On the training ground, Shingetsu's match against Hiruzen Sarutobi continued.
After using the Great Fireball Technique, Shingetsu stopped attacking with ninjutsu. She understood that against Hiruzen Sarutobi, who possessed all seven chakra natures, any release technique she used would be suppressed. Recklessly using ninjutsu would only hand him the advantage and put her on the back foot.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's teacher was Tobirama Senju, who likewise possessed all seven chakra natures and could be called a walking encyclopedia of ninjutsu. Shingetsu dared not gamble on her mastery of ninjutsu surpassing his.
Having realized this, Shingetsu once again drew several shuriken from the ninja tool pouch she carried and hurled them fiercely at Hiruzen Sarutobi's vital points!
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Faced with the shuriken's vicious, tricky trajectories, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not dodge. He formed hand seals and poured earth release chakra into the soil before him. In an instant, a tall, sturdy wall of earth rose from the ground, blocking every incoming shuriken. Moreover, as the wall obscured Shingetsu's view, Hiruzen seized the opportunity to use Earth Release Ninjutsu again and slip underground.
This unique Earth Release Ninjutsu was called the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique. It allowed the caster to lurk underground and drag an enemy's entire body into the earth, immobilizing them with only their head left above the surface for interrogation or assassination.
But this move did not seem to work on Uchiha Shingetsu. Hiruzen Sarutobi tried several times to drag her into the ground, only for her to dodge each attempt seemingly by chance.
This led Hiruzen Sarutobi to wonder whether Uchiha Shingetsu was a sensory ninja like Tobirama Senju. Yet Shingetsu showed no sign of having detected him, even though she easily evaded every ambush. Hiruzen Sarutobi was thoroughly baffled-if Shingetsu really was a sensory ninja, she should have dragged him out and beaten him by now. But if she was not, how could she dodge all his surprise attacks?
In the end, he could only conclude that Uchiha Shingetsu was incredibly lucky, or that he was simply far too unlucky.
After failing several times, Hiruzen Sarutobi lost all patience and abandoned his ambush attempts. Instead, he leaped straight out of the ground behind Shingetsu. Scorching fire release chakra gathered in his throat, and orange-red flames poured from his mouth, forming a long serpent of fire that lunged savagely at her!
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"
Although few knew it, the Sarutobi Clan was also a ninja clan skilled in fire release. The Great Flame Technique was a secret fire release technique passed down through its generations. Rumor had it that its power could even burn a person alive!
Facing the fire serpent, Shingetsu rolled sideways, narrowly escaping the first assault in an ungainly tumble. Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi maintained the Great Flame Technique. His gaze tracked Shingetsu relentlessly as she twisted and turned through the air, and the fire serpent from his mouth pursued the girl. Flames swept across the newly built training ground, leaving broad, black scorch marks like a child's chaotic scribbles.
The children watching from outside the training ground were stunned speechless by the scene.
To them, this fight was absolutely spectacular!
Whether it was Hiruzen Sarutobi, who used several B-rank ninjutsu in succession without showing any fatigue, or Uchiha Shingetsu, whose movements and reactions were lightning-fast, both had far surpassed their peers. Their abilities had even reached the level of adult ninja.
On the training ground, Hiruzen Sarutobi's Great Flame Technique soon caught up with Shingetsu as she fled. The girl's slight body vanished into the flames. This brutal sight left the Ninja Academy students trembling in fear, ignorant as they were of the ninja world's cruelty. Before clamoring to watch the match, they had never imagined it would reach this point.
"Enough! Both of you, stop!"
Uchiha Hōkaku was furious beyond measure. Watching the cruel fire serpent engulf and kill Shingetsu, his chest filled with violence and killing intent. He could not retain even a shred of reason or composure!
Just as Hōkaku was about to rush forward to stop the match, Tobirama Senju suddenly extended an arm to block him. Hōkaku viciously tried to knock the obstructing Tobirama Senju aside, only for the other man to exploit an opening and hold him firmly in place.
"You should not be so impulsive, Teacher Hōkaku. If you calmed down a little, you would realize that Uchiha Shingetsu is unharmed."
Tobirama Senju's words sent a chill through Hōkaku's entire body. He dared not imagine what Tobirama Senju wanted to discover, or how much he already knew!
Hōkaku clenched his fists and silently stopped. Tobirama Senju still appeared unmoved, but there was a probing look in his cold eyes, as though he were curious about the relationship between Hōkaku and Shingetsu. Finally, his gaze returned to the training ground, following the two combatants-or rather, Uchiha Shingetsu's every move.
"Neither of them has used their full strength yet. This match is not over."
With a thud, a charred log fell to the ground. By combining the Body Flicker Technique with the Substitution Technique, Shingetsu had once again evaded Hiruzen's attack and appeared behind him.
Though the Three Body Technique consisted of the most basic E-rank ninjutsu that everyone knew, and the Body Flicker Technique was merely a commonplace D-rank ninjutsu, they were truly exceptional lifesavers for ninja with powerful attacks but weak defenses!
Shingetsu slammed her fist into Hiruzen Sarutobi's head with all her strength. The punch knocked his face askew and made his nose bleed. Worse still, the fire release chakra scorched the inside of his mouth, forcing him to halt the Great Flame Technique.
