Confrontation

Whoosh—

A warm breeze swept across the land, sending countless dead leaves and drifting catkins swirling through the air.

In the training ground surrounded by hundreds of people, two figures stood facing each other.

Uzuki Dekima held a gleaming longsword. It was over three feet long, radiating a fierce chill from end to end. It was clearly a divine weapon.

In the world of Naruto, there were not many ninja who used swords. Most favored blade-type weapons, and even the later Uzuki Clan, though they practiced Sun-Moon Flow Swordsmanship, had switched to katanas. Thus, Uzuki Dekima could be considered a particularly pure swordsman.

Unlike Uzuki Dekima's imposing aura, Enkō's gaze remained calm. He held his long blade angled toward the ground, and though his stance appeared loose and relaxed, it was utterly without openings.

Their duel naturally drew everyone in the clan. Since Uzuki Dekima had grown older, he had rarely taken action personally. Yet as the foremost swordsman of the Uzuki Clan, who would not want to witness the clan head's battle firsthand? Even learning a move or two from it would be enormously beneficial to them.

However, everyone had plenty to say about the young man facing the clan head.

"Who is this guy? He's actually competing with the clan head?"

"I don't know him. He looks so young—could he be the clan head's newly accepted disciple?"

"Stop guessing. I overheard that this young man seems to be from Flame Hidden Village."

"Flame Hidden Village? Isn't that the Uchiha Clan? Gasp... Could an Uchiha Clan member have come here to take Big Sis back—"

"Shh! Are you crazy? Don't forget that Big Sis hates the Uchiha Clan most of all. If she hears you, you're dead!"

"Gasp! Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue. Watch the match, watch the match, hahaha..."

Unlike the clamor below, the two men on the stage merely stood in silence. After a long while, Uzuki Dekima slowly spoke. "As agreed, I will only make three strikes. But let me remind you: once a sword is unleashed, it cannot be withdrawn midway. Take care of yourself."

"Please strike without reservation, Senior," Enkō replied calmly. The tip of his long blade lightly tapped the ground, producing a crisp ding.

As the two took their stances, the surrounding Uzuki Clan members gradually fell silent as well, their hearts taut as they raised their heads to watch.

After seeing that Enkō was ready, Uzuki Dekima stepped forward and gave the sword in his hand a sharp shake!

Clang—

A clear sword cry immediately rang out across the field!

The onlookers saw only a ring of air suddenly explode beneath Uzuki Dekima's feet, spreading in every direction along the training platform. The gust it raised swept aside Enkō's hair, revealing a pair of scarlet Sharingan!

"Watch out!"

Boom—

As his words fell, Uzuki Dekima moved with his sword. With merely a single thrust, it was as though a hundred phoenixes cried out at once. Cold light rose with the ringing blade, countless sword shadows crisscrossing the air. There was clearly only one sword, yet thousands of streams of sword qi shrouded the entire platform!

A trace of admiration flashed through Enkō's eyes. This strike had brought the fusion of falsehood and reality to the utmost limit. Countless phantom swords concealed the true killing blow among them, and it was not genjutsu—it was entirely pure swordsmanship!

From that move alone, Enkō could tell that Uzuki Dekima's strength had definitely surpassed Chikuma's. Unfortunately, he had encountered the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan!

Whoosh—

The instant Uzuki Dekima attacked, Enkō swept his single-edged blade upward. There was no dazzling sword technique, yet it was like a colorful butterfly weaving through flowers, slipping lightly through the dense mass of phantoms and precisely intercepting Uzuki Dekima's blade!

Clang—

With a crisp clash of metal, Enkō felt his blade shudder violently. A thread of sword qi had actually pierced through his block and rushed straight toward his chest!

"What powerful penetration," Enkō could not help but praise. He lightly tapped the ground with his foot and swiftly slid backward, withdrawing his blade at the same time and easily shredding the remaining sword qi.

On the other side, after his strike, Uzuki Dekima borrowed the force to flip backward through the air. He landed gracefully on the ground, a hint of appreciation appearing in his gaze toward Enkō.

"To see through my Moonshadow Sword, your eye power must have reached a rather impressive level."

Enkō casually spun his blade and replied evenly, "That strike was only a test, wasn't it, Senior? It may have seemed unfathomable, but it was not very useful against the Sharingan. Surely you already knew that."

Uzuki Dekima laughed. "Yes and no. I understand your clan's Sharingan as well. Most sword techniques cannot escape your eyes. However... precisely because of that, I created a school of swordsmanship that cannot be captured by the eyes. Be careful of the next strike."

With that, Uzuki Dekima's figure suddenly vanished from where he stood, leaving behind only a fleeting streak of white light!

"So fast!" Enkō's Sharingan swept around, trying to catch his opponent's figure. Yet at that very moment, an almost imperceptible sound came from behind him!

"Behind you!"

Enkō swiftly turned his head, only to find no one behind him!

Clang—

A gleaming blade carved a dazzling white arc through the air. The instant Enkō turned his head, it erupted from his blind spot. The sword tore through the void with a terrifying shriek of wind, slashing straight at Enkō's waist and abdomen!

Clang—

The piercing sound of sword and blade colliding made the people around the platform frown. When they looked back toward the stage, they could not help drawing sharp breaths.

Although Enkō had turned his head toward his back, the long blade in his hand was held point-down, raised vertically behind him. He had steadily received Uzuki Dekima's second strike!

"Why? How did you know the direction of my attack?"

Uzuki Dekima withdrew his sword, his eyes filled with disbelief. His strike had been completely hidden in Enkō's visual blind spot. Enkō should not have been able to see it at all.

Enkō turned back around and glanced at the katana in his hand, discovering a nearly invisible nick in its edge. He casually explained, "Call it a coincidence. On my way here, I encountered someone even faster. Senior's method of attack was somewhat similar to that person's, so I was already on guard."

Uzuki Dekima froze for a moment, then shook his head. "If anyone says again that the Uchiha Clan's third-in-command is an inexperienced fool, I'll definitely argue with him."

"Heh." Enkō neither confirmed nor denied it. "Senior still has one final strike."

By this point, Uzuki Dekima had already seen Enkō's strength clearly. The resentment in his heart had also been vented through those two strikes. As for whether he used the third strike, it no longer mattered.

"No need. You win," Uzuki Dekima said, shaking his head as he stroked his grizzled beard. "I was in the wrong over this matter to begin with, so let's end it here."

"No need." To his surprise, Enkō refused very directly. He swept his gaze across the onlookers below the stage and found that everyone now looked at him with a trace of awe. "Come, Senior. I want to witness this third strike."

"This kid wants to establish his authority." Uzuki Dekima saw through Enkō's intentions at once, but he said nothing. Since he had decided to bring his clansmen into Flame Hidden Village, he could understand Enkō's actions. He therefore reminded him, "This final strike is also my strongest. Once I thrust it out, I cannot withdraw it midway. Are you certain you want to receive it?"

Enkō nodded calmly. "Come."

"Heh." Uzuki Dekima gave a soft laugh, and the aura around his entire body suddenly vanished completely.

"Then be careful... Don't die."