"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Fist after fist rained down.
Continuous and unrelenting.
But Itachi was worthy of being called a genius.
Despite a moment of slight panic.
He quickly adjusted.
His pitch-black eyes grew increasingly bright.
His gaze tracked every one of Genya's movements!
The storm-like assault failed to land a single hit on Itachi!
Fugaku, watching from the sidelines, remained silent, though his heart was once again shocked; he had personally tutored Itachi since he was a child, and the boy's combat talent was exceptionally formidable.
And yet, look at Genya.
He had relied entirely on his own solo training.
Was his combat talent not also ridiculously strong?
In the arena.
The battle was at a stalemate.
The two were trading blows back and forth.
Itachi failed to land his strike.
He then quickly pivoted.
He threw a punch toward Genya's chest.
This attack seized the opening where Genya had no time to retract his guard.
Genya, however, remained calm and unhurried, throwing a punch of his own aimed at Itachi's chin; he intended to trade injury for injury.
Possessing a Level 1 Sage Body, Genya feared nothing more than trading blows with an opponent.
Is he not afraid of death? What a madman! Itachi thought in astonishment. Seeming to have reservations, he tapped his feet against the ground to retreat immediately, then launched another attack.
The exchange between the two continued.
Itachi's attacks were swift and powerful, and he could accurately and unerringly find the flaws in Genya's defense; even if the latter could dodge one wave of attacks, another would follow right on its heels.
Currently, Itachi's practical combat experience was still far richer than Genya's!
But Genya's learning ability was immense.
Coupled with his Sage Body.
He had become comfortable and composed in the heat of battle.
The scales of victory began to tilt toward Genya.
The duel grew increasingly white-hot.
Ten minutes later.
Itachi's stamina began to wane.
Genya, conversely, grew fiercer the longer he fought, a smile appearing on his face.
"You lose!" A sharp punch roared toward Itachi's forehead, the intense wind pressure even blowing back the latter's black hair.
Just centimeters away from Itachi's forehead, Genya stopped.
In this sparring match.
Genya was the victor!
Fugaku walked slowly toward the two, his heart feeling incredibly complex; after all, his son, whom he took such pride in, had been defeated by Genya, and it would be a lie to say he didn't feel a pang of disappointment.
But at the same time, Fugaku was also happy that the Uchiha clan had produced such a combat genius.
"Genya, I never expected your combat talent to be this strong. From today on, you and Itachi will train with me."
"Thank you, Uncle Fugaku!" Genya replied with a smile.
With an elite Jonin as a mentor.
His strength would surely progress faster than before.
Fugaku cast his gaze toward the crestfallen Itachi.
This defeat in the sparring match.
Left Itachi feeling deeply frustrated and dejected.
Fugaku patted Itachi's head and said, "There is no one in the ninja world who never fails. Keep working hard and strive to surpass Genya next time!"
"Understood, Father!" Itachi said, his voice tinged with frustration.
"Come with me!"
Fugaku spoke to Genya.
Genya followed Fugaku as he departed.
He glanced back at Itachi, who looked utterly dejected at the training ground, his own heart filled with complex emotions.
A pride of heaven.
An elite of the clan.
Defeated just like that by his own hand.
No one would feel good in such a situation.
Genya cast his gaze toward Fugaku, who seemed to sense it, speaking without turning his head.
"Itachi is very mature and can regulate his own emotions. Today's defeat is a heavy blow to him; let him digest these feelings first."
Fugaku paused his steps, then shook his head slightly, his gaze turning firm once more.
He believed that Itachi would be able to emerge from the shadow of this failure!
Fugaku continued, "I watched the sparring match between you and Itachi very closely. There are three reasons you were able to win: first, your physical body is formidable; second, your neural reflexes are sharp and your physical coordination is strong; and third, your combat talent is extremely high."
As an elite Jonin, Fugaku possessed a discerning eye.
He had identified the strengths and weaknesses of both individuals during the sparring session at a single glance.
"Itachi is actually very strong; I was only able to win because I had a bit of luck," Genya smiled, maintaining a humble posture.
Sure enough, upon hearing these words from Genya, Fugaku's brow relaxed a little.
After all, to deny Itachi was to deny Fugaku himself.
Fugaku and Genya walked along the streets within the Uchiha clan grounds.
Many members of the Military Police Force bowed and greeted Fugaku, who nodded slightly in response to each.
Ten minutes later.
The two passed through various alleys and arrived before a secluded building.
The security here was noticeably much tighter.
There were members of the Military Police Force patrolling.
There were even guards stationed at the iron gate.
"Captain!"
The Military Police Force member in front of the building stood up and saluted upon seeing Fugaku, looking slightly surprised when he saw Genya behind him.
In his memory, the captain had only ever brought Itachi here.
Who was this youth?
However, having become a member of the Military Police Force, he had the sense to know that one should not ask about things they shouldn't.
"Open the gate!" Fugaku commanded.
"Yes!"
The iron gate was opened.
The two entered the building.
A scent of antiquity and dust rushed to meet them.
"Uncle Fugaku, where is this?" Genya asked, curiously surveying his surroundings.
Fugaku did not stop his pace, heading toward the stairs as he said, "This is where the Uchiha store the clan's ninjutsu. Few in the clan know of this place, and Konoha knows even less."
Ninjutsu is the foundation of a clan.
Therefore, the security here was strictly enforced.
In the entire Uchiha clan.
No more than three people had the authority to come here.
Stepping on the old staircase, the wooden boards emitted a "creaking" sound.
After pushing the door open and entering, Genya discovered that the place was filled with one ninjutsu manual after another, a dazzling array.
Fugaku spoke with a hint of pride in his voice.
"The ninjutsu manuals stored here have been collected by the Uchiha since the founding of Konoha. There are as many as a thousand, covering Fire Release, Water Release, Lightning Release, Earth Release, Wind Release, and even genjutsu."
"In a moment, you will first test your chakra nature."
After saying this.
Fugaku took out five chakra-detecting papers of different colors from a cabinet to the side.
Most ninjas in the world of Naruto possess one type of chakra nature.
Generally, after reaching the level of Jonin, they will cultivate two or more chakra natures.
Take Naruto in the early stages, for instance, who discovered he possessed wind-natured chakra.
By infusing wind-natured chakra into the Rasengan, he developed the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
Later, during the battle against Kakuzu.
A single Wind Style: Rasenshuriken wiped out the treasurer of the Akatsuki.
As for the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, he possessed chakra of all five natures, which is considered truly genius-level.
Although Hiruzen's political talent was not high, one cannot deny that he possessed immense strength.
Genya was also extremely curious.
Just how many chakra natures did he possess?
Fugaku explained, "Wind-natured paper will be sliced, lightning-natured will wrinkle, fire-natured will burn, earth-natured will crumble, and water-natured will become damp. Come, let's test your natures."
"Mm-hmm." Genya nodded, clutching the fire-natured chakra test paper in his palm, holding his breath and focusing his mind.
Suddenly, the test paper burst into flames.
"Hot, hot!" Genya hurriedly flung the burning test paper onto the floor and stomped on it.
If he set this place on fire, Fugaku would likely not let him off easily.
"Fire nature?" Seeing this result, Fugaku's expression did not change much.
The Uchiha are naturally close to fire.
Most clansmen possess fire-natured chakra.
It was not surprising that Genya possessed the fire nature.
Next was the second nature, the wind-natured chakra test paper.
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