Chapter 146 - Kakashi vs. Young Itachi – Their First Battle
After spotting Kakashi and the others, Kazane decided to watch how much progress Itachi had made under Kakashi's tutelage.
He found a tall tree near the clearing, leapt onto it, and stood at the top—just enough height to oversee the entire area below.
From his vantage point, Kazane immediately noticed little Anko sitting alone.
She stood off to the side, clutching a skewer of glistening tri-colored dango, nibbling away as she watched the sparring match between Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi.
Her mouth was full, but she still mumbled through bites:
"Go Kakashi-nii! Go… munch munch… Kakashi-nii! Beat that… nom nom… jerk who stole my dango… munch munch… Knock him down hard! Teach him a lesson… chomp… hmph!!"
Ever since Orochimaru had entrusted Itachi and Anko to Kazane, he'd taken them all over Konoha to sample its culinary delights.
At first, Itachi had resisted with his usual pride: "A shinobi would never eat such high-calorie junk." But soon enough, he was humming "Mmm… delicious…" while devouring sweets.
And with that, Anko's peaceful days ended.
Kakashi never touched sweets. Anko, meanwhile, had grown accustomed to being spoiled.
Everywhere Kazane took her, his friends would shower Anko with affection and snacks. She was cute, charming, and backed by Orochimaru and Kazane—no one dared mess with her.
But then came Itachi—a firm believer in survival of the fittest. As the Uchiha heir and a genius child, he had been raised to train obsessively and earn praise from his father.
Anko, on the other hand, was perfectly content with a carefree life, playing with her "big brothers and sisters," indulging in snacks, and basking in affection.
That clashed with Itachi's world.
Afraid of being caught eating sweets by his father, Itachi wouldn't ask for money to buy snacks. But that didn't stop him from silently "helping" Anko consume her massive candy stash.
Anko was furious. But even after resisting once, twice, she was no match for Itachi's overwhelming presence. And since he was also Orochimaru's student, no one dared to step in.
So now, she could only grumble from the sidelines.
(Lesson here: if you see a cute girl, maybe don't steal her dango—or she'll grumble while you fight ninjas.)
As for today's battle between Kakashi and Itachi—it had been sparked by Itachi defeating an older genin from his clan the night before.
Now brimming with confidence, Itachi believed that even Kakashi—just a few years older—wouldn't be that tough. And if he won, maybe even his stoic, busy father would finally take notice.
In the clearing, Itachi charged forward, grabbing eight shuriken from his pouch.
He flung four from each hand toward Kakashi.
Whizz!
Eight shuriken cut through the air, fanning out across multiple angles.
Then, Itachi pulled out another eight and launched them again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The second set collided with the first midair.
Uchiha Itachi, true to his clan's legacy, had mastered the art of shurikenjutsu to perfection.
The second batch ricocheted in precise arcs, redirecting toward Kakashi from unpredictable angles.
Sixteen shuriken streaked through the air—an unavoidable barrage.
A cold smirk crept across Itachi's face.
He had used this very move last night to defeat the older genin by cutting off all escape routes.
Surely, even a jōnin like Kakashi wouldn't be able to dodge this.
And Kakashi didn't dodge.
He simply clapped his hands, forming a few seals—and a wall of earth rose before him.
Thunk!
The shuriken embedded harmlessly into the earthen barrier.
Itachi's expression twitched with mild disappointment.
So he used Earth Release…
Still, that only made this more exciting.
Now, let's see how you handle this. Under my Sharingan… nothing escapes me!
Itachi's lips curled again. He shut his eyes for a moment, and when they opened again, the tomoe spun—his Sharingan activated, gleaming crimson with two black tomoe in each eye.
For someone so young to awaken a two-tomoe Sharingan—Itachi was undoubtedly a prodigy.
With the distance closed, Itachi leapt high and smashed through Kakashi's earth wall with a powerful kick.
Their eyes locked briefly as the dust cleared.
In that instant—it was subtle—Itachi's vision flickered.
But fueled by adrenaline and excitement, he didn't pay it any mind. He surged forward, attacking with a flurry of taijutsu strikes.
Blow after blow, punch and kick—it was a full-on melee.
His Sharingan tracked every movement precisely. The more they clashed, the more exhilarated Itachi felt.
Konoha's elite? He's not so special.
With a final strike, Itachi knocked Kakashi to the ground.
A thrill surged through him—he was about to defeat a jōnin!
Father, are you watching? Even the famous Kakashi, whom you often praise, is kneeling before me!
But as Itachi stood poised to finish the match—he froze.
Something was wrong.
Kakashi was strong. He shouldn't have been this easy to overwhelm.
He remembered that flicker—the momentary blur after the wall broke.
No… could it be Genjutsu?
Realization hit hard. Rage and shame flooded Itachi's mind.
How could I—an Uchiha, the future clan head—fall for something so obvious?
Before he could release the illusion, pain exploded behind him.
Snapping back to reality, Itachi screamed in agony.
From Kazane's view in the tree, it looked like this:
Itachi threw a bunch of shuriken. Kakashi used Earth Release to block.
Itachi kicked through the wall… and then started punching the air.
He just kept hitting… absolutely nothing.
Grinning smugly, as if he had already won.
Then, Kakashi calmly walked up behind him, forming the tiger hand seal.
Kazane instantly recognized it.
That's…
Leaf Secret Finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Death!!!
A devastating, E-rank taijutsu developed by his father—Sakumo Hatake.
Its sheer infamy earned the White Fang his legendary nickname.
Without hesitation, Kazane blurred over to Anko and gently covered her eyes.
Some things are not meant to be seen. Lest you go blind… or worse.
Sure enough, the very second he shielded Anko's view—
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Itachi's shriek echoed through the entire forest.
Birds scattered. Trees shuddered. Every man who heard it instinctively clenched their legs.
Even deep in the mountains, within the lab, Orochimaru and Tobirama simultaneously winced and pressed their knees together.
This was the very taijutsu that Naruto would one day use to beat a Tailed Beast.
How could a child like Itachi possibly endure it?
From Kazane's view, he saw Itachi take off like a rocket, vanishing into the treetops with divine speed—faster than Kazane expected.
Kakashi scratched his head, watching Itachi disappear.
"Ahhh… Maybe I overdid it a little…"
Then he noticed Kazane holding Anko nearby, the latter's face blank with disbelief.
"Oh! Big bro, when did you get here?"
Kazane stared at him, a mix of amusement and judgment in his eyes.
He thought about lecturing Kakashi, but then remembered where Kakashi had just used his hands.
Deciding against it, he picked up Anko and silently vanished from the grove.