Tekka didn't hesitate any longer—his Three-Tomoe Sharingan snapped open.
A powerful Summoning Beast could tip the scales of any fight.
He refused to lose to a nine-year-old—if that happened, the Uchiha Clan would mock him for decades.
And the Uchiha never forgot.
Bee Senbon!
A cloud of small bees materialized around Shino, their tails flicking as countless translucent stingers shot forward.
Tekka's eyes widened.
With the Sharingan's insight, the barrage unfolded in slow motion.
He vanished with a flicker, the senbon shredding empty air.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!
The moment he landed, Tekka unleashed a roaring dragon of flame.
The queen bee reacted instantly, hurling the same beehive she'd used before.
Tekka's mouth twitched.
The fire dragon twisted midair—redirected around the beehive with and speared toward Shino.
Bee Bomb!
Shino didn't move.
A swarm surged forward, colliding with the fire dragon—
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Dozens of rapid explosions tore it apart.
Tekka frowned.
"So the bees explode too…?"
But he quickly steadied himself.
He still hadn't used his full strength.
Fire Release: Great Fireball!
A massive fireball barreled toward Shino while Tekka sprinted diagonally to close the distance.
The queen bee lifted off, her wings generating a violent air current that stalled the fireball midair.
Tekka immediately wove new signs.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!
Another fire dragon spiraled forth.
Bee Bomb!
More explosive bees collided with it—
but when the flames dispersed…
Tekka was gone.
"To your left."
Shino turned—and found scarlet Sharingan inches from his face.
Genjutsu: Unknown Fire.
His body froze.
Tekka allowed himself a small, victorious smile.
A mass of bees burst out of Shino's sleeve.
"It's pointless."
Tekka reacted instantly—
Fire Release: Great Fireball!
The fireball smashed into the swarm—and suddenly, a cascade of thick beeswax rained down on him.
"What—?!"
The viscous wax drenched his body, locking him in place before he could move.
At the same moment, the "Shino" under Genjutsu melted into a puddle of honey.
A Honey Clone.
Tekka's mind blanked.
When did he—?
From inside the beehive, the real Shino calmly stepped out.
He had already anticipated Tekka's plan.
A Three-Tomoe Uchiha using Genjutsu at close range was the most obvious route.
So he let Tekka "catch" him—
while the queen bee set the trap.
Shino raised his hand.
Kikaichu swarmed forward, halting inches before the immobilized Tekka.
Tekka opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"…I concede."
He couldn't even move a finger.
"Winner: Shino Aburame!"
Iruka's voice cracked with excitement.
Few had expected this outcome—and the spectators erupted in murmurs.
"He actually won?"
Fugaku's expression tightened with surprise.
"Tekka lost because he underestimated him," Shibi said calmly.
"With proper caution, Shino wouldn't win a second time."
Of course, Shino still hadn't used his fire-resistant Kikaichu or his Exploding Insects.
"A loss is a loss," Fugaku said, shaking his head.
"No excuses."
Still, Shino's showing forced him to reevaluate the Aburame Clan.
With the Jōryū techniques, their overall strength was rising—and the Underwater Exploration Team further boosted their influence.
Not a threat to the Uchiha, no—but a clan that must not be alienated.
After all, political alliances mattered just as much as strength… especially for a future Hokage clan.
The ones most shaken were actually Asuma's group of Jonin.
If an Aburame child could defeat Tekka, then their own upcoming matches might not be so simple.
Meanwhile, the Genius Class students only nodded.
Most of them had already seen Shino's Jōryū techniques before—so this victory, while impressive, wasn't shocking to them.
"Did I… fall under a Genjutsu?"
Asuma blinked hard, genuinely wondering if his eyes had deceived him.
Before this match, he was certain Shino wouldn't last three minutes against Tekka.
Uchiha Inabi felt the same.
When Kitazawa first notified him he'd be sparring a student, he actually thought it was some kind of administrative error.
A Jonin fighting a nine-year-old? He could win with one hand tied behind his back—or so he thought.
