A crescent moon hung in the night sky.
Its cool light spilled over the quiet forest in the Uchiha Clan Compound, making the waters of the Naka River shimmer.
Naka Shrine.
Kakashi had no trouble sneaking near the shrine. After all, most of the Uchiha's ninjas were attending the Clan Meeting.
The hard part came next.
How could he sneak into the secret room inside the shrine without being noticed and eavesdrop on the Uchiha Clan Meeting?
A mission like this was practically impossible.
Just as Kakashi hid in a tree, unsure what to do, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
He saw two familiar figures emerge from the shrine, one after the other.
They were Uchiha Dan and Uchiha Shisui.
Right after them, the other Uchiha clan members poured out like a tide. More than fifty people gathered in the clearing outside the shrine.
Had the Clan Meeting ended so quickly?
Seeing this, Kakashi's first thought was that he'd arrived too late and missed the meeting.
But he quickly realized that things weren't quite what he'd thought.
Because—
The Uchiha spread out around the clearing, forming a circle. Only Dan and Shisui remained in the middle, facing each other from several meters apart.
What was going on?
A tournament match?
Kakashi was a little bewildered, but he also realized that his mission had just become much easier.
So—
Kakashi lifted his Forehead Protector, revealing his crimson Sharingan. Then he did his best to conceal his presence and watched the scene below.
In the clearing.
Izumi carefully made her way through the crowd and came to Itachi's side.
"Izumi, don't get distracted. You need to watch the next battle closely with your Sharingan. It'll be a great help to you."
Itachi spoke to Izumi with a serious expression. As he spoke, his eyes had already shifted into the Three-Tomoe pattern.
In Itachi's eyes, the battle between Shisui and his uncle Dan would be the Uchiha's greatest battle.
Who was the strongest person in the clan right now? This battle would settle it.
Nearby.
Mikoto watched Dan's back with concern, then turned to Fugaku with a resentful look.
"Why didn't you stop Dan? Does he have any chance of beating Shisui?"
"Don't worry. I'll step in at the crucial moment. I won't let Dan get hurt. And don't underestimate your younger brother."
Fugaku reassured his wife, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
His wife was gentle, beautiful, and kind, but why did she have to be such a hopeless little sister fanatic?
Just then—
"Can we begin?" Shisui asked from the center of the clearing.
"Come on," Dan replied calmly.
They both knew what the other was after, so neither wasted time with unnecessary words.
They got straight to it.
Whoosh.
Shisui immediately resorted to his old trick, unleashing a Genjutsu assault on Dan just as he had against Yashiro.
If Dan fell to the Genjutsu, the battle would be over in an instant.
After all—
Dan had only made a show of inviting Shisui outside to fight because he was worried about bringing down the secret room. If he'd spent all that time setting things up, only to be taken out by a single Genjutsu from Shisui, he'd become a laughingstock.
He'd lose all face and have no place left in the clan.
Dan knew exactly what Shisui was planning, but he wasn't about to let him have his way.
Facing the Genjutsu—
Three tomoe suddenly appeared in Dan's dark eyes, crimson as blood. He withstood the force of Shisui's Pupil Power.
He stood as steady as a mountain, without falling.
Oh?
Shisui was a little surprised. His Genjutsu had been infused with Mangekyo Pupil Power.
The clan members around them were even more impressed with Dan.
Many of them had doubted whether Dan even had a Sharingan. But the fact that he could withstand Shisui's Genjutsu proved that his Pupil Power surpassed Yashiro's.
"Is his powerful body giving him greater resistance to Genjutsu?"
Fugaku's gaze was sharp.
Ninjas with exceptionally strong bodies had vigorous blood flow, which made it harder to disrupt the circulation of Chakra within them. To some extent, that made them resistant to Genjutsu.
The Senju Clan was the most typical example.
The Uchiha had earned their reputation for being invincible in one-on-one battles through the Sharingan's Genjutsu, but that had only happened after their archrivals, the Senju Clan, had fallen.
Fugaku's guess was right, but only partly.
Dan's muscular physique did give him some resistance to Genjutsu, but his own Pupil Power and mastery of Genjutsu were also crucial factors.
Dan's Sharingan was unlike those of the other Uchiha. He had awakened it while feeling exceptionally happy.
Over the years—
Whenever he made a major breakthrough in his training, he felt genuine joy, and his Pupil Power increased along with it.
By now, Dan's Pupil Power far surpassed that of an ordinary Three-Tomoe Sharingan, though it still hadn't reached the threshold for Mangekyo.
Moreover—
The Yin Release Phantom Body Technique that Dan had spent ten years developing was the clearest proof of his mastery of Genjutsu.
He had combined Taijutsu with Genjutsu.
He was the only person in the entire Ninja World who could do that.
And so—
Dan stood his ground and took Shisui's powerful Genjutsu head-on.
Then he took a step forward and said calmly to Shisui:
"What else have you got? Use it all."
"Are you sure you don't need a weapon?" Shisui suddenly asked.
"No need," Dan replied. His body was the best weapon.
"Then I won't hold back."
As he spoke, Shisui raised his short sword across his chest and slowly drew it from its sheath.
The blade gleamed with a cold, eerie light beneath the moon. It was clearly sharp enough to cut hair.
Tss.
As Shisui's fingers brushed the edge of the blade, orange-red flames danced to life and clung to it, turning the short sword into a blade of fire.
Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Flame.
The next second—
Whoosh.
Shisui used the Body Flicker Technique, darting forward at high speed along a Z-shaped path. He appeared at Dan's side and thrust his blade at him.
Dan was nothing like that bunch of good-for-nothings, Yashiro included.
