Kevin Cross was steadily pushed back, forced into a purely defensive stance. Every now and then, he managed a counterstrike, but only within the gaps of his frantic blocking.
Though Kevin wasn't weak by any means, his lack of battle experience no, his complete absence of it was stark. Kakashi, on the other hand, was no pushover. Even with just a single Sharingan, and an artificially transplanted one at that, his combat instincts were razor-sharp. He didn't wield the Sharingan as naturally as Kevin did, but his vast well of experience more than made up for it. He'd graduated from the Ninja Academy as a child, taken on mission after mission, and even survived the Third Great Ninja War. He'd seen every kind of opponent, every type of jutsu, and every underhanded trick the ninja world had to offer.
In fact, among the elite jonin, Kakashi was near the peak if not for his limited stamina, he'd be almost unrivaled.
So when faced with Kakashi, Kevin was completely overpowered. Not just defeated, but crushed under the weight of overwhelming skill.
Still, Kevin had one thing going for him. He was a true Uchiha if not by blood, then by the fact that he had copied everything from Izumi Uchiha. His pair of fully evolved, three-tomoe Sharingan locked tightly onto Kakashi's every move, absorbing and analyzing with speed and hunger. The more Kakashi attacked, the more Kevin learned.
Every technique Kakashi used, Kevin's Sharingan duplicated almost instantly, converting what he saw into valuable muscle memory and battle instinct.
Kakashi noticed this. From the start, he had been cautious. Even though Kevin had awakened his fully matured Sharingan and showed decent speed and strength, he had moved like someone who had barely seen a real fight. That made it easy for Kakashi to suppress him early on.
But what Kakashi didn't know was whether Kevin was hiding any trump cards or if he had allies lying in wait. That uncertainty kept him from going all out immediately. Ninja battles weren't just contests of strength; they were wars of information. And Kakashi's approach was textbook shinobi doctrine test the waters, gather intel, then strike with precision.
It wasn't a bad strategy. After all, that's how Shikamaru Nara had managed to avenge Asuma by studying Hidan and Kakuzu's abilities and exploiting the gaps in their knowledge.
But in this case, Kakashi's caution gave Kevin exactly what he needed: time. Time to absorb experience and climb out of the zero-skill pit he had started in. Before Kakashi realized it, Kevin had already graduated from a complete novice to a fledgling fighter with passable instincts.
Of course, the learning process wasn't without its costs. Kevin's arms and legs were riddled with cuts, and even his cheek had been sliced open. Were it not for the adrenaline of combat, he'd probably be crying from the pain.
Kakashi's kunai locked against Kevin's blade, and he asked again, "Who are you? You clearly have strength, but you move like someone who's never fought before. Do you have allies? Why did you come here?"
Kevin grinned, the expression slightly twisted by the pain of his injuries. "I told you already. Beat me, and I'll tell you."
"Then I'll just have to take you down and make you talk," Kakashi said, his voice flat. He wasn't playing around anymore. His chakra reserves were low. It was time to end this.
He believed he could win quickly, unless Kevin had some hidden ace. But judging by Kevin's lack of combat polish, that didn't seem likely.
"Take me down? You sure about that?" Kevin replied. He was tired of fighting. His wounds hurt like hell. He couldn't understand how people in anime, movies, or novels just shrugged off injuries like they were nothing. Were their pain receptors disconnected?
Just as Kakashi moved in to finish things, his eyes narrowed. Kevin's Sharingan was changing.
The three black tomoe spun... then connected, reshaping themselves into a new, intricate pattern.
Kakashi's instincts screamed. He jumped back immediately, widening the distance to over ten meters.
"Is that... the Mangekyō Sharingan?" he asked in a low, guarded tone.
"That eye... that eye!" Sasuke Uchiha's voice rang out with alarm. His reaction was even stronger than Kakashi's. He recognized those eyes those eyes had haunted him, tormented him, replayed the death of his parents over and over. The man who wielded them had told him, "Come find me when you've awakened these same eyes."
"How?" Sasuke demanded. "How do you have those eyes?"
Kevin smirked. "What can I say? Being good-looking has its perks. Some people just like feeding me."
Kakashi and Sasuke stared at him, stunned. Neither had the slightest clue what his looks or "mooching" had to do with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Tsukuyomi," Kevin whispered.
In that moment, his gaze locked with Kakashi's.
Too late. Kakashi tried to avert his eyes, but he was already caught. In the blink of an eye, he was dragged into the crimson-tinted dimension of the Tsukuyomi.
His body was bound to a cross-shaped pillar, helpless.
"This is... genjutsu?" he muttered.
"Correct," Kevin said, settling into a seated posture before him. "One of the Mangekyō Sharingan's unique abilities. Pretty handy, don't you think? In this world, everything bends to my will. I could torture you here for three days and nights, but to the outside world, not even a second would pass."
He clicked his tongue. "Ugh. Why did I explain that? Only anime characters and complete idiots explain their techniques mid-fight. Must be the influence of this world. In Naruto, it's practically a rule you have to introduce your moves."
"Who are you? Why are you doing this? Is this about Sasuke, or something else?" Kakashi asked, still trying to gather information despite the torture dimension.
"You don't need to worry about that," Kevin replied, waving him off. "Although... now that you mention it, I am curious about your father."
"My father?" Kakashi frowned.
"Yeah. The White Fang of the Leaf. He was insanely strong, right? So much so that even other villages said if you encountered him on a mission, you might as well give up. That kind of reputation is rare. So why would a man like that... kill himself?"
Kakashi's lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't respond.
Kevin tilted his head. "Honestly, with that kind of standing, your father could've easily become the Fourth Hokage, don't you think?"
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