Special Jōnin, Uchiha Ryo!

Uchiha Hui knew.

This was also a test from Uchiha Fugaku and the others.

Although he had Uchiha Fugaku's backing.

If he wanted to become a captain.

Connections alone would not cut it. He had to be capable of fighting and willing to fight, or his team members would never accept him.

This was the Uchiha Clan!

They had not yet reached Kumogakure's level of worshiping conquest through strength.

But the weak were still looked down upon.

Uchiha Hui looked at the ninja who had spoken.

--

Name: Uchiha Ryo

Identity: Uchiha Special Jōnin of Konohagakure, Land of Fire

Reputation: 10,444 points

Relationship: Distant

--

His reputation had just crossed the ten-thousand mark, putting him a little above Hui's current total.

But clearly, the gap was not very large.

"All right!"

Uchiha Hui nodded.

He had decided to become one of the Konoha Military Police Force's squad captains not only to build his own power base, but also to use the opportunity to meet more Uchiha ninja.

And right now.

This was exactly the situation he had hoped to see.

As for why his challenger was only a Special Jōnin rather than a Jonin.

Did anyone really think Jonin were a dime a dozen?

Special Jōnin already ranked among the elite fighting forces of every ninja village.

People like that were extremely rare.

As Uchiha Hui calmly accepted the challenge, the eyes around him stirred with interest. The crowd also cleared a path for him to walk to the training ground outside.

Uchiha Hui arrived at the training ground.

Uchiha Ryo, who had just challenged him, quickly took his place opposite him.

"Hui! I know you've been training hard lately, and you've fought just about every Chunin in the clan. But not just anyone can be a captain. If you lose, I want you to go to Lord Fugaku and resign of your own accord!"

Uchiha Ryo stared at Uchiha Hui as he spoke slowly.

"No problem!"

Uchiha Hui agreed readily.

After speaking.

He looked toward the meeting room in the building.

The training ground was right behind the building.

So.

From here, they could see the meeting room clearly from below, and anyone in the meeting room could see them just as clearly from above.

And within his line of sight.

Several figures already stood at the meeting room windows, clearly watching what was happening down here.

This was an unspoken trial by combat.

Uchiha Hui was more than happy to accept it.

After all, he wanted both to grow stronger through combat and to use this approach as cover to build up his credentials.

He had never actually worked in the Konoha Military Police Force before.

Now he was becoming a captain.

He had jumped straight to the top, making him the sort of outsider appointment most people disliked.

On the field.

After both men delivered their bold declarations, the atmosphere changed.

More and more ninja gathered around them.

Before long, most of the Konoha Military Police Force's members had assembled, along with a few recruits who were about to become full members.

Uchiha Ryuka was among them.

With his arms folded, he watched the two men on the field with a deep, inscrutable gaze, seemingly quite pleased to witness this scene.

If anyone had moved closer and listened carefully to this Chunin's muttering.

They would probably have heard something faintly melodramatic, like, "Let me see just how great your mettle is."

Whoosh!

The battle erupted in an instant.

The moment it began, Uchiha Ryo did not let his guard down despite being a Special Jōnin. He opened by testing Hui with ninja tools.

Every Uchiha had at least a respectable command of throwing ninja tools.

That was thanks to the Sharingan's perceptive abilities.

Uchiha Hui narrowed his eyes and slowly raised his hand, bringing his fingers together before spreading them slightly.

The next second, several kunai appeared in his hand.

Then.

With a whistle through the air.

Uchiha Hui flicked his arm, and sharp metallic clinks rang out.

Several meters in front of him, he knocked down every Ninja Tool his opponent had thrown.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The instant the Ninja Tool hit the ground.

Uchiha Hui saw a Ninjutsu bearing down on him.

Blazing flames formed a massive fireball.

Sure enough.

A Jonin was nothing like a Chunin.

Uchiha Hui had noticed his opponent forming hand seals long before, but had not stopped him.

He sprang away.

Leaping high into the air.

He dodged the Ninjutsu.

The flames hit the ground and instantly swept across the surrounding area.

"Here's one back!"

Before he landed.

Uchiha Hui breathed out fire. The long stream of flames resembled his sustained breath, first shooting from his mouth in a thin line, then taking on a serpentine shape several meters ahead of him, before swelling to an enormous size under the power of his Chakra.

"That's the Dragon Fire Technique!"

"His hand seals were so fast just now. Without activating my eyes, I couldn't even make them out..."

"Looks like Uchiha Hui really does have captain-level strength!"

"Don't speak too soon. Ryo is no pushover."

"..."

Around them.

