"Wild Fang!!"
As Kakashi activated the Tracking Fang Technique, Hinata was already charging again. She struck at the exact moment of his post-cast recovery lag—a natural delay no matter how skilled the user. Kakashi had no choice but to face her attack head-on.
Boom!
Like flames igniting dried wood, Hinata's flame-wreathed fist was caught mid-swing by Kakashi's right hand. His three-tomoe Sharingan easily predicted her angle, allowing him to block the direct force. But that wasn't enough.
Both of Hinata's fists were equipped with Sacred Fist Gloves—specialized ninja gear designed not only to conduct and amplify fire chakra, but also to provide protection equivalent to gauntlets. That meant Kakashi couldn't break her wrist or bones even if he tried. Worse, the gloves' outer layer radiated scorching heat like red-hot iron—and they were still ablaze!
Smoke rose from Kakashi's glove instantly. The searing pain hit like a brand.
"So this is the Nantō Seiken you've all trained in… Brutal and overwhelming taijutsu. If it were anyone else without proper training, they'd be completely defenseless."
Kakashi's tone was calm despite the pain burning through his hand. But Hinata didn't reply—her smirk twisted into something more vicious. Without a word, she poured even more chakra into her arm, the fire surging like a crimson serpent ready to devour Kakashi whole.
Realizing her intent, Kakashi released her wrist and quickly hopped back. Now with breathing room, he began weaving hand signs in a blur, shouting:
"Earth Style – Swamp of the Underworld!"
Instantly, the ground beneath Hinata's feet melted into thick, clinging sludge. She barely had time to react before the five-meter radius swamp pulled her in.
"Earth Style – Hiding Like a Mole!"
Without pausing, Kakashi sank into the earth like water, disappearing completely. He was done playing games. Time to finish this—with superior jutsu and experience.
---
"Damn it! This kind of jutsu…!"
Sinking into the bog, Hinata clenched her teeth. Kakashi had finally found a tactic that worked—immobilize her with a restriction-type jutsu, then escape underground to avoid Naruto's detection and any further direct assault. From there, it would be a clean, tactical takedown.
Yes... mastering jutsu wasn't about raw power. It was about effect. A single B-rank Earth Style had neutralized her biggest advantage: taijutsu.
No matter how refined her skills or Byakugan's insight, this kind of terrain sealed both at once. And Hinata realized something important: The real difference between a jōnin and a chūnin wasn't just the quantity of jutsu—it was the understanding of their purpose, and the mastery of timing and placement.
She might match a top chūnin in damage output, but in control and battlefield strategy… she was still just a fresh graduate.
"But don't think you'll get rid of me that easily!"
Her eyes sharpened. She thrust both arms into the muck, releasing fire chakra. The intense heat instantly dried the swamp into brittle crust. What bound her was its stickiness, after all—burn away the moisture, and it crumbled.
---
Meanwhile, underground, Kakashi glided smoothly beneath the surface. His Sharingan guided him by sensing chakra signatures. But suddenly, what he saw made him hesitate.
Naruto and Sasuke were supposed to stay hidden. Instead—
"Hinata! I'm coming to save you!"
Naruto's voice rang loud and clear. The blonde fool had spotted Hinata's predicament and, with all the subtlety of a rampaging ox, brought every one of his clones—and his real body—charging in.
"Don't come, you idiot!!"
Hinata nearly choked on her breath. Her plan had been sound. But Naruto's unpredictability was the greatest wildcard in the series. To him, strategy was as fleeting as... a fart in a thunderstorm.
Heh... still an idiot.
Kakashi shook his head, a smirk flickering at his lips. But he seized the opportunity. Forming hand signs, he cast a simple genjutsu:
"Genjutsu – Hell Viewing Technique!"
It wasn't a complex illusion. But against someone as unprepared as Naruto, it was devastatingly effective.
"GYAAAHHHH~! Nooo! I'm a man! I really am!!"
Naruto faceplanted dramatically, curling into a fetal position and sobbing. Clearly, he'd seen something in the illusion that traumatized him.
With his real body incapacitated, all his clones poofed out of existence. Hinata stared blankly. Right. That fear? Probably something she'd accidentally burned into his psyche.
From his cries—"Ya-me-te~~!" in a trembling soprano—there was no doubt what kind of illusion he'd fallen victim to.
"Hmph… easier than expected."
Kakashi emerged from the ground, glancing down at the sobbing Naruto with detached amusement.
"Now, who's left?"
"Tch."
In the trees, Sasuke gritted his teeth. Naruto's idiocy had just shoved him into a terrible spot. Fight, or hide?
But... if this were a real battle?
He closed his eyes for just a moment—then snapped them open.
In a real fight, Naruto and Hinata would already be dead. Kakashi could kill them with a single kunai.
Which meant—
"Chidori!!"
Lightning surged. Sasuke launched from behind, charging with a blinding thrust of his thunderous jutsu. But Kakashi, expecting it, sidestepped cleanly.
"Hmph. Using a jutsu I invented against me?"
Kakashi wasn't angry—just curious. Sasuke had potential. And indeed, the boy's hand suddenly swept outward. The lightning spear morphed—Chidori Spear, a variation he'd developed in secret!
But Kakashi was ready. His own Raikiri blocked it effortlessly.
Lightning against lightning—it came down to refinement. And Kakashi's won out, slicing straight through Sasuke's extension.
"Nice try. But I've seen that one already."
He made no effort to hide his knowledge advantage. Sasuke, though, simply smiled.
"I know. That's why—!"
Though his left hand failed, his right still crackled with chakra. He slammed it into the ground, discharging a massive electric pulse that exploded outward in every direction.
Nantō Raizanken: Ultimate Technique: Amatsu-no-Habakiri!!
Bolts of lightning burst into the air like a storm. The uncontrolled shockwave startled even Kakashi. It wouldn't kill him—but plowing through it would hurt.
Sasuke had become the first to master the new technique Hinata had gifted them. Though not perfect—the chaotic arcs and lack of cohesion showed his control still lacked—but it was progress.
"Ugh... this is getting annoying..."
Back in the swamp pit, Hinata's fire had dried the earth to a crust. With a loud crack, she burst free, her Byakugan flaring. She marched to Naruto's still-sobbing form, then calmly slapped his forehead.
"YAAAHH~! YAMETE~~!"
Naruto shrieked, finally snapping out of the genjutsu. Sasuke, meanwhile, leapt back to regroup with them.