Geniuses Emerge!

After hearing Uchiha Kansan's words, everyone automatically backed away to give the two of them enough room to fight.

"Boss..."

Xiu felt a little guilty.

If he hadn't impulsively talked back to the other man, Roy wouldn't have to face this situation now.

"All right."

"Some things have to be settled eventually."

"If it hadn't been you, something else would have brought this fight about."

Roy offered Xiu a little comfort, then walked to the center of the area.

He knew that if he wanted to save the Uchiha, the first thing he had to do was change their arrogant, conceited ways.

And the best way to do that was through strength!

To make them listen, he needed the power to put them in their place.

"Kid, your name's Roy, right?"

"Next, I'll show you that no matter what plans you have..."

"None of them matter in the face of absolute strength."

Uchiha Kansan spoke with a look of utter pride.

"Yeah, I know."

"By the way, how many people's opinions can you speak for?"

"I mean, if I beat you, how many people will follow my lead?"

As Roy spoke, he looked at the dozen or so people watching nearby.

"Hahaha! If you can beat Big Brother Guan San, I'll accept you!"

"Count me in. The Uchiha ought to be arrogant like this!"

"Well said! The Uchiha should be like that, not a bunch of cowards who shrink from everything!"

A few of them had originally planned to just watch the fun, but Roy had put the question to them.

The dozen or so people made their decision at the same time.

If Roy could beat Guan San, they would all follow his orders.

"Kid, you need to know who you're picking a fight with."

"Since you put it that way, I'll have a hard time holding back."

"Are you ready?"

Guan San wore a mocking expression.

In his eyes, Roy was only making a spectacle of himself, which was practically asking for death.

He would teach the kid a painful lesson.

"Let's begin."

As soon as Roy finished speaking, he vanished from where he stood.

"Hm?"

"An illusion?"

Guan San immediately activated his Sharingan, but he still couldn't find Roy.

What was more, he could sense Roy's presence, yet couldn't pinpoint him.

The situation put Guan San on his guard.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Assault!"

A few seconds later, Uchiha Guan San stopped searching for Roy.

Instead, he unleashed a wide-area Lightning Release Ninjutsu.

That way, no matter where Roy was, he would be forced out.

This time, Guan San would lock onto Roy immediately and leave him nowhere to hide.

"Pretty decisive, but still a little clumsy."

"Fire Style: Great Flame Spear!"

Roy gripped a long spear of flame and hurled it forward.

"Just Fire Style? You dare use that in front of me?"

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Guan San wasn't afraid in the slightest. He immediately countered with Fire Style.

"Pfft!"

The massive flaming spear punched through the Fireball before it had lasted more than a moment, then shot toward Uchiha Guan San.

"How is that possible?"

Uchiha Guan San was bewildered.

He hadn't sensed much chakra in the spear at all!

So why was it so powerful?

"Big Brother Guan San, he just launched four flaming spears in a row!"

A ninja nearby couldn't help warning him.

Roy didn't mind the sideline commentary.

With absolute confidence, he didn't care if his opponent got help...

On a rooftop in the distance.

"Clan Head, Roy's already reached the level of an elite jonin."

"And he'll soon be our equal."

"Should we...?"

Nagasawa looked at Uchiha Fugaku beside him with an odd expression.

The Uchiha hadn't been lacking in geniuses lately.

The problem was that these geniuses all seemed to have some kind of peculiar affliction.

Uchiha Itachi had followed Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Shisui's attitude was strange. No one knew what he was thinking, and he couldn't be controlled.

And then there was that senior...

Now Roy had appeared too, able to instantly cast several jutsu without hand seals.

His techniques weren't all that powerful yet, but he'd already shown the first glimmer of a genius's talent.

"No need."

"From the things Roy has done so far, it's clear that his heart is with the Uchiha."

Fugaku shook his head.

A satisfied look appeared on his face.

Shisui and his son Itachi were both geniuses, but each protected the Uchiha in the way he thought was right.

Put kindly, they were highly independent.

To put it plainly, they were self-centered.

The stronger Roy became, the more at ease Fugaku felt.

At the same time, the situation on the battlefield began to change in a strange way.

Uchiha Kansan, a jonin, was already panting, while Roy still looked completely relaxed.

"So, what do you say? Want to keep fighting?"

Roy's voice stabbed at Uchiha Kansan like a thorn.

If he admitted defeat now, it would be like slapping himself in the face.

But if he refused and Roy beat him, he would lose what little face he had left.

As a jonin, Uchiha Kansan knew all too well that Roy was no longer an opponent he could defeat.

"If we keep this up, I might run out of chakra."

"But before that, I should be able to land a serious hit on you."

Seeing that the other man didn't answer, Roy provoked him again.

"If you can handle my next move, I'll admit defeat!"

"Watch out..."

As Uchiha Kansan spoke, he quickly began forming Hand Seals.

"Fire Style: Fire Fist!"

Roy wasn't about to give him time to form Hand Seals.

That sort of scene, where someone just waited for their opponent to power up, only happened on TV.

As Roy sent one flaming fist after another at him, Uchiha Kansan had no choice but to stop forming Hand Seals.

He dodged quickly.

"Kid, that's not honorable..."

"In battle, any tactic is fair. If I were your enemy, you'd already be dead several times over."

"Fire Style: Great Flame Explosion!"

Roy spoke as he unleashed another powerful jutsu.

Of course, these techniques were just the powers of the Mera Mera no Mi.

Other than using up chakra, they didn't put much strain on his body.

So as long as he had enough chakra, he could keep his opponent from forming Hand Seals.

"I give up!"

After several consecutive jutsu barrages, Uchiha Kansan's unwilling voice rang out.

"I could probably manage a few dozen more jutsu before I ran out of steam, too. Big Brother Guan San, you were gracious in defeat."

Roy appeared in front of Uchiha Kansan with the Body Flicker Technique and held out his hand.

"You..."

"I... Hahaha! You're something else, kid!"

"I, Guan San, accept defeat!"

Uchiha Kansan had still been a little unconvinced, but after hearing what Roy said, he burst out laughing.

He reached out and clasped Roy's hand.