Flaws in His Fighting Style

Under the brilliant blue sky, a goshawk circled endlessly overhead.

Its sharp eagle eyes remained fixed on the two motionless figures below.

In its experience, when two people faced off, there was bound to be bloodshed.

Aozora and Tekka stood on the vast Wasteland Plain.

A hot wind swept past, setting the thick wild grass swaying like waves.

Suddenly, Aozora said, "Why did you stop chasing me? I don't have much Chakra left."

Hearing Aozora lie through his teeth, Tekka nearly rolled his eyes. Helplessly, he said, "The Sharingan can't see through people and inspect their chakra pathways, but it can still roughly tell how much Chakra you have left."

Aozora grinned. "You were too far away. I couldn't even tell whether you'd activated your Sharingan."

Only after bluffing his way through did Aozora ask, "Still want to fight? If we keep this up, we'll miss lunch."

Tekka said seriously, "I have to admit that your combat style has already formed a complete system. Unless someone is far stronger than you, it would be difficult for anyone to gain the upper hand against you one-on-one."

Hearing that, Aozora tilted his head slightly. "Oh? Not bad, kid. You've got some insight."

Faced with Aozora's provocation, Uchiha Tekka did not fly into a rage. Instead, he raised his index finger.

Wagging it, Uchiha Tekka said, "However, there is still one flaw in your fighting style. I wonder if you've addressed it yet."

Aozora frowned slightly. He did not believe that the kiting strategy he had carefully prepared would have its weakness exposed the moment he used it.

"Genjutsu!" Uchiha Tekka stated his thoughts outright. "Your Body Activation is indeed fast enough, and your ninja tools are sharp enough. It really is difficult for anyone to get close to you."

"But does that mean no one can attack you unless they get close?"

"Both ninjutsu and genjutsu can accomplish that. Ninjutsu may be easy to dodge, but what about genjutsu?"

As he spoke, Tekka's finger continued to sway, while the Two Tomoe in his eyes slowly spun.

Aozora suddenly felt the world around him turn unreal, and he was unable to move.

A thick branch burst from the ground. Like a lover's arms, it extended from behind Aozora's neck and beneath his ribs, then wrapped tightly around him.

Though restrained, Aozora did not lose his temper. He calmly said, "True enough. The casting range of genjutsu happens to overlap with my throwing range. And genjutsu is invisible and intangible, making it difficult to guard against."

He could not move, yet there was no dejection of defeat in his voice.

Tekka walked over and said, "You're already outstanding. I believe that most Chunin could only surrender helplessly when facing you. The only reason you lost today is because I'm two years older than you."

"Once you awaken the Sharingan, ordinary genjutsu will be ineffective against you. By then, I won't be able to claim an easy victory over you."

Yes, only that he would not be able to claim an easy victory.

Even if Aozora awakened the Sharingan, Tekka was still confident he could defeat him. It would merely take a bit more effort.

Tekka's expression had softened considerably by then. The indignation he had shown while chasing Aozora was gone, replaced by a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Through this battle, he was no longer hostile toward Aozora.

He believed that someone as capable as Aozora could never be the sort of petty person who used the clan's name to seek personal gain.

"I think I misunderstood you before. Now I believe you have your own reasons for demanding Compensation. Also, your strength far exceeds my expectations. As expected of Shisui's younger brother."

Watching Uchiha Tekka speak at length, Aozora could not help rolling his eyes.

Did this guy think he had won?

I awakened the Sharingan ages ago, okay? Two Tomoe, got it?

Though Aozora really wanted to activate his Two Tomoe Sharingan and show off, he thought better of it and held back.

This was only an ordinary sparring match. Testing his fighting style was enough. How could he reveal his trump cards so casually?

At the very least, he needed to stockpile another three or five trump cards first.

Thus, Aozora said reluctantly, "Tekka, you're a true hero and a great genius. You're still the better one!"

Hearing Aozora's insincere praise, Tekka's face immediately darkened. He waved a hand to release the genjutsu and said, "If you don't know how to compliment people, don't."

"I'm curious. With your strength, you could have graduated long ago, right? Why are you pretending to be dead last at the Ninja Academy?"

Aozora shrugged. "What's the point of graduating so early? To become cannon fodder on the battlefield?"

"Besides, what good is it for the Uchiha to produce another genius? It would only make the higher-ups more wary and the clan members more arrogant."

"Most importantly, a genius is still only a genius. Before they grow up, the role they can play is limited. They aren't worth much more than a Chunin."

Tekka was speechless for a moment. After a while, he said, "Perhaps you're right. But how can a genius become accomplished without tempering? Still, under the current circumstances, it truly isn't suitable for the Uchiha to produce another peerless genius."

After looking deeply at Aozora, Tekka said, "Sorry. I fought you because of a misunderstanding. Your talent is no less than your brother's. Don't waste it."

With that, Uchiha Tekka turned around, preparing to return to guarding the Clan Head.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly looked back. "Come find me at my house sometime. I can teach you some genjutsu. And you can tell me what you didn't finish saying at the last Clan Meeting. I'm somewhat interested."

Aozora smiled at that. "Sure. Then I'll teach you how to throw kunai!"

"Ha ha—"

Tekka laughed, neither agreeing nor refusing.

While his laughter still drifted through the wind, he had already appeared in the distance. In the next instant, Aozora completely lost sight of him.

Retracting his gaze, Aozora shook his head. "Heh, he went easy on me."

After glancing up at the sun climbing toward the center of the sky, Aozora hurried back to the Clan Compound.

Uchiha Tekka returned to the banks of the Naka River just in time to encounter Uchiha Fugaku and his son returning to the Clan Compound.

Tekka stepped forward and bowed, then followed behind Uchiha Fugaku.

Uchiha Fugaku did not ask what Tekka had been doing, and Tekka did not report where he had gone.

The two understood each other without words, but Uchiha Itachi was still only a six-year-old child. The curiosity in his heart was like a playful kitten, constantly teasing him.

After holding it in for five minutes, Itachi finally could not resist his curiosity any longer. With his big eyes wide open, he walked over to Uchiha Tekka.

After hesitating for a moment, Itachi asked, "Brother Tekka, what did you go do just now?"

Tekka said, "I went to fight someone."

Itachi hurriedly asked, "Who won?"

"Of course I did."

At that, Itachi beamed, his large eyes narrowing into slits.

Serves you right for lying to me! You got what was coming to you!

Uchiha Fugaku was not surprised. He merely asked, "He wasn't seriously hurt, was he?"

Teaching him a lesson was fine, but seriously injuring Aozora would be counterproductive. It might provoke Aozora's rebelliousness, which would be detrimental to the Relocation Plan.

"Uh—"

After thinking for a moment, Tekka said, "He wasn't seriously hurt!"

He had only tied him up with genjutsu. There was not even a scratch on him, so naturally he had not been seriously hurt.

"That's good," Uchiha Fugaku said.

After walking for a while, Uchiha Fugaku said, "Go to Aozora's house for me this afternoon and deliver the Chakra-Conductive Metal to him."

"Yes!"