Dan roared as he charged.
His arms swung back and forth, his fists flying like a high-speed pile driver.
The afterimages of his fists split in two, then four, then eight, multiplying into dozens. Soon, his fists were everywhere, overlapping in a storm of blows.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless fists battered the air, setting off a series of sonic booms as they swept toward Shisui's many clones like a raging downpour.
This Taijutsu technique was called the Great Raging Wind Fist.
"Great" described the broad range of its attacks, leaving the enemy nowhere to dodge;
"Raging" was like hurling a basin of water with all one's strength—a violent release;
"Wind" referred to the sonic booms produced as the fists struck the air, more violent than the fiercest gale.
No one else could pull off this move. To launch more than a hundred fast, powerful punches in every direction within a single second required tremendous physical strength and speed—
Only Dan could do it.
At that moment,
the Great Raging Wind Fist covered every one of Shisui's clones, as well as... his real body.
A muffled thud rang out.
"Ugh!"
Shisui spat blood as he flew backward like a kite with its strings cut. His clones vanished in an instant.
The seemingly invincible Phantom Flicker Technique
had been broken by Dan's purest, most primal form of violence.
Boom!
Shisui flew over the crowd and crashed into a wall of Naka Shrine. Spiderweb cracks spread from beneath him across the surface.
Fortunately,
Dan had thrown over a hundred punches in a single second. Each one was obviously much weaker than a full-force punch under normal circumstances.
So Shisui could still just barely stand.
Dan gave Shisui no chance to catch his breath. He charged after him, pouncing like a fierce tiger descending the mountain.
He used Jujutsu to attack head-on, going for a choke.
Whoosh.
Dan wrapped one arm tightly around Shisui's neck and forced his head down against his chest. The hold resembled a certain execution device—
the Guillotine Choke.
Once locked in, the Guillotine Choke put tremendous pressure on the arteries on either side of the enemy's neck, causing them to pass out within a short time.
Shisui looked certain to lose.
"Caw! Caw!"
At the sound of crows, Shisui's body suddenly vanished, turning into a dozen crows that flew off in every direction.
Only a scattering of black feathers remained, drifting to the ground.
Dan raised his head and watched the crows circle overhead before gathering nearby and re-forming into Shisui.
Crow Clone Jutsu.
Like the Phantom Flicker Technique, it was another special clone technique developed by Shisui.
Many crows lived in the forest of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
After discovering them, Shisui raised them as summoning beasts and spent a long time building a rapport with them. In time, he successfully developed the Crow Clone Jutsu.
Crow Clones consumed less Chakra than Shadow Clones, and their mobility was exceptional. They could use the crows' ability to disperse and gather to evade powerful attacks.
That allowed Shisui to escape safely.
"Impressive."
Dan looked at Shisui nearby and raised his hands to clap twice, offering sincere praise.
Before fighting Shisui,
the only Uchiha Ninja Dan had encountered had all been pretty on the outside but useless within. Not one of them had given him any trouble.
Even Obito had relied on Kamui to cheat his way through fights. His combat instincts weren't particularly sharp.
Today, Dan had finally seen what a powerful Uchiha should be like.
Genjutsu that could casually take down a Three-Tomoe Sharingan user in an instant;
Nintaijutsu developed by incorporating Fire Release into swordsmanship;
a Body Flicker Technique so fast it seemed impossible, combined with clone techniques used in all sorts of ingenious ways.
Shisui had no weaknesses. He had innovated in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu alike, developing powerful techniques of his own.
He truly was the Uchiha's strongest.
And he was only sixteen. He still had plenty of room to grow.
In Dan's view, if Shisui survived, then by the time he reached Dan's age, his strength would surely reach a whole new peak.
Dan thought Shisui surpassed Itachi in both talent and potential.
What a shame.
A super genius like him had been controlled by the Will of Fire until it ruined his mind.
Thinking of this, Dan shook his head in disappointment.
"Cough, cough..."
Shisui panted and coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
One punch from Dan had been enough to shake his internal organs and injure him.
It was a common weakness among most ninja: high offense, low defense. Even a genius like Shisui was no exception.
"Shisui, give up!" Yashiro jeered again, looking like a villain gloating over his victory.
Seeing Shisui beaten bloody by Dan filled him with delight.
Itachi shot Yashiro a cold look. He was nothing but his uncle's lapdog—what did he have to act so proud about?
"Brother Shisui, is he going to lose this time?" Izumi asked cautiously from nearby. She knew Itachi and Shisui were close, like brothers.
At her question, Itachi shook his head and answered firmly:
"No. Shisui can't lose to my uncle. He hasn't used his true power yet."
His true power?
Izumi was puzzled. Shisui had already used everything she could think of, trying Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu alike.
Could he still have a trump card?
As Izumi puzzled over it, Fugaku's voice suddenly sounded behind them:
"Itachi, it seems you know Shisui has the Mangekyō Sharingan too. Did he tell you?"
Itachi jumped, then turned and nodded. "Yes, Father."
"The Mangekyō—is that the legendary pair of eyes?" Mikoto asked in surprise. But then she grew even more worried about her younger brother. "Oh no. If he has the Mangekyō, Dan won't stand a chance."
Fugaku: "..."
He really wanted to complain about his wife.
As far as he was concerned, Dan had been in control of the fight the whole time. He had made Shisui cough up blood, while Dan himself was practically unharmed.
And Mikoto? The more badly her younger brother was beaten, the more worried she became about him—as if Dan were the one who had suffered serious injuries.
Her thought process was something else.
Of course, he only dared grumble about it to himself.
He wouldn't dare say it to Mikoto's face.
The other Uchiha clan members were also talking among themselves.
They clearly had plenty to say about this thrilling battle.
Just then,
Dan moved, walking toward Shisui step by step. He said to him:
"What are you waiting for? Stop holding back. Show me the power of the Mangekyō. It's not like I haven't seen it before."
"So you already knew." Shisui smiled bitterly.
That made sense.
According to the information Itachi had provided, Dan had fought the mysterious masked man and already knew about the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It was no surprise that Dan had guessed Shisui had one too.
Their exchange left many of the clan members baffled. They had never even heard the term "Mangekyō."
But they soon saw for themselves.
Whoosh.
Shisui's Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun, and when it stopped, its pattern had transformed into something else.
A four-pointed shuriken.
"That's... the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
In the crowd, Uchiha Setsuna suddenly lost his composure. He pointed a trembling finger at Shisui's eyes and cried out in shock.
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