"Do you think I actually want to be the younger brother of that idiot Shisui?"
Tetsuka's fury flared at those words. His two black pupils transformed into Sharingan with twin tomoe.
"You dare speak like that? I'll discipline you on behalf of Shisui!"
With that, chakra erupted beneath his feet, and in an instant, he dashed toward Aozora.
A mere twenty meters was nothing to a ninja. Before the afterimage from his starting point had even faded, Tetsuka was already upon Aozora.
Such speed wouldn't be something an ordinary freshly-graduated Genin could handle.
Fortunately, though Aozora was indeed a newly-minted Genin, his strength far exceeded his official rank.
Every morning without fail, Aozora practiced the [Yang Eye]. While it hadn't advanced his Sharingan further, it had significantly enhanced his Yang Eye's dynamic vision.
Although Tetsuka moved swiftly, Aozora clearly saw every single one of his movements.
Slightly shifting his body to the left, Aozora crossed his arms and took up a defensive stance, blocking Tetsuka's sudden vicious roundhouse kick aimed at his head.
He was thrown back by the impact, but in a flash, four shuriken appeared between each of Aozora's fingers.
Swish! Swish!
Eight shuriken were instantly flung outward.
The flying stars wove like a net, forcing Tetsuka to dodge sideways and backward.
As soon as some distance opened up, Aozora hurled a kunai.
This particular kunai wasn't nearly as weak as those previous shuriken.
The kunai sliced through the air, producing a sound like thunder.
In the moment the kunai appeared, Tetsuka sensed danger. In his twin-tomoe Sharingan, the kunai moved so fast it left afterimages.
Without hesitation, he formed the substitution seal with wary reflexes.
"Boom!"
A large block of wood used for substitution was pierced by the kunai. The powerful impact shattered the wooden replacement into pieces, while Tetsuka had already relocated himself to a tree not far away.
Seeing yet another miss from his kunai, Aozora felt a bit speechless inside.
Since he mastered Yu Qi, his kunai throws had gradually taken over from the Great Fireball Technique as the most merciful jutsu in the Ninja World.
It seemed all he could ever hit were Kage Bunshin and wooden dummies—what a compassionate kunai indeed!
The log shattered mid-air, scattering splinters in all directions. Tetsuka couldn't help but wipe away some imaginary cold sweat from his forehead. Though maintaining his stoic expression, his mind was churning with shock.
What kind of kunai throwing technique was that? How could it possibly be this fast?
As a genius among the Uchiha clan, he had great confidence in his projectile skills. But Aozora's kunai completely shattered his pride. Faced with such blistering speed, every traditional kunai throw seemed shallow and powerless.
"Someone with such an amazing kunai throw—really, can your potential be so limited?"
Though puzzled, Tetsuka had no intention of ending this battle.
He stretched his limbs slightly and said, "I never expected you, someone labeled as a dead last, to actually possess such formidable strength!"
From this brief exchange, he now understood that his opponent was no mere rookie Genin fresh out of the academy.
Leaving aside that incredible kunai accuracy, even the defense against his roundhouse kick was perfectly timed.
"In that case, I won't hold back anymore either."
As the words faded, Tetsuka's hands flashed through rapid hand seals.
Aozora immediately recognized the seals for the Great Fireball Technique and decided to counter with the same Ninjutsu.
"Snake - Ram - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger!"
"Snake - Ram - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger!"
Both completed their seals in succession.
Observing Aozora's choice to counter with the Great Fireball Technique, Tetsuka's estimation of him dropped significantly.
He was already behind in timing, and with his hand seals so slow, how did he expect to defend?
[Fire Release – Great Fireball Technique!]
[Fire Release – Great Fireball Technique!]
Two massive fireballs erupted from the mouths of both Tetsuka and Aozora, hurtling toward each other.
Clearly, Aozora's fireball came slightly later. Normally, upon collision, the impact would shift closer to Aozora, causing him damage.
Yet much to Uchiha Tetsuka's surprise, Aozora's fireball was significantly larger, its flames more intense, and it launched forward with greater speed.
Boom!
Aozora's fireball struck first, colliding with Tetsuka's on the center line—closer to Tetsuka's side.
The point of impact exploded into a large crater, searing heat scattering outward, warping the surrounding air with the sudden temperature spike.
Feeling the wave of scorching heat rush toward him, Tetsuka realized he had once again fallen behind in this Chakra-based jutsu clash.
After the collision, Aozora's massive fireball swallowed Tetsuka's before continuing forward, instantly consuming him.
Seeing the consumed Tetsuka 'poof' into a log that instantly disintegrated into ash within the flames, Aozora couldn't help but smirk slightly.
This time, the Great Fireball Technique had evened the score.
When it comes to raw power, the Great Fireball doesn't play favorites – sorry folks, but y'all just ain't built for this kind of heat.
Forced to use Substitution Jutsu twice in succession, Uchiha Tetsuka felt a surge of anger. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "Damn it!"
He couldn't accept being pressured by someone younger than himself, especially by a schemer who claimed to act for the family while pursuing personal gain.
His Chakra flared again beneath his feet as Uchiha Tetsuka charged toward Aozora once more.
While sprinting, his hands blurred through rapid hand seals.
[Ninjutsu – Shadow Clone Technique!]
With a puff of smoke, three Uchiha Tetsukas burst forth from the mist.
The trio of Tetsukas surrounded Aozora from the left, front, and right.
The clones spread far apart, making it impossible to cover them all with a single fire-based Ninjutsu.
Knowing that even activating his Sharingan wouldn't allow him to distinguish the real one, Aozora refrained from wasting Chakra. Instead, he immediately began retreating.
To escape the three attackers closing in, Aozora shoved off the ground hard with both legs, rocketing himself backward.
But pushing his body beyond limits eventually caught up with him – Aozora soon found himself surrounded by Tetsuka and his clones.
As the clones closed to within sixty feet, Aozora finally struck.
Tetsuka and his clones intensely focused on Aozora's hands, yet they only saw him flick his sleeve. Moments later, they heard the sharp whistle of kunai cutting through the air.
Another 'poof!' and the rightmost clone dissipated into smoke.
The remaining two showed no sign of fear and continued closing in on Aozora.
Suddenly, Tetsuka sprang from the left and shot into the air, rapidly forming hand seals.
[Blazing Shuriken Dance!]
Midair, Tetsuka spat out dozens of flames from his mouth. At the same time, he flicked his right hand, sending another dozen spinning shuriken flying into those flames. The projectiles, now ablaze, quickly shot toward Aozora.
Fully aware of the technique's power, Aozora refrained from trying to block it. He erupted with chakra (energy) beneath his feet and used the Body Flicker Technique to escape Tetsuka's lock.
After flickering away, Aozora immediately hurled a Mercy Kunai to destroy the Kage Bunshin hovering in the air.
Seeing this, the remaining Uchiha Tetsuka hesitated for a moment before immediately activating the Body Flicker Technique himself to pursue.
But even with the same Body Flicker Technique, when they were evenly matched, how could the pursuer possibly catch someone running away?
The evader always had three options—forward, left, or right—and held the unshakable advantage of making the first move.
Moreover, during the chase, Aozora continued firing threatening kunai, making Tetsuka's position even more difficult.
And so the chase continued—Uchiha Tetsuka hot on his heels, Aozora darting away.
One pursuit, one escape. Unknowingly, they traveled far away from the Nanaha River's bank, reaching an overgrown grassy plain.
Realizing the futility of further pursuit, Uchiha Tetsuka finally came to a halt, realizing the chase was pointless.
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