When Hizashi heard his older brother Hiashi's words, he immediately focused on observing the flow of Chakra within Yusuke's body.
"What? Uchiha Yusuke is using Yin Release Chakra to create flames on his weapon? How is that possible?!" Hizashi exclaimed.
"That's what I can't figure out either. The flames on his weapon aren't an illusion, and their temperature is extremely high. I can't understand why he's using Yin Release Chakra to power them," Hiashi said gravely.
After all, the unknown was what inspired the most Fear. Yusuke's abilities were beyond Hiashi's comprehension, and naturally, that made him wary.
Hiashi didn't know that Yusuke's flames weren't Chakra flames at all. They came from the Zanpakuto Ryujin Jakka, and the best way to unleash its power was through spiritual energy. In the Naruto world, spiritual energy also fell under the category of Yin Release Chakra.
By now, Shisui on the Training Ground was gradually beginning to feel his strength give out. Although using his Body Flicker Technique to create afterimages didn't consume nearly as much as Guy's purely Taijutsu-based approach, it still placed a considerable strain on him.
Yusuke, who was relentlessly pursuing Shisui with the Scorch Release: Flame Run Technique, immediately noticed his condition. With his stamina and Chakra rapidly depleting, Shisui's speed kept falling. As a result, the number of afterimages he maintained with the Body Flicker Technique dwindled, shrinking from sixteen to just eight.
Seizing the advantage, Yusuke pressed the attack and slashed out a long trail of fire that swept across seven of Shisui's afterimages.
At that instant, Yusuke knew that the one remaining afterimage untouched by the blade's arc was where Shisui's real body was hiding!
Yusuke used the Scorch Release: Flame Run Technique again, emerging halfway out of the fiery blade arc behind Shisui. Ryujin Jakka, blazing fiercely in his hand, was already raised high and about to come down.
"Shisui, if you have no other trump cards, then this is where it ends."
Sensing the intense killing intent behind him, Shisui had no time to dodge. He could no longer hold back, and immediately activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. The three-Tomoe pattern in his eyes instantly became a shuriken shape with four angled blades.
"Susanoo!"
A huge emerald-green skeleton suddenly enveloped Shisui and blocked the crimson slash Yusuke brought down at an angle.
Yusuke used the recoil from his angled slash to leap backward, putting some distance between himself and Shisui. Once he landed, he calmly studied the Susanoo before him, which was still in its half-body skeletal form.
Gasps rose from the stands. Almost none of the spectators had ever heard of the Mangekyo Sharingan, much less seen a Susanoo.
At the edge of the Training Ground, Uchiha Fugaku had already awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan. He naturally recognized that Shisui had used the Mangekyo Sharingan's Susanoo ability.
After a moment of shock, Fugaku knitted his brows, his heart torn between joy and worry.
He was glad that Shisui had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, effectively giving the clan another Kage Level fighter. But Shisui had not only kept his awakening secret; he was also spending the Mangekyo Sharingan's irrecoverable ocular power fighting Yusuke, a fellow clan member.
If he could, Fugaku would have rushed onto the field and stopped them from continuing their match. But this was an official duel, and with all eyes on them, he could only fret anxiously at the sidelines.
In the stands, the Third Hokage remained calm, while Danzo's expression changed dramatically.
"Uchiha Shisui has already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan! What exactly can his Mangekyo do?" Danzo asked the Third Hokage beside him.
"It's a genjutsu that can permanently change a person's thoughts," the Third Hokage replied slowly.
Danzo's expression darkened. "That ability is far too dangerous. It must be under my control—"
Seeing the Third Hokage turn to look at him, Danzo changed what he was saying halfway through. "Under our control."
"Shisui is trustworthy." The Third Hokage turned back to the Training Ground.
"No. No one in the Uchiha Clan is trustworthy. The risk is too great. We have to take action!" Danzo said.
The Third Hokage seemed not to have heard Danzo. He simply watched Yusuke, who still looked remarkably composed, deep in thought.
On the other side of the stands, Shiranui Genma stared at the enormous emerald skeleton on the Training Ground and asked in confusion, "What is that? A Summoning Technique? I've never seen such a strange summon before."
Kakashi's expression was grave. "This isn't a Summoning Technique. It's probably a unique Sharingan ability. Look closely at Uchiha Shisui's eyes."
At Kakashi's words, everyone turned to look at Shisui's Sharingan and immediately noticed that its pattern was clearly different from the ordinary Uchiha Clan Tomoe.
"What kind of Sharingan is that?" Asuma turned to ask Kakashi.
Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I've had a Sharingan transplanted too, but I can sense that the Chakra coming from that enormous skeleton is extremely sinister."
