Setsuna pulled with both hands with all his strength, but the black iron rod remained immovable.
Ryuji bent over, leaning his head forward, right hand on his knee, the smile on his face growing wider. "You said you'd show me the true power of the Sharingan. Is this it?"
Setsuna's face turned ashen.
He released his left hand, forming a one-handed seal in front of his chest.
But before the seal was complete, Ryuji stepped onto the rod and kicked towards him.
Setsuna let go of the rod, retreating rapidly. The incomplete seal was completed at this moment.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!]
A blazing fireball spewed from his mouth. The nearby air temperature rose sharply, becoming distorted, a testament to its intense heat.
Ryuji stepped on one end of the rod, causing the other end to automatically rise.
He grabbed it backhandedly, holding the black rod. Steam erupted from the tubes on his arms and back as power surged fully. He swung it, creating a large windmill.
The fireball was split in two as soon as it approached, flying out on either side of him. Ryuji advanced with large strides, swinging the windmill, forcing Setsuna to retreat step by step.
There was no choice; the momentum was too fierce, even the air was stirred into a frenzy.
Setsuna retreated while throwing kunai.
But Ryuji's rod-swinging created an impenetrable defense. Even using the Uchiha Clan's secret trick of making kunai collide mid-air to change trajectory, they were all blocked.
Thud!
Setsuna reached the wall, with no more room to retreat.
Ryuji swung the rod at him.
Such a simple, straightforward attack naturally wouldn't succeed. Setsuna's Sharingan spun wildly, capturing the attack trajectory.
He slightly tilted his head while bending his legs.
Boom!
The rod smashed into the wall beside his head, creating a cracked crater over a meter in diameter.
'Isn't this guy a puppeteer? How is his strength so immense?' Setsuna was inwardly shocked by Ryuji's power, but his actions showed no delay. The moment the rod smashed into the wall, he quickly straightened up, gripping a kunai, and closed in.
At this moment, Ryuji's old force was spent, new force not yet generated. Changing moves to block or counterattack was impossible. He could only abandon the rod and retreat step by step.
Setsuna grabbed the rod with his left hand, throwing the kunai with his right.
Ryuji raised his hand and slapped it away.
But Setsuna had successfully reclaimed the iron rod. He gripped it with both hands, spinning it. With a whistling sound, both ends of the rod burst into scorching flames.
"Tsk, it's actually a Chakra Metal Weapon. So rich."
Ryuji felt surprise, but also a bit sour.
Sour, naturally, over the other party's wealth.
Chakra Metal is extremely precious. For an ordinary person, forging a dagger or short sword already marks them as wealthy. But Setsuna had a rod made of Chakra Metal? That's not just ordinary wealth.
'Definitely a damned rich bastard.'
And surprise… it was his first time seeing a weapon with Fire Attribute Chakra Transformation applied.
Even though Chakra Metal has excellent Chakra Conductivity, it's still metal. Subjected to high temperatures, it softens or even melts. Moreover, Chakra Metal is mostly used to forge blades. The thin blade body, even with a high-temperature-resistant coating, can easily warp or melt under high heat.
Therefore, even though everyone knows adding flames to a blade would grant great killing power, no one does it.
But a rod is different.
It's as thick as an egg. If coated with high-temperature-resistant material, it can withstand burning for a long time without deforming.
"I told you I'd show you the true power of the Sharingan..." Setsuna was pleased by Ryuji's reaction, speaking with a smug expression. "The good show has just begun. Keep your eyes wide open and enjoy it properly!"
After saying this, without waiting for Ryuji's reaction, he gripped the rod, leaped up, and brought it down on Ryuji's head with a powerful strike.
Air whistled; flames burned.
Setsuna's strike was heavy and powerful, carrying the feeling of overwhelming force.
But...
"Is that all?"
The smile on Ryuji's face remained unchanged.
He didn't dodge or block with any weapon or Ninjutsu. He simply, ordinarily, extended his right hand to grab the rod.
This scene stunned everyone.
Setsuna's strike utilized the force of his jump… heavy and powerful, enough to easily shatter a giant rock.
Even if Ryuji's strength is great, he's still flesh and blood. He gets injured by blades, swells when hit by heavy objects. Making no preparation, catching a heavy iron rod strike bare-handed… isn't that seeking death?
Moreover, flames were burning on the rod.
However, until the very end, you never know the outcome of many things.
Thud!
Accompanied by a dull sound echoing through the arena, a circle of air rippled from where the rod met the palm. Ryuji's body sank slightly, his legs sinking into the cracked earth.
But... he steadily caught the rod in his hand.
His gloved right hand gripped the rod; flames enveloped both the rod and the right hand... The crackling sound of burning flames was particularly piercing in the suddenly silent arena.
And Ryuji... the smile on his face widened even more.
'He actually caught it!'
In the spectator stands, whether from Sunagakure or Konoha, everyone stared blankly at this scene. Even the Third Hokage slightly opened his mouth in astonishment.
"This is impossible!?"
Setsuna's eyes widened. He pulled back the rod with both hands with all his might, spun around, the rod following his body, and brought it down on Ryuji's head once more.
Ryuji still stood in place without moving.
Only this time, he extended his left hand.
Thud!
The same scene played out again, only the right hand became the left this time.
Setsuna's eyes widened even more, his expression filled with disbelief.
The audience outside the arena was the same.
Once could be called coincidence or good luck. But twice, switching hands, with the same result?
That meant the other truly had the skill.
"It's those gloves."
Setsuna quickly identified the issue.
Though judging by the glove's appearance and the softness on the hand, they seemed like ordinary leather gloves.
But his Sharingan saw clearly: the material density composing these gloves was not something fur or leather could achieve. It was closer to metal.
They could defend against swords, resist water and fire.
"It seems the Sharingan has its uses, at least able to quickly distinguish material differences. Could be useful for material screening," Ryuji praised.
Setsuna guessed correctly. The reason Ryuji could catch the rod bare-handed was precisely because of these gloves.
The glove material was ordinary fur, but a thin strand of Life Fiber was sewn inside. Thus, they could be unafraid of blades, resist water and fire, withstand heavy blows, and amplify strength.
For Ryuji's immense strength, this was the greatest contributor.
Setsuna's face darkened once again.
Though Ryuji's tone was praising, the content of his words was pure sarcasm.
But he didn't respond.
After several provocations, he had to admit: in terms of trash talk alone, Ryuji could grind him into the dirt.
"Huff~"
Setsuna took a deep breath, then abruptly swung the rod left and right. The flames at both ends were continuously flung off by centrifugal force, each the size of a soccer ball, bombarding the enemy like cannonballs in succession.
[Fire Release: Fire Consecutive Bullets!]