Awakening.

Warm, fresh blood stained the crystalline ice blade.

But this was not the result Arata wanted!

At the critical moment, Itachi Uchiha had clamped his left hand tightly onto the blade, refusing to loosen his grip even as the heart-piercing pain surged through him.

This strike allowed him to confirm one thing with absolute certainty: the boy before him truly intended to kill him!

That undisguised loathing was just like the way he loathed this decaying clan.

Fortunately, his eyes had pierced through the trajectory of the blade at the most vital moment.

Otherwise...

Arata exerted all his strength, frantically pushing the sharp blade forward, but that blood-stained palm was like a rough, hard boulder, locking the blade in place so that it could not advance even a fraction of an inch.

The entire scene fell silent.

No one had expected such a cataclysmic shift to occur in this flash of lightning.

Arata, who had never once executed a mission, had actually suppressed Itachi to such a degree, even managing to injure him!

This situation was truly beyond everyone's expectations.

One had to know that after opening the path, Itachi had been cautious enough to leave himself sufficient reaction distance.

Yet, who would have thought that Arata had been hiding his true strength!

That ghostly speed paired with such bizarre swordsmanship was simply a nightmare for any opponent.

It was fortunate that the one defending was Itachi; otherwise, this sparring match would have already reached its end.

"Has Arata won?"

After a short while, a murmuring question finally arose.

Is he really still just a newly graduated Genin?

With strength like this, calling him a Chunin, or even a Special Jonin, would not be an exaggeration!

No wonder there were rumors that Yashiro wanted to recommend him for the Police Force. They had been unconvinced at first, thinking the boy was too young, but looking at it now, this level of strength was more than enough.

"It is too early to draw such a conclusion; after all, Itachi has not yet truly used his Sharingan."

A clansman responded calmly.

Although Arata appeared to have the upper hand for now, it was largely due to Itachi underestimating his opponent.

Aside from the initial Shuriken Shadow Clone, which was decent, he hadn't displayed any powerful ninjutsu, so he must still have energy in reserve.

In contrast, Arata had been on a fierce offensive from the very beginning without a single moment of respite, and both his swordsmanship and large-scale Ice Release were extremely taxing on his stamina and chakra.

The most direct proof was that the blade could no longer advance even a hair's breadth.

Of course, the truly important point was that they were the Uchiha clan.

As long as the Sharingan was active, there was an infinite possibility of a comeback!

"No!"

"I must, I absolutely must kill you!!"

Arata roared frantically in his heart.

He had never treated this match as a mere sparring session. He had even risked a mental breakdown to successfully replicate another of Gekko Hayate's signature abilities, Moon Shadow, on the sixth day, all for the sake of completely eradicating Itachi.

Because this was when Itachi was at his weakest, and it was his only chance at this stage!

Once missed, it would never come again.

"Secret Technique: Wind-Soughing Crane-Cry!"

The teeth-gritting growl swept across the surface of the lake. Piercing wind and snow surged in response, and streaks of sharp ice shards tore through the air from all directions, swearing to impale the target in his field of vision.

This was the greatest difference between sorcery and ninjutsu: no hand seals required!!

However, at this moment, Itachi Uchiha had regained his usual calm. Even as the ice shards drew near, his expression remained unchanged as he quietly watched the boy who refused to meet his gaze.

"Let me see."

"Who is pulling the strings behind the scenes."

The Kunai in his right hand slipped away quietly.

Ever since he had shattered Arata's Shadow Clone, it had achieved nothing, and even during the stalemate, Itachi hadn't used this ninja tool to extricate himself; now, he simply let it fall.

"Crack."

A clear sound of penetration exploded in Arata's ears.

A log was instantly torn apart by several ice shards.

"Substitution Technique!"

In the moment before the ice shards descended, Itachi Uchiha had actually managed to form hand seals and escape!

What kind of unflappable state of mind did this guy possess?

Watching the wood chips fly, Arata's eyes split with rage as he lifted his gaze to locate his opponent, but a sudden, piercing pain in his mind forced him to hunch over instantly.

His field of vision shifted along with it.