His Sharingan spun rapidly, catching Shisui's movements. Then he tensed one arm until it was hard as steel and swung it out.
Clang!
Metal rang against metal, and sparks flew.
Shisui was sent several meters back. Surprise flashed across his face, but he quickly regained his balance and launched another flurry of attacks at Dan.
Clang, clang, clang.
Dan remained where he was, calmly deflecting Shisui's attacks from every angle with just his two hands.
Around them—
More than fifty pairs of Sharingan stared wide open at the two fighters. Everyone watched without blinking, instinctively holding their breath.
Shisui's Uchiha Style swordsmanship was a form of Nintaijutsu.
Back then—
The Second Raikage of Cloud Hidden had developed Lightning Release Nintaijutsu. The Third Raikage had used it to face the Eight-Tails alone and battle ten thousand Iwagakure ninjas for three days and three nights. The Fourth Raikage had used the technique to rival Namikaze Minato.
It was considered unmatched in the Ninja World.
Naturally, the creation of Nintaijutsu had inspired many people to imitate it.
Shisui, the Uchiha's young prodigy, was one of them.
He combined Fire Release with swordsmanship, coating his blade with Fire Release Chakra to burn his enemies. Later, he added Wind Release Chakra as well, making his blade even sharper.
Only Uchiha who had mastered Fire Release to perfection could learn this swordsmanship.
It was so powerful that it could easily cut through an enemy's Kunai or Ninja Sword, let alone flesh and bone.
With Uchiha Style swordsmanship, Shisui had dominated the battlefield, never meeting a foe he couldn't defeat.
Until he met Dan.
Shisui had learned from Itachi that Dan had a powerful body, so he'd brought out Sword Leap Flame right from the start. He hadn't expected—
Dan had still met his blade with his bare body.
But had it really had no effect?
Not necessarily.
Shisui noticed charred marks appearing on both of Dan's arms, left by his sword.
In other words—
His swordsmanship could hurt Dan.
All he had to do now was make his attacks stronger and break through Dan's defenses completely.
With that in mind—
Whoosh.
Shisui feinted a frontal attack, then used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Dan.
Taking advantage of the moment before Dan could react, he raised his short sword with both hands and unleashed a powerful diagonal slash from a distance.
Whoosh.
A huge, crescent-shaped blade of fire shot toward Dan's back.
Uchiha Style: Gale Sword.
This was Shisui's strongest sword technique. He didn't think Dan could withstand it with his body this time.
Sensing the danger behind him—
Hoo~
Dan took a deep breath and tensed his entire body in an instant.
As his muscles rapidly swelled, his shirt tore with a sharp rip and fell to pieces, revealing a broad, powerful back that looked like the face of a demon.
As the muscles in Dan's back shifted, the demonic face formed by them seemed to come alive, opening its jaws to devour everything.
Dan's back was the strongest part of his body.
His shield against Shisui's spear.
How would it turn out?
Boom!
The enormous blade of fire slammed into Dan's back, but he didn't budge. His Demon Back looked even more menacing, wordlessly taunting Shisui.
The blade of fire shattered, and countless sparks flew in every direction before slowly drifting to the ground.
It was like a dazzling fireworks display.
Even Shisui was stunned by the sight, his face filled with disbelief.
And just then, Dan finally moved.
After standing still on the defensive until now, he seized the moment while Shisui was stunned and went on the attack.
Smack!
He flashed forward and appeared right in front of Shisui, then swung a slap at him.
Shisui came to his senses. He didn't want to clash head-on with Dan, so he instinctively tried to dodge with the Body Flicker Technique.
When it came to speed, he was far faster than Dan. As long as he didn't willingly meet Dan head-on, Dan wouldn't even be able to touch the hem of his clothes.
Among all ninja techniques, speed was the ultimate answer.
From the Ninja World's fastest, Tobirama Senju, to the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, and then Body Flicker Shisui, speed was their greatest advantage.
As long as they were far faster than their opponents, they could attack, retreat, and move with ease.
They would always remain undefeated.
But—
To dodge Dan's slap, Shisui naturally looked at Dan's palm—and saw—
Bzz.
Dan's large hand was vibrating irregularly at an extremely high frequency, producing an afterimage.
Yin Release Phantom Body Technique.
Shisui had been caught by it. His head spun violently, and he lost control of his body.
For an ordinary person, being hit by this technique would have only one outcome: Dan would slap them into serious injury.
But Shisui was no ordinary person.
Compared to Genjutsu cast directly through the Sharingan, Dan's Yin Release Phantom Body Technique, which he unleashed through his body, could catch an opponent off guard, but its effects were inevitably weaker.
With Shisui's mastery of Genjutsu and the Pupil Power of his Mangekyo to rely on, he had an advantage.
Thus,
the moment Yin Release Phantom Body Technique took effect, he quickly regained consciousness.
Then he retreated and raised his kodachi, stabbing at Dan's palm.
Facing Shisui's counterattack,
Dan remained unfazed. His large hand swept out all the same, like an old ox extending its tongue to snatch up a sharp blade of grass, and took Shisui's kodachi from him.
Crack, crack, crack.
The sword fell into Dan's hand and was chewed up like a blade of grass between an ox's tongue, becoming a pile of fragments in an instant.
They fell from between Dan's fingers.
The kodachi that had accompanied Shisui for years and felled countless enemies was smashed to pieces by Dan as casually as if he were playing with mud.
Whoosh.
Shisui was shocked. He immediately abandoned his weapon and fled, reappearing more than twenty meters away.
Dan didn't pursue him, because he knew he couldn't catch up.
Once again, the two sides faced off.
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