True Power

The sky had completely darkened. A crescent moon gradually rose, hanging above the lingering clouds.

Across the boundless mountains and wilderness, the cold wind howled. The Taketori Clan, who had been boiling with fighting spirit just moments ago, now felt as though they had fallen into an ice pit!

Just now, a brat they had taken for nothing more than a fool had suddenly blocked their path. Their leader had rushed forward at once, and just as they thought he would crush the problem with ease, the sight before them utterly shattered their worldview!

After just one exchange, their leader suddenly crumpled to the ground. Then, that brat kicked him back like a dead dog, leaving him sprawled limply before them!

The entire scene fell into dead silence. Every member of the Taketori Clan stood frozen in place. Fear came from the unknown. They were not afraid of death, but they could not accept dying in such a bizarre way.

"Ugh..."

After a long while, a faint sound rose. Chikuma rubbed his head and forced himself back to his feet.

"Chief!"

"Hahaha, I knew the chief would be fine."

The clansmen behind him rejoiced, their suspended hearts settling once more. Just as they were about to step forward, Chikuma raised a hand to stop them.

Looking at the figure before him again, Chikuma barked, "Who are you, brat? Which clan are you from?"

"The Taketori Clan, right? My name is Uchiha Enkō. Watching your fight just now was like watching children play house."

"Huh?"

"Hey! What the hell are you saying, brat? Got a death wish?"

"Brat? You're barely old enough to grow hair. What do you know about fighting?"

His words stirred up a storm. The Taketori Clan immediately erupted, hurling curses from every direction. To them, battle was life itself. Denying their fighting meant denying the meaning of their existence!

"Hmph. Uchiha Enkō? Never heard of you." Chikuma dug at his ear with his pinky. "That was genjutsu just now, wasn't it? You call using genjutsu fighting? You're insulting sacred, hot-blooded combat!"

"Heh, is that so?" Enkō neither confirmed nor denied it. "If you're unconvinced, then let's fight again. I won't use genjutsu. If I win, you'll follow me from now on and become weapons in my hands. If I lose, do whatever you want with me."

"Hehehe, then I'll twist your head off and use it as a wine jug!"

Enkō stood where he was and crooked a finger at him.

"I'll kill you!"

Boom—

Chikuma stomped the ground, turning into an arrow loosed from its bow as he shot toward Enkō in the distance!

Clang—

A clear blade ring echoed across the empty plains!

A red gleam flashed through Enkō's eyes. The single blade at his waist left its sheath, its pale light carving an arc through the air as it swept toward Chikuma's neck!

As the blade closed in, a vicious grin flashed in Chikuma's eyes. He made no move to evade, instead raising his left arm directly to block the edge while his right hand formed a fist and struck at Enkō's face!

Clang—

The blade struck his arm and produced the thunderous ring of metal crashing against metal. It cut three inches into his flesh before hard bone caught it, preventing it from advancing any farther!

Enkō lowered himself to evade the heavy punch. As his body tilted forward, his left leg whipped upward in a scorpion kick!

Bang—

The powerful kick lashed across Chikuma's face. Already airborne, Chikuma was sent flying backward. After crashing into the ground, he skipped across it several times before finally coming to a stop!

Rustle—

Chikuma scrambled up from the ground in a miserable state. A bone-deep blade wound ran across his left arm, exposing the stark white bone beneath. A clear shoeprint marked his face. Even so, Chikuma still wore a cruel smile. "Hehehe, that hurt, didn't it? This is what hot-blooded combat is!"

Drip, drip—

Enkō lowered his head and glanced at his left leg. His calf had long since become a bloody mess. At the very instant his kick struck Chikuma's face, bone spikes that had suddenly erupted had pierced through his own leg. Clearly, he had taken a small loss.

"Your attacks have no order to them, but you possess a Kekkei Genkai that makes you impervious to blades and spears. As expected, you were born for the battlefield."

Chikuma threw back his head and laughed wildly. "Hehehe, brat! Your head is mine!"

"The probing is over. You qualify to join the Uchiha Clan." A sharp gleam burst from Enkō's eyes. "Next, I'll show you what real combat is!"

Enkō planted the blade in his hand into the ground and rolled his neck twice, producing a series of crisp cracks.

"Hehehe, the brat's even throwing away his sword. You're really looking for—"

Before he could say the word "death," Chikuma discovered in horror that Enkō had vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already to Chikuma's right, throwing a fist at his right cheek with terrifying speed!

"That's all? Useless!"

Whoosh—

Several savage bone spikes instantly grew from his right cheek. The Shikotsumyaku allowed him to grow bones from any part of his body, each as hard as iron and capable of piercing anything!

A smile curled across Chikuma's lips as he prepared to strike back, only for his chin to suffer a sudden heavy blow!

Thud—

A feint!

Enkō's left fist shot upward in an uppercut that struck Chikuma beneath the jaw. As he punched, his entire body sprang upward after it. His bent knee drove forward in another strike, landing squarely in the chest and abdomen of Chikuma, who had just left the ground!

Bang—

The two successive heavy blows instantly dazed Chikuma. Like a kite with its string cut, he flew diagonally into the sky!

Enkō also pushed off the ground. In an instant, he shot upward, somehow overtaking Chikuma despite launching later. A glowing blue sphere had appeared in his right palm!

Chikuma's pupils shrank. At that moment, a powerful sense of dread suddenly gripped his heart. In the face of danger, his body finally reacted!

"Hah!"

Shk—

In an instant, countless bone spikes burst from all over his body, sealing him tightly within their protection. At the same time, Enkō's attack struck him!

Rasengan!

Boom—

The high-speed spinning Rasengan tore away every bone covering Chikuma's body before smashing into him. Terrifying chakra erupted in an instant, blasting a ring-shaped shockwave through the air. Chikuma's eyes immediately filled with blood, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His body became a falling meteor, hurtling viciously toward the ground and crashing straight into the earth!

Rumble—

Dust rose several meters into the air. A crater several meters deep appeared in the ground in an instant. Chikuma lay embedded at its bottom, his clothes shredded and his chest caved inward. Had Enkō not held back at the end, he would already have been a corpse!

Whoosh—

Enkō descended from the air and landed lightly at the edge of the crater, looking down at Chikuma below. "Looks like you lost."

"Cough, cough, cough..." Chikuma coughed violently several times, raising a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. A trace of mockery flickered in his eyes. "Hehehe, you want us to submit? I forgot to tell you, the Taketori Clan has never fought alone!"

Step, step, step—

As he spoke, dense footsteps sounded from all around. The clansmen who had been watching now faintly formed an encirclement, every pair of eyes overflowing with madness and bloodlust!

"Hehehe, brat! You can fight, but how many can you take on?" From the bottom of the crater, Chikuma burst into laughter. "Go die!"

"Ah..." Enkō sighed. "So I couldn't avoid it after all. Well then, let me show you the true power of the Uchiha Clan."

The next instant, immense chakra surged into the heavens, and the world changed color!