Of course, Kaede Kitahara had no intention of bringing up Uchiha Obito in front of Hatake Kakashi.
"The Thunder Breathing you taught Sasuke really is an extraordinary technique," Kakashi said.
Kitahara waved it off. "You're giving me too much credit, Kakashi-senpai."
"As thanks, I've written down a summary of my swordsmanship. It should make a decent return gift." Kakashi reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a notebook.
Kitahara paused, genuinely surprised by Kakashi's generosity. Even without saying it outright, it was obvious—this was the essence of the Hatake Kenjutsu.
He didn't stand on ceremony. Flipping through a few pages on the spot, he confirmed it immediately.
It really was the Hatake Kenjutsu.
Back when he sparred with Kakashi, he had already used the Sharingan to quietly copy the full set of techniques. But just like the other jutsu Kakashi knew, what he had copied was only a surface-level grasp.
The Hatake Kenjutsu wasn't just about movements. It involved breathing methods, chakra control, and a host of finer details that couldn't possibly be mastered in a brief exchange.
All of that was recorded in this handwritten notebook.
That alone made it immensely valuable.
With that thought, Kitahara immediately took out a notebook of his own from his ninja pouch and handed it over. "Kakashi-senpai, this is my own handwritten record of Thunder Breathing. If you don't mind, let's treat it as an exchange."
Kakashi's breathing grew slightly uneven.
He had already seen Sasuke use Thunder Breathing the day before, and there was no doubt—it was a terrifying sword style. Compared to what Agatsuma Zenitsu had displayed in the diary footage, its power in Sasuke's hands had been on an entirely different level.
Once combined with chakra control, it became a sword art that pointed directly toward the Kage Level.
Kakashi didn't hesitate any longer and accepted the notebook.
This exchange could be considered equal in value.
Hatake Kenjutsu pointed toward the Kage Level. Thunder Breathing did as well.
For the two of them, who had already stepped into that realm, both held significant value as references.
"Besides that, there's something else," Kakashi added. "I gained some insights during my recent seclusion. Would you be willing to spar with me again?"
"No problem."
Kitahara felt the itch to fight stir immediately. Ever since breaking into the Kage Level, he hadn't properly faced an opponent of the same tier. His clash with Kakuzu hadn't even been finished.
The two of them headed straight to the Kitahara clan's training ground nearby.
"How about we keep it simple today and just compare swordsmanship?" Kitahara suggested.
"Works for me."
Kakashi drew the short blade he carried on his back. As chakra flowed into it, the edge instantly blazed with sharp, surging energy.
At the same time, Kitahara unsheathed the Kusanagi Sword at his side.
Before leaving for the Land of Snow, he had commissioned Konoha's finest blacksmith to forge it, even spending a hefty sum to embed a considerable amount of chakra metal within. The blade could now conduct chakra with ease.
Kakashi's short sword was made of chakra metal as well.
"Kakashi-senpai, you'd better go all out," Kitahara said. "Otherwise, I doubt you'll last more than a few exchanges."
Kakashi didn't take it as arrogance. The last time they fought, he had lost. Lifting his forehead protector, he revealed the Sharingan beneath. "I may have lost before, but this time is different."
Kitahara grinned, gripping his sword as chakra surged around him, crackling into violent arcs of lightning.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form—Thunderclap and Flash!"
In the instant the words left his mouth, he vanished.
Kakashi's Sharingan spun rapidly, locking onto Kitahara's movement with absolute focus.
So fast.
The First Form of Thunder Breathing was already the fastest of its techniques. Combined with Kitahara's own speed, the slash descended at a pace Kakashi had never witnessed before.
He had seen Sasuke perform the same move—but Sasuke's strength was nowhere near Kitahara's. The difference in power between identical techniques was staggering.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the blink of an eye, they exchanged blows multiple times. A strange, overwhelming force surged through Kakashi's short blade, driving him back again and again.
The raw strength granted by Kitahara's Uzumaki Clan-derived Sage Body was fully on display.
Kakashi felt his hands go numb.
Though he had been rebuilding his fundamentals and stamina recently, he wasn't a dedicated taijutsu specialist like Guy. In both strength and speed, he still fell short.
He could only rely on chakra to offset the force.
What terrifying speed.
