Shadow Possession Jutsu

Toru did not continue playing along with Shikaku, instead drawing another kunai and a shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and firing them forward.

This was the first and second blade.

As Shikaku dodged these two attacks and positioned himself between them, Toru pulled the fine wires again, manipulating the shuriken to arc back around.

The shuriken attacked from behind Shikaku; this was the third blade.

This was the Manipulated Windmill Triple Blade, a C-rank ninjutsu passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan.

By relying only on simple ninja tools and special wires, one could achieve a surprise victory in a single strike.

This jutsu originally required the insight of the Sharingan to coordinate, but Toru possessed the Six Eyes, which could serve as a perfect substitute. Thus, he was already able to master this technique with proficiency.

The back of Shikaku's head was struck by the shuriken, and then, with a poof, he vanished, turning into a wooden log.

This was the most basic Substitution Technique. Shikaku had already run to a nearby tree to hide.

However, this could not escape Toru's eyes. Toru fired all the remaining shuriken from his pouch, covering a large area where Shikaku was located.

That was not all. Toru formed hand seals and spat out clusters of flames that engulfed the shuriken.

Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!

The flames of the Fire Release wound around the numerous shuriken, striking toward Shikaku in unison. Not only was the power astonishing, but it also obscured Shikaku's vision and disrupted his movements.

This move possessed both the high-temperature lethality of Fire Release and the cutting power of shuriken, resulting in a dual effect.

This was a B-rank Uchiha fire jutsu, reaching the difficulty level of a jonin.

However, for a genius ninja like Uchiha Toru, being able to perform a B-rank jutsu right after graduation seemed understandable.

Yet, this level of attack still could not pose a threat to Nara Shikaku, who was already a jonin.

The seemingly overwhelming attack did not cause Nara Shikaku the slightest panic. He calmly formed hand seals, and his shadow detached from his body, taking on a physical form.

Shadow Tentacles!

The tentacles blocked Shikaku's front, extending forward to intercept the majority of the flaming shuriken attack.

Furthermore, the tentacles passed through the holes in the center of the shuriken, flinging them right back at Kurenai and the client.

"Your move has decent power, but while the shuriken increase the jutsu's lethality, they also add a weakness: they give physical form to fire that originally had none, making it easier to block."

Toru performed the Earth Style Wall, creating a wall of earth behind him to help Kurenai block the shuriken attack. At the same time, he took note of Shikaku's words and sighed, Indeed, a jonin's understanding of ninjutsu is superior to mine.

Toru realized where the gap between himself and a jonin lay.

Just then, Asuma recovered from the previous attack. Catching Shikaku off guard, he rushed forward, channeled chakra into his short blade, and smashed a fist toward Shikaku's chest.

But at that moment, Asuma's movements suddenly stopped.

Asuma's expression became ferocious, but no matter how he struggled, he could not move.

The Nara clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu. Toru named the technique in his mind.

Yesterday, upon learning that their supervising jonin was from the Nara clan, Toru and Yuhi Kurenai had sought out Yuhi Shinku and asked for information on the Nara clan.

They learned that the vast majority of the Nara clan's secret techniques involved using shadows as a medium to control enemies.

Therefore, Toru had been wary of this move for a long time, but he had not expected Asuma to be so impulsive and fall for it.

In truth, Asuma might not have been unaware of the Nara clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu, but his personality lacked composure.

Seeing Shikaku talking to Toru, he assumed Shikaku had an opening. In his haste, he forgot about this ninjutsu and rushed into close quarters, only to end up being controlled.

Shikaku smiled and moved his wrist; Asuma's wrist moved uncontrollably as well.

"Give up the struggle. With your current strength, it's no problem for me to control you for half an hour."

Shikaku threw a few punches into the air, and Asuma's body gripped the chakra blade, slashing forward with sharp, wind-whipping strikes.

Shikaku then injected his own chakra into his fists, and Asuma was forced to inject his own chakra into his fists as well, channeling it through the chakra blade.

Shikaku adapted to Asuma's body after just a few movements.

At this point, Toru had closed the distance to Asuma.

Shadow Possession Jutsu required hand seals to be used, and if one were to perform seals, it would reveal an opening. Thus, Toru was no longer so wary of this move.

That was why he dared to close in.

Shikaku manipulated Asuma to launch a fierce offensive against Toru. Since Toru wasn't even holding any ninja tools, he couldn't block at all and had to dodge repeatedly.

However, under Nara Shikaku's manipulation, Asuma's strength was actually a cut above his own.

Yet, he could never touch a single hair on Toru. Toru dodged Asuma's attacks while extending his hands to strike Asuma's body repeatedly.

Nara Shikaku didn't care at first, because the pain felt by someone controlled by the Shadow Possession Jutsu wouldn't be transferred to him.

It was just tough on Asuma, who was being controlled and then beaten by his own teammate.

But soon, Shikaku realized something was wrong. His control of the Shadow Possession Jutsu was becoming increasingly difficult, and as a result, Asuma's movements were becoming less obedient.

Shikaku was very surprised, but he understood: Toru's movements were the cause.

In reality, Toru had applied the Gentle Fist Art to his taijutsu, and his previous strikes had all been aimed at the nodes where Asuma channeled his chakra.

With the flow of chakra in Asuma's body obstructed, Shikaku's control over Asuma was naturally hindered as well.

After a bout of exchanges, Toru completely sealed the chakra within Asuma's body, severing the effect of the Shadow Possession Jutsu.

Asuma collapsed limply. Due to the continuous strikes from Toru, the complete sealing of his chakra, and the side effects of the Shadow Possession Jutsu, Asuma was instantly drained of all strength.

Toru caught Asuma, returned to Yuhi Kurenai's side, placed the limp Asuma on the ground, and instructed Kurenai to look after him.

Seeing Kurenai nod solemnly, Toru continued his battle with Shikaku.

Nara Shikaku said, "You are the first person I have ever seen to break the Shadow Possession Jutsu like that. What method did you use? Can you tell me?"

Toru replied, "That, we can talk about later."

Seeing that Toru did not want to answer, Shikaku did not press the issue, and the two continued their engagement.

Fire Style: Fireball Technique!

A scorching, high-temperature fireball shot into the air. It was nearly as large as the entire tree canopy, appearing to be at least four or five meters in diameter.

Such a massive fireball surprised even Shikaku. He was forced back to the ground to escape the blast.

The tree canopy he had been on, as well as a large section of the forest behind it, were burned to ashes.

Shadow Sewing Jutsu: Black Spider Lily!

Nara Shikaku formed hand seals and slammed his palms onto the ground, instantly causing his shadow to spread in all directions, forming a complex pattern resembling a spider lily.

This pattern was a forbidden zone that could not be touched; once touched, one's body would be controlled by Nara Shikaku.

Toru retreated repeatedly, thinking to himself, This Fireball Technique has a lot of momentum, but it didn't deal any damage. Another shadow secret technique? It seems the principles are completely different from ordinary ninjutsu. The Six Eyes will need some time to analyze it.

Toru's eyes radiated a crystalline blue light; the Six Eyes were in operation.