Shisui vs. Setsuna Uchiha

"Shisui, don't be reckless. Let me be the one to loosen that old geezer Setsuna's muscles."

As Setsuna Uchiha's longtime rival, Tenwa Uchiha knew his opponent's capabilities very well.

Shisui was a once-in-a-century genius of the Uchiha Clan, but he was still somewhat lacking in combat experience and technique.

Tenwa didn't want his promising junior to get hurt at Setsuna Uchiha's hands.

But Shisui didn't budge. He remained where he was, watching Setsuna Uchiha.

"Elder Tenwa, don't worry. I'll show Elder Setsuna just how far these eyes of mine can see."

One decisive blow could prevent a hundred more. Today, Shisui intended to establish his standing in the Uchiha Clan and clear the way for his plans in the future.

"You... All right. You might as well take this opportunity to learn some of that old geezer's dirty tricks. But remember, don't push yourself. If things go badly, focus on protecting yourself first." Seeing the determination on Shisui's face, Tenwa Uchiha decided not to deny his talented junior this chance.

In the end, Tenwa Uchiha agreed to Shisui's request. However, he remained ready to step in and stop Setsuna Uchiha the moment the situation turned against Shisui.

"You insolent brat, you don't know your place. I'll show you the true strength of the Uchiha." Feeling that his authority had been challenged, Setsuna Uchiha was ready to teach the boy a good lesson.

"Elder Setsuna, please... please be careful." Fugaku Uchiha had meant to remind Setsuna to protect himself, but he couldn't bring himself to embarrass him in front of everyone.

As the wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku Uchiha understood better than anyone how insignificant a Three-Tomoe Sharingan was before those eyes.

"Don't worry. Our Uchiha Clan isn't so fragile. How can anyone shoulder the responsibilities of being an Uchiha without weathering a storm?" Setsuna Uchiha was ready to make the arrogant brat regret his attitude.

Once the two opponents had been decided, the elders around them moved back to give them space.

"Go, Shisui!" Itachi also stood beside his mother, Mikoto Uchiha, cheering Shisui on.

"So you're Shisui Uchiha. I'll let you make the first move, so you can't say I'm picking on a kid." Setsuna Uchiha stood there disdainfully, waiting for Shisui to attack first.

"All right, Elder Setsuna."

In that case, Shisui wouldn't hold back. Today, he would completely crush the Hawk Faction's leader, but he had no intention of using his Mangekyō's power.

"Sharingan, activate." Three black tomoe appeared in Shisui's eyes, and his hands immediately began forming seals.

Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson.

Wind Release: Vacuum Wave. (Copied from Shimura Danzō.)

In the span of a single second, Shisui completed the dozens of hand seals required for two jutsu. His opening attack stunned everyone present.

"What?!"

A large number of shuriken, wreathed in flames, hurtled toward him, accompanied by wind blades too fast for the naked eye to follow. The most astonished was Shisui's opponent, Setsuna Uchiha. He had taken Shisui for an ordinary member of the clan with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, never expecting his opening attack to pose such a grave threat.

"Sharingan, activate!"

Daring not to be careless for even an instant, Setsuna Uchiha activated his own Three-Tomoe Sharingan and strained to track the trajectories of Shisui's jutsu.

This is bad. I won't make it in time. Setsuna Uchiha could already feel the heat of the flames and the sharpness of the wind blades. There was no time left to think.

Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame! In desperation, Setsuna Uchiha unleashed a wide-area Fire Release jutsu. A vast sea of flames poured from his mouth, surging toward Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson and Vacuum Wave.

As an experienced fighter of the Uchiha Clan, Setsuna's strength was beyond question.

The vast sea of fire swallowed Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson in an instant. The shuriken couldn't advance another inch; carried by the flames, they were swept backward.

But Shisui's attack wasn't so easily stopped. A single invisible wind blade eventually cut through the sea of fire and continued toward Setsuna without losing momentum.

"Did it hit?" Seeing that Setsuna seemed unable to dodge in time, the watching elders held their breath for him.

Bang! As the wind blade cut Setsuna Uchiha in half, his body turned into a cloud of smoke and vanished into the air.

"That was close. It was a Shadow Clone." The other Hawk Faction elders watching nearby let out a long breath of relief. If eight-year-old Shisui defeated Setsuna Uchiha, they would never be able to hold their heads high in front of the Dove Faction again.

"So he jumped up there." Setsuna Uchiha's movement hadn't escaped Shisui's notice. Shisui looked up and immediately spotted Setsuna leaping through the air.

Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction! Setsuna's counterattack came faster than expected. Even during his brief time in the air, he completed the hand seals for a B-rank jutsu. Then a gigantic fireball came crashing down toward Shisui like a meteor.

Earth Release: Earth Style Wall! At Shisui's command, an earthen wall rose from the ground and extended into the air, forming a thick barrier above his head.

Boom... A deafening explosion rang out as Great Fire Destruction slammed into the wall. The fireball instantly spread in every direction, forming a sea of flames in the air that continued to descend toward Shisui.

As expected, my Earth Release is still rather mediocre. Seeing that his defensive jutsu couldn't hold back Setsuna's attack, Shisui muttered to himself.

Earth Release: Earth Prison Dome! A second earthen wall rose around Shisui and converged overhead, shielding him from the remaining force of Great Fire Destruction.

"Are you hiding inside a tortoise shell, kid? You're finished." Setsuna Uchiha had just landed when he immediately found a way to deal with Shisui. He formed hand seals again, releasing a massive amount of chakra.

Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!

When Setsuna Uchiha lifted a massive boulder with both hands, everyone watching understood what he intended to do.

Rumble, rumble...

The enormous boulder smashed into the earthen dome. The once-sturdy walls collapsed under the tremendous impact, and the entire dome broke into rubble. Everything inside was crushed beneath Earth Mausoleum Dumpling.

Watching this, Mikoto Uchiha was terrified. She hurriedly tugged at her husband, urging him to rescue Shisui from the rubble.

"Shisui! Fugaku, go save him!"

When her husband didn't move, she even started blaming Fugaku. "Hurry up! You're the clan leader, and you can't even protect Shisui?"

Facing his wife's reproach, Fugaku Uchiha could only smile wryly. Just as he was about to explain, Itachi tugged on Mikoto's arm and reassured her. "Shisui will be fine, Mother. Don't worry."

Having seen what Shisui could do, Itachi had never thought he might lose to Setsuna Uchiha.

Only then did Mikoto Uchiha slowly come to her senses.

"Shisui's all right?"

She finally relaxed after seeing her husband nod in confirmation.