Atsui snorted coldly. With a flick of his blade, he knocked away all the incoming kunai—
—but hadn't expected that Sasuke had already used a smoke bomb as cover to close the distance.
The three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, locking onto the instant Atsui's pupils contracted.
A low sweeping kick from the left leg, followed by a downward palm strike—
his balance was completely broken.
Before Atsui could recover, lightning exploded once more in Sasuke's palm.
"Give up. You're not qualified to challenge an Uchiha."
Though he spoke calmly, Sasuke's movements were anything but slow—
Chidori thrust straight toward Atsui's throat!
Atsui gritted his teeth, veins bulging at his temples.
At the very moment Chidori was about to pierce through—
he hurled out a smoke bomb!
The explosion of smoke caused Sasuke to pause for a split second.
And in that instant, Atsui rolled away, creating distance.
He dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, but the fighting spirit in his eyes only grew fiercer.
"A shinobi of Kumogakure… would rather die than surrender!"
He slammed one hand against the ground and leapt up, hands flashing through seals.
"Lightning Release — Ground Flow!"
The earth cracked open as arcs of lightning surged like wild serpents, rushing toward Sasuke's vital points.
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
His footwork shifted instantly as he sidestepped, the Sharingan precisely tracking every lightning path.
Chidori roared to life again in his right hand.
He flipped midair, weaving through the electric currents—
lightning collided with lightning, bursting into dazzling sparks.
The moment he landed, before his body had fully stabilized—
his left foot slammed forward.
Sliding in, he closed the distance again.
Residual lightning still crackled in his palm as he thrust toward Atsui's chest.
Atsui's pupils shrank.
Yet his hand seals did not falter.
"Flame Chain!"
From the lingering smoke, a chain of fire coiled outward, wrapping toward Sasuke's wrist.
Sasuke snorted.
The Sharingan spun—predicting the trajectory instantly.
He twisted his waist, flipped upward, and drove Chidori downward toward Atsui's shoulder.
Too late to fully evade—blood burst from Atsui's left shoulder.
But he clenched his teeth and hurled his short blade in retaliation.
The blade, wrapped in flames, shot straight toward Sasuke's face.
Sasuke tilted his head slightly—
the blade grazed past his ear, singeing strands of hair black.
His eyes turned cold.
Chidori shifted form—
lightning condensed into a sharp, extended thrust.
It pierced straight through Atsui's right knee.
Blood sprayed.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
This scene shocked Wen Lan, Minato, and Kakashi alike.
Wen Lan hadn't expected Sasuke to already grasp chakra shape transformation.
He knew Sasuke couldn't have figured this out on his own—
his gaze shifted toward Orochimaru.
Orochimaru noticed and turned, giving a faint, eerie smile.
No doubt—
the best teacher in the ninja world was Orochimaru.
Wen Lan had originally thought it would take Sasuke years to reach this level.
Yet now—he had already done it.
As for Minato and Kakashi—they were equally stunned.
They never imagined Chidori could be used this way.
Kakashi had always focused on increasing its piercing power—
and with his "limited" chakra reserves, mastering shape transformation had been unrealistic.
To him, that extra chakra might as well be spent carving more dog heads into his Earth-Style Wall.
Atsui groaned and dropped to one knee.
Yet he propped himself up with his blade, refusing to fall.
A feral grin spread across his face.
"This… is only the beginning!"
Sasuke withdrew the Chidori Spear and stood coolly.
"It's already over. I don't want to waste any more time on you."
"Don't look down on me!"
Atsui roared.
He pressed his flaming blade against the wound in his pierced knee.
The searing heat cauterized the flesh, turning it charred black.
The intense pain instead triggered a surge of ferocity within him.
His eyes turned blood-red.
Using the blade as support, he forced himself upright—
flames erupted along his chakra pathways.
He charged forward like a blazing demon.
Sasuke frowned slightly.
The Sharingan detected unstable chakra fluctuations—
a forced, self-destructive enhancement technique.
"This level of combustion… won't last ten seconds."
He didn't move.
He waited.
In Sasuke's vision—
Atsui's charge slowed, every movement laid bare.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
Lightning erupted.
Chidori Sharp Spear shot forward again—
piercing straight through Atsui's chest.
At the moment of impact, Sasuke withdrew most of the chakra, leaving only a shallow wound.
Atsui froze mid-charge.
His pupils trembled.
The flames extinguished instantly.
"I told you… it's over."
Sasuke's voice was calm.
Atsui collapsed to the ground.
Wen Lan glanced at Sasuke's cold expression, then at the unconscious Atsui.
"The first match—Uchiha Sasuke wins."
As his voice fell, Kumogakure's medical team rushed in.
The arena fell silent.
Fortunately, although the chest had been pierced, no vital organs were hit.
Atsui's life was not in danger.
In the stands, the Raikage slowly closed his eyes.
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest, steady like distant thunder.
He wasn't angry.
If anything—
he was satisfied.
He had seen Atsui's potential erupt under pressure.
That unyielding will—
was the true treasure of Kumogakure.
Victory or defeat meant little.
His comrades mattered more.
At that moment, the screen flickered again.
The next match appeared:
Gaara vs. Rock Lee
Wen Lan was slightly surprised.
He hadn't expected things to align exactly with the original timeline.
Gaara leapt down from the second floor, landing silently.
Arms crossed, he stared coldly at Wen Lan.
Though he had lost consciousness earlier—
Temari and Kankurō had told him everything.
That Wen Lan had suppressed Shukaku with just a few words.
To Gaara—that made Wen Lan a threat.
And he hated threats.
"Is it my turn?!"
Rock Lee stood up excitedly.
"Gai-sensei! I'm going!"
Might Guy gave a firm nod, eyes shining with pride.
"Go, Lee! Give it everything you've got! For your youth! Let everyone be amazed!"
He gave Lee a thumbs-up.
Lee took a deep breath and leapt down into the arena.
Landing across from Gaara, he bowed respectfully.
"Please guide me!"
Then he stepped back—
left arm behind his waist, right hand extended forward—
taking his stance.
"Second match: Sunagakure's Gaara vs. Konoha's Rock Lee!"
"Begin!"
The moment Wen Lan's voice fell—
Lee exploded forward like a gale.
His right leg swept out with overwhelming force toward Gaara!
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer