Ryōken slowly stepped into the field, facing Tsuki Uchiha from afar.
At this moment, no more words were needed.
This was a duel to the death. Today, either Tsuki Uchiha would die, or Ryōken would live.
Neither of them spoke, nor did anyone need to call for the match to begin.
The Third Hokage and the others had merely come as witnesses. Anyone who openly broke the rules would have to pay an enormous political price.
In an instant, the battle erupted.
The moment it began, Ryōken burst forth at full speed and charged straight at Tsuki Uchiha.
Just how fast was Ryōken now?
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Ryōken vanished from where he stood, kicking up a trace of dust as he crossed the battlefield in a flash.
He was nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Tsuki Uchiha had once suffered badly for underestimating Ryōken, so he naturally did not dare let down his guard in the slightest.
He immediately activated his Sharingan.
Three tomoe emerged, enough to clearly follow Ryōken's movements.
At the same time, his hands formed seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball swept toward him, carrying scorching waves of heat. Before it even struck, blazing heat and the smell of burning had already filled the air.
Ryōken's gaze remained calm and unmoved as he casually swung his sword down.
Pale azure Sword Qi shot forth.
Slash!
The house-sized fireball was cleaved apart by the Sword Qi, split cleanly into two.
His body followed his sword, without pausing for even a moment.
In an instant, Ryōken passed through the fireball and arrived before Tsuki Uchiha, bringing down an utterly unremarkable slash.
To outsiders, the strike might have seemed completely lacking in force. Yet Tsuki Uchiha sensed its terror. An invisible sharpness pressed upon