Chapter 17 — Dog Heads on the Earth-Flow Wall
Is that… Itachi's younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke?
Inside the Hokage's office, Sasuke's face in the crystal ball grew larger and larger. His features bore a striking resemblance to Uchiha Itachi, causing Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression to twist into a complex mixture of emotions.
Well, this is a chance to observe whether his strength has noticeably improved under Kakashi's guidance.
"Do you need a break? The Uchiha never take any advantage."
Watching Tetsuya emerge from the shadows, Sasuke lifted his chin slightly. Even though Tetsuya was a year older than him, Sasuke still felt confident of victory.
If he couldn't even defeat a lower-class ninja from Konoha, how could he possibly get revenge on that man?
"No need."
Tetsuya smiled faintly and stepped in front of Sasuke, forming the opposing hand seals that signaled a duel.
"Your specialty is genjutsu, right? That's nothing more than a form of hypnosis. I bear the Uchiha name, and I am not like those guys…"
Before he could finish, Inuzuka Kiba, already roused by Hinata's chakra input, leapt up, loudly protesting:
"What do you mean 'those guys'? Sasuke, you really don't know how to speak! Last time I lost to you, it was only because I didn't perform at my best!"
Sasuke ignored Kiba's loud protest entirely, his arms already reaching into his ninja tool pouch.
"Oh? Have you already activated the Uchiha's Sharingan?"
Tetsuya's calm remark immediately cracked Sasuke's otherwise stoic expression, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.
"Enough talk! Take this!"
Tetsuya's words hit Sasuke right in his pride. As an Uchiha who had yet to awaken his kekkei genkai, Sasuke could no longer contain his frustration. Seven or eight shuriken shot out, glinting coldly as they aimed for Tetsuya's vital points.
He had already activated his Sharingan on the night of the clan's annihilation, yet he never realized it now—perhaps because he refused to recall the death of his parents and the destruction of his clan?
At the moment Sasuke swung his arm, Tetsuya quietly activated his own Sharingan and threw the shuriken in his hand.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
A series of crisp metal clashing sounds rang out. Every shuriken Sasuke threw was intercepted, all falling harmlessly to the ground.
"To dare challenge the Uchiha in ninja tools…"
Sasuke's lips curled slightly. His earlier loss of composure faded, and chakra surged from his feet, increasing his speed dramatically. Centered on Tetsuya, he began moving at lightning-fast pace, kicking up a dust storm from the ground.
Now!
Seeing Tetsuya seemingly lost in his high-speed movements, Sasuke swung his arms again. Four more shuriken shot toward Tetsuya, colliding midair and altering their trajectory, making them nearly impossible to avoid.
The Uchiha clan's precision in shuriken throwing, honed to complement the Sharingan, was truly refined—stronger and faster than techniques learned independently.
Tetsuya let out a quiet sigh of admiration. His Sharingan, partially hidden by the contact lense, twitched slightly. All moving objects immediately slowed in perception. When the shuriken collided midair, Tetsuya already had perfect insight into their landing points. The kunai in his hand spun half a turn before slashing forward, sweeping all incoming shuriken to the ground.
No matter how sophisticated the throwing technique, only the Sharingan could fully realize its power. No matter how skilled Sasuke was at shuriken, the lack of ocular insight made all the difference.
"What?!"
Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. He plunged his hand back into the pouch. Circling behind Tetsuya, four more shuriken shot out.
Shuriken manipulation technique?
At first glance, the attack seemed identical. But Tetsuya noticed immediately: this time, the shuriken were tied with invisible threads at the tail, the other ends connected to Sasuke's fingers. With a slight movement of the fingers, a web of threads would form, trapping everything around.
Predictably, Tetsuya sidestepped, avoiding all shuriken. Sasuke's eyes flashed. He stopped, pulling his arms back, causing the shuriken to spin midair and strike from behind.
Finished!
Seeing Tetsuya still unaware, Sasuke's lips curled slightly.
Pfft!
Blood splattered as Tetsuya fell to the ground with a thud, a stream of blood flowing from his body, seemingly lifeless.
Did I… just kill someone?
Unlike the Third Ninja World War, where six-year-olds were forced into battle, ninja school in peacetime rarely saw bloodshed—even at graduation. Sasuke felt his hands and feet grow cold, instinctively moving forward to check Tetsuya's injuries.
Something's wrong… it's too quiet. If I really killed someone, Naruto would have jumped out screaming by now.
As he stepped forward, Sasuke realized the deception. His lips parted, tasting the coppery sweetness of blood from the fake wound. In the blood pool, the body vanished, replaced by Tetsuya calmly standing a short distance away, fiddling with the shuriken tied with invisible threads.
I… fell for a genjutsu!
The taste of blood reminded him sharply, as if Tetsuya had just slapped him across the face.
"I have to admit, your strength is impressive, but that's no reason to underestimate the Uchiha!"
Sasuke roared, unwilling to concede, and quickly formed hand seals in front of his chest.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Chakra surged, and a massive fireball spewed toward Tetsuya, illuminating the entire training field.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Tetsuya formed the same seals, releasing a fireball as well. Although his seals were a second slower, both fireballs erupted simultaneously, the orange flames colliding violently between them.
Within a second, Tetsuya's flames intensified, gradually pushing toward Sasuke, the searing heat ruffling his black hair.
Even the renowned fire techniques of the Uchiha could not match Tetsuya's control. Though he hadn't fully mastered Hiruzen Sarutobi's fire techniques, Tetsuya could already surpass Sasuke with the same Great Fireball Technique.
Sasuke's clan's signature jutsu… and yet it was inferior?
With the massive fireball approaching, Sasuke, in a stubborn gamble, refused to dodge, pouring all his chakra into pushing the fireball toward Tetsuya.
"Earth Release: Earth-Flow Wall!"
As the fireball drew closer, threatening even to singe his hair, a clear voice rang out. A wall of earth, carved with four dog heads, erupted from the ground, blocking the fireball.
Kakashi has arrived!
Tetsuya ceased chakra input and immediately closed his Sharingan.
Even partially hidden, Kakashi had perfected the use of the Sharingan he inherited from Obito. Better to be cautious.
"The match is decided."
Kakashi appeared almost out of thin air beside Sasuke, his gaze toward Tetsuya tinged with curiosity.
Was that just an illusion?
"You're called Tetsuya, right? Our Team Seven is missing a member. How about I apply to the Hokage to transfer you to our team?"
After careful assessment found nothing unusual, Kakashi suppressed his doubt and suddenly spoke, extending an invitation.