While Fukashi confronted the Kazekage, Uchiha Police Force's 2nd division, led by Shinichi confronted Yakumaru and small squad of Magnet release Suna jonins and puppeteer jonins.
Despite Shinichi being only fourteen, not a single Uchiha questioned his leadership. His performance in Uzushio had already cemented his reputation as a prodigy of both strategy and combat.
"Damn… he really wears a blindfold. Sharingan won't work on him!"
A young Uchiha chunin muttered.
The older clansman beside him smacked the back of his head..
"Idiot. Sharingan isn't just for genjutsu. Our eyes are still deadly even without eye contact."
Uchiha Suzaku, the senior captain of 2nd division, approached Shinichi.
"Shinichi‑sama. The man with green hair and orange‑red bangs, wearing the Suna protector as a blindfold... that's Yakumaru, the Burning Magnet of Suna. And the four behind him are all magnet release Kekkei genkai jonins."
Suzaku was a veteran, seven years older than Fukashi, with streaks of gray in his hair and scars across his face. He had served in the Uchiha judiciary before becoming the first captain of the Police Force's 2nd Division.
He, like many other Uchiha veterans, wore light purple armor that only covered their abdomen on top of Uchiha combat robe.
Shinichi nodded and unsheathed his sword.
"Everyone, handle the Suna forces. Approach with caution. I'll take Yakumaru as planned."
...
Even at over a hundred meters apart, Yakumaru sensed his opponent.
Yakumaru touched the metal forehead protector covering his eyes as if trying to sense the non-existent eyes behind the cold iron plate; it was a habit born from childhood conditioning.
Yakumaru was born with innate unique sensory ability. Upon realizing this talent, his parents had blinded him as a child to sharpen this ability; to forge him into a weapon against the Uchiha.
Now, he could passively sense everything within two hundred meters, and extend that range to two kilometers if needed.
His chakra flared violently as memories of his father and grandfather echoed in his mind:
[Our Kogatsuchi 焦土 clan were exterminated by Uchiha]
[Our Kogatsuchi clan used to be so powerful]
[Those Damn Uchihas stole our glory]
[They are the root of our misfortune!]
[When did our clan fall jiji?/ ….I don't know, but that is not important! Uhciha destroyed our clan! That is all that matters!]
[Yaku! You are the hope and future of our clan! We are doing this for your own good!]
[Avenge us, Yakumaru!]
To be honest, Yakumaru had no personal grudge against Uchiha, only these lasting impressions and words repeated by his father and grandfather. It no longer mattered whether, Kogatsuchi clan truly existed or not. Nothing mattered to him anymore. Now, he could only find purpose in life when fighting and killing Uchiha.
His chaotic chakra calmed down and lowered his arms as he sensed Shinichi's chakra.
It was strong. Very strong. But he could not tell that such potent chakra belonged to a fourteen‑year‑old.
Yakumaru raised his hands up in the air.
Shakuton: Kajōsatsu 灼遁・過蒸殺 (Scorch release: Extreme steaming murder)
Five blazing fire orbs about the size of a basketball revolved around him, radiating lethal heat.
The battlefield cleared as 2nd division members and Suna-nins distanced themselves. Both sides knew they would only get in the way.
"Shinichi‑sama!" Suzaku warned. "Beware of those fire orbs! Our clansmen from 7th division suffered most casualties due to this Jutsu! The orbs mummify anything they touch!"
Shinichi nodded while keeping his eyes on the fire orbs revolving around Yakumaru.
'Kagami-san said that fire release has no effect on those fire orbs. And they pass through living beings and materials…. Then perhaps…'
Shiryu Kage bunshin四流影分身 (Four elements Shadow clone)
Four different clones of Water, earth, lightning, and wind chakra formed beside him and charaged.
Yakumaru scoffed.
"Hmph! Clones? They are worthless before my Scorch release!"
Yakumaru confidently charged forward and hurled the orbs.
The clones, with the aid of sharingan, evaded the orbs with ease. However, as soon as the clones side stepped away from the orbs, the orbs immediately compressed into discs mid flight, slicing through the clones instantly.
Shinichi's eyes narrowed as he noticed; The disc that hit the water clone shrank; The one that hit the wind clone grew; Earth and lightning clones caused no change.
'It seems like water release is the best method to counter the scorch release. And the scorch release is a jutsu combination of wind and fire nature.'
Shinichi let his sword drop, embedding it into the ground as he completed a series of hand seals in a flash. As he grabbed the hilt of his sword again, chakra leaked out of his pores, condensing rapidly into water bubbles and puddles centered around him.
Suiton: Suijinheki 水遁・水陣壁 (Water release: Water formation wall)
A massive water wall surged upward, engulfing the incoming fire orbs. The fire orbs shrank rapidly as it evaporated the water wall into steam. The steam, too, evaporated rapidly as the fire orbs vanished.
