He had only passed the Chunin Ninja Exams that very day.
No.
He hadn't merely passed. He had used the advantages of his Sharingan and Body Flicker Technique to drag the Special Jonin proctor into a prolonged battle.
That could only mean Shisui's strength had already surpassed that of an ordinary Chunin!
This strike was a sure thing!
But in the very next instant, Shisui's body suddenly stiffened as an inexplicable sense of danger washed over him.
Oh no!
The thought had barely crossed Shisui's mind when someone seized his wrist.
"Couldn't hold yourself back, huh?!"
"You little rat!"
Uchiha Shingen's voice sounded right beside Shisui's ear, making him break out in a cold sweat.
Then Shisui felt a tremendous force surge from the hand gripping his forearm, swinging his body around and slamming him hard into the ground.
Like swinging a sword!
This was the boost granted by his Taijutsu reaching level 3. His strength, flexibility, and ability to withstand blows had all undergone a qualitative leap.
At that moment, even in terms of sheer physicality, Uchiha Shingen was no weaker than an adult Chunin who specialized in Taijutsu.
Shisui, who wasn't even eight years old, was at a huge disadvantage in this regard. If he took that strike head-on, the fight would be over in an instant!
Shisui had thought he'd already accounted for how strong Uchiha Shingen might be, but he hadn't imagined the gap in their physical abilities would be this enormous!
Was Senior Shingen a Taijutsu specialist?!
I've never heard of an Uchiha being known for Taijutsu!
Though bewildered, Shisui reacted quickly.
Just before Uchiha Shingen's strike landed, Shisui switched the Kunai in his hand to the other one.
Then Shisui twisted at the waist and launched a vicious slash at Uchiha Shingen's chest. Flames surged from the Kunai's edge, illuminating the area around them!
"Hmm?!"
The lazy expression vanished from Uchiha Shingen's face, replaced by a hint of confusion.
"Sword Leap Flame?"
"Which clan member's trying to take me out?!"
"Never mind. I'll beat the answers out of him first!"
At that thought,
Uchiha Shingen's gaze suddenly turned dangerous.
He released Shisui's hand and used the Body Flicker Technique to evade the slash.
Barely breaking free, Shisui looked up at Uchiha Shingen—and saw three scarlet Tomoe slowly turning in his eyes!
"Three-Tomoe Sharingan?!"
"Captain Shingen's ocular power has reached this level!"
Shisui's pupils contracted. Every hair on his body stood on end.
Shisui had expected Uchiha Shingen to be strong, but he'd assumed the gap between them would be small at most.
After all, there was a tremendous difference between the talent Uchiha Shingen had displayed and Shisui's own.
Even though Shingen was a few years older, Shisui had been confident he could win.
But only now, at the moment they actually clashed, did Shisui understand just how absurd the gap between him and this man was.
The number of Tomoe represented the level of one's ocular power. Even a difference of one Tomoe meant overwhelming superiority—and Shisui was the one being overwhelmed.
Worse still was the powerful Taijutsu that had pinned him down in a single exchange!
Realizing this, Shisui's expression turned grave. His hands formed seals at lightning speed as he prepared to release a Great Fireball, but Uchiha Shingen had already seen through his movements.
Shisui didn't even have time to begin the technique before a fireball filled his entire field of vision. In an instant, it swelled to an enormous size, nearly ten meters across!
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Shisui's scalp prickled.
He'd only ever seen Great Fireballs this large from the veteran Jonin in the Police Force.
Achieving that scale required an enormous amount of Chakra and exceptional control.
In other words,
in terms of both Chakra reserves and control, Uchiha Shingen was already on par with the veteran Jonin in the clan.
Add the Taijutsu he'd just displayed and his Three-Tomoe Sharingan... Did Captain Shingen already have Jonin-level combat strength?
Shisui couldn't help feeling shocked by the thought.
A thirteen-year-old Chunin might not be all that remarkable, but a thirteen-year-old Jonin meant something else entirely.
He would nearly equal Konoha's previous record!
Big Brother Shingen... was a genius too?!
Oh no. If that fireball hits me, I'll really die!
At the last possible moment,
the Great Fireball Shisui had finished forming his seals burst from his mouth as well.
In an instant, Uchiha Shingen's Great Fireball swallowed Shisui's. The vast difference in their Chakra reserves and control had decided the outcome.
But
that brief delay was all Shisui needed.
What he truly trusted wasn't his swordsmanship or genjutsu, but the simplest technique of all: the Body Flicker Technique!
He completed the seals for the Body Flicker Technique in an instant. Shisui could practically see himself escaping—until his body suddenly stiffened the next second, and his mouth twitched despite himself.
"Isn't that a bit too reckless?"
The enormous fireball in the air dispersed like a burst bubble, breaking into sparks that flew in every direction before the night swallowed them.
Uchiha Shingen's figure emerged from within. In the blink of an eye, he was upon Shisui, one hand pressing down on Shisui's mask as he slammed him viciously into the ground!
Bang—!
The incredible force of his level 3 Taijutsu smashed the floor to pieces. Shisui's back went numb, and a sharp, coppery taste rose in his mouth!
His ribs were broken, and his internal organs were injured to varying degrees. If they kept fighting, he'd die!
"It's me!"
"Captain Shingen!"
The familiar voice made Uchiha Shingen pause. He removed the mask from Shisui's face, then hesitated slightly.
"Oh, it's you?!"
"Don't do something so dangerous again. You could've gotten yourself killed!"
Shisui gave a bitter smile, unable to put his feelings into words.
The beating he'd escaped during the Chunin exam had caught up with him tonight, courtesy of Uchiha Shingen.
"I never expected your strength to have reached this level, Captain Shingen!"
"Cough, cough—!"
Shisui couldn't help coughing up a few mouthfuls of blood. A lingering fear gripped him.
Their brief exchange had been perilous in the extreme.
From beginning to end, Uchiha Shingen had outmatched him in every way.
This unassuming squad leader in the Police Force already had combat strength no less than a Jonin's.
He wasn't merely a genius. He was a complete monster.
And if that kind of strength was combined with his skill at handling affairs...
"The Uchiha have produced quite a remarkable figure."
In the darkness,
a hoarse voice rang out. Several figures wearing animal masks emerged from the shadows, surrounding Uchiha Shingen and Shisui.
"What is this...?"
Uchiha Shingen scanned the group, his brow furrowing.
"Did you arrange this too?!"
Shisui shook his head in bewilderment, an ominous feeling rising within him.
"Dressed like that... They must be Root!"
Uchiha Shingen's just-relaxed mood tightened again at once.
He'd never heard of Konoha having an organization like this, but they'd come in the dead of night and had even infiltrated the Uchiha heartland...
Uchiha Shingen's pupils suddenly contracted as he realized what he'd overlooked.
He and Shisui had made a tremendous racket fighting. The clan's shinobi should have noticed long ago, yet there still hadn't been a sound from anyone!
Something was wrong!
Before you continue