The watching members of the Konoha Military Police Force began discussing the fight.

Ninja Tool throwing, Fire Release, and taijutsu were the Uchiha ninja's three mainstays. The two men had already displayed two of them, and neither looked weak.

After unleashing his Ninjutsu, Uchiha Hui used his momentum to land quickly. The moment he touched down, he kept moving, charging straight toward the spot where his attack had struck.

His proficiency with the Dragon Fire Technique was far from low.

It was at the proficient level.

Even an ordinary Special Jōnin might not have attained that degree of proficiency.

But he did not believe that alone could defeat a Uchiha Jonin with extensive combat experience.

Tap, tap, tap!

His expert-level Body Flicker Technique made Uchiha Hui's figure seem to flicker in and out of sight.

In the blink of an eye.

Everyone saw that he had already charged more than ten meters forward.

"So fast!"

Someone cried out in surprise.

Many ninja instinctively activated their Sharingan.

For a moment.

Red eyes appeared all around them: One-Tomoe, Two-Tomoe, and a small number of Three-Tomoe.

The sight radiated an oppressive pressure.

If anyone had walked in and seen it, even a Jonin would have stopped in their tracks, turned around, and fled.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Uchiha Ryo unleashed a Water Release technique.

The dragon-shaped water collided with the Dragon Fire Technique surging toward him.

However.

As a Uchiha ninja, he clearly was not particularly skilled in Water Release, so his Water Dragon Bullet looked a size smaller than Uchiha Hui's Dragon Fire Technique.

But it was still enough.

He only needed it to block the attack!

The collision between the two Ninjutsu produced a large amount of steam, buying Uchiha Ryo an opportunity to dodge.

Whoosh!

Uchiha Ryo burst out of the steam.

But to his surprise.

Uchiha Hui was already charging straight at him.

How is he so fast?!

The thought flashed through Uchiha Ryo's mind.

But he felt no fear.

His eyes widened.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated at once, its three tomoe spinning continuously, allowing him to see Uchiha Hui's movements with complete clarity.

But the next second.

His expression shifted slightly, as though he had failed to react in time.

Ox—Snake—Ram!

Uchiha Hui had already completed his next set of hand seals.

This Ninjutsu was the Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique he had previously obtained from that Kirigakure spy.

He had been debating whether using Water Release somewhere without water would consume too much Chakra.

Granted, after merging so many portions of Chakra, that expenditure was not particularly significant for him.

But sometimes, concealing his strength was necessary.

Yet his opponent had taken the initiative to use Water Release against his Fire Release.

As a result.

Uchiha Hui now had an environment much better suited to using Water Release.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The Hidden Mist Technique activated successfully.

Within a single breath, thick Chakra-laden mist rapidly spread across the entire field, instantly engulfing Uchiha Ryo just after he escaped the range of the Dragon Fire Technique.

"Damn it!"

Uchiha Ryo growled, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan constantly scanning his surroundings.

He had intended to copy Uchiha Hui's Ninjutsu.

But in that brief instant.

He had failed to keep up with his opponent's pace.

Is he really still a Chunin?!

Uchiha Ryo could not help questioning it inwardly.

This relentless chain of attacks.

Was something not even his previous captain had ever subjected him to.

"Sorry, but once you fell a step behind me, you lost any chance of keeping up with my attacks!"

Uchiha Hui's voice came from the side.

The tomoe in Uchiha Ryo's eyes spun rapidly. He twisted his body toward the voice and thrust the kunai in his hand straight at it.

But a dark blur flashed before his eyes, and he felt his weapon knocked from his hand. Then a fist slammed hard into his abdomen. Nausea surged through him as pain wracked his entire body, making him convulse...

"It seems this is almost over."

At the second-floor window.

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Setsuna beside him and spoke in a calm voice.

"Probably not..."

Uchiha Setsuna activated his Sharingan, but he still could not see through the mist. He could only vaguely sense two presences.

So.

He spoke with some uncertainty.

But before he could finish, a figure shot out of the mist like a sack, hurled high into the air before crashing down.

Thud!

Uchiha Ryo slammed into the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. For a long while, he could not get back up and could only stare at the sky, his arms and legs splayed wide.

Whoosh!

Uchiha Hui dispelled his Ninjutsu.

His tall, straight figure came into view again.

He was completely unscathed.

Perhaps the only thing that had changed was his hairstyle.

At that moment.

The entire crowd fell silent.

No one had expected the fight to end so quickly.

And what was more.

It had been completely one-sided!

(If the numbers are good today—for example, if lots of people ask for more chapters—I'll try to post five updates tomorrow. After all, I think I've already posted four today.)