CHAPTER 51

Actual Combat Drill

"Even I got dragged into this..."

Kakashi sighed, but the atmosphere on the training grounds left him no room to refuse.

When Xu Fan suggested that Uchiha Itachi participate as well, Kakashi's gaze shifted toward him.

Although Itachi respectfully addressed him as Captain Kakashi, there was nothing Kakashi could teach him. In terms of strength, intelligence gathering, and the mindset of a shinobi, Itachi was already at an unparalleled level for his age.

There was no more perfect shinobi than Uchiha Itachi.

Yet, Kakashi had a strong intuition that Itachi wouldn't get involved.

However, to his surprise, Itachi silently stepped forward.

In truth, Itachi had no real interest in this pseudo-combat drill. He saw it as nothing more than a frustrated reaction from Meiko, who was displeased that Captain Kakashi had been replaced. Meiko wanted to defeat Xu Fan, proving that he was unworthy of leading the unit.

Such emotional reasoning had no place among shinobi.

Even if Meiko was new to the Anbu, she should have understood that.

But now that things had escalated—dragging in even Kakashi and Tenzo—it had piqued Itachi's curiosity.

Xu Fan had invited him in a half-joking manner, but perhaps this was a chance to gauge Xu Fan's true strength.

"Even you..."

Kakashi's voice carried a trace of surprise. He hadn't expected Itachi to take part.

"Captain Kakashi." Itachi's red Sharingan eyes locked onto Xu Fan. "If this is an actual combat drill, we should at least develop a strategy."

Meiko was visibly excited at Itachi's unexpected participation.

While she didn't hold Itachi in the same regard as Kakashi, she still acknowledged him as a prodigy among the Uchiha. She believed that Itachi was stronger than many elite Jōnin, his strength second only to Kakashi and Tenzo.

With him joining the fight, Xu Fan's defeat seemed inevitable.

Meanwhile, as the situation grew increasingly unfavorable for Xu Fan, more and more Anbu operatives gathered around.

After all, Konoha was at peace.

With fewer missions than during the war, many Anbu had free time, and this unexpected challenge had drawn their interest.

Yet, many of them were confused.

"Who is that guy?" One of the onlookers asked his companion.

"Let me check." A nearby shinobi flipped through the Anbu records, but there was nothing on Xu Fan—no name, no photo, no mission history.

"Blank...?"

"He was directly appointed as an Anbu captain by the Third Hokage."

The revelation turned heads.

The crowd immediately focused on the one who had spoken, eager for more information.

"That's all I know," the Anbu operative admitted with an awkward cough. "I only happened to see him once."

Rumors quickly spread. Xu Fan had supposedly been parachuted into his position, replacing Kakashi as captain. His sudden appointment had angered Meiko and others, leading to the confrontation they were now witnessing.

"In the world of shinobi, orders are absolute. Challenging a superior out of personal dissatisfaction is foolish."

Even the captains of other Anbu squads had gathered, shaking their heads at Meiko's defiance.

However, one of them furrowed his brow.

"But... why is Kakashi participating?"

Kakashi should have put a stop to this, yet here he was, actively taking part.

"Not just Kakashi. Tenzo and Itachi as well..."

The revelation sent a ripple of shock through the crowd.

"What?!"

The Anbu captain's eyes widened.

Kakashi, the famed Copy Ninja who could replicate any technique at a glance.

Tenzo, the only known wielder of Wood Release besides the First Hokage.

And Uchiha Itachi, the prodigy who fought in the Third Shinobi War at age four, became a Chūnin at eight, and joined Anbu at eleven.

Together, these three formed what could be considered the most formidable squad in Konoha's Anbu.

It was almost inconceivable that they could lose.

Everyone in the crowd shared the same thought—

Xu Fan, an unknown captain with no recorded history, was about to suffer the most humiliating defeat of his life.

"This is going to be brutal..."

The Anbu captain sighed, casting a pitying glance at Xu Fan. "This guy doesn't know what he's gotten himself into."

Defeating even one of Kakashi, Tenzo, or Itachi was nearly impossible.

But facing all three at once?

"Wait—"

Someone in the crowd suddenly gasped.

"Is he actually challenging Kakashi, Tenzo, Itachi, and four Anbu members at the same time?!"

The realization sent shockwaves through the audience.

At first, some had assumed that Kakashi and the others would fight Xu Fan in succession—a test of endurance rather than outright domination.

But they were wrong.

Kakashi had positioned his team in a full-blown siege formation.

Tenzo and Itachi flanked him on either side, while the remaining Anbu members moved to encircle Xu Fan.

This was no test.

This was a coordinated assault.

"They're actually going for a full-scale takedown?!"

Even veteran Anbu officers audibly sucked in their breath. None of them would willingly place themselves in such a hopeless position.

And then, as if the situation wasn't already dire enough, Kakashi did something that made even the most hardened shinobi freeze in place.

He lifted his forehead protector.

His Sharingan—Konoha's famed crimson eye—glistened in the dim light.

He was taking this seriously.

Seven-on-one, and Kakashi was still being cautious.

The onlookers could only watch in stunned silence.