Clang! Clang!
The clear, ringing sound of blades being drawn rang out almost simultaneously.
In the very next instant, the two figures collided once more!
Their silhouettes crossed, separated, and then slammed together again, continuously clashing with their ninja tools as they searched for any opening in each other's defenses.
Sparks flew without pause.
This guy's swordsmanship—
Watching from the side, Uchiha Tekka felt secretly shocked.
He even felt that, if one were to speak purely in terms of swordsmanship skill, Shisui was actually being slightly suppressed!
It was not until Shisui's pitch-black eyes suddenly turned scarlet, with two black tomoe slowly rotating within them, that the situation finally began to change.
"Good!"
Tekka steadied himself inwardly.
Once the Sharingan was activated, both dynamic vision and perceptive ability would undergo a qualitative leap.
Sure enough, under the enhancement of the Sharingan, Shisui's movements became far smoother and more fluid.
It was as if he could predict every single trajectory of Kiyohara's blade in advance, allowing him to counterattack accordingly.
"So this is the power of the Sharingan? Truly troublesome."
Kiyohara frowned slightly.
Magnet Release: Magnetic Field Rotation!
An invisible magnetic force spread outward with Kiyohara at its center.
After rotating the surrounding magnetic field, he directly applied it to his own body!
Whoosh!
His speed suddenly surged to an entirely new level. His figure grew far more blurred, and the speed of his swings became so fast that they nearly left afterimages!
"!"
This time, it was Shisui who was startled.
Within the vision of his two-tomoe Sharingan, Kiyohara's movements were still clear, but the explosive speed he unleashed placed enormous pressure even on Shisui, forcing him to concentrate fully just to keep up.
The two once again fought in a tight clash, but this time the speed was even faster, the blade flashes denser, and the battle entered an intensely heated stage. The spectators at the side—Rin, Kurenai, and even Asuma—were already struggling to follow their movements.
They could only see two blurry figures rapidly flickering under the moonlight and firelight, accompanied by the sharp sounds of blades colliding.
At this moment, Shizune hurried over while holding Tonton in her arms.
She searched for a while before finding this open space by the river, and the instant she arrived, her attention was captured by the fierce battle before her.
"So fast!"
She was secretly alarmed, her gaze immediately locking onto the figure in the field surrounded by black iron sand.
Lady Tsunade really was right—Kiyohara might actually win.
Shizune thought to herself.
Meanwhile, not far ahead, Kiyohara brought his blade down in a heavy strike. After Shisui blocked it, Kiyohara's left hand quietly formed seals.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Bind!"
The fine iron sand that had already been scattered throughout the surrounding environment instantly came under control, flowing like black water as it rapidly wrapped around the blade of the shinobi sword in Shisui's hand and then spread toward his arm.
Shisui tried to break free, but the attraction force of the iron sand was extremely strong, severely affecting the flexibility of his weapon.
In that lightning-fast moment of delay, Kiyohara's figure closed in.
"It's over."
Kiyohara's calm voice sounded by Shisui's ear.
The tip of the blade in his hand stopped steadily just one inch away from Shisui's neck.
Rin and Kurenai almost simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.
Kiyohara looked at Shisui and slowly withdrew his blade. "Let's stop here, Shisui. This is an illusion, isn't it?"
However, at the instant he sheathed his sword, the "Shisui" who had been pointed at revealed a faint smile on his face. Then, with a soft bang, he transformed into a puff of white smoke and vanished.
"Truly impressive, Senior Kiyohara."
Shisui's real figure emerged from the shadows.
"Your Magnet Release and speed both exceeded my expectations. If we kept fighting, it would probably be hard for either of us to pull back, and injuries would be inevitable. It's better to stop here."
He paused, then said frankly, "That last move, if I hadn't used the 'Phantom Body Flicker Technique' in advance, the outcome would have been hard to predict. Still, I'm willing to admit that in that exchange just now, I was slightly inferior."
TN: Can't find this Phantom Body Flicker.
So said Shisui.
At the very moment his Fire Release had been pierced through, he had already used that technique, concealing his true body with smoke and leaving behind only a phantom clone.
"Shisui, you—!"
Uchiha Tekka, standing nearby, immediately widened his eyes as he stared at Shisui.
He hadn't expected Shisui to take the initiative to admit that he was slightly inferior!
