Kaen studied Atsuro closely, eyes locked on him as the puppet user remained unnervingly still. The lack of reaction drew a scoff from Kaen, and he shot forward, chakra surging as his focus sharpened on Atsuro's eyes, waiting for the smallest opening. He clearly intended to close the distance fast and deny Atsuro the space he needed.
The moment Kaen entered range, the puppet lunged. Its limbs clicked and shifted as its structure reconfigured, four arms unfolding, each wielding blades of different lengths. They slashed toward Kaen in rapid succession, forcing him to stay close while denying him a clean approach. The attacks came fast and erratic, angles changing constantly, but Kaen's Sharingan traced the trajectories through the chaos. He weaved through the attacks with tight movements, a thin wire flickering in and out of sight as he looped it around the puppet whenever he found an opening. One clean hit would likely end the match, and he knew it, which made him careful rather than reckless.
After a heavy downward slash from the left arm, Kaen suddenly leapt upward, planting his foot on the limb itself. The wire snapped tight, freezing the puppet mid-motion, and Kaen smiled as he used it as a stepping point. The smile vanished a heartbeat later when the puppet disassembled without warning. Segments broke apart into multiple pieces, some still tangled by the wire while others moved freely. His footing failed, balance slipping just enough to matter.
Blades came from his blind spots all at once. I could see him push his Sharingan to its limit, tracking multiple parts at once as he twisted and redirected, but it was too much. Kaen flickered away at the last possible instant, several limbs piercing the space he had occupied less than a second earlier. He landed farther back, forced to give ground.
Beside me, Shisui's expression tightened as he watched the exchange, eyes following every movement. He spoke quietly, unmistakably impressed. "He's not splitting control between multiple puppets. He's focusing everything on one," he said. "But it's modular. Far more complex than most designs." His gaze sharpened. "That level of chakra control is exceptional. Honestly… it's on par with yours."
I watched more closely after that and found myself nodding in agreement. The chakra threads were thin and precise, their movements exact. Nothing was wasted. Every adjustment served a purpose, every motion applied pressure without excess. Atsuro wasn't just skilled. He was gifted, and that made him dangerous.
The tension thickened as Kaen reset his stance, frustration clear now that he had been forced back. He weaved through hand seals and released Fire Release: Scorch Fan, a wide wave of fire surging forward to repeat the tactic that had worked earlier. This time, Atsuro reacted instantly. He snapped his hand back, the puppet retreating behind him as he abandoned control to weave seals of his own. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough." He exhaled sharply, releasing a burst of compressed air that slammed into the incoming fire. The technique wasn't overwhelming, and the chakra output was clearly limited, but it was enough for what he needed. The wind tore the flames apart, shielding the puppet as fire and air twisted violently together before breaking apart and dispersing.
Kaen grinned and moved immediately. He flickered sideways, legs straining as he forced more speed, weaving seals mid-motion before launching a large fireball. He flickered again, sending smaller fireballs from a different angle and forcing Atsuro into constant reaction. Atsuro shifted fully to defense, exhaling as Wind Release: Gale Barrier formed around him. The wind shaped itself into a rough, uneven dome, rotating violently as it shielded him. The level of control required was impressive, especially under that kind of pressure.
Kaen spotted the weakest section and forced his way through, taking shallow cuts as he pushed past the barrier without hesitation. He closed the distance in an instant and slashed toward Atsuro's chest. Atsuro did not react. Instead, his body burst apart into wind the moment the kunai struck, dispersing violently into miniature wind slashes. Kaen was hit from multiple directions at once, shallow but numerous cuts opening across his body as he was thrown off balance. None of the wounds were fatal or even deep, but there were too many to ignore. He dropped to one knee, blood running freely as he breathed hard.
I was genuinely flabbergasted. Atsuro must have burned through most of his chakra to pull off a clone like that, but the tactic was brilliant. The realization sent a chill through me. The puppet shook lightly before surging forward, blades slashing down at Kaen as he rolled aside with a groan of pain. It pressed relentlessly, giving him no room to breathe, forcing him to keep moving as he rolled across the ground, unable to find solid footing while the blades chased him without pause.
I could see it clearly now. The chakra threads were weaker, thinner than before, their movements less precise. Chakra reserves. That was it. I nodded slowly, the conclusion settling into place. "His weakness is his chakra reserves." Shisui nodded in agreement just as Kaen narrowly avoided a heavy slash from one of the puppet's arms, kicking it away and forcing distance before landing back on his feet. He was visibly furious.
