"Kid, a fight isn't won just by chanting a few magic words."
Watching Uchiha Ran draw his blade in reverse grip, the sword tip angled toward the ground while quietly murmuring under his breath, Atsui couldn't help but sneer.Real ninja combat wasn't a child's game.
So this Uchiha brat is just a rookie fresh out of the Academy, he thought. Barely any mission experience at all.Did he seriously believe that wielding a chakra blade alone could turn the tables?
…That said, the sword did look rather elegant.
That fleeting thought crossed Atsui's mind before he spoke again, eyeing Ran's still, unmoving posture.
"Hey, Uchiha brat. Too scared to make the first move?" he taunted. "Where's your Sharingan? Show it to me. If I like what I see, I'll make sure you die without too much pain."
Ran lifted his head slightly, calm and composed.
"Is that so, Lord Atsui?" he replied lightly. "Since you're so eager to witness the power of the Uchiha… I'll grant you that honor. You'll be the first to see it. Just make sure—when you lose—you curse yourself for not having Sharingan eyes."
The crimson pupils bloomed.
Three tomoe.
"…Three-tomoe?" Atsui's expression finally shifted.
This Uchiha brat—young, refined, even scholarly in appearance—had already awakened a three-tomoe Sharingan.
That wasn't something to take lightly.
The fully matured Sharingan granted extraordinary perception: the ability to read chakra flow, see through and cast genjutsu, copy taijutsu and non–kekkei genkai ninjutsu, and observe movements beyond normal human limits.Most Uchiha who reached this stage possessed vast combat libraries—ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu—paired with the clan's distinctive fighting style.
At minimum, a three-tomoe Uchiha represented special jōnin–level combat power.
At this age… a genuine prodigy, Atsui admitted inwardly.
Still, his gaze snapped away instantly.
"Even a three-tomoe Sharingan won't save you, Uchiha brat."
He wasn't about to risk eye contact.
Ran's hands blurred into seals.
Rat—Tiger—Dog—Ox—Hare—Tiger!
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Multiple fireballs burst toward Atsui.
"Don't underestimate me, kid!" Atsui barked, forming seals in response.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Sphere!"
Fire and lightning collided violently, erupting into a thick cloud of smoke.
In the next instant, Atsui drew his blade and charged straight through it.
Clang!
Steel met steel.
The two figures exploded into motion, weaving through the forest at blistering speed. Blades flashed; sparks scattered like fireflies. Atsui's strikes were heavy, brutal, each swing carrying overwhelming force. Ran countered with fluid footwork, slipping past attacks by fractions of a second, responding with sharp, precise cuts.
Ran's Sharingan tracked every movement—and copied it.
His body twisted and flipped midair, evading attacks at impossible angles.
So this is the dynamic vision of the Sharingan… Atsui realized grimly.If we just trade swordsmanship, killing him won't be easy.
He swung hard to force distance, then leapt back.
Ran reversed his grip on Floating Life, Dreamlike Illusion, forming seals once more.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
A dense curtain of water vapor erupted, flooding the forest with mist—blocking Ran's line of sight and interfering with his Sharingan's tracking.
"Lightning Release: Gratitude Wave!"
Lightning surged along the water, racing straight toward Ran.
Ran vanished in a flash—Body Flicker Technique—barely evading the combined assault.
Too late.
"Storm Release: Retsuza Lock Suppression."
Black lightning chased him relentlessly, slamming into his body.
"Aaagh!"
"It's over," Atsui sneered. "Feel the terror of black lightning, Uchiha brat."
"…Yeah," Ran's voice suddenly echoed from behind him. "It worked."
Atsui froze.
The Ran he'd struck exploded into smoke with a bang—a substitution log.
Wind screamed.
Atsui threw himself backward just as a blade sliced through the space where his torso had been.
Ran flashed past him, crimson eyes burning.
Damn—!
Their gazes met.
"Genjutsu: Demonic Shackles."
A visual genjutsu cast directly through the Sharingan.
In Atsui's mind, his limbs were nailed down by massive iron spikes. His body refused to respond. Pain—illusory yet overwhelming—ripped through him.
Tch—!
"Don't underestimate a Cloud elite jōnin!" Atsui roared inside the illusion. He forcibly disrupted his chakra flow, slamming his will against the genjutsu.
In an instant—
The illusion shattered.
A blade lunged toward his abdomen.
"It's useless, Uchiha brat!" Atsui barked. "Without your genjutsu, you can't last long against me!"
Another Storm Release tore through the forest, kicking up dust as Atsui retreated several meters.
Smoke dispersed.
Ran emerged—uninjured.
Instead of pursuing, he smiled.
"Given up already?" Atsui sneered. "Ready to accept your death?"
Victory felt close.
"Give up?" Ran brushed dust from his shoulder and adjusted his glasses, smiling faintly."No… you're the pitiful one, Cloud uncle. You don't even realize you're about to die."
"Sharp tongue for a dead man," Atsui scoffed. "Your genjutsu can't threaten me. As thanks, I'll be taking your Sharingan."
Ran tilted his head.
"Poor Cloud uncle… when did you get the idea you weren't already inside Floating Life, Dreamlike Illusion?"
The words fell.
Pain exploded in Atsui's chest.
He looked down in disbelief.
His heart—pierced clean through.
Blood poured onto the snow-covered ground.
"…Ah…?"