At the center of the clearing, the sea's damp breeze swept over the mountaintop, ruffling the black hair at Kou's temples and lifting the hem of his Black Cloak with Red Clouds.
Kou stood there quietly, a long sword in hand. Its blade glinted with a cold sheen in the sunlight.
His breathing was steady. His black eyes had transformed into the Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Three black tomoe slowly revolved in his irises as he stared at the empty, wind-swept grass across from him.
The next moment, amid a gust of wind, Jiraiya appeared in the clearing Kou had been watching.
Unlike his usual carefree swagger, he had practically "stumbled" into view.
Jiraiya landed unsteadily, braced his hands on his knees, and panted heavily.
Sweat slid down his broad face and dripped onto the grass beneath his feet.
Kou looked at Jiraiya, who was practically doubled over, and the corner of his mouth curled into a teasing smile.
"Seriously? You're worn out after such a short run? You look like a dried-up toad.
Did you spend last night partying? How'd you end up in such terrible shape?"
His voice was full of glee, and his Sharingan gleamed eerily in the sunlight.
"Hah... hah... Shut up! You brat, you have no respect for your elders! Stop slandering this great sage!"
Still panting heavily, Jiraiya grumbled at Kou, who looked completely at ease.
He raised his head, his eyes brimming with undisguised annoyance.
"Why were you running so fast? Were you in a hurry to get yourself killed?! Do you know how much effort it took me to catch up?
Even when I got caught spying on Tsunade, I didn't run this fast!"
"Uh... that must've been quite a run."
Kou watched Jiraiya put on his over-the-top act, speechless. The corner of his mouth twitched.
As he spoke, Kou studied Jiraiya, his gaze settling on the hands braced against his knees.
Jiraiya's fingers were slightly curled beneath his thighs, moving in an extremely subtle way.
"Is that... an Earth Release hand seal?"
A cold glint flashed in Kou's eyes.
This lecher's trying to pull a fast one on me?
Still grumbling to himself about Jiraiya, Kou kept his eyes on him and slowly raised the long sword in his right hand.
The blade traced a cold arc in the sunlight, its tip aimed at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya continued panting, putting on a "weak" expression.
"Ah, I can't go on. This great sage's winded. Just give me a moment to catch my breath..."
"Uchiha Style—"
Kou's icy voice cut off Jiraiya's act.
"Sun Halo Dance."
As the words left his mouth, three enormous flaming slashes erupted from his sword.
Red flames gathered along the blade, compressed, then swept away from it, wrapped in Wind Release and transformed into three massive, crescent-shaped blades of fire.
This wasn't an ordinary Fire Release technique. It was a compound technique that combined Fire Release and Wind Release!
Amplified by Wind Release, the red flames burned fiercely, carrying terrifying explosive force as they raced toward Jiraiya.
Feeling the approaching wave of heat, Jiraiya's exaggerated expression instantly vanished.
"Not good!"
His gaze sharpened, and surprise flashed in his usually languid eyes.
He instinctively tried to dodge, only to see two of the three flaming slashes suddenly change direction.
One veered left, the other right, while the third came straight on—attacking from three sides!
"The attacks changed direction? Did he mix Wind Release into his Fire Release?!"
Jiraiya analyzed the attack calmly, a glint in his eyes.
"No, there's more to it. The trajectories are extremely tricky, almost completely blocking off every escape route.
"Before he even swung his sword, he used the Sharingan's keen perception to work out the best paths.
"Then, with exquisite chakra control, he adjusted the trajectories of all three flaming slashes the instant he swung, leaving me no choice but to face the attack head-on?"
Jiraiya marveled inwardly, his amazement tinged with admiration and wariness.
"To unleash such a clever combination technique in an instant, without hand seals, and arrange the attacks with such precision at the same time...
"Has Kou really grown this much?"
Just from that one move, Jiraiya could tell that Kou's command of the Sharingan and his in-depth study of Fire Release were worlds apart from what they had been when he was in Konoha.
Knowing Kou, he couldn't have achieved this through hard work alone...
Unless he has a teacher who's exceptionally skilled in these areas.
Jiraiya murmured to himself, a complicated glint in his eyes.
"Kou, what have you been through these past five years?"
Feeling the approaching heat, Jiraiya focused on the three enormous waves of fire in front of him, his expression turning grave.
He recognized the technique: Uchiha Style Sword Technique: Sun Halo Dance.
It was one of the Uchiha Style's classic ninja sword techniques, incorporating Fire Release into swordplay to attack from multiple angles at range.
