Rōshi swung his massive fist, blazing with scorching chakra, hurtling toward Fugaku like a fired missile.
The air behind the punch erupted into sonic booms, and the powerful shockwave instantly kicked up a cloud of dust.
Yet Fugaku merely sidestepped, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
With the Sharingan's exceptional perception abilities, he precisely calculated the trajectory of the punch and easily dodged the attack.
When Rōshi's fist slammed onto the ground, it produced a thunderous *boom!*
The earth violently trembled, instantly forming a massive crater, sending shards of rock flying like bullets.
Immediately afterward, Rōshi executed a spinning kick. His leg roared through the air with astonishing power.
That leg strike seemed capable of tearing through the very air itself, accompanied by a piercing whistle.
Fugaku remained calm, raising his scythe just in time to block Rōshi's kick at the critical moment.
His arm trembled slightly but held firm, absorbing the tremendous impact.
At the moment the two made contact, an immense wave of energy radiated outward in all directions from the collision.
The surrounding trees shook violently from the force, leaves cascading down like rain.
As Fugaku launched his counterattack, Rōshi found himself completely unable to predict his opponent's movements.
With a single gentle swing of the flaming war fan in Fugaku's hand, a torrent of blazing fire surged toward Rōshi, intensified by Wind Release, sweeping forward like a raging inferno.
The flames resembled a fierce fire dragon, roaring wildly as it charged toward Rōshi, consuming everything in its path.
Rōshi hastily leapt backward to evade, but before he could even steady himself, Fugaku was already slashing at him again with incredible speed.
Carving a lethal arc through the air, the scythe carried a sense of death itself, as if it could sever anything in existence.
Soon, under Fugaku's relentless assault, Rōshi gradually fell into a defensive position.
Fugaku alternated between long-range attacks using the flaming war fan and swift close-range strikes with his scythe.
Rōshi struggled to keep up, his wounds mounting rapidly.
A wound opened on Rōshi's forelimb, blood gushing out and dripping steadily onto the ground, spreading crimson stains.
Almost immediately after, his leg was slashed deeply by the scythe, the muscle torn open in a gruesome sight.
Gritting his teeth, Rōshi fought hard to persevere, yet the battle was turning increasingly against him.
"You're looking pretty rough."
Fugaku flicked the blood off his scythe, looking down on Rōshi with a sneering expression.
His arrogant demeanor was utterly infuriating.
Without responding, Rōshi glanced at his ever-growing wounds. Within his heart, rising fury mingled with unyielding resolve.
He knew that if this continued—there was no doubt—he would lose.
Just as Fugaku raised his scythe once more to charge, a resolute gleam flashed across Rōshi's eyes.
He took a deep breath and began channeling the chakra within his body.
Violent surges of chakra erupted across his skin, gradually shifting to fiery red and orange hues.
With a fierce roar, Rōshi activated his Lava Release Chakra Mode.
His entire form burned like a living torch, cloaked in intensely hot Lava Release chakra.
The surrounding air distorted from the intense heat.
"Now we're talking," Fugaku said, unfazed. He gave his wrist a slight twist and launched another attack.
Rōshi didn't reply. Having entered his Lava Release Chakra Mode, both his speed and strength had greatly increased.
In an instant, his form became a blazing bolt of lightning, rapidly cutting through the air with a trail of scorching heat.
Fugaku's unpredictable attacks—once nearly impossible to read—were now completely transparent to Rōshi.
He could react faster now, effortlessly dodging the sickle blades and flames emitted from Fugaku's armored war fan.
Now when Rōshi counterattacked, his movements were too fast for Fugaku to follow.
Suddenly appearing right before Fugaku, he swung a fist blazing with scorching Lava Release chakra straight at him like a falling meteor.
Fugaku quickly blocked with his armored war fan, but the sheer force pushed him back several steps.
"Not bad," Fugaku admitted without hesitation. Still, Rōshi was going to die.
"Let's go again."
Now that he'd gained the upper hand, Rōshi finally spoke.
He continuously threw punches and kicks, each strike radiating searing heat and immense destructive force.
His expression turned wild and frenzied.
With a sudden sidekick, his leg unleashed a tornado-like surge of searing energy, barreling straight toward Fugaku.
Too slow to dodge, Fugaku took the hit and flew backward through the air.
"So much for the mighty Uchiha clan."
Another clean hit landed, and Rōshi felt the battle tipping in his favor.
"Hahahaha! You're jumping the gun way too soon—"
Fugaku laughed as he rose from the ground, casually brushing dust off his clothes. Aside from his scorched clothes, he was unharmed.
Whether he was mocking Rōshi's arrogance or ignorance, Rōshi still didn't understand the true weight behind the name "Uchiha."
"You think you can keep acting tough?"
Rōshi assumed Fugaku was just bluffing.
Gritting his teeth, he slammed his fist furiously into the ground, instantly carving out a massive magma crater as the surrounding rocks liquefied under the intense heat.
With a casual wave of his hand, shockwaves made of Lava Release chakra sliced through thick trees, cutting them clean in half.
Then, Rōshi swiftly formed hand seals with both hands and muttered fiercely, [Lava Release: Lava Streaming Rock Technique!]
The ground began shaking violently.
Countless torrents of molten magma erupted from below the ground, surging forward like raging rivers aimed directly at Fugaku.
The boiling lava spewed suffocating heat, melting everything in its path and sending up plumes of black smoke.
Realizing this, Fugaku immediately leapt away to evade. Yet the magma moved with incredible speed, relentlessly chasing him.
But Rōshi suddenly waved his arm again, redirecting the molten flow from all directions toward Fugaku.
Fugaku swung his armored war fan, attempting to use wind pressure to scatter the magma.
However, the intense heat from the Lava Release turned even the wind blisteringly hot, leaving little effect.
At this moment, a trace of seriousness flickered across Fugaku's face. Rōshi was indeed a tough opponent.
Rōshi gave no thought to strategy—he only wanted to turn Fugaku to ash. Lava Release chakra blazed furiously around him, exuding an aura that sent chills down the spine.
His gaze locked onto Fugaku's airborne form, and without hesitation, he launched another fierce attack.
In an instant, his figure seemed to teleport, appearing right where Fugaku was about to land.
With both hands thrusting forward, a powerful surge of flame—forged from Lava Release chakra—exploded outward violently.
This blast carried with it the force to obliterate everything in its path.
As it tore through the sky, it seared the very air, warping space itself while scorching deep trenches into the ground below.
Fugaku twisted midair, barely evading the devastating attack by a hair's breadth.
But Rōshi didn't relent. With swift hand seals, he unleashed [Lava Release: Magma Surge].
Instantly, the surrounding rocks melted under intense heat, transforming into scorching lava that surged toward Fugaku like a tidal wave.
Fugaku swiftly swung his armored war fan to intercept the molten wave.
However, the sheer might of Lava Release chakra proved overwhelming, as the force of the magma steadily shattered his defenses.
Fugaku had no choice but to retreat once again, desperately searching for an opening to strike back.
Yet Rōshi would not give Fugaku even a moment to breathe.
He shot forward once more, fists ablaze with Lava Release chakra, blazing like twin suns as he came crashing down on Fugaku.
Fugaku could do nothing but grit his teeth and raise his scythe to block—but even then, the sheer power behind the strike sent vibrations shuddering through the weapon.
The battle situation shifted dramatically, and Fugaku now found himself at a disadvantage.
Deep down, he knew now that facing Rōshi in his Lava Release Chakra Mode with only his Three-tomoe Sharingan would not be enough.
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