Hiashi Hyūga remained silent. It was true that his skill in long-range shuriken manipulation was not as good as Fugaku Uchiha's. But he could not bring himself to admit defeat just like that.
"Is that so? I understand." Fugaku looked at his expression and understood his meaning. He intended to fight until the very end.
Although he admired, even supported this resolve, Fugaku would not feel sympathy or say anything about fair competition.
That would be utterly foolish. Fugaku continued to remotely manipulate the Uchiha Style Shuriken Manipulation Technique. Even though they were only wooden shuriken, it depended on who was using them.
Both Hiashi and Fugaku were shinobi. Even a stone thrown by them could break an enemy's head. Hiashi knew deeply that without activating his Byakugan, it was impossible for him to dodge all the shuriken.
Swish, swish, swish.
But Hiashi did not want to give up. He tried his best to dodge and evade, managing to avoid most of the straight-line shuriken attacks. However, the Uchiha Style Shuriken Technique emphasized unpredictability.
Those shuriken passed by Hiashi and shot back at him from bizarre angles. Hiashi turned and used Gentle Fist techniques to knock the shuriken away. But two fists were no match for the numerous shuriken. In the end, four or five still struck Hiashi's arms and legs.
Although the wooden shuriken were not as sharp as those made of refined steel, they still embedded themselves into Hiashi's body. Blood flowed from the wounds.
Hiashi gritted his teeth, pulled the shuriken out, then used acupressure to stop the bleeding, and continued fighting.
Although he seemed somewhat disheveled, the fighting spirit in Hiashi's eyes remained undimmed.
Fugaku Uchiha frowned. He reached for his tool pouch, only to find he was almost out of shuriken. He couldn't help but pause.
Damn it, he had almost forgotten. There was a quantity limit. Even if he threw all the remaining shuriken, they might not necessarily harm Hiashi. So he took a deep breath, drew a wooden kunai, and prepared for close combat with Hiashi.
Hiashi grinned, adopting a stance ready to meet the enemy. Fugaku, his face serious, charged forward, using the Body Flicker Technique.
He closed the distance to Hiashi, then made an upward slash. Hiashi sidestepped by instinct, his Gentle Fist technique already prepared, his right index finger ready to strike pressure points.
But Fugaku did not use the kunai. Instead, he spun and kicked, his foot shooting out. Hiashi's eyes widened in surprise. He had thought Fugaku would attack with the wooden kunai, but this guy was playing dirty.
Fugaku's kick was powerful and heavy, aimed at Hiashi's temple before he could land a pressure point strike.
Hiashi changed his movement, raising his right hand and blocking with his left. With a thud, Hiashi was kicked back a step.
Fugaku chuckled. "Why don't you just admit defeat, Hiashi? You know, even if you manage to tie me down and we end up mutually wounded, you still wouldn't be the final winner."
Hiashi was silent. But then he lifted his head. "No matter who wins, I must give it my all."
Hiashi took a deep breath and charged forward, both palms thrusting out, aiming directly for Fugaku's shoulders.
Fugaku's expression changed. He knew how powerful Hiashi's palms were. They could punch through a bandit's throat, one punch per enemy, without them even making a sound.
If his arm was caught by one of those palms, who knew if it would shatter. Fugaku used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat, putting distance between himself and Hiashi.
Hiashi, however, showed no panic, as if all of this was part of his plan.
Fugaku's face changed again. He felt something was wrong with the ground beneath his feet. Immediately after, shuriken shot towards Fugaku from all directions.
Thirty of them, a full thirty shuriken. They were triggered, spinning rapidly through the air, their target Fugaku Uchiha. Fugaku's face paled. He had wondered how Hiashi could possibly not have a backup plan.
So, before Fugaku arrived, he had already set a trap. Fugaku made an instant decision, forming hand seals. Substitution Technique.
A log appeared, and Fugaku vanished. With a series of thuds, the thirty shuriken embedded themselves deeply into the log. It was hard to imagine if they had all hit Fugaku.
The consequences would have been unthinkable.
Hiashi smiled slightly, sighing inwardly that this was truly a worthy opponent. At that moment, Fugaku was crouched behind a tree, breathing heavily.
"Dammit, almost capsized in a drain. If I had been any slower, what happened to that log would have been my fate."
He just peeked out to assess the situation when Hiashi instantly threw a kunai, attacking towards Fugaku's forehead.
Fugaku hurriedly pulled his head back. Dammit, instant headshot.
Hiashi stared at the large tree, a slight smile on his lips, as he walked towards it slowly. Fugaku listened to the gradually approaching footsteps, his heart in his throat.
Right at the next moment, Hiashi suddenly froze, then fell to the ground with a thud.
Hearing the sound, Fugaku was also stunned. What happened? As soon as he peeked out, a wooden kunai was already pressed against his neck. "Sorry about this, brother Fugaku."
A Shadow Clone of Minato Namikaze patted his shoulder. Fugaku was taken aback, then finally laughed. "I admit defeat. Right now, I've used all my trump cards, and you're still in peak condition."
"No matter how you look at it, I have no chance of winning." Fugaku sighed, sat down on the ground, looked at Minato, and gave a thumbs up.
"What a move, diverting the trouble elsewhere. A free-for-all melee. Who would have thought, Minato, with your honest-looking face, you'd be so cunning and calculating."
Minato smiled. Upon hearing Fugaku's words, he formed a hand seal and instantly vanished into a puff of smoke.
"A shadow clone. Using a shadow clone to make us fight each other. What a skillful move." Fugaku couldn't help but praise.
Then, the real Minato Namikaze jumped down from a tree, extended a hand, and helped Fugaku up. He didn't try to explain or say anything, just smiled.
Shortly after, Ryun Uchiha walked out. He clapped his hands and smiled. "Well done, Minato. And you too, Fugaku. Since the match is decided, I will heal you all now."
Then, the Samsara Eye of his left Mangekyō Sharingan appeared. Using the Samsara Eye's power, he healed the six children. In less than ten seconds, the other four woke up, immediately feeling full of energy.
They looked at each other, then at Minato standing beside Ryun, and understood who the winner was this time. But no one was resentful, instead they marveled at how formidable Minato was.
With almost no expenditure, he had handled the five of them thoroughly.
After seeing that the six children had recovered, Ryun said, "Today's lesson ends early. Everyone, go home and rest well. Minato, come with me."
After speaking, Ryun walked deeper into the forest. The other five children hung their heads and walked towards Konoha Village outside the forest.
They knew that Minato was about to pull ahead of them yet again.
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