But the technique Kou was using now was unlike the standard Sun Halo Dance. Its range and power far surpassed the original!
Jiraiya's gaze swept quickly across the area. The escape routes to either side were blocked, and behind him was a cliff.
And in front? The three flaming slashes bearing down on him!
I'll have to take the hit head-on.
Jiraiya made his decision in an instant.
His fingers flew through a series of hand seals. He slammed his hands against the ground and barked, "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Three massive earthen walls burst from the ground, forming a barrier against the three raging flaming slashes.
But in the very next instant, the terrifying force of the attack smashed all three walls to pieces.
Stone shattered and dust billowed as the red flames swallowed Jiraiya whole!
Boom—!!!
A tremendous explosion echoed across the mountaintop. Rocks flew, and shock waves rolled through the air.
Birds in the distance took flight, flapping their wings toward the sky.
Kou watched the flames. His eerie Sharingan glimmered in their light.
Then, as if he had realized something, he used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from where he stood.
The next moment, a pair of hands reached out from the spot where he had been.
They emerged from underground, palms open and fingers curling as they tried to grab something—but caught nothing.
Only air slipped between their fingers, leaving behind a hollow sound.
Jiraiya burst up from beneath the ground.
He brushed the dirt off himself and looked toward the black-haired young man who had put some distance between them. Disdain filled his broad face.
"My, my. You really don't play fair, brat. Sneaking up on someone is such a low trick. Shameful."
"You were pretending to be exhausted while secretly making hand seals with your hands under your thighs. I don't think you get to criticize me."
Kou retorted, casting a sidelong glance toward where Jiraiya had been standing.
The flames cleared. Where Jiraiya had been, only the crumbling remains of the Earth-Style Wall and a vaguely human-shaped clump of charred earth remained.
It was an earth clone.
Just before the flames struck, Jiraiya had substituted a prepared earth clone for himself. His real body had burrowed underground, intending to circle around and catch Kou by surprise.
Kou turned his gaze to Jiraiya, who stood across from him without a scratch, and looked at him disdainfully.
"You predicted I'd start by testing you with a ranged ninjutsu, so you prepared an earth clone in advance. Then you used the Earth-Style Wall and the flames as cover so you could hit me with the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique?"
He paused, the tomoe in his Sharingan spinning faster.
"You really think my Sharingan is just a pair of colored contacts?"
Kou raised his sword and stared coldly at Jiraiya, the Three Tomoe Sharingan gleaming eerily in the sunlight.
"You understand, right? In front of these eyes, all your little tricks... are pointless!"
Jiraiya looked at Kou, his expression growing serious.
He straightened up. The teasing, exaggerated look was gone from his broad face, replaced by the seriousness and caution of a shinobi.
The Sharingan... What a terrifying Kekkei Genkai.
Jiraiya praised it sincerely in his heart.
He was certain he had been discreet enough. Even an elite Uchiha jōnin with the Three Tomoe Sharingan shouldn't have been able to detect his actions while focused on the fight.
But Kou had seen through him in an instant.
There was no doubt: Kou had pushed the Sharingan's perceptive abilities to their very limit!
Jiraiya analyzed the situation, his expression grave.
Only those who had truly fought against a shinobi with the Sharingan could understand how powerful those eyes were.
Instantly copying ninjutsu, casting genjutsu without hand seals, and observing the tiniest details—each of these would be considered a top-tier ability on its own.
And all three of these abilities, coveted by every shinobi, were gathered within the Kekkei Genkai known as the Sharingan.
Any Uchiha who awakened the Sharingan could transform into an exceptional shinobi in a short time, even if they had ordinary talent.
It was as though the Uchiha Clan, with their Sharingan, had been born for the shinobi profession.
This was one of the few conclusions Jiraiya had been able to draw with certainty in his decades of life.
His gaze settled on the Three Tomoe Sharingan in Kou's eyes. It held both scrutiny and wariness, but above all, understanding.
Uchiha Kou was the clearest example of that conclusion in Jiraiya's experience.
As far as Jiraiya remembered, nearly all of Kou's combat abilities had been developed on the foundation of his Sharingan.
This wasn't born of Uchiha arrogance or blind faith and dependence on the Sharingan's power. It was rooted in a frustrating reality.
His gaze fell on Kou's seemingly carefree yet utterly serious face. A complicated glint flickered in his murky eyes.
Because if you set the Sharingan aside—Kou really was just an "ordinary person," with unremarkable talent.
(Sorry for the late update.
This chapter took a little longer because I spent some time polishing it. What did you think? Was it enjoyable to read?)
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