Might Guy's breath steadied, his usually smiling face hardening into something far more dangerous. He threw a sidelong glance at Kakashi. "Kakashi… this guy isn't ordinary. I'll have to go beyond my limits."
Kakashi's visible eye widened. "Don't tell me…"
Guy's grin returned, fierce and bright. "Yeah. I'm opening the Gates."
The moment those words left his mouth, chakra erupted from his body like a storm unbound. The ground beneath his feet cracked as raw energy pulsed outward, waves of green aura spiraling up around him. His veins bulged, muscles tightening like coiled springs.
"Eight Gates Release... Sixth Gate: Gate of Joy… OPEN!"
The world trembled.
Guy's skin flushed red as steam burst from his shoulders, the air itself warping under the pressure. Even the spectators gasped as the aura around him was visible, and it seemed to be burning alive.
Guy then moved and took a step forward.
And in a single blink, he was gone.
Alex's grin barely had time to curve before Guy was in front of him, his fist already driving forward, wrapped in blazing air. The sheer velocity ignited the atmosphere, turning his punch into a burning comet.
Boom!
The impact tore through the air, but Alex wasn't there. He tilted his body gracefully to the side, the blow missing him by a breath.
The heat brushed against his cheek, scattering his crimson hair, but his smirk didn't fade.
"You are fast, man," Alex said softly, almost purring the word, "but still too linear."
He countered instantly, his palm flashing toward Guy's ribs.
It was definitely one of the body's weakest points.
But Guy's instincts roared. With a grunt, he twisted midair, his forearm blocking the strike.
The shockwave rippled out, shattering the arena tiles beneath them.
And just like that, the exchange began.
Punches and kicks blurred, leaving afterimages in their wake.
Guy was a whirlwind of pure taijutsu mastery, his body moving faster than sound itself.
But Alex was like a phantom; every step he took was smooth, deliberate, and graceful. He slipped between the Green Beast's attacks as if dancing through fire, his counters sharp enough to make the air scream.
Each clash produced thunderclaps, and each miss cratered the ground.
The two became blurs of motion, colliding again and again, shattering ground and walls, tearing through dust and smoke.
From the stands, even veteran jōnin struggled to follow.
'He's keeping up with Guy... without opening a single Gate?' Kakashi thought, his Sharingan spinning furiously to track every movement. The sweat rolled down his temple as he crouched low, waiting for an opening. 'No... he's not just keeping up... he's reading Guy's flow. He's playing with him!'
"Damn it!" Might Guy roared as his punch grazed Alex's chest, leaving nothing but a ripple of air. "Stand still and fight me head-on!"
Alex chuckled, ducking under another swing and driving his knee into Guy's abdomen. The force sent Guy skidding back several meters, dust erupting behind him.
"Head-on?" Alex's voice was calm, teasing. "You'd break before I get bored."
Guy gritted his teeth, wiping blood from his lip, but his grin returned, feral and unyielding. "Heh... maybe. But if I can push you back even once, it'll be worth it!"
Alex tilted his head, eyes narrowing with something between amusement and intrigue. "I like your spirit, green man. But spirit alone won't save you."
And then he vanished.
A sound like thunder split the air as Alex reappeared behind Guy, his hand glowing faintly with violet energy.
Might Guy barely managed to cross his arms to block, but even that defense sent him crashing through the arena wall, stone fragments flying in every direction.
Kakashi's eye widened, and his heart pounded against his ribs. 'So that's his real speed...'
The Dust hung heavy in the air.
The wall of the arena still smoked from Guy's impact, fractured stone hissing under the heat of chakra.
Alex's crimson hair swayed faintly as he stood before the destruction, hands casually tucked into his robe's sleeves, his eyes gleaming with lazy amusement.
A flicker of killing intent surged behind him.
'So, he's not done yet…'
Before the thought could even finish forming, a blur of movement sliced through the haze.
