The Yellow Flash and The Village of Mokugakure

[Kakashi Hatake]

Student and teacher shared the pleasant moment for a few seconds before suddenly springing backward, the pair parting just as Kito reentered the fray. The genin wore a look of determination on his visage as he lashed out at the twosome of elder shinobi with his lightning jutsu, draconic gauntlets threatening to sear their flesh. Kakashi seized the opportunity to somersault backward as Minato became the boy’s target. The Yellow Flash proved true to his epithet, calmly dodging the boy’s savage blows despite the electricity chewing at his haori as the strikes sailed by. Kito finally let out an audible grunt as the blonde jonin’s palm slammed into his sternum, staggering the boy enough to allow the fleet-footed ninja to knock him from his stance with a quick sweep of his legs. 

“Not ba-” 

The former Kage had little time to applaud the boy’s work before a kunai sailed past his head, the blade nicking Minato’s ear as he bobbed quickly to avoid the flying dagger. Kakashi silhouette came into view for a moment, vanishing into thin air a split second later. The scarecrow reasoned that perhaps if he couldn’t see the threat, his legendary reflexes could be bypassed.

Minato chuckled, keeping an eye on the downed genin as he began mental probing the area for his silver-haired attacker. “Camouflage Jutsu,” he commented. “That would be an excellent plan, but you’ve forgotten that I’m a Sensor-” 

The man’s words were cut short by a fist crashing into his gut, the former ANBU captain’s masked face materializing inches from his own. The former Kage staggered backward and doubled over as his diaphragm spasmed, forcing air from his needy lungs. Mildly surprised by his mentor’s failure to interpret his movements, Kakashi stood stunned for a beat too long--just enough time for Minato to vanish from view.

A crackle of electricity diverted the sharingan-wielder’s attention, light footfalls from his rear queueing him in to Kito’s impending surprise strike on his flank. Kakashi stood firm, calmly inhaling through his nose as his right arm began to generate a current of its own. As the skilled youth cried out, lone dragon-wrapped fist brought to bear, he found himself suddenly stopped by a strong grip clamping down on his wrist. The copy ninja’s stoic face met his gaze, the sound of birds chirping birds now nigh-deafening as the pair of kindred jutsu clashed, sparks flying as the mixture of electricties intermingled. 

“Your justu is a lot like mine,” Kakashi commented calmly, allowing his technique to slowly fade as Kito relinquished control of his own. “You skill with Nature Transformation is remarkable, though you need to be careful with how you use it.”

“If two jutsu of the same nature clash, the stronger of the two can overcome and feed on the power of the weaker one,” Kito recited, begrudgingly. He shook free of the silver-haired shinobi’s grasp, hopping backward to make space between the two. His hand found the hilt of his katana, pulling it free.

“Similarly, keeping a perfect balance with you allows me to nullify it.” The slight numbness in his arm told him that this wasn't completely true in the Omniverse, though it seemed to work in some fashion. Kakashi pulled a pair of kunai from his belt, having lost his chokuto a few yards away in the dirt. He’d need to reclaim it; daggers would only last so long against the boy’s specialized blade.

The two made to go at each other, feet barely leaving the ground before the sharingan-wielder felt himself flinch reflexively as Minato blinked into view between him and Kito. The fair-haired shinobi smiled confidently as he threw his arms wide, burying dual rasengan into the chests of his students. “Double Rasengan!”

Kakashi felt the orb of destructive chakra nail him in the chest like a baseball bat, his reinforced ANBU armor tearing against the spiralling sphere’s might. The force of the technique launched him backward in a high arc, his trajectory aimed right for a thick oak. Thinking quickly, the copy ninja brought his hands before him in a hand seal..

Minato watched as his students were thrown like ragdolls across the training ground, feeling a twinge of regret as Kito landed with a thud against the ground. He glanced over at Kakashi, the masked man colliding with a tree trunk with a loud crack. His eyelids sprang wide a second later as the ninja’s body vanished in a plume of smoke, an almost imperceptible movement flicking past him. A split second later a kunai landed at Minato’s feet, a paper tag attached to the corner by a bit of steel wire. The kage sprang from the trap, disappearing as an explosion rocked the arena.

A moment later Kito climbed laboriously to his feet as the smoke cleared, sheathing his katana. “Can we take a break for now?” he called out, taking a few steps to sit down on a tree stump.

Right on queue, Kakashi leapt down from his perch atop a nearby birch, heaving rapid breaths as he touched down. He winced as he made his way toward Kito, a warm smile meeting him as Minato appeared beside the boy. The copy ninja raised a thumbs up as he approached the two. “I’m always too slow for you, sensei.”

“You’ve gotten a lot faster. I wasn’t expecting a sneak attack from above,” the fair-haired shinobi replied, slightly out of breath himself. His right pant leg was blackened, lightly charred by Kakashi’s  explosive kunai. “I almost didn’t see it; that was too fast to be a substitution jutsu.”

The scarecrow shook his head, smiling beneath his mask. “I’m not as proficient with it as you are, but it does come in handy.” He thought back to the fight with the Makhel elder.

“You copied my Flying Raijin,” Minato returned, nodding. “Impressive. And you tagged the tree while I was sparring with Kito?”

“Yes. I summoned a Shadow Clone mid-flight and used the Flying Raijin to escape. A simple substitution would never have gotten past you.” The maneuver had taken split-second reflexes and a large amount of chakra, but it had payed off. The charred cloth on his sensei’s leg assured him of that. In his youth he had never been able to so much as lay a hand on the former Kage. He felt pride in knowing that he was finally able to fight at an even level with his teacher. 

“You both continue to impress me,” Minato said, beaming. “Let’s take a rest for now, but not for too long. We’ll need to do some serious work if we want to be able to protect Moku from whatever is controlling the Miu family.” 

Kito and Kakashi nodded in agreement. The copy ninja noted Kito tense up at the mention of the clan’s name, the lad’s brow furrowing as he stared at the dirt. The scarecrow could not know exactly what was on Kito’s mind, though he knew the look of determination that the boy wore better than most; his ferocity in combat seemed to mirror this. Kakashi could tell that there was more riding on this for the dark-haired lad than the promise of political peace.

As the rising sun brought with it the warmth of mid morning, the trio rested.