The puppet disassembled again. Multiple limbs shot forward at even greater speed than before as Atsuro committed fully, abandoning restraint. Blades tore through the air from every direction, forcing Kaen into constant evasion with barely a hair's breadth to spare. Kunai joined the assault, thrown with precise timing to close off escape routes. There was no room left to breathe. Kaen was overwhelmed, his eyes pushed to their limit as attack after attack stacked together.
Then it happened. A blade slipped through his blind spot and slashed across his back. Kaen staggered as the poison took hold almost immediately, his movements slowing just enough to matter. Another blade followed, fast and precise, close enough that the crowd erupted into cheers, already convinced the match was over as Atsuro pressed the attack, growing more aggressive and relentless as he went for the kill.
Kaen's rage ignited, his voice cutting through the storm around him with sharp clarity. "I won't let the Uchiha or Sensei down," he snarled, the words heavy with fury and resolve. "I won't lose my life to someone like you. I won't die before I beat him." He spoke it like an oath, his tone leaving no room for doubt or retreat. In that moment, it felt as if his will had taken shape. Blood rose and swirled around him in a violent red storm, the pressure compressing inward and crystallizing his emotions, promise, and resolve in his chest as his chakra flared with an ominous glow.
Something shifted. I felt it before I saw it. Kaen's movements sharpened instantly, his body slipping between attacks as though the world had slowed around him. A third tomoe formed in his Sharingan, the pattern completing as cold clarity filled his gaze. He moved through the assault with terrifying precision, weaving through the storm of blades while his own blood scattered across the battlefield. He was badly injured, poisoned and bleeding, yet he refused to fall, forcing himself forward through sheer will.
Shisui, who had been ready to move in, stopped mid-step. His eyes widened, his mouth parting slightly in disbelief. "Did he just evolve his Sharingan?" he muttered, the last words carrying raw shock.
Kaen finally found a narrow opening and launched himself between converging blades, body twisting midair as he weaved hand signs with terrifying speed, faster than anything he had shown before. His chakra flared differently now, tighter and more refined.
Fire Release: Ash Drift
A dense cloud of hot, fine ash poured from his mouth and rolled across the arena, spreading low and wide. It clung to everything it touched, coating the ground, the scattered cover, the puppet's limbs, and most importantly the near-invisible chakra threads stretched through the air. The ash refused to disperse, glowing faintly as it settled, turning the space between them into a choking haze. For the first time, Atsuro stiffened. His puppet hesitated, its movements growing cautious as the threads retracted and rerouted, pulled back instinctively to avoid igniting the field.
Kaen landed near the edge of the arena and did not give him a moment to recover. He snapped his fingers together, sparks flashing between them in an impressive feat of fire chakra control. Fire ignited through the ash cloud in a violent flash. Heat tore outward in uneven surges as the suspended ash caught all at once. Threads scorched and snapped. The puppet jerked violently as Atsuro dragged it toward himself at the last second, its chest cavity snapping open. He slipped inside as the segments slammed shut around him, locking together and forming a fragile barrier. The burning haze collapsed inward, heat surging through every gap and seam. Ash ignited along the surface, pressure building as the air itself seemed to suffocate. There was no safe ground left, no clear space to stand or breathe, only fire, heat, and the cramped protection of a construct already straining to hold.
Shisui stared in disbelief. "He knew that technique before, but it was too advanced for him to use reliably," he said quietly. "He used those new eyes to optimize his chakra use and control just enough to reach the required level."
Kaen moved forward slowly, eyes dull and unfocused as the poison tore through his body. He was moving on pure resolve alone, far beyond what his limits should have allowed. The damaged, scorched puppet finally split open, and Atsuro tumbled out coughing, burns visible across his clothes and skin. He tried to stand, failed, and collapsed as his chakra reserves finally ran dry.
Kaen reached him and grabbed him by the hair, forcing their eyes to meet. Atsuro's dark eyes rolled back as he screamed, his body going limp as the genjutsu took hold. He collapsed to the ground, frozen, eyes wide and shaking with horror. Kaen raised his blade and slashed toward Atsuro's neck, the intent unmistakable, his movement carrying not a trace of hesitation.
A jonin appeared instantly between them, intercepting the strike. He was a small man with dark hair, his features strikingly similar to Atsuro's, likely a parent or close relative. "That's enough," he said firmly. "You've won."
The proctor appeared between the jonin and Kaen, posture cautious, as if ready for anything before he spoke. "Match over. Winner, Kaen of the Hidden Leaf."
The moment the words were spoken, Kaen collapsed, but Shisui was already there, catching him before he hit the ground. "Kaen," he said, his voice steady and proud, "that was incredible. Truly incredible."
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A/N: That was intense XD. Glad I could conclude this fight before my off day. It should be interesting to read the comments on this one during my break lol.