As the battlefield swirled with chakra and tension, Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha clan, quickly noticed the rising anxiety among the Konoha forces. The fear wasn't unwarranted—before them stood not just ordinary enemy shinobi, but two tailed-beast jinchūriki, half-transformed and radiating monstrous killing intent.
Fugaku's sharp eyes scanned the troops and calmly reassured them, "Do not fear. The enemy's tailed beast hosts will be dealt with. Your opponents are not them, but the shinobi of Kumogakure."
His words, calm and composed, settled over the troops like a protective cloak. The shinobi from both the Uchiha and Hyuga clans—many of whom were seasoned but had never faced a jinchūriki—began to steady their breathing. They had been prepared to die for Konoha, but facing a tailed beast was another matter entirely.
Turning to his right, Fugaku looked at Ryosuke, his expression unchanging but his tone decisive.
"I'll handle the Eight-Tails. You take care of the Two-Tails. We need to clear the battlefield quickly."
The situation was far from ideal. Kumogakure had sent a staggering number of troops—enough to outnumber the combined Uchiha and Hyuga forces nearly two-to-one. If someone didn't relieve the pressure from the front lines, Konoha's forces could collapse.
Ryosuke nodded without hesitation. "Understood. I'll make sure we wrap this up quickly."
The exchange didn't go unnoticed. Onlookers from both clans widened their eyes in disbelief. Uchiha Fugaku taking on Killer Bee—the Eight-Tails jinchūriki—was understandable. He was the head of the clan, after all. But Ryosuke, though a rising star, was still young. To entrust him with fighting the Two-Tails was a bold decision.
Among the Hyuga, murmurs spread.
"Can he really handle a jinchūriki on his own?" one Hyuga shinobi asked a nearby Uchiha.
The Uchiha nodded firmly. "He can. Don't let his age fool you. Ryosuke isn't ordinary."
What most didn't know—or couldn't believe—was that Ryosuke had once fought and gravely injured the mysterious masked man responsible for the Nine-Tails attack. A man even the Fourth Hokage had struggled against. That same Ryosuke now stood at the ready.
Besides Fugaku and perhaps Inaho, only a few Uchiha knew the true extent of Ryosuke's strength.
Fugaku activated his three-tomoe Sharingan and lunged forward, engaging Killer Bee directly. His blade clashed against Bee's spinning barrage of eight swords. Fugaku's style was precise and defensive; he wasn't seeking a quick win, only to delay Bee and keep him from interfering in the upcoming fight.
Bee, always flamboyant in battle, grinned wide. "So the Uchiha clan leader's got some bite, huh? But this war ends when you fall!"
Fugaku met his bravado with quiet confidence. "Try me."
While their duel pulled away from the main front, Ryosuke turned his attention to the Two-Tails jinchūriki—Yugito Nii.
She had already half-transformed. Her red chakra cloaked her body, and sharp claws extended from her hands and feet. Behind her, a single flaming tail whipped the air with tension.
She was beautiful, no doubt—a tall, elegant kunoichi from the northern mountains of the Land of Lightning—but that beauty masked terrifying strength.
Ryosuke didn't waste time. He activated his fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan. His gaze locked with hers.
Yugito scoffed. "Another Uchiha thinks his pretty eyes can scare me? You're just a child."
She launched forward in a blur, clawed hand flashing toward Ryosuke's chest.
But Ryosuke calmly sidestepped the strike, the Sharingan allowing him to predict her movement with precision. He smirked, "Not bad. Fast and sharp."
Yugito growled and struck again—this time a flurry of claw swipes, kicks, and tail lashes.
Though Ryosuke kept dodging with minimal effort, the sheer speed and ferocity of her assault forced him to take the fight more seriously.
She was a jinchūriki, after all. The Two-Tails, Matatabi, a demon cat of fire and speed. Even half-transformed, Yugito's reflexes were feline—agile, relentless, and deadly.
Her technique wasn't just physical. With each strike, small bursts of searing fire chakra flared from her claws.
Ryosuke spun back, narrowly avoiding a blazing swipe aimed at his throat. "So, Matatabi lends you her fire, too? Looks like this might be interesting."
Yugito didn't respond. Her mouth opened wide, gathering a sphere of burning chakra—preparing a miniaturized Tailed Beast Bomb.
Ryosuke's eyes narrowed.
Can't let that hit the lines.
He moved.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished and reappeared to her side, a burst of speed that nearly shocked her out of the charge.
A genjutsu? No, pure speed.
Ryosuke drove a kunai glowing with chakra toward her ribs, but Yugito twisted in midair, swiping his arm aside. The mini-bomb exploded behind them in a fiery shockwave, forcing both to separate.
Flames danced across the scorched battlefield.
Ryosuke exhaled. He'd underestimated her. The Two-Tails' chakra gave her a remarkable balance of speed, firepower, and durability. Even with his Sharingan, this wasn't going to be easy.
But he wasn't just a Sharingan user anymore.
He formed a single hand sign—Tiger—and his chakra surged. A subtle pulse echoed from his body, a silent genjutsu layered on his chakra field.
Yugito frowned, her instincts pricked.
"What did you just—"
Suddenly, the world tilted. Her perception of space warped, her body staggered half a step in the wrong direction.
A genjutsu? But how?
She focused her chakra to disrupt it—but Ryosuke was already in motion. He darted behind her, planting a precise strike on the back of her neck, channeling lightning-nature chakra to paralyze.
Yugito screamed and spun, but her limbs didn't respond fast enough.
Ryosuke's Sharingan flared bright. He weaved another sequence of signs, activating his clan's Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu.
A massive inferno burst from his mouth, engulfing the space around Yugito.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the battlefield.
When the flames cleared, Yugito emerged—injured, breathing hard, clothes torn—but still standing. Her chakra cloak had absorbed the brunt of the blast.
But now she looked at Ryosuke differently.
No longer with scorn. But with the seriousness one gives to a rival.
"You're not normal," she growled. "What the hell are you?"
Ryosuke wiped blood from his lip. "Uchiha Ryosuke. Remember it."
Their next clash would be brutal.
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