Uchiha Kiyoshi looked at Uchiha Xiao, a trace of gravity in his eyes. He knew Uchiha Xiao might have some skill, but he had never imagined the boy would dare to challenge him, a jōnin, in front of everyone.
The other great clans suddenly weren't in a hurry to enter the village anymore. What was more fun than watching a spectacle? They cleared the middle of the area for the two to fight.
"Ding! The host is about to battle a Uchiha jōnin. Settling previous rewards in advance."
"Ding! The host led the Senju forces without suffering a single casualty. Reward: jōnin-level chakra reserves, 500 points."
"Ding! The host changed the events in the Land of Whirlpools. Reward: jōnin combat skills, 2,000 points."
"Ding! The host changed Uzumaki Nagato's story. Reward: mastery of Fire Release ninjutsu. Fire Release ninjutsu power doubled, no hand seals required, 5,000 points."
"Point balance: 14,050. Achievement completed: Quite Well-Off. Reward: A-rank ninjutsu, Sand Burial (mastered)."
As the system's voice faded, each reward fused into Uchiha Xiao. A moment later, he came back to his senses.
The corners of his mouth lifted. He'd planned to win through a clever trick, but it seemed he wouldn't need to anymore.
When Uchiha Kiyoshi saw his opponent form the Seal of Confrontation, he quickly did the same. The Uchiha Clan might be proud, but they respected anyone who challenged them, whether or not that person could win.
"Uchiha Xiao, you're the junior here, so you can make the first move." Uchiha Kiyoshi held a kunai in a defensive stance. Everyone knew that shinobi were all about high offense and low defense.
Uchiha Xiao smiled faintly, then formed the hand seals for the standard Great Fireball Technique. Uchiha Kiyoshi smiled faintly too. He planned to teach Uchiha Xiao a lesson with the same jutsu.
But his expression suddenly changed. The kid had only formed three seals—how was he already releasing the jutsu?
He'd only formed two seals himself! Uchiha Kiyoshi hurriedly used the Substitution Technique to dodge the attack. Then he fixed his gaze on Uchiha Xiao. If he'd been even a little slower to react, he would have become the first shinobi ever killed by the Great Fireball Technique!
This kid! A thought stirred in Uchiha Kiyoshi's mind.
Uchiha Xiao smiled faintly. As expected, the Great Fireball Technique couldn't kill anyone—even with fake hand seals, it still hadn't burned Uchiha Kiyoshi to death.
What Uchiha Xiao didn't know was that, in Uchiha Kiyoshi's eyes, he'd already become a formidable enemy. Kiyoshi couldn't tell whether Xiao had improved the Great Fireball Technique or could cast ninjutsu without hand seals.
Uchiha Kiyoshi hoped it was the former. Throughout the entire Warring States period, only Madara Uchiha and Senju Hashirama had been capable of the latter. If Uchiha Xiao could do it, then he...
Before he could think further, Uchiha Xiao leaped into the air, twisted around, and sent three enormous Phoenix Sage Fireballs hurtling toward Uchiha Kiyoshi.
Uchiha Kiyoshi's eyes widened. They're huge! What's going on? This kid...
He used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge, but the Phoenix Sage Fireballs still burned part of his clothes.
After feeling the force of Uchiha Xiao's two ninjutsu attacks, Uchiha Kiyoshi understood that he couldn't beat him with ninjutsu.
So he pulled out some shuriken and threw them at Uchiha Xiao. Uchiha Xiao drew his sword.
Clang, clang, clang, clang! He knocked the shuriken back. But when Uchiha Xiao looked toward where Uchiha Kiyoshi had been, he found that Kiyoshi had vanished!
Uchiha Xiao was still dazed when his body moved on its own, raising his sword to block. Clang!
His jōnin combat skills had become muscle memory, guiding his arm as he lifted his sword to parry.
At the clang, Uchiha Kiyoshi looked incredulous. This kid's combat skills and instincts were already no weaker than his own.
Once Uchiha Xiao came back to himself, he chose not to form hand seals this time. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Uchiha Kiyoshi hurriedly retreated, but the heat of the Great Fireball still burned his skin. He'd seen it clearly: Uchiha Xiao hadn't formed any hand seals. He was a genius!
But the Uchiha Clan didn't rely on swordsmanship and Fire Release alone!
Uchiha Kiyoshi's eyes turned red, and his Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared. The other Uchiha gasped. Three tomoe—Senior Kiyoshi was getting serious.
"Xiao, that's enough. I recognize your strength. If we keep fighting, we may not be able to control what happens next," Uchiha Kiyoshi said seriously. He had acknowledged Uchiha Xiao's strength.
But that wasn't all Uchiha Xiao wanted. "Senior Kiyoshi, give it your best shot." As he spoke, he drew on his Yin Release Chakra, and his eyes transformed into a Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
The other Uchiha's expressions changed. Jōnin-level skills, Fire Release, and a Two-Tomoe Sharingan—not that Uchiha Xiao was weak, but that his talent was monstrous.
Everyone knew that a Uchiha with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan could reach jōnin-level strength through the Sharingan alone.
Uchiha Xiao had jōnin-level strength with only two tomoe. That meant once he awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he could overwhelm jōnin and might even be able to take on a Kage-level fighter!
Uchiha Kiyoshi had taken a liking to the boy's talent. No matter how much Uchiha Xiao hated the Uchiha Clan, he was still one of them.
So Kiyoshi decided to end the fight with genjutsu. "Genjutsu: Sharingan!" He would use the Sharingan's own genjutsu. Three tomoe against two—overcoming him should be a piece of cake.
Just as he thought he had Uchiha Xiao under control, Uchiha Xiao darted aside and kicked Uchiha Kiyoshi down with a sweeping leg. Kiyoshi's eyes widened, and his Sharingan reverted to black.
"H-how is this possible? Weren't you supposed to..." Uchiha Kiyoshi struggled to his feet. Certain he had the fight won, he'd just been about to start bragging.
Who could've guessed Uchiha Xiao would interrupt him mid-sentence and kick him flat on his back?
"Oh? You thought I was supposed to fall under genjutsu? Doesn't genjutsu depend on the state of your mind? After all the 'care' my clanmates have shown me over the years, I suppose I should thank them for helping me keep my mind so calm." Uchiha Xiao smiled faintly as he spoke.
Uchiha Kiyoshi fell silent. He knew Uchiha Xiao was right. Then a hand reached out to him. Kiyoshi looked up and saw Uchiha Xiao. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But Uchiha Xiao shook his head. "Let's form the Seal of Reconciliation." Then he said nothing more, simply watching Uchiha Kiyoshi.
Uchiha Kiyoshi nodded. After they formed the Seal of Reconciliation, Uchiha Xiao pulled him to his feet. Kiyoshi thanked him, then returned to the group, no longer acting as arrogant as he had at the start.
Instead, he looked at Uchiha Xiao with admiration. He studied Xiao's appearance closely, then furrowed his brow. He felt as though he'd seen him somewhere before.
For some reason, his vision blurred. It was as if he could see the clan leader from the Warring States period, carrying a sickle and a Gunbai on his back.
Boom! His scalp prickled. How could this kid look so much like Lord Madara?