was still ongoing, he would save the praise for later.

The Five-Colored Thread flashed by, slicing the front half of the wooden stake—over two meters long and over one meter in diameter—into five equal sections.

The Kakashi whose abdomen had just been struck had already recovered and again launched an attack at him!

Clang clang clang clang…

Kakashi's Short Sword grew ever more fierce, the attack speed increasing, the force surging repeatedly, and he employed various techniques from his father Bai Ya's White Fang Sword Technique.

At that moment, Kakashi and Qimu Chao were locked in direct combat, both forces at their peak, when Qimu Chao felt the soil below loosen, and a pair of hands burst from the earth, trying to seize his ankle.

Earth Release·Heart‑Severing Technique!

It was Kakashi's Shadow Clone Jutsu; from the moment Kakashi first hid, he released this clone, later using the clone to throw Ninja Tools, while his true self circled behind Qimu Chao to unleash Phoenix Fire Technique.

But Qimu Chao saw through the plan from the start; after all, no matter how fast Kakashi is, he couldn't instantly shift from directly in front to behind, so he kept watch on that clone.

"Still not enough, Kakashi!"

Feeling that sentiment, Qimu Chao, the instant the clone's hands burst from the ground, leapt up using the scabbard: "This battle is over."

But the next instant—

Five steel‑needle‑like attacks sliced his shoulder, followed by a heavy kick that struck his jaw, sending Qimu Chao flying backward.

It was another of Kakashi's clones—no, this was Kakashi's true self; the one that had rushed up to spar with him earlier was Kakashi's second Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The number‑one clone that emerged from the ground and the number‑two clone that had sparred gasped, then with two thuds the clones turned into white smoke and vanished on the spot.

Meanwhile, Kakashi's true self, clutching his chest, kept gasping; there were five slender, knife‑like wounds there.

That kid, in order to wound him, actually let the back half of the wooden stake brutally take a Five‑Colored Thread strike, and while he and his clone were sparring, he dealt himself those two blows.

Or perhaps they were merely minor wounds that didn't hinder his combat ability at all.

And after he took a Five‑Colored Thread himself, he lost most of his fighting power.

"What is this? Kill a hundred enemies, lose ten thousand oneself?"

He tapped Kakashi's forehead with his finger, and Qimu Chao laughed in exasperation: "Next time you can't use such a self‑destructive plan, got it? If I had used a blade instead of Five‑Colored Thread just now, you'd have turned into a wooden stake for nothing."