But he proved himself worthy of being the Senju brothers' student. Not only did he grit his teeth and endure the pain, he immediately counterattacked. Spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, he caught Shingetsu's attacking fist and kicked her away in one smooth motion.
Just before she fell face-first, Shingetsu planted both hands firmly on the ground and used the momentum to spring up and kick at Hiruzen. The two quickly locked into close combat, the children viciously attacking each other with all their strength in a flurry of punches and kicks.
After several minutes of fighting, Shingetsu gradually fell behind. In close combat with Hiruzen Sarutobi, she had no advantage whatsoever. Instead, she was at an absolute disadvantage.
The reason was simple. Though a five-year-old and someone over ten were both called children, the gap between them was practically a chasm. Hiruzen Sarutobi far surpassed her in both strength and stamina, and skill could not make up for that. On top of that, she had not brought her usual short sword, so she could not use the Uchiha Style Swordsmanship she excelled at.
Shingetsu swore that from now on, she would always carry her weapon! The Shinobi World was far too dangerous. Who could have imagined she would have to fight a classmate on her very first day of school?
Struggling to withstand Hiruzen Sarutobi's relentless, surging attacks, Shingetsu felt her entire body begin to cry out in protest. She clearly realized:
I can't drag this out any longer. I have to end this quickly!
"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi prepared to press his advantage and defeat Shingetsu in one go, a sudden fierce gust swept past, forcing him to close his eyes. When he opened them again, Shingetsu had vanished without a trace.
"How?! Is this genjutsu?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly recovered from his surprise and assessed the situation. The Uchiha Clan's genjutsu was also renowned throughout the Shinobi World, but what surprised him was that Uchiha Shingetsu had learned it at such a young age.
Genjutsu was not something just anyone could learn!
"Saru... tobi..."
That familiar, gentle, warm voice had turned faint and hoarse with extreme weakness. It tugged at Hiruzen's heartstrings, and he could not help following it. The sight before him nearly tore his heart apart. Overwhelmed by grief, he lost himself completely, forgetting his actual circumstances.
Before Konoha, which raging flames had reduced to ruins, lay the mangled bodies of the brothers Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju. Hiruzen Sarutobi threw himself toward them like a madman. Looking at the Senju brothers' charred bodies, he shed tears of anguish and desperately tried to save them.
His hands frantically tried to cover his teachers' wounds, but their bodies crumbled into tiny particles beneath his palms, then vanished completely.
The village is destroyed... My teachers are dead too...
Despair-overwhelming despair and fear ravaged Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart. Immense pain engulfed him like a tide, trapping him in the world of the genjutsu.
The genjutsu known as the Hell Viewing Technique made its victims see what they feared in their hearts. For Hiruzen Sarutobi, his greatest fear was witnessing the village's destruction and the downfall of his two teachers.
"It's over."
Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's vacant eyes and silently streaming tears, Shingetsu wanted nothing more than to let out a long sigh of relief. The future Third Hokage was indeed a difficult opponent.
Just as she was about to leave the training ground, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had seemingly lost the ability to fight, gritted his teeth and stood up again. Shingetsu was shocked, because she had not sensed her genjutsu being broken!
In fact, Hiruzen Sarutobi had not broken free of the genjutsu's restraints. But as he stared at the Senju brothers' horrific deaths, one thought kept flashing through his mind:
No, this is absolutely impossible! Hashirama Senju is the strongest ninja in the world. How could he die so easily?!
"Genjutsu: Release!"
Fear became anger, and anger became motivation. Hiruzen Sarutobi forcibly disrupted the chakra flow throughout his body, using it to break through Shingetsu's genjutsu.
Once he regained full awareness, sparks of rage and madness flickered in his eyes. Without even wiping the tears from his face, he charged straight at her like a savage wolf!
"Uchiha Shingetsu!"
"Damn it!"
I should have knocked him out right away!
Shingetsu bitterly regretted her mistake, but she could only steel herself and withstand Hiruzen Sarutobi's attacks, filled with hatred and fury. His relentless, surging blows kept her struggling to defend herself, leaving no chance to counterattack.
If this keeps up, I'll lose!
Seeing Shingetsu fall behind in close combat, Kagami Uchiha felt a surge of anxiety and anger. Remembering that they had left in such a hurry that morning that Shingetsu had had no time to bring her weapon, he rushed toward a nearby box of wooden weapons. He rummaged frantically through it, nearly spilling out the kunai and shuriken, before finally finding a wooden short sword.
"Shingetsu, catch!"
Hearing Kagami's shout, Shingetsu took Hiruzen Sarutobi's punch head-on, then dodged his sweeping kick. This finally allowed her to escape his barrage and securely catch the wooden sword Kagami Uchiha threw her.
"Thanks, big brother Kagami."
Watching Uchiha Shingetsu's entire presence turn cold and fierce once she held the sword, Shimura Danzō keenly sensed trouble. He followed Kagami Uchiha's example and searched the box, but could not find the wooden staff Hiruzen Sarutobi normally used.
In his anxiety, Shimura Danzō caught sight of a broom in the corner. He simply rushed over, snapped off its top, and threw the wooden handle straight to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Monkey!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately leaped to catch the wooden staff and adopted a fighting stance. Across from him, Shingetsu likewise gripped her sword's hilt tightly, pointing its tip at his vital points.
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