Yakumaru halted his step and tilted his head in confusion.
"An Uchiha… using water release at this level? Impossible." He shook his head in denial. "No, this chakra signature and pattern… it is clearly that of a typical Uchiha, no. A very pureblooded Uchiha. But, this water release proficiency…. This doesn't make any sense! An Uchiha with water affinity?"
Shinichi did not bother to clarify Yakumaru's confusion. But, his knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on the hilt.
'The tradeoff between water and scorch release is not in my favor….'
From that brief exchange, he sensed that at least triple amount of water release chakra was needed to neutralize Yakumaru's fire orbs.
'I can't drag this out.'
He back flipped into the air while drawing a circle in the air with his sword.
Kenjutsu: Mizukenryu: nanashou: Mugen Hato 水劍流・七章・無限波濤 water sword style: 7th chapter: Unending Tidal Wave.
A spinning water ring formed above him, growing larger and denser with each rotation. As the water rotated faster, the ring expanded in size.
Yakumaru's expression hardened. He could taste moisture in the air.
Shakuton: MugenKajōsatsu 灼遁・無限過蒸殺 (Scorch release: infinite extreme steaming murder)
A massive fire orb, no, a massive crimson sun formed above him. It was like a miniature star radiating blistering heat.
With Yakumaru at the epicenter, the battlefield dried instantly; puddles evaporated and the grass withered to ash.
"!"
Shinichi's eyes widened.
'Is this how Land of Wind deserts formed in Land of Wind? The scorch release vaporizes everything in its surroundings. At extreme or long-term exposure, the consequence will be everlasting...'
Shinichi shook his wandering thoughts away and concentrated back on the battle. Tidal waves poured out of the ring as he raised his left index and middle fingers into upright position.
Yakumaru crossed his arms and sneered in contempt.
"Ha! Do you think that mere water release can counter my Scorch release! You overestimate yourself UCHIHA! This is an ultimate jutsu that no Uchiha nor any water release jutsu has ever overcome!"
Fire orbs burst from the sun, evaporating the waves instantly.
There was no doubt that Yakumaru's scorch release was overwhelming Shinichi's water release. However, the smirk and contempt on Yakumaru's face did not last long.
Shinichi kept pushing. The waves continued to crush forward; wave after wave, each larger than the last.
Yakumaru's sensory field flooded with water chakra as the wave engulfed the surrounding three hundred meters of the area. In his 'eyes', his surroundings were filled with dense sea of blue colored water chakra, with his orangish-red scorch-release chakra forming a small island in the middle.
Yakumaru creased his brows and unfolded his arms. He could no longer distinguish Shinichi's chakra signature.
'Where...? Where is he?!'
"!"
Yakumaru quickly raised his arms in front of him defensively.
Swoosh!
Shinichi jumped in front of him with his sword slashing down diagonally.
Yakumaru twisted his body in a blinding speed as the blade grazed his forearm.
Shinichi twisted his sword abruptly mid slash, redirecting a fire orb out of the path.
FWOOOSH!!!
A massive steam exploded and engulfed the surrounding. Then Shinichi's figure flew out.
Yakumaru's contempt vanished.
Shinichi got back on his feet as steam rose out of his clothes and sword. He straightened his shoulder out and examined his sword with sharingan.
'The moment I struck him... The blade was repelled. Is this the magnet release?'
Through his sharingan he saw foreign chakra clinging on to the metal. He twirled his sword as the foreign chakra dissolved against his own.
"!"
Yakumaru stiffened in surprise before solemnly taking a combat stance.
'He noticed it already in that slight moment?!!'
When Shinichi ambushed him with his sword, Yakumaru injected his magnet release chakra to Shinichi's sword and repelled it away. He did not take control of the sword and let Shinichi retreat with ease so that can track Shinichi's movement. But, he did not expect Shinichi to notice and erase it so quickly.
'It seems like I must eliminate the water chakra first!'
The wide range water chakra, made it difficult for Yakumaru to pinpoint Shinichi's location. He immediately gathered his hands and formed series of hand seals.
Shakuton: Daijōhappa 灼遁・大蒸発破 (Scorch release: great steaming explosion)
The crimson sun expanded, glowing into a white‑hot sun, releasing a tidal wave of steam and heat. The infinite water waves that Shinichi released instantly evaporated as soon as it came within twenty meters range of the miniature sun.
Shinichi's Sharingan saw the chakra density spike higher and higher.
'With that size…. This entire battlefield will turn into desert!'
He grabbed a flare out of his pouch and launched it into the air. A red smoke exploded in the air.
"All Konoha forces evacuate! One kilometer away!"
