Boom!
Without a word, blazing flames erupted fromUchiha Akihito 's body.
He took a deep breath, bending his knees slightly as chakra surged wildly into his lower body.
In the next instant, Akihito shot upward, leaping dozens of meters into the air.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
With a low shout, his fist transformed into a mass of flames before he punched forward violently.
Uchiha Itachi's future feat of forming ten hand seals in a second was impressive?
Akihito's Fire Release required no hand seals at all.
The blazing sphere of fire expanded rapidly, gradually enveloping the entire dueling grounds.
The extreme heat warped the surrounding air, as though space itself were rippling.
Below the platform, spectators felt their hair curling from the heat while cold sweat ran down their backs.
"So this is the power of 'Flame Oni' Akihito?"
"It's terrifying!"
A veteran elite jōnin of the Uchiha stepped forward to maintain order.
"Anyone below jōnin level, retreat fifty meters!"
"Those who can use Water Release, prepare barriers with me!"
The crowd snapped back to their senses.
A battle between fighters of this caliber was no child's play.
If they were caught in it, they could lose their lives.
Even the residual shockwaves were enough to overwhelm chūnin-level ninja.
Fortunately, the Uchiha dueling grounds were spacious enough to allow for defensive Water Release techniques.
After all, this area lay on the outskirts of Konoha. The Uchiha had been free to rebuild it as they pleased.
By order of Konoha's leadership, the Uchiha had been relocated to the village's edge.
The Nine-Tails Incident had been publicly declared an accident.
But in truth, suspicion had ultimately been directed toward the Uchiha and their Sharingan.
After the turmoil, other clans received generous compensation.
The Uchiha?
They were given a large empty plot of land and told to rebuild the Police Force themselves.
The clan had followed Konoha's orders faithfully—yet this was their reward.
And most disheartening of all, Clan Head Fugaku had agreed to it.
It only reinforced the belief that Fugaku lacked the ability to properly lead the Uchiha.
Facing Akihito's assault, Fugaku's expression grew serious as his hands flashed through seals.
"Akihito, no matter how many times I see your seal-less Fire Release, it still astonishes me."
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A torrent of water burst from Fugaku's mouth like a waterfall, forming a barrier around him.
The roaring flames grazed the tips of his hair—an extremely close call.
Even someone of Fugaku's caliber would have struggled to block Akihito's seal-less Fire Release without anticipating it.
Crack—crack—
The sheer impact fractured the ground of the arena.
Flaming debris scattered outward.
The clan's jōnin joined forces with Water Release techniques to suppress the residual flames.
Hissss—
Fire and water collided violently, steam shrieking into the air.
Soon, thick mist enveloped the arena, as though the Hidden Mist Technique had been cast.
Using the fog as cover, Akihito launched another attack.
"Uchiha Style: Soaring Flame Slash."
Leaping high, he drew the sword at his waist and dove downward.
Flames clung to the blade like a blazing comet piercing the sun, cleaving toward the watery barrier.
Fugaku smirked faintly.
"In front of the Sharingan, such little tricks are meaningless."
No sooner had he spoken than he pivoted, blocking Akihito's spinning kick aimed from behind.
"Heh…"
The corner of Akihito's lips curled upward.
The figure attacking from behind suddenly dissolved into mist.
Fugaku's pupils shrank.
"A shadow clone?"
In a split second—
Akihito reappeared from the front, his sword slicing through a lock of Fugaku's hair on the left side.
The strike narrowly missed.
Akihito inwardly clicked his tongue in regret.
Though he had misled Fugaku's perception, directly ambushing a Sharingan user was still exceedingly difficult.
The two separated at once, retreating to their original positions.
In that brief exchange alone, cold sweat had already formed on Fugaku's back.
Akihito had deceived his Sharingan's insight?
That last sword strike… had nearly cost him dearly.
…
With that realization, Fugaku activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Akihito's strength was unfathomable. If he didn't take this seriously, he might stumble disastrously.
The Sharingan's ocular power was no joke. With full focus, Akihito would have little chance to launch another surprise attack.
A trace of admiration flickered in Fugaku's eyes.
"Akihito, your rate of progress exceeds my expectations."
"It seems I'll have to use my true strength as well."
Akihito smiled faintly.
"The warm-up's over. Time to get serious."
The earlier exchange had already surpassed ordinary jōnin standards.
Yet for Fugaku and Akihito, it had merely been a test.
Based on Akihito's judgment, Fugaku had likely awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan as well.
However, such power would arouse fear from Konoha's higher-ups.
Given Fugaku's temperament, he would not reveal it lightly unless absolutely necessary.
In a pure contest of ninjutsu and taijutsu, Akihito's Fire Release Chakra Mode granted him a significant advantage.
Under Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the Fourth Raikage had been able to chase down even Uchiha Madara.
Akihito's Fire Release Chakra Mode was no different.
In that state, his speed and destructive power would increase exponentially.
And even in a contest of ocular abilities, Akihito felt no fear.
If both wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan, then so be it.
Though Akihito was not famous for genjutsu, his ocular prowess was by no means weak.
Even "Shunshin no Shisui," his peer within the clan, could not surpass him in that regard.
After all, Shisui would one day be regarded as the pinnacle of Uchiha genjutsu.
For Akihito to consistently suppress Shisui spoke volumes about his own mastery.