In the next instant, Pakura's figure vanished.
Boom!
Almost simultaneously, the two reappeared on opposite ends of an open clearing, their speed dazzling to the eye.
Pakura raised her hand—four blazing fire orbs followed closely behind her, orbiting like shadows.
Every time Kiyoshi drew near, he could feel an intense heat, as if the moisture in his body would be completely evaporated.
Kiyoshi formed hand seals and exhaled:
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball burst from his mouth, surging forward with a terrifying wave of heat.
"Fire Release? That won't work on me!"
She let out a low shout:
"Scorch Release: Excessive Steam Kill!"
The fire orbs spun rapidly, merging into a single, enormous blazing sphere.
Boom!
The two fireballs collided. Kiyoshi's Great Fireball was immediately halted midair.
Moments later, a shockwave erupted—but Pakura's fireball continued pushing forward toward him.
Kiyoshi dodged. The fireball struck the ground behind him, blasting it into scorched earth.
"Scorch Release… its temperature is higher than Fire Release."
His black hair fluttered in the searing wind, his Uchiha robe billowing with the rising heat.
That was only natural.
Kiyoshi's Fire Release relied solely on a single chakra nature—fire.
But Scorch Release combined both fire and wind chakra, fusing them into a new nature transformation—
A kekkei genkai.
"And the Uchiha dare call themselves masters of flame?"
Pakura smirked.
As a true Sunagakure ninja, she had always disliked Konoha—those who lived in the fertile Land of Fire, hoarding vast resources.
Kiyoshi said nothing, retreating as he maneuvered backward.
Seeing him at a disadvantage, Pakura immediately pressed the attack.
The two fought as they moved, drifting farther and farther away from the original clearing.
At the same time, as Kiyoshi and Pakura clashed, Kurenai and Asuma engaged Pakura's two teammates.
The battlefield descended into chaos.
The small-village ninja who had just been defeated by Kiyoshi quickly fled, supporting one another.
They didn't even care about the scrolls anymore.
Who could stand against monsters from the great nations?
"Far enough."
Kiyoshi suddenly stopped.
"Far enough?"
Pakura frowned, instinctively suspecting an ambush. Her gaze sharpened as she scanned the surroundings.
"No need to look. It's just me here."
Kiyoshi removed a sealing scroll from his waist and summoned a long black blade.
The sword was slightly unwieldy for him, but with time—and as his height gradually increased—he had grown accustomed to it.
Buzz!
Crimson flames spread along the blade.
Pakura raised a brow.
Chakra flow?
Even in Sunagakure, few could control chakra with such finesse.
Even she, hailed as a genius, had yet to master such a technique.
"Unfortunately for you, I have high resistance to Fire Release."
A confident smile appeared on her lips.
She glanced down briefly at her fair, smooth skin.
Her Scorch Release made her far more resistant to heat than ordinary people—even granting her strong immunity to fire techniques.
Just like how the Hydration Technique could nullify physical attacks—
This was an overwhelming advantage.
She lunged at Kiyoshi, her strikes aimed relentlessly at his face—
As if she intended to rip the Sharingan straight from his eye sockets.
"I see."
While exchanging blows, Kiyoshi nodded slightly, a faint smile on his lips.
"But who told you… Fire Release is all I can use?"
In an instant, a surge of chakra gathered at his feet—electric currents crackling.
His figure vanished, leaving only faint arcs of lightning twisting through the air.
Pakura's pupils shrank.
Her confident expression tightened, her toes curling slightly as tension spiked.
Before she could react, a sharp gust of wind roared from behind her.
Her expression hardened. A fireball formed in her palm as she struck backward.
Boom!
The flame-coated blade—now dark red—collided with her brighter, blazing fireball.
Blocked!
Relief flickered in her heart—she prepared to counterattack.
But Kiyoshi was faster.
A whip-like kick lashed out.
Days ago, Samui had given Kiyoshi not only Lightning Release: Earth Walk, but also a second technique—
Lightning Release: Current Flow.
Unlike techniques that merely coated the skin, this one refined the internal body—forming a fine electric network within the organs, enhancing muscle performance from the inside out.
With the boost from his traits, Kiyoshi could even extend that network to his legs—
Combined with his enhanced leg strength, each kick became a lethal strike.
Bang!
Caught off guard, Pakura couldn't even activate her Scorch Release in time.
Her face paled as she was sent flying into a tree trunk.
The thick trunk cracked, forming a deep spiderweb pattern.
Pakura opened her mouth, nearly coughing up blood.
She forcibly swallowed the metallic taste rising in her throat, gasping for breath.
"In the end, the body is what matters most. No matter how powerful your techniques are—if you can't use them, they're meaningless."
Kiyoshi smiled faintly, sword in hand, walking toward her step by step.
"Scorch Release doesn't improve your durability, does it… Miss Pakura?"
Pakura felt her chest tighten, the blood she swallowed threatening to surge back up.
She had been careless!
Since when did an Uchiha have such terrifying taijutsu?!
She had been completely caught off guard by the information gap.
The Uchiha were known as elite among elites—overwhelming enemies with dazzling ninjutsu.
Since when did one rely purely on brute force?!
"Y-You… don't come any closer!"
Pakura tried to gather chakra—
But Kiyoshi suddenly grabbed her by the neck, his grip tightening as he warned coldly:
"If I see you gathering chakra again… don't blame me for being ruthless."
Her face flushed red from the pressure.
Her neatly tied orange hair became disheveled, her bun loosening and falling apart.
She lifted her gaze, instinctively thinking to beg for mercy—to buy time.
But then—
She froze.
Kiyoshi's right eye had also activated the Sharingan.
What…?!
Wasn't it supposed to be only one eye?!
Pakura stared, momentarily forgetting the hand around her throat.
Everyone knew that bloodline limits weren't always perfectly inherited—sometimes only partial traits appeared.
She had assumed Kiyoshi possessed only a single Sharingan.
But in reality—
He had both.
"Heh… surprised?"
Kiyoshi observed the flow of chakra within her body, loosening his grip slightly.
Perhaps because he was a unique case—
An Uchiha who had fused multiple bloodline traits—
He could freely choose to activate either his left or right Sharingan, rather than both simultaneously like ordinary Uchiha.
Such mixed-blood anomalies weren't unheard of.
For example, Naruto's daughter, Himawari Uzumaki, had been born with ordinary blue eyes.
(End of Chapter)