Under a brilliant blue sky, an eagle continuously circled in the air.
Its sharp eagle eyes locked tightly onto two motionless figures below.
From its experience, these two opposing combatants would not both survive.
Aozora and Tetsuka stood on a wide open plain.
Hot wind blew through, making thick wild grass sway back and forth like waves.
Suddenly, Aozora said, "Why aren't you chasing anymore? My chakra reserves are almost depleted."
Tetsuka nearly rolled his eyes hearing Aozora's blatant lie, replying helplessly, "Though Sharingan can't precisely see meridians, I can still estimate roughly how much chakra you have left."
Aozora chuckled with a grin, saying, "Too far away. I can't even see if your Sharingan is activated."
After getting away with that, Aozora continued, "Shall we keep fighting? If we continue like this, lunchtime will pass."
Tetsuka became serious, saying, "I must admit, your combat style has become systematic. Unless someone possesses significantly greater power than you, anyone facing you one-on-one would find it difficult to gain an advantage."
Upon hearing this, Aozora slightly tilted his head sideways and said, "Wow, young man, quite impressive! You actually have some insight!"
Facing Aozora's provocation, Tetsuka didn't rage angrily, but instead raised his index finger.
Wagging his finger slowly, Tetsuka said, "However, there's still one flaw in your battle strategy. I wonder whether you've figured out how to fix it already."
Aozora frowned slightly. He couldn't believe his carefully prepared kiting strategy had been identified as flawed right after its first use.
"Genjutsu!" Tetsuka directly revealed his thoughts. "Your body flicker technique is indeed fast, and your throwing tools sufficiently sharp. It's truly difficult for anyone to approach you closely."
"Does that mean you can only be attacked at close range?"
"Both ninjutsu and genjutsu could achieve that goal. While ninjutsu might get dodged easily, what about genjutsu?"
As he spoke, Tetsuka's finger continued wagging while twin tomoe within his eyes slowly rotated.
Suddenly, Aozora felt the surrounding world grow illusory, finding himself completely immobilized.
A massive branch burst through the ground like a lover's arm, wrapping around Aozora's neck and under his ribs before pulling him into a tight embrace.
Instead of panicking at being captured, Aozora calmly stated, "Indeed, the range of illusion techniques happens to coincide perfectly with my throwing range. And since illusions are formless and insubstantial, they're difficult to prevent."
Though restrained, his words contained no frustration over defeat.
Tetsuka approached him, saying, "You did really well. Most Chunin facing you would probably just stand there helpless. The reason for your loss today is simply because I've got two extra years of experience on you."
"Once you awaken your Sharingan, ordinary genjutsu will have no effect on you. At that time, I won't be able to claim victory so easily."
Yes, it just wouldn't be something he could claim lightly.
Even if Aozora awakened his Sharingan, Tetsuka remained confident he could defeat him — just requiring somewhat more effort.
At this moment, Tetsuka's expression had softened considerably. Unlike the fury earlier when pursuing, now his eyes contained traces of appreciation.
Through this battle, his hostility toward Aozora had completely vanished.
He believed someone possessing such strength absolutely wouldn't be the kind of petty individual who exploits clan authority for personal gain.
"I think I misunderstood you earlier. Now I believe you had your reasons for demanding compensation. Also, your strength surpasses my imagination. No wonder you're Shisui's younger brother."
As Uchiha Tetsuka spoke confidently, Aozora couldn't help rolling his eyes.
This guy actually thought he won?
I've already awakened the Sharingan, okay! Two Tomoe Sharingan, you know!
Although he really wanted to show off by activating his Two Tomoe Sharingan, Aozora thought better of it and resisted the urge.
It was just an ordinary sparring match; testing battle strategies would suffice. Why reveal his hidden trump cards so easily?
At the very least, he should save three or five more secret techniques.
So, Aozora reluctantly said, "Tetsuka truly is a hero, a great genius. You're definitely stronger."
Hearing Aozora's obviously fake praise, Tetsuka's face darkened. He waved his hand, dispelling the genjutsu, saying, "If you don't know how to flatter someone, then just don't."
"I don't get it—your skills are top-notch. You could've graduated ages ago, right? Why pretend to be a dead last at the Academy?"
Aozora shrugged, saying, "What's the point of graduating early? Just to be cannon fodder on the battlefield?"
"Moreover, what good does it do for the Uchiha clan to have just one genius? It will only make the higher-ups more wary and our clansmen more arrogant."
"Truth is, a genius doesn't really matter until they mature—still just a regular Chunin till then."
Tetsuka remained speechless for a moment before replying, "Perhaps you're right, but how can a genius develop without trials and hardships? However, given the current situation, it's indeed inappropriate for the Uchiha clan to produce another supreme prodigy."
Looking deeply at Aozora, Tetsuka said, "Sorry for the misunderstanding and fighting you. Your talent isn't inferior to your older brother's—don't waste it."
With that, Tetsuka Uchiha turned around, preparing to return and continue guarding the clan head.
After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned back and said, "You can come to my place sometime. I can teach you some genjutsu. Also, we could continue talking about what you mentioned during the previous clan meeting—we didn't finish, and I'm somewhat interested."
Aozora smiled slightly and said, "Sure, and I'll teach you how to throw kunai properly!"
"Haha—"
Tetsuka chuckled slightly, neither agreeing nor declining outright.
The laughter still lingered in the air as he vanished into the distance.
Turning his gaze back, Aozora shook his head and muttered, "Heh, I went easy on him!"
Glancing up at the sun now high overhead, Aozora quickened his pace back toward the Uchiha Compound.
...
Tetsuka Uchiha returned to Nanaha River's bank just in time to meet Fugaku Uchiha and his son returning to the clan compound.
Tetsuka stepped forward and bowed respectfully, then fell into step behind Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku didn't ask where Tetsuka had been, and Tetsuka made no mention of his activities either.
They shared an unspoken understanding.
However, Itachi Uchiha was, after all, still a six-year-old child. His curiosity burned like a playful kitten constantly teasing him.
After holding back for five minutes, Itachi finally gave in to his curiosity, approaching Tetsuka with wide eyes.
After hesitating briefly, Itachi asked, "Aniki Tetsuka, where were you just now?"
Tetsuka replied, "I went to fight someone."
Itachi immediately asked, "Who won?"
"Of course it's me."
Upon hearing this, Itachi's face brightened with joy, his large eyes now narrowed into slits.
He mused inwardly, *So that's how it is. You brought this on yourself.*
Fugaku Uchiha wasn't surprised by the answer. He simply asked, "Aozora isn't seriously injured, is he?"
It was fine to teach him a lesson, but seriously injuring Aozora would be counterproductive. It might even provoke resistance from him, which would be bad for the Relocation Plan.
"Uh—"
Tetsuka thought for a moment and replied, "I just trapped him with some genjutsu—no injuries at all. Definitely nothing serious."
"That's good," said Fugaku Uchiha.
After walking for a while, Fugaku Uchiha added, "This afternoon, go to Aozora's place on my behalf and give him the chakra-conducting metal."
"Yes, sir!"
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