The dim sky was twisted into a bloody hue, the sounds around him were completely muffled, and his stiffened limbs could not muster a shred of strength.

"What is this?"

"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"

"When?"

Arata questioned himself incessantly.

He had never once met the gaze of Itachi, who had activated his Sharingan; how could he possibly have fallen into a genjutsu?

"Could it be?"

"Could it really be?"

"That's right, it was that Kunai."

Sound returned to his ears, but it was the voice of the person he loathed most!

"Speak."

"Why did you want to kill me?"

"Who put you up to this?"

Itachi appeared silently within his field of vision, as if he were a god in this blood-red world, capable of manifesting anywhere at any time.

Arata, meanwhile, was pinned by massive stakes, unable to exert even the slightest bit of force.

This.

This was the suppression of a higher-level Sharingan!

"Heh."

Arata sneered, offering no response, his eyes filled with undisguised hatred.

"It doesn't matter, I have time to waste with you."

"You should be very familiar with this ninjutsu, after all."

Itachi added calmly, manifesting a Katana in his hand and plunging it into Arata's body without a moment's hesitation.

In these past few months, what he had learned in the Anbu was not just assassination, reconnaissance, stealth, and interrogation techniques, but also absolute indifference.

Indifference toward everyone except Sasuke, Shisui, and his mother.

And even now, Itachi Uchiha did not believe that the idea to kill him was Arata's alone; after all, the boy was an orphan with no direct ties to the clan's interests.

The most likely culprit was that masked man who had suddenly appeared within the clan, the one who also possessed a Sharingan.

It was he who had bewitched Arata.

"Splash."

Water slapped hard against his face, and his consciousness began to return in fragments.

How many times had Itachi stabbed him?

Arata could no longer remember.

Even though he also possessed a Sharingan, the suppression of level meant he could only endure longer than an ordinary person; he was completely unable to break free from that blood-red world.

"I cannot fall yet!"

Because of the drain on his strength, the Demon Bind state had long since been forced to dissipate, the blade he had gripped tightly had sunk to the bottom of the lake, and his remaining chakra was only enough for him to struggle to his feet.

Watching the boy struggle to rise, the shock in Itachi's heart grew even more intense.

Within the demonic world constructed by his Sharingan, he had stabbed the boy 243 times over the course of an hour, only ending the interrogation when his own ocular power was nearly exhausted.

Yet, this kid hadn't let out a single sound; aside from that initial, mocking grunt, all that remained was the gaze filled with killing intent directed at him!

He would investigate the rest later.

For now, it was time to end this farce.

Glancing at his left arm, which had gone numb from excessive blood loss, Itachi instantly appeared behind Arata and delivered a basic kick that sent him flying several meters, kicking up countless sprays of water.

"It's over."

A clansman on the shore muttered.

This battle had left them trembling.

What was a genius?

Itachi and Arata had depicted that word to the fullest!

"Insufficient foundation."

A clear sense of regret flickered in the eyes of Yashiro Uchiha, though he had long since guessed this outcome.

Izumi, meanwhile, clenched her fists tightly, her lips as pale as paper; she did not know how great a blow this defeat would be to Arata.

As for the victor, Itachi Uchiha, he took one last serious look at his nearly unconscious opponent before turning away.

For him, it was no exaggeration to call this a pyrrhic victory; with his left hand nearly crippled and his chakra reserves exhausted, the outcome would have been uncertain had he not held a certain degree of suppression through his Sharingan!

His taut nerves finally relaxed at this moment.

Yet, it was precisely then that an unexpected change occurred!

On the shore, the expression of Fugaku Uchiha changed drastically, his body shifting as if he intended to rush over immediately. The surrounding clansmen also wore looks of shock, their mouths agape as if wanting to shout a reprimand, while little Sasuke was filled with terror, crying out, "Nii-san, watch out!"

"What is going on?"

Having already lowered his guard, Itachi slowly turned around, only to see three Kunai hurtling toward him with lightning speed, the Explosive Tags attached to them hissing and sparking.

As for the perpetrator, he remained sprawled upon the surface of the lake, yet his eyes were filled with an inexplicable killing intent!