Self-Directed and Self-Performed?

Uchiha Itachi's eyes widened; he never expected to witness a heated argument between the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the leader of Root, Danzo Shimura.

The cause of their dispute was none other than himself and Uchiha Gray.

He realized with sharp intuition that he was merely a secondary factor, and that it was Uchiha Gray who truly ignited their conflict.

The power and speed Uchiha Gray had just displayed were so immense that he had only caught a glimpse of a blur.

This meant that if Uchiha Gray wished, he could kill him in an instant, leaving him with absolutely no ability to resist.

A case of dogs biting dogs, both covered in fur.

Uchiha Gray's expression was equally shocked, but deep down, he chuckled. The current Leaf was like an aging man dragging along a group of children who had yet to grow up.

When a strong youth came along to bully him, the bullied old man naturally yearned for the children to grow up quickly.

That was exactly the state of mind Sarutobi Hiruzen was in.

Having experienced the strength and arrogance of the Cloud Hidden, Sarutobi Hiruzen wished he could immediately find a powerful ninja to help him hold up the Leaf.

"Both of you performed exceptionally well!" Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around, his face full of kindness.

"Next, it is time for the duel between the two of you." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled benevolently, but his words were filled with manipulation and provocation.

"You are both the most gifted members of the Uchiha clan in this generation, so now, prove which one of you is the strongest!"

"Who will be the most talented genius of the Uchiha clan? Uchiha Gray or Uchiha Itachi?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke softly, as if unconsciously, but his words instantly filled Uchiha Itachi's eyes with a fighting spirit.

"Rest for half an hour now. After half an hour, the battle between Uchiha Gray and Uchiha Itachi begins!"

This was to allow both of them to recover to their peak state.

Likewise, it was also to allow him to see their full strength more clearly.

Uchiha Gray sneered inwardly.

He truly lived up to his reputation as the most outstanding politician in the ninja world; his mind was meticulous.

Half an hour later.

Uchiha Gray stood up first, with Uchiha Itachi following closely behind.

The two locked eyes, and without waiting for the referee to say a word, they moved instantly.

Uchiha Itachi's eyes were filled with caution.

Through Uchiha Gray's previous battle, he had deeply realized that Uchiha Gray was definitely not as simple as he usually appeared.

Uchiha Gray possessed immense strength, perhaps even comparable to an elite Chunin!

If he did not treat this with care, he would lose his ability to fight in an instant!

"Uchiha Itachi, at eight years old, what kind of strength do you truly possess?"

A smile curled at the corner of Uchiha Gray's mouth.

After obtaining the 100% Glint-Glint Fruit ability template, he possessed at least the strength of an elite Jonin!

By then, even in front of an Uchiha Itachi with a Mangekyo Sharingan, he would be able to retreat unscathed.

But if he could grasp Uchiha Itachi's combat style and techniques in advance, it would undoubtedly provide many conveniences for his future plans.

"Shuriken!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The sound of air being pierced rang out.

Uchiha Itachi took the initiative, and the shuriken in his hands shot toward Uchiha Gray in an instant!

They changed directions in mid-air, making it impossible to prepare in advance, and they formed a pincer attack in the blink of an eye!

Uchiha Gray chuckled. The Uchiha clan's shurikenjutsu was indeed powerful, but the method to break it was very simple.

One only needed to change their own movement trajectory the moment the opponent threw the shuriken.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Uchiha Gray flashed, appearing three meters to his front-left in an instant.

All those shuriken missed their mark!

Uchiha Itachi never thought he could defeat Uchiha Gray with shuriken alone.

Therefore, he performed a ninjutsu with extremely fast hand speed: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."

Before Uchiha Gray had even steadied himself, he had already predicted where Uchiha Gray would land!

This is the genius who awakens the Mangekyo Sharingan at thirteen, Uchiha Gray couldn't help but admire.

This level of keenness was something an ordinary ninja could never touch in their entire life.

A flash of contempt crossed Uchiha Gray's eyes, but even with such keenness, what of it? To him, it was completely useless!

The massive fireball, radiating scorching heat, completely engulfed Uchiha Gray's entire body.

When the fireball died down, Uchiha Itachi stared intently at the spot where the heat waves had vanished, his eyes narrowing.

"How is this possible?"

Uchiha Gray was nowhere to be seen on the spot, and his figure had vanished entirely from the training ground.

Could he be right beside him?

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Uchiha Itachi's skin as he whipped his head around, scanning above, below, left, right, and...

Before he could even turn back, a cold voice rang out, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

Uchiha Itachi, let me show you what a real Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu looks like! Gray chuckled inwardly.

A jolt of alarm shot through Uchiha Itachi's heart.

In just a few short seconds, Uchiha Gray had not only vanished from his field of vision but had also performed the Fireball Jutsu with incredible speed!

What kind of keenness and reaction time was this?

I can barely dodge it!

No matter how strong Uchiha Gray was, he was only eight years old, and his chakra reserves should be at a relatively low level.

Therefore, the size of the fireball should be at most around three meters, and at his own speed, he could definitely dodge it!

But the next instant, he felt a scorching heat behind him, like molten lava!

He whipped his head around, and the scene before his eyes left him shocked beyond measure!

A massive fireball, over ten meters high, blotted out the sky as if it were covering the entire training ground.

It was like the wrath of heaven, an apocalypse!

Through the edge of the fireball, he saw Uchiha Gray's face, heavy with panting yet filled with determination.

Uchiha Itachi was horrified!

He had thought his previous assessment of Uchiha Gray was already ridiculously high.

But he never expected Uchiha Gray to shatter his perceptions once again!

The faces of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Shimura were filled with utter shock.

Uchiha Gray was no longer just a student at the Ninja Academy; he clearly possessed the same amount of chakra as an elite Chunin.

Perhaps Uchiha Gray himself did not realize that his chakra reserves were vast and incredibly pure!

That was why the power of his ninjutsu was so immense; if Uchiha Itachi were hit by that Fireball Jutsu, he could truly die!

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up abruptly, ready to perform a Water Style jutsu.

But suddenly, his hands froze!

In his sight, Uchiha Gray's figure, like a streak of golden light, vanished in an instant and charged straight toward Uchiha Itachi.

Everyone saw it clearly.

Uchiha Gray was going to save Uchiha Itachi!

Amidst all the shocked gazes, Uchiha Gray actually outpaced the Fireball Jutsu and grabbed the still-stunned Uchiha Itachi.

The two of them tumbled away in a clumsy heap!

Behind them, the fireball exploded, and in an instant, the earth shook and the heavens crumbled.

One-tenth of the training ground was blasted to smithereens!