In the middle of the Training Ground, Yusuke remained calm as he faced Shisui's Susanoo.
"Susanoo, huh? The ocular power of an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan can't be restored. Is it worth wasting so much of it to fight me?" Yusuke asked Shisui.
"Of course it is! Since you can recognize the Mangekyo Sharingan and Susanoo, you should understand the difference in strength between us, senpai."
"I don't want to hurt you either, so you should admit defeat on your own."
Hearing Shisui's words, Yusuke shook his head. "The Mangekyo Sharingan is indeed an incredibly powerful ability, but it still isn't enough to defeat me."
As he spoke, Yusuke released the power of the Yin-Yang Cursed Seal. The Nine-Tails' power within the seal had yet to fully replenish, but Yusuke believed it was more than enough to handle Shisui.
"In that case, senpai, please be careful!"
But just as Shisui finished speaking and was about to attack, he suddenly saw Yusuke undergo a startling transformation.
A series of black markings appeared on Yusuke's neck, then spread upward across his entire face. The exposed parts of his hands were soon covered by the spreading markings as well.
As the markings appeared on Yusuke's body, the shinobi present who were sensitive to Chakra sensed the Chakra within him rising rapidly, far exceeding the amount a normal shinobi could possess.
Not only Shisui, standing right in front of Yusuke, but everyone in the stands was stunned by the change taking place before their eyes.
In today's match, both Yusuke and Shisui had displayed one powerful ability after another that no one had ever seen before. The spectators couldn't help but marvel that the Uchiha Clan truly lived up to its reputation as Konoha's foremost clan.
"How can he have such powerful Yin Release Chakra? Even a Tailed Beast has no more than that," Hizashi exclaimed, observing Yusuke with his Byakugan from the stands.
Through his Byakugan, he could clearly see an immense amount of Yin Release Chakra coursing through the pathways throughout Yusuke's body.
Beside him, Hiashi knitted his brows and said nothing. As the head of the Hyuga Clan, he felt a deep sense of crisis.
As another of Konoha's top shinobi clans, the Hyuga Clan was clearly far behind the Uchiha Clan in the strength of its top fighters. Just judging by the two young men currently fighting on the Training Ground, Hiashi, the Hyuga Clan's leader, knew he wouldn't be their match!
Standing in the center of the emerald Susanoo, Shisui began controlling it to attack. Its skeletal frame grew two bony arms, and a huge Spiral Sword appeared in its right hand.
Susanoo raised the Spiral Sword and thrust it fiercely toward Yusuke. Despite its enormous size, it moved with incredible speed.
Facing the Susanoo's attack, Yusuke stood motionless. He simply began drawing on the Nine-Tails' Yin Release Chakra in his body at a furious rate and channeled the power of Ryujin Jakka in his hand.
The Ryujin Jakka in Yusuke's hand suddenly blazed brighter. Its flames shifted from their original crimson to a blazing gold-red, and the trail of fire streaming from the tip of the blade formed a burning Flame Wheel behind him.
This is the power Ryujin Jakka was meant to have. I was truly bringing shame upon the strongest fire-type Zanpakuto before.
Feeling Ryujin Jakka's excited resonance in his hand, Yusuke couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Under Ryujin Jakka's influence, the air throughout the entire Training Ground grew dry! Everyone's attention shifted from Susanoo to the ornate katana in Yusuke's hand, wreathed in roaring flames.
"Flame Repulsion."
Yusuke swung Ryujin Jakka, forming a ring of golden-red flames around himself that blocked the Spiral Sword in Susanoo's hand.
At the same time, as the Spiral Sword touched the ring of golden-red flames, a violent explosion erupted within the blaze. It knocked Shisui and Susanoo back several steps, and blasted away most of the Spiral Sword, leaving only half of it in Susanoo's hand.
Flame Repulsion was the first ability of Ryujin Jakka that Yusuke had truly used. In the past, he had been unable to wield its power properly. Although he had achieved Shikai, he still hadn't been capable of using Ryujin Jakka's techniques.
But now, with the Nine-Tails' vast reserves of Yin Release Chakra supporting him, Yusuke finally had enough energy to activate Ryujin Jakka. However, its techniques were so powerful that even the Nine-Tails' Yin Release Chakra would be used up after only a few moves.
Seeing the Spiral Sword in Susanoo's hand reduced to half its length, Shisui was stunned. "Impossible!"
He knew better than anyone how strong Susanoo was. How could its weapon have been destroyed so easily? What kind of flames did his opponent wield?
Ignoring Shisui's shock, Yusuke said calmly, "Shisui, push your Susanoo as far as it can go."
"Because my next move might kill you!"
As always, thanks for your support! There are 36 days left until I start posting two chapters a day.
Before you continue