Kakashi instantly understood just how dangerous that strike had been. Without his advancement into the Kage Level—and without the Sharingan's boost to dynamic vision—he would have been defeated in a single move.
If this had been a real enemy, his former self would have been killed instantly.
Even blocking that single Thunderclap and Flash had drained over three times the chakra his Sharingan normally consumed.
At this rate, his chakra would be exhausted before long.
I need to attack.
With that thought, Kakashi stomped forward, chakra erupting from his body as he shot toward Kitahara.
Thunder Breathing was famous for speed—but Hatake Kenjutsu was no less sharp and swift.
It was a blade art suited for assassins, the kind that could decide victory or defeat in an instant.
While it wasn't particularly effective against massive summons or Tailed Beasts, it was exceptionally lethal against human opponents.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The pace of their battle escalated instantly, the two of them clashing across the training ground like streaks of lightning, exchanging numerous blows in mere moments.
Kakashi had seen Thunder Breathing from Sasuke just the day before. Kitahara had already witnessed Hatake Kenjutsu in their previous fight. Neither of them was unfamiliar with the other's style.
That made their exchange all the more intricate.
With neither side using anything beyond their blades, the fight was pure, direct, and razor-sharp.
After an unknown stretch of time, they finally broke apart.
Kakashi stood there, drenched in sweat. The continuous high-intensity clashes had completely drained both his stamina and chakra.
Keeping his Sharingan active at full power throughout had only accelerated the depletion.
And yet, after such an exhilarating battle, he felt a rare sense of satisfaction.
In contrast, Kitahara, though breathing harder, was in far better condition.
As he fought, he had been recovering at the same time. His physical stamina had taken some loss, but his chakra consumption was practically negligible. Even after such a prolonged fight, he still retained around ninety-five percent of his reserves.
It wasn't just the immense chakra pool and absurd recovery granted by the Uzumaki Clan's Sage Body. Throughout the battle, he had only used Thunder Breathing—not even activating his Sharingan.
His chakra usage had been almost trivial.
Even after pushing Kakashi to the brink, he had only expended some physical energy.
What a monster…
Kakashi couldn't help muttering inwardly as he took in Kitahara's condition.
The diary alone didn't convey just how overwhelming Kitahara truly was. If anything, his entries often made it seem like he wasn't that impressive, because the benchmarks he compared himself to were all Super Kage Level, Six Paths Level, or even more terrifying existences.
But facing him in battle made the truth unmistakable.
The difference was absurd.
Kakashi's chakra reserves had always been lower than Kitahara's. Even after reaching the Kage Level himself, while his reserves were catching up, Kitahara's had surged even further ahead.
At this point, Kitahara's base chakra was already equivalent to roughly twice that of an ordinary Kage Level shinobi—and that wasn't even counting what he could achieve by opening the Eight Gates or drawing on the Dragon Vein.
And he was still growing.
From the moment he first reached Kage-level chakra to now, only a few months had passed, and his reserves had already doubled.
Fighting him directly brought an immense pressure Kakashi couldn't ignore.
The reason was simple.
Kakashi was already using his full strength. Hatake Kenjutsu was his strongest method.
But Thunder Breathing was only one of many tools in Kitahara's arsenal.
To put it bluntly, Kitahara hadn't even gone all out, and Kakashi was already on the verge of collapse.
I just broke into this level, and the gap is already this wide…
Kakashi couldn't help but grumble inwardly. In his eyes, Kitahara had already reached what could only be described as Strong Kage Level—far beyond what ordinary Kage Level shinobi could hope to match.
"That was incredible, Kakashi-senpai," Kitahara laughed.
"Next time… we'll spar again," Kakashi replied between breaths.
—
Years later, in the future—after the Fourth Great Ninja War—Konohagakure.
Inside the Hokage Office of the Hokage Building, the position had passed on to the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto.
Staring at the mountain of paperwork piled before him, Naruto felt a headache coming on.
Before becoming Hokage, he had never imagined the role would involve handling this many documents. Just thinking about it was enough to make his head throb.
There were so many tedious matters that even his sleep had been cut short over the years. Sometimes, he even had to rely on shadow clones to go home and spend time with his family, let alone train.
Then suddenly—
A notebook fell from the sky.