The Battle (3)

"Clang!"

Souya gripped the Starfall Rod and used the Body Flicker Technique to flash right in front of Uchiha Longping.

The Sharingan's dynamic vision was no mere boast. Longping instantly raised his Kunai and blocked the Starfall Rod above his forehead.

But he soon realized that the force coming from the Starfall Rod was almost unbelievable.

He gritted his teeth as the veins in his right arm bulged, but he still couldn't withstand that brute strength.

He glared at Souya with his Sharingan, trying to cast a genjutsu, but realized that Souya wasn't even looking at his eyes.

Everyone had been taught this little trick for fighting the Sharingan before the war with Konoha. But in a real battle, only a handful of people could actually pull it off.

"Where is Lord Orochimaru?" Uchiha Longping demanded in a muffled voice. Then he angled his arm down and to the right.

As he deflected Souya's force, he leaned in and fiercely thrust his Kunai toward Souya's chest and abdomen.

Souya's expression remained calm. He didn't respond; he had no interest in Longping's question. He was only interested in his eyes.

The Starfall Rod seemed light as a feather in Souya's hands. He held it in his left hand and swept it back, then instantly grabbed it with his right and swung it with all his might at Longping's waist.

As the saying went, a longer weapon had the advantage. This was where bludgeoning weapons like staffs proved their worth: Souya's Starfall Rod would surely hit his opponent before the Kunai could reach him.

And with the Starfall Rod's weight behind Souya's strength, there was little chance of both men taking each other out.

Uchiha Longping's Sharingan naturally caught Souya's movement, leaving him no choice but to give up.

Longping leaped back to avoid the blow and swiftly formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A blazing red fireball burst from his mouth and hurtled toward Souya.

Souya's expression didn't change. He merely raised his right hand, and a thick, fan-shaped wall of Gold Sand abruptly surged from the ground in front of him.

The fireball slammed into it, leaving only a charred mark. It couldn't break through at all.

Souya immediately continued manipulating the Gold Sand, sending one long, flowing band after another whipping up from the ground toward Longping.

The Sharingan's advantage was on full display. Longping darted and weaved among the bands, leaping lightly to evade every one of Souya's attacks.

"Hmph!" Souya snorted through his nose.

He was utterly envious of people like this, who had superior strength simply because of their bloodline...

Souya held the staff horizontally before him and planted his feet hard, leaving two shallow dents in the ground.

He suddenly charged at Longping and struck hard. The two clashed again, their weapons clanging back and forth.

At last, just as Longping sidestepped a downward strike, Souya seemed to anticipate his movement.

In an instant, he swept the rod back at him.

Thwack!

A dull impact rang out as the Starfall Rod struck Longping's right thigh. With its weight of more than a hundred pounds and the force in Souya's wrist, the blow was devastating.

Longping was knocked several yards away. As he struggled to get up, his right leg trembled, preventing him from rising properly.

Souya never let up when he had the upper hand. He quickly brought his hands together, and another series of thick Gold Sand bands surged from the ground in front of Longping.

Longping glared through his Sharingan. Though he could see the paths of the attacks, his right leg wouldn't obey him, leaving him no choice but to roll aside. He looked utterly wretched.

"Longping!" another Uchiha shinobi roared. He struggled desperately to shake off the Sunagakure Ninja in front of him and rush to Longping's aid.

But his opponent wasn't about to give him the chance.

"Ah!" The Uchiha shinobi with Two Tomoe let out an enraged roar. The Tomoe in his eyes spun faster and faster.

Suddenly, another Tomoe appeared in each eye. Under the impact of his overwhelming emotions, his Sharingan had evolved once more—he had become a powerful shinobi with Three Tomoe!

A shinobi who evolved to Three Tomoe could, after a little training, match an ordinary Jonin with ease. If he had a special talent for Chakra nature transformations, he could even reach the level of an Elite Jonin.

The Uchiha shinobi, who was in his early twenties, immediately noticed that the world around him seemed to slow down in an instant.

His opponent, who had been roughly his equal, now seemed full of openings. He could easily spot his weaknesses.

"Heh heh!" A savage grin spread across his face. He gripped the Ninja Blade in his hand, ready to deliberately expose an opening and finish off his opponent.

He was already imagining the sight of his enemy's blood spraying everywhere... and the admiring looks he'd receive from his clan when he returned...

Whoosh!

The ground behind him abruptly rose, and a dark figure burst out of it.

Yellow sand fell steadily from the figure's surface. He finally saw it clearly: a long, black puppet with its belly already open, cold glints of light faintly visible along either side.

The puppet's face was long and narrow, with two curved red horns. Its bulging eyes were utterly devoid of emotion, and its black body gleamed faintly like metal.

"What...?" The Uchiha shinobi, who had just awakened his Three Tomoe, stared in terror. His eyes had spotted the enemy, but his body wasn't fast enough to keep up with his mind.

Snap!

The puppet shot up, giving him no chance at all. It swallowed him whole.

Squelch!

Several cold flashes of light flickered inside the puppet's belly, followed by a bloodcurdling scream. It rose to a piercing pitch, then abruptly cut off, as if a hand had clamped around his throat.

"This puppet...?" The Sunagakure Ninja stared at the black puppet in front of him, blood steadily oozing from it. His eyes were full of uncertainty.

On the other side, Longping's leg injury left him unable to dodge the wave of Gold Sand sweeping toward him.

Determination filled his eyes. His hands moved with incredible speed, forming one seal after another.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"

A series of dragon-like roars rang out as several dragon-shaped balls of flame hurtled toward Souya.

"Roar!"

Look closely, and the dragon heads' teeth, whiskers, and pupils were all clearly visible. Their expressions seemed to radiate fury.

Boom!

Souya's wave of Gold Sand was scattered outright, doing almost nothing to slow them down.

As the dragon flames sped past, even the air around them seemed to twist from the heat. Their power was plain to see!