Clang! Clang!
The clear sounds of blades being drawn rang out almost simultaneously.
The two figures collided again.
They intersected, separated, and crashed back together in a blur of motion, constantly clashing their short swords, probing for any structural weakness in the other's guard.
Sparks showered across the riverbank incessantly.
'This guy's swordsmanship...' Uchiha Tetsuho watched from the sidelines, secretly alarmed.
He realized that, purely in terms of Kenjutsu skill, Shisui was actually being suppressed!
It wasn't until Shisui's dark eyes suddenly bled scarlet—two black tomoe slowly rotating in each iris—that the momentum shifted.
"Very good!" Tetsuho felt reassured.
With the Sharingan fully activated, Shisui's dynamic kinetic vision and precognitive insight achieved a qualitative leap.
Sure enough, boosted by the crimson eyes, Shisui's movements became flawlessly fluid. He seemed able to perfectly anticipate Kiyohara's sword trajectories a split second before they manifested, allowing him to weave through the slashes and launch rapid counterattacks.
'Is this the true power of the Sharingan? It's certainly tricky to deal with up close,' Kiyohara frowned slightly behind his mask.
"Magnet Release: Magnetic Field Rotation!"
An invisible, localized magnetic force field erupted from Kiyohara's body.
Instead of polarizing the field to manipulate external metal, Kiyohara applied the repulsive rotation directly to his own kinetic momentum!
Swish!
Kiyohara's speed suddenly spiked to an unnatural degree. His figure blurred, and the velocity of his sword swings became so fast they left visible afterimages in the moonlight.
"?!"
This time, it was Shisui's turn to be shocked.
Through the terrifying clarity of the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Kiyohara's movements were still decipherable, but the sheer, raw speed exerted immense physical pressure on Shisui. It required absolute, agonizing concentration just to keep up his parries.
The two fought fiercely, but the battle had entered a white-hot phase. The speed was blinding, the sword light dense. The spectators—Rin, Kurenai, and even Asuma—were already having trouble tracking their movements. They could only see two blurry figures rapidly flickering across the grass, clashing with the deafening ring of intersecting steel.
Just then, Shizune, carrying Tonton, arrived at the riverbank. She was immediately captivated by the fierce battle.
'Such speed!' she was secretly astonished, her gaze locking onto the figure surrounded by swirling black iron sand. 'Lady Tsunade was right... Kiyohara might actually win this.'
In the center of the clearing, Kiyohara brought his sword down in a heavy, two-handed vertical cleave.
As Shisui raised his blade to parry it, Kiyohara quietly formed a single, one-handed seal with his left hand.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Restraint!"
The fine iron sand that had been scattered across the grass from his earlier defense was instantly manipulated. Acting like flowing black water, it shot upward, quickly wrapping around the steel blade of Shisui's short sword and aggressively spreading up toward his wrist.
Shisui tried to yank his arm back, but the adhesive magnetic pull of the iron sand was absolute, locking his weapon in place.
In that lightning-quick moment of delay, Kiyohara stepped into Shisui's guard.
"It's over," Kiyohara's calm voice whispered next to Shisui's ear.
The tip of Kiyohara's Tachi stopped dead, exactly one inch from Shisui's carotid artery.
On the sidelines, Rin and Kurenai exhaled in relief simultaneously.
Kiyohara looked at Shisui's frozen face and slowly withdrew his sword. "Let's stop here, Shisui. That's just a phantom, isn't it?"
The moment Kiyohara withdrew his blade, the "Uchiha Shisui" standing before him smiled faintly.
Poof.
The figure dissolved into a cloud of white smoke and vanished.
"That was truly impressive, Senior Kiyohara," Shisui's real voice echoed from the shadows of a nearby tree. The young Uchiha stepped out into the moonlight, sheathing his sword.
"Both your Magnet Release and your base speed exceeded my expectations," Shisui admitted politely. "If we continued fighting at that pace, it would be difficult for either of us to hold back, and severe injuries would be inevitable. Let's just call it a draw."
Shisui paused, then stated frankly, "If I hadn't deployed the Phantom Body Flicker Technique beforehand to escape that last lock, the outcome would have been hard to predict. But I am willing to admit that I was slightly inferior in that direct exchange."
He had used the signature technique the exact moment his Fire Release was pierced by the iron sand, using the resulting steam to conceal his true body while leaving only a flawless Phantom Clone to engage Kiyohara in close combat.
