Sasori of the Red Sands, Capture Complete.

Sasori of the Red Sands is a genius.

No one denies this.

But...

In front of an Uchiha, any genius is merely a mortal!

Ordinary people measure the growth of their strength in months and years.

The top-tier geniuses might make others sit up and take notice in a matter of days.

Yet, those present could see Uchiha Sora evolving at high speed during the battle, measuring his progress in seconds.

His chakra was dwindling as time passed, but the speed of his blade strikes grew faster, and his force grew greater.

The color of the flames swirling around his body deepened, resembling Purgatory Flame.

His scarlet gaze, the splashing blood, and the increasingly prominent arc of his lips made him appear like a mad demon.

In the midst of battle, the Fire Style Chakra Mode had been perfected.

As Uchiha Sora continued to demonstrate it, Shisui finally saw clearly what was happening.

Both Fire Style and Lightning Release are chakra natures that prioritize offense.

The principle behind the Lightning Release Chakra Mode increasing speed is the enhancement of physical vitality, while Fire Style...

Is combustion.

Fire Style is the chakra attribute with the poorest stability; its related ninjutsu emphasize instantaneous explosive power.

If one were to compare the Raikage's use of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode to a battery constantly discharging a stable current, then Fire Style chakra is a piece of firewood.

As everyone knows.

When firewood is first ignited, the temperature is not high, and the flame is small.

But as the combustion progresses, the fire grows more and more vigorous, until it reaches its peak!

Whether it was the chill in his heart or the high temperature of the surroundings, sweat soaked Shisui's clothes.

"What kind of madman... would actually develop such a ninjutsu!"

Admittedly, when firewood burns to its peak, it is at its most scorching.

But what happens after...

It burns out, leaving only ash.

Fire Style Chakra Mode... this is a technique that leads to death if used continuously!

Without a doubt, this is a forbidden technique that should be sealed away!

Sora, what kind of thoughts were you harboring to do such a thing, to be able to do such a thing!!

Feeling the temperature of the blood within his body begin to rise, wisps of blood-qi seeped from his pores, turning into streaks of red mist as they were vaporized by the flames.

At this moment, Uchiha Sora was a hot-blooded youth in the truest sense.

Shisui felt it was impossible...

In fact, the principle was quite simple.

Everyone possesses the "Eight Inner Gates" that suppress their own chakra; as long as one trains enough to withstand the burden of opening them, anyone can open the Eight Inner Gates.

The state of opening all eight gates is known as the Formation of the Eight Inner Gates, which can draw out dozens of times one's original strength.

In layman's terms, it is the removal of the human body's limiters.

Uchiha Sora had awakened his Sharingan very early on. At that time, thirsting for power, the first thing he thought of was the Formation of the Eight Inner Gates.

He fantasized that as long as he learned that secret technique, he could instantly possess formidable power!

He didn't even need to befriend Might Guy; he only needed to use his Sharingan to observe his daily training to understand the chakra circulation pattern and steal the Formation of the Eight Inner Gates.

Then, he understood.

It was Might Guy who was strong, not the Formation of the Eight Inner Gates.

It was a technique even simpler and more brutal than he had imagined; the key lay in unconventional, overloaded extreme training.

Everyone has a training method that suits them, and the taijutsu-focused training of Might Guy was not suitable for him.

However, his attitude toward self-disciplined training was worth learning.

After breaking through his own limits once, his physical strength far exceeded that of his peers.

But this was far from enough to open the Formation of the Eight Inner Gates; he could only open the Gate of Opening and the Gate of Healing located in the head.

But this is enough.

The Gate of Opening is the release of the brain's limiters.

The Gate of Healing is the release of the body's fatigue limiters.

As long as this prerequisite is met, one can defy the body's self-preservation mechanisms, ignite one's own chakra, and continuously elevate every aspect of one's capabilities.

