I Lost

A ripple passed through Shisui's Sharingan, and Hayato's vision suddenly lurched.

Then he seemed to slip into a strange state, faintly hearing Shisui's voice.

"Hayato, you let your guard down."

Before the words had even finished, Hayato, whose hands had been hanging at his sides, suddenly raised them. The Ninja Blade in his hand came slashing down.

Shisui was startled and hurriedly swung his Kodachi up to block.

As steel clashed against steel, their eyes met.

"Shisui, did you forget that I have a Sharingan too?"

Hayato's tone was calm. His only aim had been to lure Shisui in, but he hadn't expected Body Flicker Shisui to live up to his name.

His reaction had been incredibly fast.

He wondered how fast Namikaze Minato, the man once hailed as the Yellow Flash, must have been.

Shisui's pupils flickered at those words. He really had let his guard down.

Hayato paid no attention to Shisui's self-reproach and moved his hands faster and faster.

He wanted to find out whether he and Shisui, both wielding Three-Tomoe Sharingan, still had a vast gap in strength.

He swung his Ninja Blade hard, forcing Shisui back, then quickly raised both hands and formed Hand Seals.

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" ×2

At the same time, Shisui also unleashed a ninjutsu.

Two enormous fireballs tore through the air and collided with a thunderous crash in the middle of the field.

Boom—

Heat surged outward. Hayato stared calmly ahead, feeling the scorching warmth against his cheeks.

The orange-red flames lit up everything around them, leaving the watching clan members utterly stunned.

Outside the field, Seiichi stared at the scene with his hands clenched tight. So this is the power of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?

Yashiro and the other clan elders exchanged glances, each seeing delight in the others' faces. A genius!

The Uchiha Clan had produced another genius after Shisui.

The Sharingan might help someone match an opponent in Taijutsu, but ninjutsu wasn't something one could master through practice alone.

Judging by the power of the technique before them, Hayato's skill at transforming the nature of Fire Style chakra was already on par with Shisui's.

Fugaku watched Hayato and thought to himself, He's already reached this level?

Clang!

Hayato held his Ninja Blade horizontally, blocking a blade that came slashing at him from the side. He twisted it aside, metal scraped against metal, and sparks flew.

This time, the corner of Hayato's mouth curled up. He was gradually figuring out Shisui's rhythm.

Hayato leaned aside to dodge Shisui's next slash, then pressed forward instead of retreating. With a turn of his foot, he was suddenly behind Shisui.

Shisui's expression changed as he prepared to use the Body Flicker Technique.

Too late.

Hayato's Ninja Blade was already resting against Shisui's neck.

The entire field fell silent.

The clan members, who had just been absorbed in the clash between the two Great Fireballs, stared in disbelief. It had all happened in an instant.

Had the long-renowned genius Shisui really lost?

"...I lost."

Bitterness welled up in Shisui's heart. It had only been a regular spar, and he hadn't even fought with all his strength.

But just over half a month ago, Hayato hadn't even awakened his Sharingan. Now he could already withstand Shisui's attacks.

The resources the two of them had received were nowhere near equal.

Hearing that, Hayato put away his Ninja Blade. He didn't dwell on who had won or lost. Looking at Shisui, he said quietly, "We'll fight again next time."

With that, Hayato turned and walked straight toward the crowd.

He knew Shisui hadn't fought with all his strength, but he'd gotten a general sense of Shisui's capabilities.

He really was impressive.

But Hayato wasn't bad either. Thanks to the rewards from the Bitter Fruit Entry System, his strength had grown far beyond what he'd shown.

Still, this was enough.

At the very least, it was enough for Fugaku, Yashiro, and the other clan leaders to take his strength seriously.

Ignoring the gazes directed at him from all around, Hayato folded his arms and closed his eyes, reconsidering the fight. Next time, he would have to face Shisui with even greater force.

The sparring continued. Aside from Hayato and Shisui, none of the other clan members had reached the Three-Tomoe level.

As a result, the matches were mostly uneventful. After fighting Shisui, the other clan members all looked toward Hayato.

Having faced Shisui themselves, they now understood that Hayato hadn't won by sheer luck because Shisui had held back.

Once all the matches were over, Fugaku and several clan elders finished assessing the fighters. Yashiro began by explaining when and how to use the Sharingan to cast genjutsu.

After training ended, Fugaku called Hayato aside.

"Clan Head," Hayato greeted him calmly.

Fugaku looked at Hayato and paid no mind to his attitude. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "Hayato, keep working hard."

Huh?

Hayato looked at Fugaku in confusion. What did he mean?

"From now on, I'll train you personally. The future rests in your hands, and so does the Uchiha Clan's hope."

"Go home."

Though confused, Hayato nodded and turned to leave. A thoughtful gleam flashed in his eyes.

It seemed that Experience Card had changed Fugaku quite a bit.

Hayato's home.

Hayato sat cross-legged on the floor, hands resting at his sides.

"My chakra reserves are decent, but this body is nowhere near its physical prime."

At fourteen, he still hadn't finished growing—not by the standards of his previous life.

There were many who became jonin at a very young age, but most relied on their talent. The only ones with truly immense chakra reserves were the Senju and Uzumaki Clans.

With the foundation of a Sage Body, Hayato increasingly felt just how terrifying Senju Hashirama had been.

"If my chakra keeps growing, I might have to see whether I can learn Senjutsu." Hayato thought of the most unusual kind of Senjutsu in the original story.

Senjutsu could also be called the power of a sage. It involved drawing Natural Energy from the surroundings into the body and balancing it with one's physical energy and spiritual energy to create a new kind of power. Any ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or genjutsu performed with that power could be called Senjutsu.

It was several times, or even more than ten times, stronger than techniques used in an ordinary state. It also granted extraordinary sensory abilities.

As for relying on the Bitter Fruit Entry System, Hayato didn't think that was the best option.

Although the system's rewards were based on the abilities a person possessed, Jiraiya was currently the only living person in the entire Ninja World who knew Senjutsu.

The best option would actually be Senju Hashirama's Senjutsu.

After all, leaving aside the restrictions on Jiraiya's Mount Myoboku Senjutsu, the Great Toad had existed since the age of the Sage of Six Paths. There was no way it would teach one of Indra's descendants.

As for implanting Hashirama Cells...

Hayato shook his head. The risk was too great. He didn't know Medical Ninjutsu. What if the rejection was severe?

He might not even survive.

Orochimaru's experiments were based on Hashirama Cells, but Yamato was the only one who had actually survived.

As for Danzo's arm, it was nothing but a lump of dead flesh. At most, it could supply chakra to the Sharingan embedded in it.