Five years!
From the day he learned of Hatake Kakashi's birth, this figure had become a peak in his plans that he was compelled to surmount.
And for this battle, the core of his tactics was extremely clear and ruthless: melee combat, close quarters, suppression, and absolutely never giving his opponent any space to execute ninjutsu.
From the very beginning, the battle was dragged into a rhythm he dictated; that rushing speed, far exceeding expectations, threw Kakashi into disarray, followed by a sequence of heavy blows that crushed him with overwhelming power.
Throughout the fight, he used a storm of taijutsu attacks to firmly pin his opponent in the quagmire of close-quarters combat, interrupting any possibility of forming hand seals or retreating.
Let alone the five elemental nature transformations, Kakashi failed to find even a sliver of an opening to cast the most basic Clone Technique or Body Replacement Technique.
This was not an accident or a fluke, but a premeditated precision strike—one that targeted weaknesses and infinitely amplified them through his own unique advantages.
The sunlight remained blazing, and the shock permeating the air was gradually replaced by a complex emotion.
Looking at the calm, black-haired youth in the center of the field, many people—for the first time in a true sense—detached the name Higashino Shinichi from the category of "hardworking honor student" and placed it in a position that demanded re-evaluation.
"Shinichi! Shinichi! Shinichi!!"
Ishizuka Ryu was the first to snap out of his shock; he waved his fist and shouted with all his might. This cry was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the ranks of Class 2!
"He won! Shinichi won!"
"Incredible!"
"Shinichi! Shinichi!"
Cheers, shouts, and gasps of disbelief erupted from Class 2's camp, forming a glaring contrast with the deathly silence of Class 1 across from them.
Many students in Class 2 felt a shared sense of pride, their faces brimming with excitement, while the students of Class 1 were mostly still reeling from a massive cognitive shock, looking blank and bewildered.
"How is this possible? How could that bastard Kakashi possibly lose..." Uchiha Obito muttered with a blank look on his face.
The raucous cheering roused the two homeroom teachers, who were equally shocked. Matsumoto Fumio exchanged a quick glance with Class 1's Teacher Inoue, then took a deep breath and stepped forward, preparing to fulfill his duty as referee and announce a result that had exceeded everyone's expectations.
"Wait a moment, teachers."
Shinichi's clear voice rang out again as he neatly sheathed his kunai back into the pouch on his leg.
He looked at Kakashi, who was slowly getting up, wearing that same gentle smile that made people feel at ease.
"Kakashi, you haven't used your true strength yet, have you?"
He paused, his tone carrying a suggestive certainty:
"I've heard that Lord White Fang's swordsmanship is unrivaled in the ninja world—a master swordsman who makes countless enemies tremble at the mere mention of his name. As Lord White Fang's son, your swordsmanship must be very strong too, right?"
As he spoke, Shinichi walked over to a weapon rack nearby and took out a katana.
Simply winning was not enough!
Far from enough!
He wanted no rhetoric about flukes, luck, or carelessness—nothing that would summarize his victory as an accidental win gained because his opponent underestimated him.
What he wanted was an indisputable, comprehensive victory where he crushed his opponent in the very domain where they were supposed to be strongest.
Guiding everyone's attention to swordsmanship was the next step he had carefully designed.
The father is a top-tier swordsman who shook the ninja world, so the son must have inherited amazing talent with the blade—this is the association people would most naturally make.
Especially in a world where bloodline is paramount.
Although Kakashi had defeated every opponent with a casual attitude over the past few months, no one had ever seen him use a blade in actual combat.
But this did not stop everyone from believing that Kakashi, as the son of the White Fang, was only in his "complete form" when wielding a blade, and that that was his true, strongest state.
Regardless of whether this was factual, once public opinion and impressions are formed, they become the truth.
He wanted to irrefutably etch the fact that "Higashino Shinichi defeated Hatake Kakashi"—and specifically "defeated Hatake Kakashi at his strongest"—deep into everyone's consciousness.
"So, Kakashi, could you let me witness the brilliance of Lord White Fang's swordsmanship?"
Shinichi took a deep breath, slowly unsheathed the katana in his hand, and said earnestly:
"And let me truly experience the full extent of your power."
This sentence was another one of Shinichi's carefully calculated moves; with it, he cleverly and silently pressed a heavy choice and expectation onto Kakashi's shoulders.
Given Kakashi's pride as a genius, and the deep-seated reverence and defensiveness he held for his father, the White Fang of Konoha, it was almost impossible for him to use ninjutsu in the ensuing clash after his opponent had so solemnly issued a challenge in swordsmanship. He would view that as disrespect toward his father's art.
Shinichi had counted on exactly this; he wanted to continue dragging Kakashi into the domain where he held the advantage—pure physical confrontation and the clash of cold steel.
At the same time, it avoided the possibility of Shinichi suffering an unexpected defeat due to his opponent's use of ninjutsu.
The swordsmanship Shinichi had learned at the dojo naturally paled in comparison to the technique Kakashi had learned under the guidance of the White Fang.
But in a clash of weapons, the overwhelming power brought by [Natural Divine Strength], the comprehensive physical improvements from [Swordsmanship Apprentice], the extra durability and stamina provided by [Tenacity], and the heightened flexibility and speed from [Agility], among others, still gave Shinichi a massive advantage in terms of physical attributes.
On the field, everyone's eyes and expectations were fixed upon the silver-haired genius who had stood up once more.
"Very well!"
Kakashi slowly raised his head. Those eyes, usually holding a lazy indifference, finally sharpened.
He said nothing more, simply drawing a short sword from the pouch at his lower back, its dimensions perfectly suited to his height and reach.
The two stood opposite each other in the center of the field once again; round two was about to begin.
"Shinichi! Stay steady!"
"Go for it, Shinichi! You can definitely win!"
Cheers erupted from the Class 2 ranks again, but this time the voices lacked some of their wild abandon, replaced by a tense anticipation.
Over on the Class 1 side, the deathly silence was finally broken.
"Kakashi! Get him!"
"Show him Lord White Fang's swordsmanship!"
Among them, Uchiha Obito—who had previously been cheering for Shinichi—was now shouting the loudest and most urgently, his face flushed bright red:
"You bastard, Kakashi! You're supposed to be a genius! Don't get careless again! Use everything you've got and win this!"
In the center of the field, Kakashi seemed oblivious to the clamor behind him. With a slight turn of his wrist, he shifted his short sword from a standard grip to a reverse grip—better suited for thrusts and unpredictable maneuvers—and leaned his body slightly to the side.
The next instant, he moved. His figure abruptly blurred, as if transforming into a silver line skimming across the ground.
He moved at high speed around Shinichi with erratic, zigzagging footwork, searching for an angle of attack.
Shinichi stood firm in the center, gripping his katana with both hands, his gaze calmly tracking that silver trajectory.
He knew full well that while the foundation of kendo he had systematically learned was solid, it would certainly fall short of the intricacy and versatility of the White Fang's ancestral swordsmanship.
His chance of victory lay in dragging the battle into his own preferred rhythm—overcoming skill with strength, and conquering complexity with simplicity.