Hazy Moon Secret Sword! (Tuesday PK, seeking follow-up reads!)

The clash with Kakashi that night was a prime example.

Uchiha Shingen had tried to find an opening to use genjutsu several times, but Kakashi intentionally avoided it; throughout their close-quarters combat, the two had almost no eye contact.

Yet, while Kakashi could avoid looking into his eyes, he absolutely dared not ignore his blade!

Uchiha Shingen parted his lips slightly, glancing from the Kotetsu in his hand to Setsuna Uchiha, before finally squeezing out:

"You old geezer, you're devious!"

Setsuna Uchiha seemed rather pleased by this, retorting:

"Want to learn? I'll teach you!"

"I do!"

Outside Konoha, in the Forest of Death.

The night deepened, and dew began to cling to the leaves in the woods.

The birds and beasts active during the day had vanished; only the reptiles hidden in the shadows dared to poke their heads out, only to dive back into the dead leaves the next instant as if startled.

Whoosh—!

Uchiha Shingen pushed his wheelchair back to the spot where his Shadow Clone had been training during the day.

The surrounding space was much wider than before; many giant trees had been completely severed, and the ground was riddled with craters of all sizes.

These were the marks left by his training.

Setsuna Uchiha nodded in satisfaction, acknowledging the efforts of his disciple.

He usually seemed unreliable, but in private, he was incredibly hardworking.

While he might find such people annoying, if they were his own disciple, he couldn't like them more.

"Enough chatter."

"Since you want to learn, this Old Man won't take it to the grave, but how much you grasp depends on your talent."

Setsuna Uchiha tossed a wooden sword to Uchiha Shingen, and once the latter caught it, he continued:

"This Old Man has practiced many Nintaijutsu in my life, but my proudest achievement is a lineage of swordsmanship called the Hazy Moon Secret Sword."

"According to the clan's classification, it should be called Nintaijutsu, but I prefer to call it the Illusion Sword Technique."

With that, Setsuna Uchiha beckoned with his finger, his mouth curling into an exceptionally cruel grin:

"Come, use your body to feel it, and you'll understand."

"You aren't just looking for an excuse to beat me up, are you?!"

Uchiha Shingen was ten, or perhaps nine parts suspicious that this was exactly what the old guy was thinking.

However, he was incredibly covetous of that Illusion Sword Technique—a style that combined swordsmanship with genjutsu, appearing unremarkable but being devastatingly underhanded in battle, and most importantly, looking like a perfect fit for him.

He hesitated for a moment, gripped the hilt of the wooden sword, and charged at Setsuna Uchiha, holding nothing back!

An ordinary person seeing this scene might think Uchiha Shingen was abusing an old man.

But Uchiha Shingen knew that the person sitting in the wheelchair was no frail elder, but a tiger hidden in a tomb, concealing its fangs and baring no malice!

To draw the blade was to kill!

Bang—!

Uchiha Shingen stomped the ground, shattering the floorboards, and used the momentum to bring his blade down in a vertical strike!

Although his training during this period hadn't pushed his Taijutsu to Level 4, his physique had clearly strengthened.

The force of this strike was completely different from before; even with a wooden sword, it was enough to shatter rock!

Unexpectedly, Setsuna Uchiha's blade arrived faster and at a more treacherous angle than he had imagined, striking like a viper through the gaps in his movement straight toward his face!

I'm in trouble!

Uchiha Shingen's breath hitched, only to find the wooden sword pass abruptly before his eyes without leaving a single scratch.

"Genjutsu?!"

By the time Uchiha Shingen realized this, it was already too late.

The next instant, the wooden sword in his hand was swatted away by Setsuna Uchiha.

Clack—!

A crisp vibration echoed through the surroundings as the wooden sword spun in the air a few times before landing in the grass nearby.

"Ichiwa!"

Hearing this, Uchiha Shingen looked at Setsuna Uchiha.

The latter remained standing in the same spot, still holding that wooden sword with a relaxed grip, and even the smile on his face hadn't changed in the slightest.

Recalling everything that had happened in that split second, Uchiha Shingen couldn't help but lick his lips:

"Again!"

He picked up the wooden sword from the side and charged at Setsuna Uchiha once more.

It was the same downward strike, the same fierce momentum, and the same outcome of being seen through; Setsuna Uchiha once again aimed for the opening and thrust his blade.

But this time, Uchiha Shingen, having activated his Sharingan, saw an entirely different world.

In that instant, the strike Setsuna Uchiha unleashed was never just one, but three, four, ten...

What met his eyes were countless wooden swords slashing at him from every direction!

"Caught in a trap again?!"

Uchiha Shingen had seen through it, but he no longer had the time to react.

The rhythm of close-quarters combat was far faster than exchanging blows at a distance, and the margin for error was much smaller.

Often, by the moment you realize you have been caught, the battle is already over.

Bang—!

Amidst the countless illusions, the only real wooden sword struck Uchiha Shingen squarely in the chest, sending him flying back several meters.

"Cough, cough, cough—!"

Barely managing to steady himself, Uchiha Shingen felt a sharp pain in his chest. He couldn't help but cough, his eyes locked firmly onto the wooden sword in Setsuna Uchiha's hand.

Previously, he had only thought Setsuna Uchiha's swordsmanship was underhanded; now, he saw it as purely infuriating.

Most people, when fighting a ninja of the Uchiha clan, prioritize defending against the Uchiha's pervasive ocular jutsu.

Setsuna Uchiha's swordsmanship was a trap designed precisely around that fixed mindset.

But once an opponent realized this and shifted their focus to the blade, the Uchiha's ocular jutsu would turn around and teach them a lesson.

Isn't this just a 50/50 mix-up from a fighting game?

In a game, guessing wrong only means losing, but in the life-and-death struggle of a ninja, a wrong judgment leads to only one outcome: death.

But I absolutely love this infuriating stuff!

"Old man, I want to learn this!"

Feeling the pain in his chest, Uchiha Shingen grew increasingly excited.

His previous training with Jiraiya had focused more on ninjutsu and elemental techniques, while what he had received from Fugaku Uchiha was mostly genjutsu and standard ninjutsu.

Now, with Setsuna Uchiha's Hazy Moon Secret Sword helping him fill the gap in his close-quarters combat, Uchiha Shingen's strength would undergo a qualitative change.

His configuration would have almost no blind spots, making him a match even for the veteran Jonin of the clan.

"Good!"

Setsuna Uchiha twisted his wrists while sitting in his wheelchair, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth:

"Continue!"

Uchiha Shingen didn't waste words. After recovering slightly on the spot, he charged at Setsuna Uchiha again.

This time, he kept his eyes wide open, attempting to see through Setsuna Uchiha's movements, yet he still fell for the trick and was easily sent flying by Setsuna Uchiha!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Throughout the night, Uchiha Shingen spent his time in a cycle of charging, falling for illusions, and being repelled.

By the time dawn approached, he was so exhausted he collapsed onto the ground, unable to muster a shred of strength.

But what excited him was that he had vaguely discerned the patterns of the Hazy Moon Secret Sword, confident he could master it perfectly within a month at most.

Just then.

Setsuna Uchiha suddenly slapped his forehead, pulled a scroll from his robes, and tossed it beside Uchiha Shingen, looking somewhat apologetic:

"Look at my memory. I had already compiled the training scroll for the Hazy Moon Secret Sword; I forgot to give it to you last night."

"..."

"Are you saying I could have avoided a whole night of getting beaten to a pulp?!"