Can We Reconcile?

Shimizu and Pakura were both using Fire Style ninjutsu, making the scene before them look incredibly brilliant.

The sounds of fiery explosions erupted everywhere, blasting the arena into a pockmarked mess.

Whether they were high-ranking officials or common merchants, everyone watched with rapt attention.

Just by witnessing this single match, they felt they had already gotten their money's worth.

It was so spectacular that it didn't look like a ninja duel, but a performance!

"This is amazing. Is this the Fire Style of the Uchiha Clan?"

Uchiha Inabi's teammate asked him, his face full of wonder.

"Uh... I suppose so."

Uchiha Inabi hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu was a signature technique that basically every Uchiha ninja knew.

However, he had never seen that Fire Style technique that allowed for instantaneous movement.

Is it a technique Shimizu created himself, or was that scroll just tucked away in a corner where I never noticed it before?

Uchiha Inabi rubbed his chin, muttering to himself.

"Uchiha...!"

Hyuga Tetsu gripped his water cup tightly, his Byakugan locked firmly onto Shimizu's figure.

I've trained for so long just to have a fair and square match with you.

That way, no one can say anything; it's just a reasonable spar.

This time, I'm going to let Xia know that last time was just an accident.

Hyuga Tetsu shouted in his heart, hoping that if the Hyuga main family saw his exceptional talent, they might even betroth Xia to him.

"Enough."

Pakura performed a few backflips and landed on the charred ground.

She had grown tired of the constant pursuit and directly refined her chakra, preparing to decide the outcome with a single blow.

"Scorch Release: Extremely Steam Murder!"

Pakura raised both hands, and a massive fireball condensed and emerged, its deep crimson hue so intense it looked as if it were dripping blood.

Then, Pakura puffed out her cheeks and exhaled a powerful gust of wind.

The wind blew against the fireball, increasing its intensity by several degrees.

That's a pretty good ability.

Shimizu's thoughts raced. If he managed to draw the Scorch Release bloodline limit from the Simulator in the future, would it also significantly increase the power of his Fire Body Flicker?

By then, those trails of flame wouldn't just be there to obscure his figure; they would be lethal weapons capable of draining the moisture from his enemies!

"Lightning Style: Regenerative Body Refinement."

In a voice no one could hear, Shimizu activated the ninjutsu he had created himself.

The tiny electrical currents within his body instantly expanded several times over.

Pain flooded Shimizu's entire body, only to be smoothed over by his medical chakra.

Once a balance was reached, Shimizu's figure vanished from his spot once again.

But this time, he didn't just leave behind flames; deep within them, faint arcs of electricity seemed to flicker.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."

Shimizu spat out several small fireballs, each faintly shimmering with electric arcs. They scattered in all directions, as beautiful as the fruit of a balsam plant.

This was a C-rank ninjutsu; the trajectories of all the fireballs were controlled by the user's chakra. If shuriken were added, it would become the B-rank Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson.

Every cell in Shimizu's body was activated, and the activity of his chakra increased significantly as a result.

"That speed won't work on me anymore."

Dragging the massive fireball, Pakura dodged the fireballs with a sidestep, a brilliant smile curling at the corners of her lips. Through the battle so far, she had grown accustomed to Shimizu's speed.

At this distance, she could easily dodge and then slam her Scorch Release: Extremely Steam Murder directly into Shimizu.

"You're still..."

Pakura's full lips parted slightly, the texture of them almost visible. She was just about to mock Shimizu to end the fight when she suddenly realized her body felt as if it were stuck in a quagmire, her speed dropping drastically.

Paralysis!

Pakura's pupils constricted. When did she get hit by a technique?

She looked back in astonishment, deducing the cause from the location of the numbness: it was that one fireball that had just flown past her waist!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

While she was distracted, the remaining fireballs slammed into Pakura.

She could no longer maintain the Scorch Release: Extremely Steam Murder in her hands; it dissipated as she fell to the ground in a sorry state.

"Uchiha Shimizu wins!"

The examiner saw the result, hurried out, and signaled for the Medical Team to enter the arena.

"No need."

Pakura's clothes seemed to be made of a special fire-resistant material; they hadn't been completely incinerated, merely scorched and charred by the flames.

She endured the pain and stood up, her fair, smooth skin flushing a deep red.

No burns?

Qingshui observed Pakura's skin with his keen insight.

At the same time, he understood why Pakura could live in the desert every day without her skin becoming dark or rough from the wind and sun.

Scorch Release was a Kekkei Genkai that could be inherited, which meant it had altered her at a biological level. Her DNA had been embedded with the properties of Scorch Release, and her resistance to fire had increased as a side effect.

"I will remember you, Uchiha Shimizu."

Pakura's brownish-yellow pupils took a deep look at Qingshui before she limped off the field.

"Qingshui, you're amazing!"

Uchiha Inabi, who had a decent relationship with Qingshui, was the first to offer his congratulations.

"Just luck."

Qingshui shook his head.

He felt a slight disappointment in his heart. Wasn't she a hero of the Hidden Sand Village?

She had fallen before he even used his full strength?

Qingshui pondered as he walked off the field. Should he still go to the rear to serve as a medical ninja?

After all, the growth of his strength had already exceeded his expectations.

Following Qingshui's departure, the examiner quickly used ninjutsu to repair the pitted surface of the arena, which had been blasted by the Fire Style.

The next pair of examinees proceeded with their assessment in an orderly fashion according to their rankings.

The sun gradually dipped below the horizon.

Duels between ninjas could last several minutes, or end in a single exchange.

Therefore, it wasn't long before it was Qingshui's turn to take the stage again.

His opponent was an acquaintance, Hyuga Tetsu.

The moment he stepped onto the field, he began to chatter incessantly to himself, making Qingshui lose his patience.

He sent him packing with a single Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

He also quietly memorized the movements of Hyuga Tetsu's Gentle Fist, waiting to study them later.

By the time dusk approached, it was Qingshui's turn to face Kurenai Yuhi.

The two stood in the open space as the examiner introduced their information.

"It's a good thing you weren't defeated by anyone else."

Kurenai Yuhi's delicate features appeared more defined under the glow of the sunset, her curly black hair cascading down to her waist.

Her previously haggard and dejected appearance seemed to gain a touch of vitality in the twilight.

"If you had been defeated by someone else, I would have been very disappointed."

After observing him for the entire day, Kurenai Yuhi believed she had figured out Qingshui's combat logic.

She felt a small sense of relief; she had spent all her time on genjutsu, neglecting her training in other areas.

And Uchiha Shimizu, with his flashy use of Fire Style, clearly had neglected his own genjutsu training.

Kurenai Yuhi felt confident again; this time, she would surely defeat Uchiha Shimizu in one fell swoop.

Then, she would unleash every one of those terrible things he had done right back onto him.

"Can we call a truce?"

Qingshui asked with a half-smile.

"Hmm?"

Kurenai Yuhi was stunned. We've reached this point, and he still wants to ask for a truce?

That's nothing but a pipe dream!

Every night, every single night, she had been reliving that nightmare until she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown!

"If we don't call a truce, this will be the first step toward your descent into the abyss, you know. We need to have a little wager for our duel."