Hyuga VS Uchiha, Part 2

Such high-intensity competition in ocular power was no small burden for both Hyuga Kagami and Shisui, so this strange close-quarters battle could not be sustained for long.

Hyuga Kagami braced himself on the ground with one hand as he panted heavily.

Every inch of his body ached terribly, and his calves had begun to tremble. Without supporting himself with a hand, he could barely keep his footing.

This exchange tested not only their ocular power, but also each of their control over their own bodies.

The minute variations between moves were an enormous test for the muscle groups throughout the body. Hyuga Kagami's muscles had been under constant strain, so even this brief exchange was as intense as an entire afternoon of sparring with Guy.

Shisui, on the other end, was in even worse shape. He was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, clearly running out of stamina.

Shisui had not paid much attention to Itachi's earlier praise for Hyuga Kagami. It was not because he was arrogant, but because he truly had the qualifications to look down on most of the so-called "geniuses" in the village.

Yet after this exchange, he personally understood just how powerful Hyuga Kagami's ocular power was. He had never imagined that, even after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, he would be slightly at a disadvantage in a contest of perception.

Neither of them hurried to get up. They tacitly rested for a while instead.

A moment later, Hyuga Kagami steadied his breathing and rose to his feet first. "Continue!"

Shisui seemed not to have fully recovered, but he still forced himself up and nodded solemnly.

Hyuga Kagami lowered his body slightly, then stomped hard, jolting the two shuriken at his feet into the air. He caught one in each hand and flung them at Shisui.

At the same time, his figure blurred as he rushed after the two shuriken toward Shisui.

Having already suffered enough in their taijutsu exchange, Shisui would not dare let Hyuga Kagami get close again. He immediately formed hand seals and shouted, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, a massive blaze burst from Shisui's mouth, nearly covering the entire Sparring Platform.

As the Great Fireball surged toward him like an overwhelming tide, Hyuga Kagami had nowhere to dodge. He could only activate Kaiten once more.

For a time, the Sparring Platform became a massive furnace—one with a fan inside it. Hyuga Kagami, spinning within it with Kaiten activated, was like that fan, churning Shisui's Great Fireball Technique into complete chaos.

The Chunin watching around the platform scattered in panic again, dodging the splashing flames in disarray. Even the Third Hokage had to retreat some distance.

On the platform, Hyuga Kagami did not have it easy as he endured the Great Fireball Technique head-on.

Kaiten was a defensive method meant for physical attacks, and its effectiveness was greatly reduced against Ninjutsu. Thus, although Hyuga Kagami blocked Shisui's Great Fireball Technique, he consumed three, perhaps even four times as much chakra as Shisui. Even though he possessed more chakra than Shisui, he could not afford such an exchange rate.

Fortunately, after blocking the Great Fireball Technique, Hyuga Kagami had already closed in before Shisui.

"Body Flicker Technique!"

Knowing how terrifying Hyuga Kagami was in close combat, Shisui ignored his body's exhaustion and formed hand seals again, using his trump card.

With Shisui's youthful voice, more than a dozen Shisuis, like Shadow Clones, appeared across the Sparring Platform.

Hyuga Kagami immediately stopped attacking. Beneath his goggles, the soul-stirring Tenseigan swept around, trying to locate Shisui's true body. Yet for some reason, every Shisui on the platform seemed real, making them impossible to distinguish for the moment.

Hyuga Kagami did not know much about Shisui's Body Flicker Technique, but he knew Shisui possessed the title "Body Flicker Shisui." Since he bore "Body Flicker" as a title, Shisui's Body Flicker Technique had to be something special.

At that moment, the dozen or so Shisuis on the platform spoke in unison. "Senior Kagami, I'm attacking!"

Their voices came from every direction, making it difficult for Hyuga Kagami to tell them apart.

The instant Shisui finished speaking, a torrential barrage of attacks followed.

Surrounded by more than a dozen Shisuis, Hyuga Kagami struggled to fend them off. Not only was he in a sorry state, but several blade wounds soon appeared on his body. Left with no choice, he used Kaiten again, barely blocking the assault of Shisui's Body Flicker Technique.

Having bought himself a brief chance to catch his breath, Hyuga Kagami finally had the opportunity to observe Shisui's Body Flicker Technique.

Gradually, he noticed a few clues.

Shisui's Body Flicker Technique seemed to create afterimages through ultra-high-speed movement, using one real body to produce the effect of more than a dozen, making it difficult for an enemy to withstand.

Moreover, unlike Guy's rapid movement, Shisui's Body Flicker Technique was not purely taijutsu. Like the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, it was Nintaijutsu mixed with Ninjutsu. Although it required hand seals, its effect surpassed Guy's rapid movement, to the point that even Hyuga Kagami, with his Tenseigan, had failed to see through it immediately.

But at its core, Shisui's Body Flicker Technique was still taijutsu. As long as it was taijutsu, Kaiten could handle most of it, aside from a few absurd forbidden techniques.

Having made up his mind, Hyuga Kagami simply stopped attacking actively and focused entirely on defense.

When it came to competing in chakra, he had nothing to fear from Shisui!

After blocking several more rounds of Shisui's attacks, Hyuga Kagami wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and said, "If this is all it can do, your Body Flicker Technique cannot touch me."

Shisui noticed this as well and decisively stopped using the Body Flicker Technique. Panting heavily, he said, "Senior, I am not your opponent. I lost this match."

Hyuga Kagami froze. He had not expected Shisui to concede so easily.

Shisui smiled helplessly and explained, "My chakra is nearly depleted, but you still seem to have strength left. If we continue, I will definitely lose."

Staring at the exhausted Shisui, Hyuga Kagami suddenly came to a realization.

Although awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan had been a qualitative improvement for Shisui, that improvement was purely in combat power. As for his physique, it had not improved at all. On the contrary, it had increased the burden on his body, amounting to a degree of weakening.

Furthermore, Shisui was still young and his body had not fully developed, so the Mangekyō Sharingan placed an even heavier burden on him.

At its essence, the Mangekyō Sharingan was more like an abnormal mutation of a bloodline limit. Its nature was inherently unstable.

Before evolving into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, it was a double-edged sword for any ninja. The more frequently it was used, the greater the damage to one's eyesight and body.

This also explained why Danzo had dared to strike so boldly and ambush Shisui.

First, the Mangekyō Sharingan imposed a far greater burden on the body than an ordinary Sharingan, so Shisui would instinctively avoid using it in battle.

Second, Danzo acted in the village's name, suppressing Shisui with the greater cause and making him unwilling to kill Danzo.

No matter how one put it, as long as Shisui did not dare to kill without restraint, he was merely a slightly troublesome elite Jonin to Danzo. But once Shisui cast aside all his reservations and unleashed every method at his disposal, let alone Danzo—even the Third Hokage might be controlled by Kotoamatsukami and then instantly killed...