At the same time, in a remote training ground hidden in a corner of Konohagakure, Uchiha Ren and Uchiha Shisui stood facing each other.
"Big Brother Ren , be careful—I'm coming!"
Shisui formed hand seals as he spoke. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun to life.
"Body Flicker Technique: Phantom Shunshin!"
In an instant, identical phantom images split off from his body. Dozens of Shisui figures spread across the training field, occupying nearly half of it.
This was Shisui's signature technique—the Phantom Body Flicker.
The phantoms could attack together with the original body, and even when struck, they would not disappear.
Half real and half illusion. Half substance and half mirage.
Truth and falsehood intertwined.
Even Uchiha Ren found it difficult to distinguish the real Shisui from the fakes.
It was precisely with this technique that Shisui had earned the title "Shisui of the Body Flicker" on the battlefield of the Kirigakure front.
But for Ren , if he couldn't tell which was real—
Then he simply wouldn't bother trying.
He would attack all of them at once.
"Fire Release: Torch Flame!"
Ren swiftly drew the Zanka no Tachi at his waist.
A massive tornado-like wall of flames instantly formed and swept across the battlefield toward the dozens of Shisui figures.
"An attack on this scale… Big Brother Ren , you're basically my natural counter!"
Shisui gave a bitter smile as his real body suddenly appeared behind Ren , slashing toward the back of his head.
Clang!
With a sharp metallic ring, Ren twisted the blazing Zanka no Tachi in his hand and blocked the blade.
The flames along the sword erupted outward with the shockwave, surging toward Shisui.
Shisui's eyes narrowed.
He leapt backward while rapidly forming hand seals.
"Lightning Release: Swift Thunder Arrow!"
Lightning gathered in his hand before launching forward as a bolt shaped like an arrow.
Ren turned and casually swung his sword.
A massive flaming slash burst forth, shattering the lightning arrow before continuing toward Shisui.
Shisui's smile grew even more helpless.
He flipped through the air to dodge the attack and quickly widened the distance between them.
Although Shisui possessed Lightning-nature chakra, he was not particularly proficient in Lightning Release.
His true specialties were:
Body FlickerFire ReleaseGenjutsuKenjutsu
However, Ren 's Body Flicker speed exceeded even his own, and Ren 's large-scale attacks perfectly countered Shisui's phantom technique.
Under such circumstances, Shisui had already lost his greatest advantage.
As for Fire Release, it was even worse.
Against Ren , his Fire Release techniques were like a younger brother challenging an elder—unable to interfere with Ren at all, and possibly even being turned against him.
As for genjutsu and swordsmanship…
Shisui might have a slight edge in genjutsu.
But since Ren also possessed the Sharingan, it would hardly be decisive.
And swordsmanship…
Better not mention it.
With the prior agreement that Mangekyō Sharingan could not be used, this sparring match had essentially turned into a one-sided beating.
"Careful, Shisui. I'm going to test this sword's limits."
"Scorching Hell!"
After giving the warning, Ren bent down and stabbed Zanka no Tachi into the ground.
Shisui's expression became serious.
He could feel the surrounding temperature rising rapidly. The air itself shimmered with heat distortion, as if the space around them were twisting.
Then—
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
More than a dozen massive pillars of fire—each as thick as three men embracing—erupted from the earth, blasting skyward.
The sky itself seemed to darken under their blazing light.
Shisui's expression changed drastically.
Before he could react, the fire pillars began moving.
They closed in from every direction, sealing off all possible escape routes.
"BOOM!!!"
Moments later, the dozen pillars merged into a single gigantic column of flame more than ten meters wide—like a volcanic eruption piercing the sky.
Ren pulled his sword back out.
Yet the enormous pillar of fire did not vanish. It continued burning fiercely, drying the air within a radius of dozens of kilometers as the temperature surged dramatically.
"Not bad… still far from the limit."
"If used at full power, it probably wouldn't be much weaker than Old Man Yamamoto's Scorching Hell."
Although Ren claimed to be testing the sword's limits, he had not actually gone all out.
Otherwise…
Konohagakure itself might have been destroyed.
"Wow, Big Brother Ren … were you trying to kill me?!"
At that moment, Shisui reappeared beside him, looking thoroughly shaken.
His once smooth hair had turned dry and brittle from the heat.
His clothes were soaked with sweat, dried, and soaked again.
He looked thinner, exhausted, and extremely disheveled.
"Alright, step back a little," Ren said calmly.
"Before the ANBU arrive, there's one more move I want to test."
Ignoring Shisui's complaints, Ren held Zanka no Tachi upright in front of him.
Then—
He placed his hand directly on the blazing blade.
"Zanka no Tachi — East: Rising Sun Blade!"
Ren slowly slid his palm along the sword.
Wherever his hand passed, the flames on the blade were completely absorbed back into the metal.
The sword revealed a blackened surface resembling charred coal.
Gulp.
Shisui instinctively swallowed and retreated more than ten steps.
For some reason, the blackened blade radiated a terrifying sense of death.
If that sword touched him—
Even lightly—
He would die instantly.
No doubt about it.
"About **136,000 degrees… not bad."
"Not bad at all."
Ren exhaled slowly and then dismissed the Zanka no Tachi — East state with satisfaction.
Even when exerting his full strength, he could currently compress the sword's heat to around temperatures that would instantly melt steel.
Compared to Genryūsai Yamamoto's Bankai, which could reach tens of millions of degrees, it was still far from that level.
After all—
The Sun's photosphere and chromosphere are only about 4,000–6,000 degrees.
Even the corona reaches merely 1–2 million degrees.
And the Sun's core is about 15 million degrees.
When Yamamoto released his Bankai, it was essentially equivalent to wearing the core of the Sun on his body.
The sheer terror of that power spoke for itself.
Although Ren was still far from that level, he was already quite satisfied.
Because 136,000 degrees was not his limit.
As his strength grew, that temperature would continue to rise dramatically.
What pleased him even more was that despite such extreme heat, Zanka no Tachi showed no signs of cracking or damage.
It was still nowhere near its true limit.
He could use this sword for a very long time.
"Alright, Shisui. The ANBU will be here soon. Let's go."
Ren sheathed his sword and casually extinguished the towering pillar of flames nearby.
After signaling to Shisui, he disappeared from the training ground in a flash.
Even if the ANBU traced the destruction back to him—
So what?
If they had the guts, they could come to the Uchiha clan compound and confront him.
Since he had already decided to tear apart all pretense with the Konoha leadership, Ren naturally intended to show the proper attitude.
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