Now, after Shino's victory, that confidence wavered.
"Asuma-senpai," Kotetsu said, "keep in mind—Shino isn't even the strongest in the Genius Class."
Asuma and Inabi froze.
…Was he also going to lose to a kid?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Thirteenth Match—Hyuga Neji vs. Hyuga Hizashi
Iruka's voice echoed across the training field.
"A Byakugan duel, huh?" Tsume muttered, intrigued. "Neji's definitely at a disadvantage."
Shikaku nodded.
The Hyuga's greatest weapons—Byakugan and Gentle Fist—were terrifying against other clans.
But against another Hyuga?
Their advantages canceled out.
"It'll come down to experience and fundamentals," Choza added.
And Neji, in terms of age and battle experience, was unquestionably behind.
Fugaku narrowed his eyes.
"Did Kitazawa teach Neji something else?"
Hiashi paused for a moment. "…Something like that."
Fugaku immediately grew sharper.
So that's why the usually rigid Hiashi was so accommodating toward Kitazawa today.
Hizashi offered a warm smile as he walked in.
"Neji, I didn't expect us to spar one day. Show me how far you've progressed."
To him, this match was a friendly exchange—one where he, as a Jonin, would guide Neji.
But Neji simply exhaled softly… and drew his bow.
Hizashi froze.
"…?"
A Hyuga not using Gentle Fist?
Where was the clan's sacred discipline? The tradition?
If the elders saw this…
"Begin!"
Iruka's shout cut off his thoughts.
Hizashi activated his Byakugan and closed in—only for Neji to release a Yin Release Arrow in a single fluid motion.
Hizashi barely caught the faint glimmer as it streaked past.
He dodged instinctively.
Too fast.
Another arrow.
This time, he struck it with Gentle Fist—and immediately felt a chill run up his arm as the arrow shattered.
The boy's attack wasn't merely fast.
It was imbued with something… ominous.
Hizashi's body flickered to reposition—but a third arrow was already upon him.
He parried again, but Neji had already used the opening to widen the distance.
His eyes narrowed.
They were now in a tug-of-war—Neji firing relentless Yin Release Arrows, Hizashi forced into constant defensive counterstrikes.
"This bow is insane!" Tsume blurted.
Indeed—Neji wasn't using any Ninjutsu.
Just the bow alone was enough to pressure a seasoned Jonin.
"How can a single bow output that much Yin Release?" Shikaku murmured.
Fugaku activated his Sharingan.
Within seconds, he found the answer.
"There's… a Yin Release monster sealed inside the bow."
He clicked his tongue.
Who does this kind of thing?
Oh right—Kitazawa.
Inoichi nodded in realization.
Extravagant didn't even begin to describe this.
"This was Kitazawa's gift to Neji," Hiashi said with a small, helpless smile as he defended.
Fugaku tightened his fist.
The favoritism… was unsettling.
Then again, Kitazawa had given Sasuke the Sword of the Thunder God.
Choza's voice rumbled.
"If Neji relies only on the bow, he still won't beat Hizashi."
And he was right.
Despite being under heavy pressure, Hizashi's experience showed.
He gradually closed the distance, step by step—until his palms began radiating with menacing chakra.
This was his chance.
And as a Jonin of the Hyuga Clan…he had no intention of letting it slip.
"Spiral Arrow!"
The moment Hizashi saw Neji's stance shift, he instantly recognized something was wrong.
Neji had predicted this too—his Chakra surged into the Yin Release Arrow, while the seals along the bow greedily drank in the Zero-Tails' Chakra.
A sharp, spiraling screech cut through the air.
The arrow shot out, whirling like a drill.
"This isn't normal!"
Hizashi's instincts screamed.
He twisted his wrist and struck the arrow with a Gentle Fist palm—and immediately felt the difference.
His first strike didn't disperse the Chakra.
Instead, the spiraling rotation ate away at his Chakra, then sliced into his palm as if it were a razor.
Hizashi hissed, blood splattering, but he had no room left to dodge.