"Shisui, you—!" Tetsuho widened his eyes, staring at the younger boy in disbelief.
He hadn't expected Shisui to voluntarily admit he was outmatched in a physical exchange! This was simply humiliating!
But seeing Shisui's calm, serious gaze, and noting that Kiyohara still had plenty of stamina in reserve, Tetsuho swallowed the furious words he was about to say.
His expression shifted several times. Ultimately, the suffocating pride of the Uchiha Clan prevented him from being a sore loser. Tetsuho knew Shisui was a child who absolutely refused to lie.
Tetsuho took a deep, grounding breath. He walked over to Kiyohara, his face solemn.
"Hmph. You won this time," Tetsuho grunted. "We of the Uchiha Clan can afford to win, and we can afford to lose. We honor the bet."
Hearing this, Kiyohara dispersed the localized magnetic field surrounding him. He nodded respectfully to both Uchiha.
"Shisui, your strength is formidable. If we had used our full arsenals to the death, the outcome would still be impossible to predict."
Kiyohara wasn't just being polite; he meant it. He had sensed that the Phantom Clone's physical resistance felt slightly weaker than a real body during the sword clashes. However, he hadn't fully seen through the phantom; he had only guessed based on his massive spiritual energy detecting a micro-fluctuation in chakra density.
Furthermore, Shisui was currently only at the Two-Tomoe stage. According to canonical lore, he would soon awaken the Three-Tomoe, and eventually the Mangekyō Sharingan, due to the traumatic death of a comrade. The next time they sparred, Shisui's strength would be god-like.
'The Sharingan truly is a broken cheat code,' Kiyohara admitted internally. 'I wonder if I'll ever roll an "Uchiha Kiyohara" in the Urn.'
Hearing Kiyohara's respectful words, Tetsuho's expression clearly softened.
"Here you go," Tetsuho placed the three custom Ninja Cat shuriken into Kiyohara's hand. "Among the non-Uchiha ninja of our generation... I call you the strongest."
The Uchiha Clan respects absolute strength above all else. Kiyohara's talent was undeniable.
"Thank you," Kiyohara smiled slightly behind his mask.
'Not bad. Another solid payout today,' he thought cheerfully. He could use these superb, aerodynamically perfect shuriken for his Object Manipulation training right now. Later, when he needed hard cash, he could list them as "Used, 99% Mint Condition" and sell them to a weapons broker for a small fortune.
Tetsuho was stiff and arrogant, very much like Sasuke Uchiha. But Kiyohara genuinely hoped these boys would continue to challenge him and provide him with free loot.
"Come again next time you want to spar," Kiyohara said graciously, storing the shuriken in his pouch. "Let's practice together whenever we have time."
Where else could he find such a perfect deal—grinding combat experience while earning premium gear?
"I will, Senior Kiyohara," Shisui nodded warmly. He didn't possess the blinding arrogance of his older clansmen; he treated outsiders as equals.
Tetsuho hesitated for a moment, then also nodded. Training with a monster like Kiyohara would rapidly increase their own combat specs.
The only downside was the agonizing heartache Tetsuho felt, realizing that the custom-made Ninja Cat shuriken he hadn't even gotten to use in a real battle yet were now sitting in a commoner's pouch.
'Damn it... I absolutely must grind until I win my shuriken back!' Tetsuho swore to himself.
After the Uchiha departed, Kakashi walked over to Kiyohara.
"Your chakra growth rate is incredibly fast," Kakashi noted, a faint trace of envy hidden in his usually deadpan tone. "Is this also a secondary effect of the Magnet Release mutation?"
If Kakashi possessed Kiyohara's monstrous chakra regeneration rate, the crushing burden of his transplanted Sharingan wouldn't be nearly as debilitating.
"I'm not sure. Maybe," Kiyohara answered ambiguously.
"That was amazing, Kiyohara! You really won!" Kurenai cheered, clenching her small fists in excitement.
Kiyohara turned to look at her. He looked into her crimson eyes and noted how her curly black hair framed her face. As time passed, Kurenai was rapidly growing out of her teenage awkwardness, leaning heavily toward becoming the mature beauty from the canon timeline.
Kiyohara smiled faintly. He didn't press the conversation further.
His mind was already shifting back to his primary goal.
Only five days remained until he received a new "Last Words Letter."
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