Konoha shinobi fled instantly.
Shinichi dispelled the water ring and lowered his stance.
Dispelling the water ring, Shinichi sank into a low stance and gripped his sword with both hands, settling into a right-sided Nebenhut guard. He charged forward in a spiraling motion, unleashing a devastating diagonal slash.
Kenjutsu: Mizukenryu: goshou: MizuTatsumaki 水劍流・五章・水竜巻 water sword style: 5th chapter: Water tonado.
A towering water tornado erupted around him, spiraling upward, absorbing moisture from the air.
Yakumaru snarled.
"Hmph! Futile! I'll erase you, Uchiha!"
Altering a jutsu mid-execution was wildly inefficient, but he poured more chakra into the Sun anyway.
The two forces collided.
Steam exploded across the battlefield. The ground split — one side withered to dust and crumbled into a barren desert, while the other collapsed into a muddy swamp choked with water and heavy mist.
The Sun and the tornado expanded, shrank, and clashed anew as both ninjas funneled more chakra into their jutsus.
"The victory will be mine! UCHIHA!!! UWAAAAAAHHH!!!!!"
With a final, desperate roar, Yakumaru poured the last of his chakra into the Sun.
The tornado evaporated.
The swamp dried.
Shinichi's chakra signature vanished.
Yakumaru staggered, panting, drenched in sweat.
"Huu, Haaa; Huuuu, Haaaa."
Yakumaru breathed raggedly, sweat rolling down his temple and neck. His face had grown deathly pale. His chakra, though not entirely depleted, was diminished to less than seven percent of its original capacity.
"In the end, your Water Release was nothing before my Scorch Release! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Yakumaru laughed aloud, filled with satisfaction and confidence. Shinichi was the first Water Release shinobi who had ever pushed him to this degree. He knew Uchiha Shinichi was a rare genius of the Uchiha clan, which made relishing this victory all the sweeter.
"YAKUMARU-SAMA!"
"?"
PUCHI!!!
Blood spilled uncontrollably from his mouth with every breath. A jarring mix of hot and cold spread through his chest, followed immediately by the heavy dampness of his combat attire soaking in warm fluid.
Yakumaru's expression froze. Looking down, he saw a blade protruding cleanly through his chest. His hands trembled violently as his fingers scraped against the cold steel.
"You!... How…? !? This is… Genjutsu?"
Shinichi ripped the blade free, leaving Yakumaru to collapse heavily to his knees.
Shinichi's cold voice echoed softly in the dying man's distraught mind.
"Just because you do not look into my eyes does not mean you are immune to Genjutsu. Of course, our eyes are the best medium to cast it. But any Uchiha who has awakened the Sharingan and a fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan at that is a natural master of genjutsu."
Yakumaru muttered weakly, his trembling voice a mix of enlightenment and confusion as his hand trailed to his left arm.
"?!!! Was it… that sword slash…? But I didn't sense—"
"Just as you latched your Magnet Release onto me, I planted Yin chakra with my sword slash," Shinichi explained. "If I had cast the Genjutsu at that exact moment, there was a small chance you might have noticed. I simply waited for the perfect moment, your most vulnerable moment, to trigger it."
Yakumaru's eyes widened behind his blindfold.
"… is… t hat why you cast… that massive… water jutsu…"
Shinichi nodded.
"...Facing your Scorch Release with Water Release in a direct confrontation is highly inefficient. I only did it because I needed you to constantly adjust and increase your chakra output to counter my technique. I needed to disrupt your chakra flow and force you to waste your energy, ensuring you wouldn't notice the moment you slipped into the genjutsu."
Once a jutsu is cast, altering its magnitude or shape mid-execution requires significantly more energy. For example, if a miniature sun created through Scorch Release costs ten points of chakra to manifest, doubling its size afterward would demand an additional seven points to adjust. Conversely, creating that same large sun from the very start would only cost fifteen points. Making mid-flight adjustments costs more chakra than casting it at full size from the beginning. This was a universal law of shinobi combat, an absolute fact unless a ninja possessed seal-less jutsu mastery and a perfect one-to-one chakra conversion ratio.
Shinichi had forced Yakumaru to adjust his great steam explosion jutsu twice before Yakumaru finally decided to dump a massive portion of his remaining reserves into a single push to 'overwhelm' the water tornado.
At that exact moment of strain, Shinichi activated a simple Yin Release Genjutsu against Yakumaru's chaotic chakra flow, misguiding him into "sensing" Shinichi's chakra slowly disintegrate as the steam expanded.
A mask of bitter unwillingness and regret froze on Yakumaru's face before he collapsed heavily to the ground.
Shinichi stared down at his fallen opponent in silence, his fingers tracing his face. "It seems... combat can no longer stimulate my eyes."