Under Soseki's increasingly ferocious assault, Shūnen still strolled about as if taking a leisurely walk. With nothing more than a casual flick of his kunai, he easily knocked away the shuriken flying at him from every direction.
Then, step by step, he closed in on his opponent.
"Before these eyes, all your efforts are useless. This is the true glory of the Uchiha, the insurmountable gap that ordinary people like you can never hope to cross! As a Medical Ninja, how will you deal with my close-range attacks?"
In Shūnen's view, his taijutsu was not particularly outstanding, but dealing with a Medical Ninja should not have posed much of a problem.
After all, he had watched Soseki's battle two months ago. Back then, Soseki's taijutsu had been far inferior to his own.
The only thing worth worrying about was that somewhat troublesome Medical Ninjutsu.
Yet Soseki merely sighed helplessly. "Shūnen, has anyone ever told you that you're really... very long-winded?"
Then, before Shūnen's disbelieving eyes, Soseki swiftly closed the distance and drove a knee heavily into his abdomen, sending him flying.
Suppressing the agony that nearly made him vomit bile, Shūnen struggled to his feet and cried out in grief and indignation, "Why... why does a Medical Ninja know taijutsu?"
Soseki pondered for a moment. "As a Medical Ninja, isn't it perfectly reasonable for me to learn some taijutsu to protect myself?"
Naturally, he had no intention of giving up taijutsu training. After all, he had coveted Tsunade's monstrous strength for a long time.
As for why his taijutsu had been poor before, it was entirely because he had lacked a teacher's guidance. When it came to matters involving the body, he did not dare train recklessly.
After becoming "close friends" with Asuma, he had naturally begun freeloading off Asuma's teacher's instruction.
Though Takeuchi Taiga was only a Special Jonin, he was indeed highly capable when it came to systematic teaching. At the very least, Soseki had barely managed to make up for this weakness in his taijutsu for now.
Shūnen cried out aggrievedly, "But... but your taijutsu was clearly worse than mine two months ago!"
Soseki nodded and said matter-of-factly, "Yes, but that was two months ago!"
Uzumaki Naruto could defeat Six Paths in a year. Surely I, Shimizu Soseki, could improve my taijutsu a little in two months.
Shūnen was utterly bewildered. Information did have an expiration date, but becoming outdated in just two months? This intelligence had expired far too quickly.
If he keeps improving at this rate, then... if I fight him again in a few days, will he just defeat me instantly? At the thought of that possibility, Shūnen subconsciously shuddered.
In other words, this is my only chance to defeat him?
"There's nothing to fear. It's only taijutsu. At least his Genjutsu against someone with the Sharingan like me has already... probably stopped working, right?"
Shūnen did not dare think any further. He was afraid that if he continued, he would lose even the courage to fight.
Clone Technique!
Shūnen swiftly formed hand seals, creating five clones that surrounded Soseki.
However, Soseki charged toward one of them without the slightest hesitation, completely ignoring the attacks from the other "Shūnens."
As expected, this guy's perception is too strong! Shūnen cursed inwardly. He no longer dared pretend, stabbing at Soseki with a kunai in his right hand while secretly taking out a coil of steel wire with his left.
Soseki tilted his head slightly to evade the attack, then drove an elbow into Shūnen's chest.
"Now!" Shūnen neither dodged nor blocked, forcibly taking the blow. Enduring the intense pain in his chest, he flung the coil of steel wire from his left hand toward Soseki.
Then—Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!
Flames rapidly spread along the steel wire until they completely engulfed Soseki.
"This level of attack is still far from enough." Having watched that battle two months ago, Shūnen naturally understood that Soseki was also highly skilled in using the Three Basic Ninjutsu.
Just as Shūnen searched for an opening and prepared to launch his next round of attacks—
The blazing flames scattered, and a charred corpse crashed heavily onto the ground.
Shūnen: "???"
Shūnen felt as though his intelligence had been gravely insulted. He refused to believe Soseki could have been killed by an attack of that level.
Wait, could this be his Genjutsu again? Shūnen became alert. Then, the same noisy voices suddenly rang out beside his ears.
"What, he lost already? How boring."
"This is the great Uchiha clan? What a joke!"
"No way, does anyone seriously think the Sharingan is that strong?"
Hearing this, irritation surged in Shūnen's heart. "Damn it, I fell for Genjutsu again. Wake up already!"
But at that moment, the charred corpse on the ground suddenly charged at him.
Then, before Shūnen could react, that familiar icy sensation touched his neck again.
Shūnen asked in a daze, "Wait, is this still Genjutsu or not?"
Soseki chuckled and withdrew his kunai. "My 'corpse' isn't, but the voices you heard are."
So this time, it was sound-wave Genjutsu... Shūnen subconsciously opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. As if all strength had been drained from him, he fell to his knees.
"I lost. I, who possess the Sharingan, actually lost to an ordinary person. The glory of the Uchiha has been completely lost in my hands!"
He did not even dare lift his head or look at those around him. He only felt countless mocking, malicious gazes fixed upon his back.
Soseki had been walking away, but upon hearing that, he stopped. "Glory does not disappear because of a single defeat. If anything, the glory you speak of was lost the first time you bullied the weak."
Shūnen suddenly looked up and screamed hysterically at Soseki, "What do you know? It's because of my efforts that no one in the academy dares say bad things about the Uchiha!"
Soseki looked at him with calm, clear eyes. "Do you really think so?"
For some reason, Shūnen suddenly did not dare meet his gaze. Lacking confidence, he asked, "W-what's wrong with that?"
The corners of Soseki's lips rose slightly. This guy was truly so immature and innocent that he was almost cute. Fooling him took no effort at all.
"If you truly believed that, you would not have been deceived by my Genjutsu. It is precisely because you know they do not acknowledge you in their hearts at all, and that even those so-called 'companions' of yours speak badly of the Uchiha behind your back, that you fear this lie being exposed."
"No, that's not it! They clearly fear me! They all revere the Uchiha name!"
"This is merely a lie you wove for yourself, a dream you use to deceive yourself. Could it be that the Uchiha are a clan that needs lies to numb themselves?"
Upon hearing this, even Shūnen himself became lost. "Could it be... that I've been lying to myself all along?"
Seeing that Shūnen had been so thoroughly crushed that his worldview had collapsed, looking as though he had been completely broken, Soseki felt it was about time to stop.
"At the very least, I absolutely do not believe arrogance and prejudice can be eliminated through violence."
Shūnen asked subconsciously, "Then what should I do?"
"Do you love your family?"
Though somewhat embarrassed, Shūnen, still in his brainwashed state, nodded. "I do."
"Does your family love you?"
"They do."
Soseki earnestly continued to fool him. "Kindness is always mutual. If you do not even love this world yourself, what right do you have to demand that the world love you? And if that still is not enough, then add time. Time will prove all of this."
After being force-fed that bowl of inspirational wisdom, Shūnen felt as though his entire being had been healed and elevated.
Seeing Soseki turn to leave, Shūnen looked at his retreating figure and shouted, "I understand! I'll work hard to change all of this!"
This time, Soseki did not stop. He merely waved a hand. "Before that, go ask those you wronged to forgive you."
Thanks to Willing to Dance with Stars and Moon for the 5,000 donation, Sanyu Wumengsheng A for the 1,000 donation, and Yanyan Swimming for the 300 donation.
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