Early the next morning, while most people were just beginning their day, Sasuke Uchiha had already been training for a while.
This was the first time Mizuki faced Sasuke directly in battle. Previously, Mizuki had avoided direct confrontations with Sasuke—not only troublesome but also potentially embarrassing if he lost. However, as his strength rapidly improved and his combat experience grew through numerous near-death experiences on extremely difficult missions, Mizuki's confidence surged, eliminating many of his earlier hesitations.
Even without using Sage Mode, Mizuki felt sufficiently confident to defeat the present Sasuke Uchiha. During the actual sparring match, Mizuki didn't even set up a barrier beforehand—it would've been too unfair. Nevertheless, even without relying on prior preparations, Sasuke still couldn't keep up.
Sasuke tightly gripped a kunai in each hand, nervously watching the Mizuki shadow clones surrounding him, unable to distinguish the real one from the copies. The Sharingan wasn't omnipotent; careful observation of tiny details was necessary.
"Stalling for time? Or hoping my chakra runs out?"
Several shadow clones launched forward again, not giving Sasuke much chance to catch his breath.
"Let me tell you some bad news—the rule about evenly split chakra among shadow clones has exceptions. Unfortunately for you today, this is one of them."
After using Shadow Clones so often, Sasuke had come to believe that someone with monstrous stamina and chakra like Naruto Uzumaki was a rare exception. Overusing shadow clones usually drained the original body's strength faster. So, Sasuke kept waiting for Mizuki's original body to show weakness, never expecting he himself would get bogged down first.
"Was that a tactical mistake?" Sasuke's expression grew increasingly serious. Flustered, he dodged the multiple attacks from the Mizuki clones while increasing the forcefulness of his movements. "It seems I can't hold back anymore—otherwise, I'll be worn out first."
With that thought, Sasuke ceased hesitating. [Leaf Whirlwind] erupted with a surge of wind, instantly breaking through the encirclement. When he landed steadily, crimson Sharingan eyes glowed within his sockets.
"Double tomoe? Not bad for your age."
Before the sentence finished, a volley of kunai shot toward him, threatening to cut off his escape route. At the critical moment, Sasuke dramatically increased his speed, narrowly evading the attack. Then, he shot forward in a blur, launching into a fierce counterattack.
"The speed derived from combining the Sharingan with Lightning Release cell stimulation? Impressive indeed."
No wonder even Kakashi Hatake would feel pressured. This temporary burst of power couldn't last long at all given Sasuke's current physical state, but it should suffice for a brief battle.
Strictly speaking, Mizuki's physique didn't emphasize speed. His reaction ability was merely average—meeting the standard but nothing extraordinary for a Jonin. However, facing these shadow clones wouldn't be easy. Shadow clones with insufficient chakra couldn't replicate the original's capabilities, especially the ability to compensate for average Taijutsu skills through various Ninjutsu techniques.
At the mercy of Sasuke Uchiha's lightning-fast attacks, the several Shadow Clones, stretched thin, soon dissipated into puffs of chakra smoke.
"That's actually a pretty good counter. But... thinking you can get out of this situation that easily is a bit too naive."
Before his words had fully faded, a pale blue barrier abruptly formed in front of Sasuke mid-spinning kick toward a Shadow Clone. A dull thud rang out—Sasuke felt as though he'd just kicked solid wood. The tremendous rebound force immediately slowed his reaction speed.
"Not good!"
Still realizing something was wrong, Sasuke hadn't even managed to react when a hand grabbed his outstretched leg. In an instant of crisis, Sasuke twisted his body midair and launched his other leg straight toward the head of the clone holding him, attempting to break free. Unfortunately, before his kick could land, another Shadow Clone seized his second leg.
"Nice tactics. Your emergency response was also quite timely. But unfortunately, you still lost."
Two Shadow Clones each grabbed one of Sasuke's legs and swung him around in the air, restricting any further movements.
"First mistake: misjudging your enemy's condition. If some Shadow Clones possess very little chakra, then naturally, there are also some possessing unusually high amounts. The illusion of smooth progress caused you to overlook potential danger."
As he spoke, the remaining Shadow Clones closed in quickly, cutting off all of Sasuke's escape routes. Two among them each grabbed one of his arms, completely ending any hope of resistance.
"Second mistake: neglecting the gap between our strengths—you were far too reckless! You might defeat my Shadow Clones many times over, but if you make even one mistake, you'll never get another chance."
Not long ago dominant, Sasuke was now completely immobilized by Mizuki's Shadow Clones, his limbs stretched out to form the shape of the letter "Da", utterly incapable of movement.
"Is that all?"
To be honest, this level barely qualified as a warm-up for Mizuki. It fell far below expectations and showed terrible combat experience.
Just as Mizuki thought the battle test had ended, Sasuke's hair, trapped in desperate straits, began to tremble unnaturally and stood on end.
"Huh? Now this is interesting."
Before Mizuki could figure out what Sasuke was about to do next, brilliant electric sparks zipped across Sasuke's entire body. Before such swift lightning, every attempt at dodging became pointless. All the Shadow Clones—including those grabbing Sasuke's limbs—turned to smoke and vanished.
Now free again, Sasuke flipped back, landed firmly, and quickly retreated, wary of any counterattacks.
Leaning lazily against the sturdy branch of a nearby tree, Mizuki watched Sasuke break free—and his interest instantly piqued.
"Did you teach him this?"
"No, I've never seen him use this technique before either," answered Kakashi Hatake, standing beside with slight tension for his student.
"So then... could it be an on-the-battlefield breakthrough?!"
"Hmm." Even Kakashi didn't understand exactly what had happened.
"Now that truly is impressive talent."
"He did show signs of training toward Chidori before, but I never expected him to get this far so soon. He must be just one step from combat-ready."
"One step away? Do you even know how many marvelous Ninjutsu (ninja techniques) have hit a wall right at that point? You think everyone's like you — cracking Sage Mode all on your own?"
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