Fugaku burst out from the shadows, his eyes cold and sharp like a predator's. His kunai gleamed, aimed straight for Alex's neck.
The strike was flawless, lethal, and silent.
But Alex simply ducked, the blade missing his throat by an inch. His head turned slightly, and for a fleeting moment, their eyes locked.
That was all Fugaku needed.
His Sharingan spun, the three tomoe whirling into perfect synchrony, pulsing with dark, hypnotic power.
Alex's pupils constricted, his body stiffening in place. For a second, the red-haired stranger froze, his expression flickering between confusion and shock.
Fugaku's chest rose and fell as he stepped back slightly, the tension in his shoulders loosening. A faint smile curved his lips. "It's over."
The watching jōnin exhaled in relief. Even Kakashi allowed himself a fleeting nod. Finally, it seemed, someone had managed to pin down the monster.
But then, sound broke the stillness.
It was a low chuckle that was soft at first, but it rolled into laughter that was deep, unrestrained, and mocking.
Fugaku's eyes widened in disbelief as Alex's frozen body began to move again, his head turning toward him with a grin that could freeze blood. "Genjutsu? Cute."
Before Fugaku could even process what happened, Alex's leg shot upward like lightning.
Bang!
The kick connected squarely beneath Fugaku's chin. The impact rang through the entire arena, sending him flying backward. His vision blurred, the world spinning as blood spattered from his lips midair. He crashed into the stone tiles with a deafening thud.
Fugaku lay there for a heartbeat, stunned. His chest heaved as he stared at Alex in disbelief. "Impossible… no one's broken my Genjutsu like that—"
Alex tilted his head slightly, brushing nonexistent dust from his robe.
"Not enough," He said simply, his tone almost bored. "If that's all the 'power of the Uchiha' amounts to, then I'm disappointed."
He formed a single hand sign, one so eerily familiar it made Fugaku's eyes widen in shock.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu."
A massive sphere of flame burst from Alex's mouth, roaring across the field. The searing heat washed over the stands as the inferno surged toward Fugaku.
The Uchiha Patriarch barely rolled to the side, the flames grazing past him and slamming into the stone terraces. The explosion tore a massive hole through the arena wall.
The screams echoed as debris and fire rained down, consuming part of the stands.
Dozens of lives vanished in an instant.
Fugaku's face contorted into rage, guilt, disbelief, blending into something primal. His fists clenched. His clan's proud technique was turned into a weapon of slaughter against their own village.
It was a humiliation deeper than any wound.
His breath grew ragged. His Sharingan blazed darker, and the world began to warp around him.
"I can't hold back anymore."
The red in his eyes twisted into black and crimson pinwheels. It was his Mangekyō Sharingan that was awakening fully.
The chakra exploded outward in a storm of blue energy, and skeletal ribs formed around him, expanding rapidly.
Crack… crack… CRACK!
The bones grew, stretching into the shape of a giant humanoid frame. Muscles layered over it, then armor. A massive warrior towered over the battlefield as it stood where Fugaku once had been.
The ground shook under the weight of the Uchiha Patriarch's Susanoo.
A series of gasps filled the arena.
The Uchiha fighting throughout the village froze mid-battle, their heads snapping toward the colossal figure looming in the sky.
"That's… the Patriarch's power…" One whispered, awe and pride in their tone.
Another clenched his fist. "The Uchiha's ultimate defense! The god of battle himself!"
Even the ANBU paused, the sheer pressure of the chakra wave pressing down on their lungs.
Alex looked up, his hair whipping around his face from the wind pressure. Instead of fear, his grin only widened.
"Now that..." He said, licking his lips slightly, "looks interesting."
Fugaku's voice boomed from within the Susanoo, deep and resonant. "You dare mock the Uchiha and spill the blood of Konoha before my eyes. You'll regret ever setting foot in this village."
Alex extended his arms slightly, the air rippling around his body. His chakra flared into dark, heavy, and suffocating.
"Regret?" He echoed, amused. "I don't know the meaning of that word."
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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