Chapter 295   - Ch295. Anko Vs Kakashi 1

Anko and Kakashi stood opposite each other in the clearing, Kakashi lazily hunched over in apathy but not daring to pull out his orange book while facing someone like Anko, while Anko was grinning like an excited kid who was about to kick nuts... er, kick butts.

Despite his bored outlook, Anko could clearly see in his sole uncovered eye that Kakashi was angry. That was good. She wanted him angry. It wasn't any sort of grand strategy from her side. Anko was not stupid enough to believe she could make someone of Kakashi's caliber mad enough it would affect his fighting ability. The guy was in ANBU and he certainly learned how to keep his emotions at bay during a fight. No... Anko wanted him angry because he made her wait! He deserved to be angry!.

"You know... I liked you better when you looked at me with these dead eyes. Angry-like-a-squirrel glare doesn't suit you, Doggy-kun. Not with that pirate outlook." Anko chirped.

"Ha-Ha-Ha. Very funny, Anko-chan." Kakashi eye-smiled, "What a coincidence! I liked you more when you were a slut too. All this pretending that you are an upstanding person doesn't suit you."

Despite the two just exchanging some casual banter, the atmosphere around them became tense and stifling, causing the three genins that observed them to feel uncomfortable.

The two ninjas glared at each other from behind their pleasant facades, as if waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves in the crowns of the trees around the clearing and the two ninjas abruptly disappeared.

All the indication the three genins got that the fight started was a barely noticeable blur before Kakashi and Anko clashed in the middle of the clearing, their kunais crossed, trying to overpower each other while their arms trembled from exertion.

Looking each other straight in the eye, Anko and Kakashi snarled before their kunais separated with a loud clang reverberating through the clearing. Both jumped back, creating a distance between each other while not letting the other out of their line of sight.

"Maa~, nothing impressive so far." Kakashi cheerfully taunted, causing Anko to pleasantly smile.

"That's what she said? Poor you." She licked her lips and abruptly threw a shuriken at the unsuspecting Kakashi who was about to retort, causing him to shut his mouth and lean back, letting the shuriken harmlessly pass by his body... only to burst into smoke when it was close to his body, revealing a coiled venomous snake springing head-first towards him.

Much to Kakashi's horror, the snake was aimed at his crotch.

It was relatively easy for Kakashi to sidestep the snake but that... meant a war.

Kakashi ran at Anko with his full speed, engaging her in a taijutsu bout mixed with some kunaijutsu here and there.

Anko used her flexibility to negate, deflect, and evade most blows, occasionally using moves from her Snake Style to mitigate the force behind her opponent's attacks by taking the hit earlier than intended while returning one of hers at full power in return. It was obvious her taijutsu was not her main means of offense.

Kakashi's style was more dependent on speed and fast but effective hits into weak spots. Unfortunately for him, Anko was his worst enemy in that regard as she was far too flexible for him to hit his intended targets.

The two danced around the clearing, exchanging hits, swipes, and slashes, more often than not, missing the other by a small margin. Kakashi suddenly spotted a twitch of Anko's lips as his back hit a tree, getting a bad premonition. He was a guy who trusted his instincts and in this case, it saved him when Anko abruptly changed her style, and instead of her usual flexible and fast jab, she tightened her fist and sent a strong solid punch at Kakashi's chest.

Normally, Kakashi would face it head-on. He sparred with Might Guy so solid and strong punches were something he learned to counter quite easily. But his instincts forced him to dodge roll to the left, pushing himself up from the ground and back onto his feet.

He was really glad he didn't take the hit head-on when Anko's fist impacted the tree, bisecting its trunk with sheer brute force as if it was a child's play, causing the eyes of Kakashi alongside the three watching genins to widen in bewilderment and fear.

The three genins quickly came to their first decision as a team. To not piss Anko off. They were trained by her for years but this was the first time they saw her use this super strength technique. Honestly, it made them wonder what else she could do they were not aware of.

As for Kakashi...

'She knows Tsunade's technique!' Kakashi mentally exclaimed, not liking where this fight was going. 'Oookay... maybe letting her wait might have been a bit of an oversight on my part.' He thought and gulped as Anko turned to him with an eye-smile of her own.

"I will teach you... letting a Lady wait."

Kakashi wanted... he really wanted to retort that there was no lady present here but his suicidal days were already long over. Since he found the joy of Icha Icha, he no longer desired to join his friends on the other side. Not yet, at least. And nobody can claim Kakashi didn't know when to keep his thoughts to himself.

Anko dashed at Kakashi, using a completely different set of movements than previously. Her Snake Style was nimble and flexible, its movements adjusted for quickness and readiness to evade. Anko's current moves, however, felt heavier, less focused on speed.

That said, while her current style indeed wasn't focused on quickness, Anko herself was very fast. Kakashi had only a split second before she was in front of him, already swinging her fist in the direction of his face.

Kakashi leaned back, doing a bridge under Anko's swing before he propelled himself into a handstand and pushed his body away from the murder-happy woman capable of crushing a mountain with her fist. He didn't sign up for this shit!

Anko didn't let Kakashi get away easily though. As he landed on his feet, she was already closing the distance between them. Kakashi barely managed to redirect her punch by leaning his body to the left while hitting her elbow, evading his demise by an inch. Seeing his chance, he grabbed Anko's outstretched arm and shoulder-threw her away from himself. The second he let go of her, Kakashi's hands started quickly forming hand seals.

Anko was in mid-air when she heard Kakashi's voice, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!", and a moment later, she could feel the heat around her rising. Twisting her body in a way that would get her closer to the ground, Anko sent a sharp kick to the ground under herself, causing it to rise and cover her body, shielding her from the flying ball of fire. That also allowed her to regain her balance and land on her feet.

Both ninjas momentarily stopped, sizing up the other while taking a small breather.

Kakashi was good, Anko had to admit. Rusty... but good. His instincts were top-notch and he clearly had enough experience to carry him through the tight spots.

Anko was... unpredictable, Kakashi inwardly sighed. Unpredictable was bad. Hard to deal with. He hated unpredictable. As he looked at the woman, he had to admit, she made him respect her during this fight. It would be foolish not to respect her, considering she could make him into a pancake with a punch. That said, the woman was utterly irritating! He still had to teach her a lesson too...

Yes, there was no other way... Kakashi decided and pulled his headband up, revealing his Sharingan.

"Up for ninja lesson number two?" He eye-smiled at Anko who snorted but readied herself.