A First Test in Their Initial Clash

"Eh? Shōji? Your Sharingan evolved to Three-Tomoe?"

Seeing the three pitch-black tomoe slowly rotating in Shōji's pupils, Shisui's eyes lit up as he spoke with a hint of delight.

"Yeah, it had been stuck at Two-Tomoe for over two years. A few days ago, I finally broke through that thin barrier."

Shōji nodded lightly.

"I understand what you mean, Shōji. But you should know that while the Uchiha Clan's strength is indeed closely tied to these Sharingan eyes, the Sharingan does not represent all of one's strength. To enter the Clan Meeting, you must have the proper qualifications. Since Shisui is here, the two of you can spar once. As long as you demonstrate the appropriate level, I can decide to bring you to the next Clan Meeting!"

"Eh?"

"Ah?"

Those were unexpected words.

The moment Elder Genran finished speaking,

both Shōji and Shisui showed looks of surprise.

Yet after his surprise, the former revealed a trace of excitement. Ever since transmigrating to this world, although he had completely inherited the original owner's memories and could integrate everything the original owner possessed, and had even, by a fortunate coincidence, skipped past the Three-Tomoe stage and advanced his Sharingan straight to the Mangekyō Sharingan level,

Shōji had no clear idea of his actual strength.

Shisui Uchiha was clearly the best possible test subject.

This young man was the greatest genius the Uchiha Clan had produced since Uchiha Madara.

At only ten years old, he had evolved his Sharingan to the Three-Tomoe level and possessed the strength of an Elite Jōnin. During the Third Shinobi World War, he had slaughtered countless Kiri Ninja and earned himself a formidable reputation. Although the Original Work did not explain it specifically, Shisui had most likely awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan sometime between the later stages of the Third Shinobi World War and the night of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack!

In other words, Shisui at this stage likely possessed Quasi-Kage strength, or perhaps even greater power!

Naturally, Shōji could not activate his Mangekyō Sharingan in front of Shisui and fight him with it.

The same was true for Shisui now.

But a battle at the Three-Tomoe level

was an excellent opportunity!

"Shisui!"

Elder Genran had made the request, and Shōji was brimming with fighting spirit.

Naturally, Shisui had no intention of refusing.

Especially when their gazes met.

Shisui shook his head with an amused smile, then stood and said, "Then let's have a little spar, Shōji!"

"Yeah!"

Shōji rose as well. Looking at the figure before him, slightly shorter than himself, the glimmer in his pupils became even sharper.

They left the reception room.

Led by Elder Genran, the three of them arrived at the spacious courtyard behind the residence.

As a highly influential elder of the Uchiha Clan,

Uchiha Genran's residence was exceptionally large. The courtyard behind it was more than sufficient for a clash between the two, so long as Shisui and Shōji did not use wide-area destructive Ninjutsu.

Standing on opposite sides, Shōji and Shisui

both activated their Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Opposition Seal!"

At Elder Genran's signal,

the two formed the hand seal customarily used between companions before a spar.

The next moment,

Whoosh!

Chakra erupted.

As a muffled boom rang out across the ground,

Shōji's figure blurred as he seized the initiative and launched the first attack!

Swish!

His advancing figure closed in.

As he neared point-blank range,

Shisui, facing him head-on, remained calm. He retreated half a step,

then, with a turn of his wrist, drew his short tachi.

Clang!

Their cold blades swung down.

The instant they collided,

sparks burst forth, followed by a shrill, ear-piercing screech of metal scraping against metal.

In the dip and rise of their movements,

the Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning rapidly in Shōji's eyes

reflected each other's figures with absolute clarity.

Shōji straightened his back and pushed closer. Then, just as he advanced further, he abruptly halted. His body seemed to swell as power erupted from him in that instant.

Boom!

He forcibly knocked the blade away.

Ding!

With a twisting upward motion,

Whoosh!

his right leg swept fiercely across in a crushing intercepting kick.

Bang!

As their positions shifted,

Shisui lowered his center of gravity and easily created a defensive opening, raising an arm to block.

The moment the two collided,

a dull thud followed.

Then, without giving Shōji any chance to alter his move,

Shisui leaned forward. In a diving posture, he suddenly drove in from the opposite direction toward Shōji's left side.

With a kick off one leg,

he shot straight for Shōji's chest.

It was an incomparably fierce offensive.

Stab!

Just as the short tachi plunged directly into Shōji's chest,

Poof!

the next moment,

with a soft sound,

the Shōji before him turned directly into a cloud of white smoke.

Thud!

A thick, short log dropped to the ground.

Then, almost at the same time,

Whoosh!

from the left,

Shōji's reappearing figure

flashed into view.

From above,

he brought down a powerful killing strike.

As though he had long been prepared, Shisui lightly leaped into the air.

Bang!

The strike missed,

kicking up a violent cloud of dust.

As it filled the air,

Swish!

a cold, brilliant gleam of metal flashed.

A tachi swept in horizontally.

Clang!

In that fleeting instant,

with less than a second to react,

the shadow of the blade bore down on him.

Shōji's gaze sharpened.

He turned and twisted sideways to block the strike.

A crisp yet piercing clash rang out.

But it lasted only for that instant.

Just as Shōji intended to pull away and create some distance, his body suddenly froze. A faintly bitter smile appeared on his face, and he completely stopped moving.

Looking at Shisui, who had somehow appeared behind him, he asked, "When did it happen? I thought I had been on guard the whole time."

"Hehe, it was when the dust rose just now. You relaxed a little, didn't you, Shōji? Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for me to plant a genjutsu suggestion on you."

Behind him, Shisui sheathed his short tachi and returned it to his back before replying with a light laugh.

"It's true that I thought I had seized the initiative in that instant, so I got a little careless. But it was less than a second. Only you could have caught it, and then used that time difference to Body Flicker directly behind me. The title Body Flicker Shisui really is well deserved!"

Looking slightly frustrated, Shōji sheathed his own tachi as well.

Shōji had naturally never thought he would defeat Shisui.

Not to mention that he had only just arrived in this world and needed time to fully adapt to and integrate everything about being a ninja.

Even the original owner had been far behind Shisui to begin with.

With their Sharingan at the same level,

no matter how many times they sparred, Shōji would lose every time.

He had only thought he could hold out a little longer, perhaps even pressure Shisui as much as possible. Now, it seemed that the gap between them was still quite obvious.