The Might of Genjutsu

At this moment, Hyuga Tagawa was just like Hiroji Uchiha had been that day—he no longer wanted to continue fighting.

Because he knew full well that regardless of who won or lost today, he would not be the true protagonist.

That boy who had awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan at the age of five had already proven his talent.

At the same time, his "mission" could be considered successfully completed.

Thinking of this, Hyuga Tagawa quietly shifted his gaze toward one side of the training ground, toward the middle-aged man with bandages wrapped around his head.

But he was immediately met with a sharp glare. Panicked, he could only force himself to look back at the expressionless Kyosuke.

What he did not know was that many observant people had witnessed what had just happened, including Kyosuke, who stood opposite him.

So he was the one pulling strings behind the scenes. That was hardly surprising. Kyosuke finally understood the full story.

After all, this bandaged man, like his teacher, was deeply hostile toward the Uchiha Clan. In the original story's Night of Extermination, this man had also played no small part.

This bandaged man was Shimura Danzō, known as The Pot-Maker of Konoha.

However, Kyosuke did not fear him too much at the moment. Although the Uchiha Clan's strength was gradually declining, it remained a force that neither Konoha nor the entire Shinobi World could afford to ignore.

With a clan of such strength supporting him, Kyosuke feared no one's open pressure.

As for covert little schemes, he trusted that his "teacher," Orochimaru the Cold-Blooded, would deal with them for him.

After all, Orochimaru was very close to Danzo at this time.

Under Danzo's sharp gaze, Hyuga Tagawa could only prepare to begin the second round with Kyosuke.

At that moment, he felt an emotion called sorrow brewing in his chest.

There had once been a time when the word "genius" had been used to describe him as well.

But looking at himself now, how had he fallen so low as to become a tool for testing someone else's "caliber"?

Danzo. Hyuga Tagawa gritted his teeth and silently repeated the name, yet could only helplessly follow his orders.

After all, not only him—even within the entire Hyuga Clan, few had the confidence to resist Danzo's commands.

Just as Hyuga Tagawa was wallowing in self-pity, Kyosuke suddenly launched an attack from across the field.

But to his surprise, his opponent neither used that masterful Kunai Throwing Technique nor the Uchiha Clan's signature Ninjutsu. Instead, he lowered his head and charged straight at him.

Though he found it somewhat strange, Hyuga Tagawa was sincerely delighted, even excited.

Even if that brat had awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, rashly engaging a Hyuga Clan ninja in close combat was simply too arrogant.

Just as he prepared to bring this already meaningless duel to a complete end, a sudden shout rang out beside his ear.

"Watch out for Genjutsu!!!"

The one who shouted was a Hyuga Clan ninja.

Upon hearing the warning, Hyuga Tagawa abruptly halted his advancing body. He then controlled his Chakra to collide within his body, creating the sensation as if someone else were helping him break free from Genjutsu.

This method was a special ability granted by the Byakugan bloodline.

Although Hyuga Tagawa still did not know when he had fallen under Genjutsu, there was never any harm in being cautious.

As the Chakra clashed within his body, the scene before his eyes shattered and vanished like broken glass.

This meant that he had successfully escaped Kyosuke's Genjutsu.

When his vision refocused on the other side, he discovered that Kyosuke was still standing where he had been.

Within the Genjutsu, what had charged toward him had not been Kyosuke at all, but a massive fireball over a meter in diameter.

Had his clansman not called out unexpectedly, he would likely have already charged headfirst into that fireball.

Fortunately, aside from certain special Genjutsu, the passage of time people felt within Genjutsu was generally much faster than in reality. That was what gave him the chance to evade it.

"Boom!"

As expected, Hyuga Tagawa dodged the Great Fireball Technique. The Hyuga Clan member who had shouted could not help but let out a sigh of relief at the sight.

But then, he felt an astonishing killing intent envelop his entire body. In a panic, he immediately looked up and swiftly found its source.

Aside from several enraged Uchiha Clan members, there was Orochimaru, whose expression was ice-cold.

His body trembled slightly. Terrified, the Hyuga Clan ninja lowered his head and stepped back, hiding himself among his clan's crowd.

After fiercely glaring at him, the Hyuga Clan leader gave a slight bow toward Orochimaru, expressing his apology.

Orochimaru expressionlessly withdrew his overwhelming killing intent, then once more turned his gaze toward the two on the field.

Hyuga Tagawa had barely dodged Kyosuke's Ninjutsu in a sorry state and was preparing to readjust his fighting style.

Unfortunately for him, Kyosuke did not give him another chance this time.

After a simple series of hand seals, clusters of smaller but equally deadly flames once again shot toward Tagawa, who had just risen to his feet.

Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.

And that was not all. While using Chakra to control the Phoenix Sage Fire's trajectory, Kyosuke pulled out another handful of Shuriken and hurled them forcefully at his enemy when the opportunity arose.

In an instant, Hyuga Tagawa, now at a disadvantage, was surrounded by Kyosuke's overwhelming barrage of attacks.

"Damn it, don't underestimate me!!!" Hyuga Tagawa roared. Immediately afterward, his Chakra erupted from every acupoint across his body, and he began spinning rapidly.

"Heavenly Spin!"

Worthy of being a ninja whom Danzo had taken as a pawn, even without the exaggerated talent of the original story's "plot characters," he had mastered the secret technique Heavenly Spin while still at the Chunin level, having received guidance since childhood.

As clouds of smoke rose violently, Kyosuke's attack, which should have been enough to secure a certain kill, was blocked by his Heavenly Spin.

Just as Hyuga Tagawa stopped spinning, a faint cracking sound suddenly came from the ground beneath his feet.

Sensing danger, Tagawa prepared to dodge.

But after his massive Chakra outburst, his movements had inevitably become somewhat sluggish.

In that instant of vulnerability, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from the ground and seized his ankles.

As the world spun around him, he and Kyosuke completely switched positions.

When the smoke dispersed, only Kyosuke remained standing there, Kunai in hand and an indifferent expression on his face. Tagawa, meanwhile, had been buried entirely underground, with only his head exposed.

Thus, this fairly exciting battle came to an end.

Kyosuke smiled at the still-dazed Tagawa, then turned toward his clansmen and raised his right hand high above his head.

In an instant, a thunderous cheer erupted from the Uchiha Clan's camp.