He unleashed a chain of Gentle Fist strikes, each one shattering fragments of the spiraling projectile until the Yin Release Arrow finally dissipated.
His hands, however, were left torn and bleeding.
"I surrender!"
His voice came quickly—before his wounds worsened.
The entire arena fell into stunned silence.
"This bow…" Hiruzen murmured, brows furrowing. "It could be one of the greatest tools in the entire shinobi world. And Kitazawa just gave it to Neji?"
He had seen countless legendary ninja tools in his lifetime, but this?
This was the first he'd seen powered by a sealed Zero-Tails.
The Spiral Arrow had revealed a terrifying truth:
Neji wasn't the one powering it.
The Zero-Tailed Beast was.
Neji's chakra was only the ignition switch.
"Perhaps that's what makes Kitazawa different," Kurenai said with a small smile.
Kakashi silently agreed.
Chen exhaled deeply.
"If it were anyone else, they'd wield such a weapon themselves… not hand it to a nine-year-old."
Across the field, Fugaku, Shikaku, and several others exchanged uneasy looks.
Kitazawa didn't give Neji a mere tool—he gave him a monstrosity, a weapon that could tip the scales of battle.
What was he planning?
"Winner: Hyuga Neji!"
Iruka's voice sounded oddly muted after that display.
Neji returned to the lineup.
Even though his classmates had known he'd trained archery lately, his performance left them speechless.
Sasuke froze.
When did Neji get this bow?
He'd spent the past week mastering his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and had missed everything.
"Neji, which bow is stronger—yours or Hinata's?" Tenten asked.
Sasuke stiffened.
Hinata has one too?
Neji shook his head. "I don't know."
"We'll find out soon," Tenten said, turning toward Hinata with a knowing grin.
Fourteenth Match—Hyuga Hinata vs. Raidō Aoba
Iruka called out the next match.
Raidō Aoba—Special Jonin, and enhanced through the Curse Mark of Earth—stepped forward.
He wasn't taking any chances after watching Hizashi's defeat.
But the moment he saw Hinata holding a bow of similar design, his jaw tightened.
Another bow.
Another monster sealed inside.
How many of these did Kitazawa make?!
Even Fugaku and Choza were shaken.
Meanwhile, Hinata stood in the center, clutching her Tsukiou bow—its name chosen because Kitazawa's sword was Zangetsu.
One chased the moon, one cut the moon—fitting, in its own way.
Hinata had already discovered something remarkable during training—the presence sealed inside her bow, Satori, allowed her to faintly sense emotional fluctuations.
A different kind of insight… one that paired beautifully with her Byakugan.
"Begin!"
Raidō immediately entered the cursed seal state.
His body blurred—Assassin-type.
Extreme speed.
A blade that flickered in and out of existence.
He struck—but Hinata slipped past it elegantly.
He slashed again—she moved aside just before the blow connected, as if she'd anticipated it.
"…?"
Raidō felt something was wrong.
This wasn't prediction through Byakugan alone.
But he pressed harder, blade dancing—Hinata avoided every strike by a breath's width.
"Has Hinata's Byakugan evolved this far?" Shikaku wondered aloud.
"It's not just the Byakugan," Fugaku said. "It's the bow."
"The creature sealed inside is called Satori," Itachi added. "It can sense negative emotions."
Everyone fell into stunned silence.
They wanted such a bow too.
Hiashi, however, looked like he might burst from pride.
Hinata's chance appeared.
"Spiral Arrow!"
She released the Yin Release Arrow—and at that exact moment, Raidō's attack overextended, his momentum carrying him forward—straight into its path. In the instant before it could strike him, Kitazawa appeared beside them.
He blurred forward and punched the Spiral Arrow away, the shockwave rippling across the field like thunder.
--------------------
Next Chapter : 343 - Uchiha vs Uchiha | Sasuke's crisis
------------------
AN: Check out my P@treon For +40 extra chapters.
Thank You For your Support!!
[email protected]/noviceauthor777