Toru stopped playing along with Shikaku and pulled another kunai and shuriken from his Ninja Tool Pouch, hurling them forward.
These were the First Blade and the Second Blade.
When Shikaku dodged the two attacks and stood between them, Toru tugged the kunai and shuriken with thin wires, sending the shuriken spinning back around.
The shuriken came at Shikaku from behind: the Third Blade.
This was Manipulated Windmill Triple Blade, a C-rank jutsu passed down through the Uchiha Clan for generations.
With nothing more than simple ninja tools and special wires, it could catch an opponent off guard and secure victory with a single strike.
The jutsu originally required the insight of the Sharingan, but Toru had the Six Eyes, which served as a perfect substitute. That was why he had already mastered the technique.
The shuriken struck Shikaku in the back of the head. With a poof, he vanished, leaving a log in his place.
It was the most basic Substitution Technique. Shikaku had already run over to hide in a nearby tree.
But he couldn't escape Toru's eyes. Toru launched all the remaining shuriken from his Ninja Tool Pouch, blanketing the large area where Shikaku was hiding.
And that wasn't all. Toru formed Hand Seals, then spat out bursts of flame that engulfed the shuriken.
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!
The flames of Fire Release wrapped around the shuriken and shot toward Shikaku in a barrage. The attack was not only powerful, but also obscured Shikaku's vision and disrupted his movements.
The technique combined Fire Release's scorching heat with the shuriken's cutting force, making it a double threat.
It was a B-rank Fire Release technique of the Uchiha Clan, difficult enough to be considered a jōnin-level jutsu.
Still, it seemed understandable that the genius ninja Uchiha Toru could use a B-rank jutsu right after graduating.
Even so, an attack of this caliber posed no threat to Nara Shikaku, who was already a jōnin.
The seemingly overwhelming barrage didn't make Shikaku panic in the slightest. He calmly formed Hand Seals, and his shadow detached from the ground before him, taking on a solid form.
Shadow Tentacles!
The tentacles spread out in front of Shikaku and blocked most of the flaming shuriken.
They also passed through the holes in the shuriken, then flung them all back toward Kurenai and the client.
"Your technique has impressive power, but while the shuriken increase its strength, they also give it a weakness. They make the flames, which normally have no physical form, tangible. That makes them easier to block."
Toru used Earth Style Wall, raising an earthen barrier behind him to shield Kurenai from the shuriken. He listened to Shikaku's words and sighed. "As expected, a jōnin understands ninjutsu better than I do."
Toru realized where the gap between himself and a jōnin lay.
Just then, Asuma recovered from the earlier attack. Taking advantage of Shikaku's distraction, he rushed in and channeled Chakra into his short blade, driving a punch toward Shikaku's chest.
But at that moment, Asuma suddenly froze.
His face twisted as he struggled, but he couldn't move.
"Nara Clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu," Toru thought.
After learning yesterday that his team's jōnin instructor was from the Nara Clan, Toru and Yuhi Kurenai had gone to Yuhi Shinku to ask about the clan.
He had learned that most of the Nara Clan's secret techniques used shadows as a medium to control their opponents.
So Toru had been on guard against this technique from the start. He just hadn't expected Asuma to fall for it so impulsively.
Asuma might well have known about the Nara Clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu, but he lacked caution.
When he saw Shikaku talking to Toru, he assumed Shikaku had let his guard down. He forgot about the jutsu for a moment and rushed in recklessly, only to end up under Shikaku's control.
Shikaku smiled and moved his wrist. Asuma's wrist moved against his will, too.
"Stop struggling. At your current level, I could keep you under control for half an hour without any trouble."
Shikaku threw a few punches at empty air. Asuma's body gripped the Chakra short blade and followed suit, swinging with enough force to send sharp gusts of wind forward.
Shikaku then channeled his Chakra into his fists. Asuma had no choice but to do the same, channeling his Chakra into his fists and through the short blade.
After moving around a few times, Shikaku quickly got used to Asuma's body.
By then, Toru had closed in on Asuma.
The Shadow Possession Jutsu required Hand Seals, and forming them would leave an opening. Toru no longer had much reason to fear the technique.
That was why he dared to close in.
Shikaku made Asuma launch a fierce assault on Toru. Toru had no ninja tools in hand, so he couldn't block the attacks and had to dodge again and again.
Under Nara Shikaku's control, Asuma was actually more formidable than he was on his own.
But he still couldn't touch a single hair on Toru's head. As Toru dodged Asuma's attacks, he reached out and repeatedly struck Asuma's body.
At first, Shikaku didn't think much of it, because the pain of someone controlled by the Shadow Possession Jutsu didn't transfer to him.
Asuma was the one suffering: he was being controlled and getting beaten by his own teammate.
But soon Shikaku realized something was wrong. His control through the Shadow Possession Jutsu was becoming increasingly difficult, and Asuma's movements were growing harder to direct.
Shikaku was baffled, but he soon understood that Toru's earlier strikes were the cause.
In fact, Toru had once again applied the Gentle Fist Art to his Taijutsu. Every strike had been aimed at the points through which Chakra flowed in Asuma's body.
The flow of Chakra in Asuma's body was obstructed, and Shikaku's control over him was obstructed as well.
After a flurry of exchanges, Toru completely sealed the Chakra in Asuma's body, ending the jutsu's effect.
Asuma collapsed. Toru's repeated strikes, the complete blockage of his Chakra, and the side effects of the Shadow Possession Jutsu had left him utterly weak in an instant.
Toru caught Asuma, then carried him back to Kurenai and laid him on the ground, asking her to look after him.
Kurenai nodded solemnly, so Toru went back to fight Shikaku.
Nara Shikaku said, "You're the first person I've seen break the Shadow Possession Jutsu this way. What exactly did you do? Can you tell me?"
Toru said, "Well, maybe another time."
Seeing that Toru didn't want to answer, Shikaku didn't press him. They continued fighting.
Fire Release: Fireball Technique!
A blazing ball of fire shot into the sky, almost as large as the entire tree canopy. It looked at least four or five meters in diameter.
Even Shikaku couldn't help being startled by the enormous fireball. He was driven back to the ground, barely managing to escape.
The canopy that had just been struck, along with the extensive woods behind it, was burned to ashes.
Shadow Sewing Jutsu: Black Spider Lily!
Nara Shikaku formed Hand Seals and slapped the ground. His shadow instantly spread in every direction, forming a complex pattern like a spider lily.
The pattern was forbidden to touch. The moment anyone made contact with it, Shikaku could control their body.
Toru retreated again and again, grumbling inwardly, The Fireball Technique looks impressive, but it can't deal any damage. Another Shadow Imitation Technique? It seems to work on principles completely different from ordinary jutsu. The Six Eyes will need more time to analyze it.
A crystalline blue light gleamed in Toru's eyes as the Six Eyes worked.
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