Hatake Sakumo had never truly fought an Uchiha head-on before.
He had heard the stories.
He had seen glimpses of their power on the battlefield.
But experiencing it firsthand—
Was something entirely different.
And now—
He finally understood.
Uchiha Moku, the Grand Elder of the Uchiha clan, was a monster in his own right.
Second only to Uchiha Ryujin within the clan, his strength spoke for itself.
A peak quasi-Kage-level combatant—
Combined with a pair of Sharingan that seemed capable of seeing through every movement—
Made him an overwhelmingly troublesome opponent.
Sakumo clenched his teeth slightly.
This is… bad.
He had never expected to stand against Ryujin himself.
But to be suppressed even by an elder of the Uchiha—
That was a blow to his pride.
The famed "White Fang of Konoha" could not afford to lose like this.
Sakumo gripped his chakra blade tightly, its edge glowing faintly with white light.
Without hesitation, he formed hand seals—
A shadow clone appeared instantly.
Both figures surged forward at the same time, blades drawn, aiming straight for Uchiha Moku.
But Moku's eyes—
Were already moving.
The three tomoe within his Sharingan rotated calmly.
He stepped back lightly—
Effortlessly dodging the shadow clone.
And in that very instant—
Sakumo himself burst forward at full speed.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
This wasn't a sneak attack—
But it carried the full force of one.
Because Sakumo knew—
This opponent was not someone he could hold back against.
Faster—!
His chakra blade sliced forward—
About to land—
But at that exact moment—
Moku's Sharingan had already seen it.
Hand seals formed.
Too late to stop.
Sakumo's blade cut through—
But—
There was no blood.
His eyes widened.
Not good!
BOOM—
The body before him exploded into a wooden log.
Substitution.
Before he could react—
A heavy force slammed into his waist.
BANG—!!
Sakumo was sent flying several meters away.
Mid-air, he twisted his body, forcefully stabilizing himself before landing cleanly on the ground.
When he looked up—
His expression changed.
Uchiha Moku now stood exactly where Sakumo had been moments ago.
Calm.
Unshaken.
In his hand—
Was a wooden staff infused with dense chakra.
That strike—
Had come from that staff.
Sakumo felt a dull ache spread across his waist.
That wasn't normal strength.
That blow—
Had nearly broken him.
But what shocked him more—
Was something else.
That reaction speed…
Even at his age—
Moku's combat instincts were flawless.
Sakumo couldn't help but think—
Are all Uchiha this terrifying…?
Moku stroked his beard lightly and smiled.
"Ah… I've grown old."
"If this were my prime…"
"You wouldn't have even gotten close, young man."
There was no arrogance in his tone.
Only truth.
This wasn't a cultivation world.
Age weakened the body.
Even with chakra maintaining vitality—
Decline was inevitable.
But even so—
If this were Moku in his prime—
Even someone like Sakumo might never have reached him.
Because his fundamentals—
Were perfect.
Every basic technique—
Executed to absolute perfection.
Even Uchiha Ryujin himself might not surpass Moku in pure ninjutsu mastery.
After all—
This was a man who had spent a lifetime refining his craft.
Sakumo understood one thing clearly now.
Using ninjutsu recklessly here—
Would be suicide.
Because his opponent—
Had the Sharingan.
The ability to observe, predict, copy, and even break illusions.
To fight an Uchiha with complex techniques—
Was to hand them your arsenal.
So Sakumo relied mostly on taijutsu.
Only using simple techniques like Shadow Clone.
But Moku—
Had no such restrictions.
Fire Style.
Wind Style.
Continuous casting.
Like a living artillery turret.
His chakra reserves—
Massive.
His control—
Flawless.
And that—
Was his greatest advantage.
Sakumo had barely found one opening earlier—
And paid for it with a crushing blow.
Now—
That opportunity was gone.
"Fire Style—Dragon Flame Technique!"
Without giving Sakumo even a moment to recover—
Moku completed his hand seals.
A concentrated stream of blazing fire shot forward like a dragon—
Rushing toward Sakumo.
Sakumo barely managed to sidestep—
Dodging the attack at the last moment.
But—
The moment he moved—
"Wind Style—Vacuum Wave!"
Again!?
His pupils shrank.
Blades of compressed wind shot toward him instantly—
Fast.
Sharp.
Relentless.
There was no gap.
No delay.
One technique flowed seamlessly into the next.
Sakumo could only dodge—
Again and again—
Forced into pure defense.
This—
Was Uchiha Moku's true strength.
Flawless chakra control.
Perfect technique chaining.
Endless pressure.
Sakumo steadied himself, breathing heavier now, his gaze locked onto Moku.
Now he understood.
Why the Uchiha—
Were called the strongest clan.
Because even one elder—
Was already a monster.
And if this continued—
He would be completely dragged into Moku's rhythm—
And defeated.
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