Kakashi vs. Yuyan
"Actually, I just met the Third Hokage. He asked me to come here to find you,"
Minato said with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head.
"I see. Then your team must be cooperating with ours this time,"
Hizashi Hyūga deduced easily. It seemed the goal was to build synergy before the actual mission.
"Heh, it's been a while since we were on a mission together," Minato added warmly.
"Back then, I never had to worry about getting ambushed when you were with me."
"No, no," Hizashi replied, chuckling. "If you hadn't saved me during that skirmish with the Sand ninja, I wouldn't even be standing here."
The two of them exchanged mutual praise with an ease only seasoned comrades shared.
Nearby, an irritated voice interrupted.
"Why are you acting like Bai Ye? Do you think we women are weak or something?!"
Yuyan stood with her arms crossed, clearly provoked, and jabbed a finger at Kakashi's chest.
Kakashi turned to her with a puzzled expression.
"Eh?"
Bai Ye, standing a few paces behind her, shrugged, looking helpless.
"Kakashi," Minato called, "she'll be working with us on this mission. Might as well get acquainted ahead of time."
Kakashi sighed, drawing his short blade.
"So troublesome…"
Yuyan's expression darkened. Even without activating her Byakugan, veins pulsed faintly at the corners of her eyes.
"Hey, Kakashi, don't lose to our juniors,"
Obito teased from the sidelines, elbowing him playfully.
He could already imagine Kakashi being knocked flat and asking him for backup.
"Be careful," Bai Ye whispered to Yuyan as he passed her.
"Kakashi's kenjutsu is better than mine."
Yuyan blinked in surprise at the rare note of concern in Bai Ye's voice. Her face flushed slightly, but she shook it off, focusing on the fight.
Bai Ye crossed his arms and joined Obito and Rin to watch.
He was also curious about Kakashi's skills. After all, before inheriting the Sharingan from Obito, Kakashi was already feared for his mastery of the short sword—something inherited from his father, Sakumo Hatake, the legendary White Fang.
If Sakumo hadn't taken his own life, he might have rivaled—or even replaced—Minato as the Fourth Hokage. After all, Minato's fame had only solidified during the Third Shinobi World War.
"Clang!"
The two didn't bother with testing each other from a distance. Kakashi, with his short blade, and Yuyan, wielding a kunai, dashed forward and clashed head-on.
Due to the difference in physique and weapon reach, Yuyan's kunai was knocked from her hand.
However, she had prepared for this. Her thumb was already looped through the kunai's ring. As the weapon was knocked aside, she let it spin around her finger, caught it in reverse grip, and stepped into a sidestep.
While dodging, she slammed a charged Gentle Fist strike toward Kakashi's side.
Bang!
Her palm struck—only for Kakashi to vanish in a puff of smoke, replaced by a log.
He had substituted just in time. His real self emerged behind her, blade slicing through the air.
But Yuyan anticipated it. As soon as her strike connected, she spun 180 degrees, coiling her body low to the ground.
The rotation added force to her next strike. Her left palm aimed for Kakashi's lower ribs, while her right hand parried the oncoming blade with her kunai.
Kakashi, however, had calculated her rhythm. As her hand moved, he snatched her wrist with his left hand, neutralizing her strike. Using the hold, he twisted, locking her arm, and forced her backward.
His right blade pressed against her kunai, locking it down.
Then, rotating his body, he unleashed a powerful roundhouse kick, his leg arcing with a whistle of compressed air—aimed directly at her head.
Yuyan's kunai was jammed. Her left arm was restrained. Her footing slipped. She was vulnerable.
Obito winced.
"Damn… Kakashi doesn't hold back—even against a girl."
Yuyan felt the pressure of the incoming blow. Her bangs were blasted to the sides by the wind. Her cheeks stung.
Minato was already preparing to intervene—until Hizashi extended a hand to stop him.
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation!"
Yuyan's voice rang out as she gritted her teeth and activated the technique.
Chakra burst from her tenketsu in all directions, spiraling as her body spun with sudden force. The defensive dome repelled Kakashi, flinging him back several meters.
Minato's eyes widened.
"She already mastered that? At her age?"
He had to admit—even he had been certain Kakashi had won.
Hizashi, standing beside him, shook his head with a smile.
"She's still far from mastery. That was more of a desperate counter. Her chakra control isn't mature yet—too much leakage. She can't use that move more than once in a real fight."
Yuyan now stood in the middle of a shallow crater, panting. Her posture faltered slightly, shoulders trembling.
The technique had taken a toll. Her muscles ached from the imperfect chakra flow, and her vision blurred slightly.
Kakashi, now kneeling in a crouch, stared at her warily. His left hand was slightly sprained from being deflected mid-movement.
Neither moved.
Kakashi was being cautious now. Had Yuyan been faster in the counter, he might've taken a clean hit to the chest. He wasn't keen on testing her reflexes again.
Yuyan, meanwhile, couldn't move. She was buying time, resting while holding her ground. Every breath she could take now was vital.
Clap clap clap.
"Alright, that's enough,"
Minato called, stepping forward to end the spar.
"Good work, both of you."
If the fight had continued, Kakashi likely would have won. But it would've been through attrition, not superiority. Yuyan had forced him to retreat, and she had shown a trump card most wouldn't expect from someone her age.
Minato smiled faintly to himself.
She's more than just a Hyūga. She's a real fighter.