Taking On a Jonin with Madara

A sky full of crows wheeled through the air, gathering in the distance to form Shin's figure. He watched the Hyuga jonin calmly.

What kind of jutsu was this? A genjutsu? A Clone Technique?

The Hyuga jonin stared at the few crow feathers drifting down before him, stunned. He had carried out missions for years and crossed paths with shinobi from every clan, but this was the first time he had seen such a bizarre jutsu.

"Does our Uchiha Clan have a jutsu like that?" Uchiha Madara was a little dazed, too. He realized he was finding his cousin harder and harder to read. He had thought he was hiding his strength and would easily be the strongest of the new generation, but now it seemed his cousin was truly unfathomable.

"Madara, don't just stand there. Let's take him down together!"

As soon as Shin's figure took shape, he formed Hand Seals. He opened with a B-rank jutsu: "Fire Style: Fire Flame Slash!"

A huge sword of condensed chakra and flames came crashing down, tearing away a large section of the Conference Hall's roof with a tremendous crash.

"When fighting the Hyuga Clan, don't go toe-to-toe with them in Taijutsu. Keep your distance and kite him with ranged Fire Style!" Shin shouted. As the opponent leaped high into the air, the Sharingan followed his movements closely. Shin finished another set of Hand Seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Don't fight in close quarters? How naive..." The Hyuga jonin sneered. Midair, he suddenly accelerated, leaving several afterimages as he dodged the Great Fireball Technique. By the time Shin noticed, he was already right in front of him. The long, narrow Tachi was nearly at Shin's neck, and before the blade even arrived, its wind had already carved a bloody line into his skin.

Clang!

At the last possible moment, a long sword appeared out of nowhere and blocked the fatal strike. Uchiha Madara had arrived without anyone noticing.

Though they had never fought side by side before, the two moved with astonishing coordination. The instant Madara stopped the enemy's blade, Shin ducked and lunged at him. His left hand was held behind his back, while his right gripped a Kunai and thrust it backward at the enemy's throat.

"Hmph!" The Hyuga jonin grunted. He shoved Madara back with a burst of strength, then instantly turned his blade and thrust it into Shin's back. The sword pierced through him, but it didn't feel as if it had struck a real body. With a puff of white smoke, Shin's body turned into a log.

Substitution Technique? When had he formed the Hand Seals?

The thought flashed through his mind, but there was no time to dwell on it. Shin had already appeared behind him, Kunai in hand, and stabbed toward his back with incredible speed. At the same time, Madara completed his Hand Seals some distance away. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Attacked from both sides, the Hyuga jonin suddenly spun. "Rotation!" A huge chakra barrier appeared around him. Shin grunted and was flung away, while the Great Fireball was deflected as well.

"He's pretty strong. He's not even in the same league as a Special Jonin," Shin remarked, glancing at Madara as he came to his side. If he hadn't pulled back the moment he sensed something was wrong, charging headfirst into Rotation would have done more than knock him away. Even using the Crow Clone, he would have come away with at least a minor injury.

"Obviously. Otherwise, he couldn't have pushed me this far. But that's what makes it a challenge." Madara grinned, the fighting spirit in his eyes burning even brighter.

The glow of Rotation gradually faded, revealing the Hyuga jonin again. But his breathing was noticeably more labored than before. Madara and Shin's successive attacks had clearly put him under pressure.

"Kid, tell me: when did you form the Hand Seals for that Substitution Technique? With your skill, you can't use it without Hand Seals." The Hyuga jonin spoke up.

Shin sneered, just about to mock him. Who would be stupid enough to reveal their trump card in the middle of a fight? But Uchiha Madara spoke first.

With a hint of pride, he said, "The Hyuga Clan really is a lowly, ignorant family. My cousin invented single-handed Hand Seals. He's the only one in the entire Uchiha Clan who can use them. You can still kill yourself while you have the chance."

Shin stared blankly at Madara, roaring inside. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You must be. You're getting back at me for making you hold them off for five extra minutes—and for those six Explosive Tags, right? That's the only explanation. Who else would sell out his teammate this badly?

"Single-handed Hand Seals? I hadn't thought of that!" The Hyuga jonin nodded. With a bang, he turned into a puff of white smoke and appeared behind them.

"Too bad you're still green. You couldn't even see through such a simple Clone Technique! Gentle Fist: Twin Wolf Roar!" Two wolf-shaped blasts of force roared straight at the pair. At that range, there was nowhere to dodge.

"Tch! Which of us is still green?"

A mocking smile tugged at both Shin and Madara's lips. They turned into logs at the same time, each with an Explosive Tag attached. The moment the fists struck, the tags detonated.

And that wasn't all. As the Explosive Tags went off, strands of Chakra Threads, fine as silkworm silk, appeared. Shin and Madara emerged on either side and pulled the threads taut at the same time, binding the enemy and preventing him from using Rotation.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!"

Flames raced along the threads toward the center, bent on burning the bound jonin to ashes.

"Are these two brats... really children?" His throat tightened, and a trickle of blood spilled from his mouth. Unable to use Rotation, he couldn't avoid the damage from the Explosive Tags. Then came the searing heat, and at last he felt a sense of danger.

"Ha!" With a sharp cry, the Hyuga jonin stopped underestimating them. He released his chakra, first snapping the Chakra Threads binding him, then escaping with the Body Flicker Technique.

Shin and Madara felt the tension leave their hands and knew their opponent had escaped. They focused at once, searching the area with their Sharingan.

"Madara, he's on your side!"

Shin's Sharingan had already reached Three Tomoe, giving him two levels better perception than Madara. He hurriedly called out a warning.

The instant Shin spoke, Madara swung his sword to the left on instinct. A tremendous force reverberated through the blade, flinging him into the air. The already-split skin between his thumb and forefinger tore open further, adding another streak of red.

"One down! Eight Trigrams Lion King Fist!" The Hyuga jonin punched, condensing his chakra to the utmost until it formed a roaring lion that lunged to swallow Madara. Suspended in midair, Madara had no chance of dodging.

"That's an A-rank jutsu! Damn it!" Shin shouted furiously. The distance was too great; he couldn't get there in time to help.

"It's an A-rank jutsu? So what? I can use one too!" Midair, Madara formed a complex series of Hand Seals. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song!"

With a dragon's roar, three fire dragons appeared and met the lion's head. Amid the thunderous clash, the dragons actually overwhelmed the attack. One collided with the lion, while the other two roared toward the Hyuga jonin.

Having a teammate like him can be reassuring sometimes. This is my chance! Shin thought, charging forward at full speed. The Magatama in his Sharingan spun wildly, and waves of pain shot through his eyes. His genjutsu was ready. He had decided to use this opportunity to finish the enemy once and for all.