Boom!
Without a single word, flames erupted from Yusuke's body.
He inhaled deeply, knees bending slightly as chakra surged downward, compressing violently into his lower body.
In the next instant—
He shot upward, leaping dozens of meters into the air.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
With a sharp shout, his fist ignited into a blazing mass of fire before he thrust it forward.
In the future, Itachi forming ten hand seals in a second would be considered extraordinary.
Yusuke's Fire Release—
Required no hand seals at all.
The roaring inferno expanded rapidly, swallowing the dueling grounds in a blazing tide.
The temperature soared.
The air itself began to warp, shimmering as if space were distorting under the heat.
Below the platform, spectators felt their hair curl from the heat while cold sweat ran down their backs.
"So this is the power of 'Blazing Demon' Yusuke?"
"This is terrifying…"
An older elite Jōnin stepped forward to maintain order.
"Anyone below Jōnin level—fall back fifty meters!"
"Those proficient in Water Release, prepare defensive barriers with me!"
The crowd snapped out of their shock.
This was no child's scuffle.
Being caught in such a clash meant death.
Even the residual shockwaves were beyond the endurance of Chūnin-level shinobi.
Fortunately, the Uchiha dueling grounds were vast—large enough to allow space for defensive Water Release formations.
After all, this was the outskirts of Konoha. The Uchiha had rebuilt it as they pleased.
Following the Nine-Tails incident, though publicly labeled an accident, suspicion had ultimately settled on the clan that possessed the Sharingan.
Other clans had received compensation.
The Uchiha?
They were given a wide stretch of land on the village's edge.
"Rebuild your Police Force here."
They had obeyed.
And this was the reward.
Cold.
Unjust.
Worse—
Fugaku had agreed to it.
A decision that further proved he lacked the strength to lead the clan through what was coming.
On the platform, Fugaku's eyes sharpened as the inferno closed in. His hands blurred through hand seals.
"Yusuke… your hand-seal-less Fire Release is astonishing, no matter how many times I see it."
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall."
A torrent of water burst from his mouth like a cascading waterfall, forming a defensive barrier around him.
The blazing fire skimmed past Fugaku's hair—
A razor-thin margin.
Even a shinobi of Fugaku's caliber would not have blocked that attack without preemptive prediction.
Crack—!
Under the violent collision, fissures spiderwebbed across the stone platform.
Fragments of rock, wreathed in flame, scattered outward.
The Jōnin below joined forces with Water Release to suppress the residual blaze.
Hissssss—
Fire and water clashed, steam erupting in thick waves.
The dueling grounds were soon enveloped in dense mist, resembling a hidden mist technique.
Yusuke moved.
Using the steam as cover, he attacked again.
"Uchiha Style: Leaping Flame Slash."
He vaulted forward, drawing the sword from his waist mid-air and plunging downward.
Flames wrapped the blade, cutting through the vapor like a white rainbow piercing the sun, cleaving toward the water barrier.
Fugaku gave a faint, disdainful smile.
"In front of the Sharingan… tricks like that won't work."
The moment the words fell—
He pivoted and blocked a spinning kick aimed at his back.
But—
Yusuke's lips curved upward.
The body behind Fugaku dissolved into smoke.
Fugaku's pupils contracted.
"A Shadow Clone?"
In a flash—
The real Yusuke appeared from the front, blade flashing.
The edge sliced through the air, severing a lock of Fugaku's hair from the left side of his head.
The strike narrowly missed its mark.
Yusuke clicked his tongue inwardly.
He had induced a miscalculation—
But landing a true surprise attack against the Sharingan was never simple.
The two separated instantly, retreating to opposite ends of the platform.
Though the exchange had lasted mere seconds, cold sweat dampened Fugaku's back.
He had been deceived.
That sword just now—
Had nearly cost him everything.
…
Without hesitation, Fugaku activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Yusuke's depth was unfathomable.
Holding back further would be dangerous.
The crimson eyes spun, tomoe rotating.
With focus sharpened, Yusuke's chances of slipping through his perception diminished drastically.
A trace of admiration flickered across Fugaku's gaze.
"Yusuke… your growth exceeds even my expectations."
"It seems I must show my true strength."
Yusuke smiled faintly.
"The warm-up is over."
"Now we get serious."
The previous clash had already surpassed the level of ordinary Jōnin.
Yet for the two of them—
It had only been a test.
Based on Yusuke's judgment, there were long-standing rumors within the clan that Fugaku may have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, though no public confirmation had ever been made.
But revealing it would draw immediate fear from Konoha's leadership.
Given Fugaku's personality, he would not expose such power unless absolutely necessary.
If this became a contest of ninjutsu and taijutsu—
Yusuke held the advantage.
His Fire Release: Chakra Mode amplified his speed and destructive power exponentially.
The Fourth Raikage, in Lightning Release Chakra Mode, had been able to contend directly with Uchiha Madara.
Yusuke's Fire Release: Chakra Mode functioned similarly.
In that state—
His physical parameters would multiply.
And even if this turned into a battle of ocular power—
He felt no fear.
Mangekyō against Mangekyō—
Who feared whom?
Though Yusuke was not famed for genjutsu, his ocular prowess was far from weak.
Even Shisui—who would one day stand at the pinnacle of Uchiha genjutsu—
Was currently suppressed by him.
That alone spoke volumes about Yusuke's mastery.
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