The Might of Illusion

At this moment, Hyuga Tagawa, much like Hiroji Uchiha before him, had no desire to continue the fight.

Because he knew clearly in his heart that regardless of the outcome today, the true protagonist would not be him.

The 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 could not help but quietly shift his gaze to the side of the training ground, toward the middle-aged man with bandages wrapped around his head.

But he was immediately met with a sharp, piercing glare. Panicked, he had no choice but to brace himself and look back at the expressionless Kyosuke.

What he did not know was that the scene that had just unfolded had been observed by many keen eyes, among them, Kyosuke, who stood opposite him.

So he was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes; that explains it. Kyosuke finally understood the cause and effect of the situation.

After all, this bandaged man, much like his teacher, was deeply hostile toward the Uchiha Clan. In the original story, this man had also played a significant role in the night of the clan's annihilation.

This bandaged man was none other than Shimura Danzō, known as the Pot-Maker of Konoha.

However, Kyosuke was not overly intimidated by him at this moment. After all, although the Uchiha Clan's strength was gradually declining, it remained a force that could not be ignored in Konoha, or even the entire Shinobi World.

With a clan of such power as his backing, Kyosuke feared no one's pressure when applied openly.

As for any underhanded tactics, he trusted that his "teacher," Orochimaru the Cold-Blooded, would handle them for him.

After all, at this time, Orochimaru was working very closely with Danzo.

Under Danzo's sharp gaze, Hyuga Tagawa had no choice but to prepare for a second round of combat against Kyosuke.

At this moment, he felt a sense of sorrow brewing in his chest.

Once upon a time, there were those who had applied the word "genius" to him as well.

But looking at himself now, how had he fallen to the point of becoming a tool used to test the "capacity" of others?

Danzo. Hyuga Tagawa gritted his teeth and muttered the name in his heart, yet he could only helplessly follow his orders.

After all, let alone him, even within the entire Hyuga Clan, there were few who had the confidence to defy Danzo's commands.

Just as Hyuga Tagawa was wallowing in self-pity, Kyosuke, standing opposite him, suddenly launched his attack.

However, to his surprise, the enemy did not use that masterful Kunai Throwing Technique, nor did he use the signature ninjutsu of the Uchiha Clan; instead, he charged headlong toward him.

Although he felt a bit strange, Hyuga Tagawa felt genuine joy, and even excitement.

Even if that brat had awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan, to engage in close-quarters combat so recklessly against a ninja of the Hyuga Clan was simply too arrogant.

Just as he prepared to put an end to this meaningless duel once and for all, a loud roar suddenly reached his ears.

"Watch out for the genjutsu!!!"

The person who shouted this was a ninja from the Hyuga Clan.

Upon hearing this warning, Hyuga Tagawa, who had been about to charge forward, suddenly halted. He then forced his chakra to collide within his body, creating a sensation as if someone else were helping him break free from the genjutsu.

This method was a special ability inherent to the Byakugan bloodline.

Although Hyuga Tagawa still didn't know when he had fallen under the genjutsu, it never hurt to be cautious.

As the chakra surged within him, the scene before his eyes shattered like broken glass and vanished.

This meant he had successfully broken free from Kyosuke's genjutsu.

When his vision refocused on the opposite side, he found that Kyosuke was still standing in the same spot.

In the genjutsu, what had been charging at him wasn't Kyosuke at all, but a massive fireball over a meter in diameter.

If not for the unexpected warning from his clansman, he would have likely slammed headfirst into the fireball by now.

Fortunately, aside from certain special genjutsu, the passage of time perceived within a genjutsu is generally much faster than in reality, which gave him the chance to dodge.

"Boom!"

As expected, Hyuga Tagawa dodged the Great Fireball Technique. Seeing this, the Hyuga Clan member who had shouted let out a sigh of relief.

But then, he felt an astonishing killing intent envelop him. In a panic, he immediately looked up and quickly locked onto the source of the killing intent.

Aside from a few angry members of the Uchiha Clan, it was Orochimaru with his cold expression.

His body trembled slightly, and the Hyuga ninja lowered his head in fear, stepping back to hide among his clansmen.

At this moment, the leader of the Hyuga Clan glared at him fiercely before bowing slightly toward Orochimaru to express his apology.

Orochimaru expressionlessly withdrew his overwhelming killing intent and turned his gaze back to the two on the field.

Hyuga Tagawa, having narrowly dodged Kyosuke's ninjutsu, was preparing to readjust his combat strategy.

Unfortunately, Kyosuke did not give him another chance.

After a simple set of hand seals, clusters of smaller but equally lethal flames surged toward Tagawa, who had just managed to stand up.

Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.

And that wasn't all. While using chakra to manipulate the trajectory of the Phoenix Sage Fire, Kyosuke pulled out a shuriken, waited for the right moment, and threw it forcefully at his enemy.

In an instant, Hyuga Tagawa, now on the defensive, was surrounded by Kyosuke's overwhelming onslaught.

"Damn it, don't underestimate me!!!" Hyuga Tagawa roared. Immediately after, his chakra suddenly erupted from every tenketsu on his body, and he began to spin rapidly.

"Rotation!"

As expected of a ninja capable of being recruited as a pawn by Danzo, even without the exaggerated talent of the "plot characters" from the original story, having been trained from a young age, he had already mastered the secret technique Rotation while still at the Chunin level.

As clouds of smoke billowed violently, Kyosuke's attack, which had been enough to secure a finishing blow, was blocked by his use of Rotation.

Just as Hyuga Tagawa ceased his spinning, a faint "crack" sound suddenly emanated from the ground beneath his feet.

Sensing that something was wrong, Tagawa prepared to dodge.

However, having just unleashed a massive burst of Chakra, his movements were inevitably sluggish.

It was in this split second of vulnerability that a pair of hands suddenly shot out from the ground and grabbed his ankles.

With the world spinning around him, he and Kyosuke completely swapped positions.

When the smoke cleared, only Kyosuke remained, standing calmly with a kunai in hand. Tagawa, meanwhile, was buried entirely in the earth, with only his head left exposed.

With that, this rather spectacular battle came to an end.

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

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