This was simply—
But seeing the earnest look in Shisui's eyes, as well as Kiyohara who still clearly had strength to spare, Tekka swallowed the words that had reached his lips.
His expression shifted several times, and in the end, the pride of the Uchiha clan made it impossible for him to argue stubbornly.
Tekka knew that Shisui was a child who did not like to lie.
So he took a deep breath and said to Kiyohara in a deep voice, "Hmph, this time it's your win. Our Uchiha clan can afford to win, and we can afford to lose. A bet is a bet—we accept the result!"
Although he was unwilling in his heart, he ultimately chose to uphold the honor of the Uchiha clan's commitment.
Hearing this, Kiyohara also dispersed the chakra and magnetic field power surrounding his body, then nodded toward Shisui and Tekka. "Shisui, your strength is very great. If we fought with our true strength, the outcome would still be hard to say."
Kiyohara could sense that the shadow clone's strength seemed to be slightly weaker.
Although it was extremely difficult to notice, his spiritual energy was several times greater than that of an ordinary person, allowing him to observe such details.
In that brief instant, he felt Shisui's strength weaken.
In other words, he hadn't actually seen through the illusion—there had been a fair amount of guesswork involved.
And judging by the current Shisui, he was still at the two-tomoe stage. Before long, according to the plot in Itachi Shinden, he would awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan due to the death of a companion, and eventually reach the Mangekyō Sharingan.
That time wouldn't be too far away. The next time he saw Shisui, it would probably be him after a massive surge in strength.
Even Kiyohara couldn't help but sigh— the Sharingan was truly powerful. He just didn't know when he would be able to roll a "Uchiha Kiyohara."
Hearing Kiyohara's words, Tekka's expression visibly improved.
"Here."
Uchiha Tekka placed the shuriken in Kiyohara's hand.
"Among all the non-Uchiha ninja of our generation that I've seen, I am willing to call you the strongest."
The Uchiha clan revered strength above all else.
Kiyohara's talent was indeed the greatest he had seen among those of the same age.
"Thank you."
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
Not bad—another profit gained today.
These top-quality shuriken made by the Ninja Cat Clan could be used by him for now.
When he was short on money later, he could even list them as "lightly used, 99% new" and sell them.
As long as the quality was good, there would be no shortage of merchants willing to buy.
This Uchiha Tekka was a bit thick-headed, just like that second pillar.
But Kiyohara hoped they would keep coming to deliver money, so he said, "If you want to spar with me again next time, feel free to come. If I have time, we can practice together."
He put the shuriken away into his shinobi tool pouch.
Where else could you find something that both increased experience and made money?
"Senior Kiyohara, I will."
Shisui nodded.
Unlike some other Uchiha, he wasn't arrogant and treated outsiders no differently.
Tekka hesitated for a moment, then also nodded.
Kiyohara's talent and strength were indeed worth befriending.
This was a good thing.
Training with Kiyohara would also allow them to rapidly improve their own strength.
The only slightly unpleasant point—
As Tekka thought about how the shuriken he had just custom-made and hadn't even used yet were now lying in Kiyohara's ninja pouch, his heart couldn't help but ache.
Damn it—he would definitely win his shuriken back!
After Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Shisui both left, Kakashi walked over and said to Kiyohara, "Your chakra growth rate is really fast. Is this also an effect brought by the Magnet Release bloodline limit?"
There was a faint hint of envy hidden in Kakashi's tone.
If he also had a chakra growth rate like Kiyohara's, perhaps the burden of the Sharingan wouldn't be so heavy.
"I'm not too sure. Maybe it is."
Kiyohara answered ambiguously.
"Not bad, Kiyohara. You really did win."
Kurenai clenched her small fist.
"Then what was all that cheering you did for me just now supposed to mean?"
Kiyohara turned his head to look at Kurenai.
Looking at her crimson eyes and slightly curled black hair.
As time passed, Kurenai was clearly growing up more and more.
Gradually moving toward the aura of a mature, elegant woman she will be in the future.
"Ahem, I just didn't expect you to win so quickly," Kurenai said.
"Is that so?"
Kiyohara smiled.
He didn't continue pressing the matter.
What Kiyohara was thinking about was something else.
There were only five days left until he received the next "Last Will"!
(End of Chapter)