Among these, an extreme level of insight into one's own chakra is required, making the Three Tomoe Sharingan another necessary condition.

This is the essence of the Fire Style chakra; just as Shisui thought, it is a suicidal forbidden technique.

The closer one gets to their strongest state, the closer they get to death.

Snap!!

Sasori of the Red Sands extended his ten fingers, chakra threads coiling around the body of Uchiha Sora.

At such close range, even without a Sharingan, Sasori could see the clues.

"Kid, how much longer can you maintain this state?"

Uchiha Sora showed no panic at being restrained, smiling faintly: "Maintaining it until I kill you shouldn't be a problem."

Whoosh!

With a burst of flame, the chakra threads were melted away, and Uchiha Sora swung his blade downward.

Yet, as if Sasori had never expected such a situation, his expression remained dull, and he was cleaved in two by the Blade of Flowing Flame without even putting up a fight.

Uchiha Sora looked toward the chest of Sasori's broken shell; as expected, the core was gone.

He knew Sasori could transfer his core to other puppets, and he had long since burned and destroyed the puppets nearby during the battle.

Without a moment's hesitation, Uchiha Sora shouted.

"Shisui!"

If he wasn't by his side, then he must be on Shisui's side.

Swish--

Shisui jerked his head to the side, a brilliant blade flash grazing his face and severing a few strands of hair.

As if prepared, he turned and grabbed the arm of the puppet wielding the blade with a backhand grip.

His other hand thrust his short blade forward, aiming directly at that black core!

Click!

The puppet severed its own arm to escape, and as it flew back, a corner of its cloak lifted, revealing the face of Sasori of the Red Sands.

Sasori casually picked up a puppet arm and attached it; the puppet's face showed no expression, but judging by his tone, he was clearly in a foul mood.

"I am certain that the core transfer avoided your line of sight..."

"What exactly are you, and why do you understand me so well?"

Uchiha Sora did not answer directly, the flames on his body slowly fading.

Calming the restless blood within his body, he walked to Shisui's side to confront Sasori.

Seeing the two of them relax as if the battle were already over, Sasori felt a surge of irritation.

"Are you looking down on me? So what if you know I can transfer my core? There are still hundreds of puppets here; the battle isn't over yet!"

"No, it is already over."

It was Shisui who spoke.

"So-called genjutsu is a ninjutsu that interferes with an opponent's five senses through chakra."

"It is true that your unique body can immunize you against most genjutsu, especially the visual genjutsu of the Sharingan."

"But no matter how special you are, the core that produces your chakra must necessarily retain flesh and blood."

"The reason you have the illusion of being immune to genjutsu is simply because you had never encountered me before."

Shisui displayed a cold arrogance different from his usual temperament.

As an Uchiha, even for a kind-hearted sort like him, post-battle taunting was something he didn't need to be taught.

"While you were fighting Sora, did you think I was just standing there foolishly?"

Shisui took a glass tube filled with countless fine needles from his sleeve and said slowly: "I interfered with your perception, and while you weren't looking, I placed a poison needle into the hollow of every single puppet."

!!

Sasori sensed the position of his core.

Indeed... a very small needle was lodged inside it.

Why didn't I sense this before!

Soon, Sasori of the Red Sands' external perception weakened, as if all his sensory nerves had been retracted back into his core.

No!

My art is perfect; how could it possibly end for such a ridiculous reason!

"This chakra toxin takes only three seconds to take effect and seal your five senses."

"If you don't believe me, you can try it."

"Sasori of the Red Sands, you understand now, don't you."

"This is the Uchiha—"

--

"Alright, that's enough of a post-battle summary; are you preparing for a thesis defense?"

Uchiha Sora interrupted Shisui and stepped forward.

Sasori struggled to control the puppet to attack, but it only emitted a creaking sound, unable to move an inch.

Shing!

As Uchiha Sora pulled out the core, the puppet's pupils went completely dark.

Sasori of the Red Sands, capture complete.