Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique, a B-rank ninjutsu, is known for its power and complexity. Typically only jonin-level shinobi are capable of mastering and using it effectively.
In contrast, the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, while only C-rank, is a staple jutsu of the Uchiha clan—so much so that it's often seen as a rite of passage among Uchiha genin.
Normally, a B-rank jutsu would overpower a C-rank one.
But this time, things were different.
Empowered by the mysterious ocular ability Zōka Myōzō, Byakuya's Great Fireball erupted with enhanced force—its mass expanded, its heat intensified, and its speed surged.
The supercharged fireball tore through Fugaku's Great Fire Dragon, obliterating it mid-air and continuing straight toward him.
"What!?"
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes widened in disbelief. He barely had time to weave the signs for the Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from the direct line of fire.
He escaped a direct hit, but the shockwave and residual flames caught him mid-step. He tumbled back, his clothes scorched and patches of his hair singed.
Gasps rippled through the crowd of Uchiha watching the duel.
"Did you see that?"
"Captain Byakuya's Great Fireball overwhelmed Fugaku-sama's Fire Dragon! With a C-rank jutsu!"
"Unbelievable… was that some kind of eye technique?"
"Captain Byakuya is incredible… I didn't think even Fugaku-sama could be defeated like this."
Among the spectators, Uchiha En and other loyal followers of Byakuya were practically glowing with pride.
"That's Lord Byakuya for you. Fugaku has no business competing with him."
Fugaku clenched his fists as he listened to the whispers of doubt and admiration shifting toward Byakuya. His pride as clan head successor was crumbling in front of his clan.
[Ding! Uchiha Fugaku's anger detected: +150 negative energy. Taijutsu +2.]
"You… arrogant brat…" Fugaku growled, activating his three-tomoe Sharingan as he darted forward, a kunai gleaming in his hand.
As he lunged, his Sharingan eyes locked onto Byakuya's, attempting to trap him in a genjutsu.
But Byakuya didn't even flinch.
"You're using genjutsu on me?" he scoffed. "You're a century too early."
Byakuya's own Mangekyō Sharingan snapped open, the tomoe morphing into a twisted shuriken-like design. With a pulse of ocular energy, the genjutsu was reversed—flung back toward its caster.
Fugaku's eyes widened in shock just before his vision fractured. A searing pain gripped his mind, forcing him to his knees as blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth.
Byakuya didn't waste the opening.
"Hmph… too easy."
In a flash, he blurred forward and drove a brutal fist into Fugaku's gut.
"Bang!"
Fugaku reeled, coughed out blood, and collapsed. Before he could recover, Byakuya stomped forward and slammed his foot onto Fugaku's head, pinning him to the ground.
"You dare challenge me?" Byakuya sneered. "Know your place."
Fugaku struggled, but the crushing pressure from Byakuya's foot made resistance futile. The spectators fell into stunned silence as their clan head was humiliated.
[Ding! Fugaku's anger rises: +200 negative energy. Ninjutsu +6]
[Ding! +300 negative energy. Genjutsu +7]
[Ding! +400 negative energy. Chakra +10]
[…]
Byakuya turned toward the crowd, victorious.
"Lord Byakuya is unmatched!"
"He crushed Fugaku-sama!"
"That's the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan…"
Uchiha En and the others who followed Byakuya erupted in excitement when they saw him standing over Uchiha Fugaku, defeated and humiliated.
"Uchiha Byakuya, please release Captain Fugaku!"
Several of Fugaku's loyalists shouted, their faces full of anxiety as they witnessed their commander's battered condition.
"Hmph… Uchiha Fugaku raised his hand against a fellow clan member without cause. I suspect he's plotting treason against the village," Byakuya declared coldly, his Mangekyō Sharingan spinning ominously. "Are you planning to follow him down that path?"
His words struck fear into their hearts. The pressure from his gaze alone, amplified by his dōjutsu, made them instinctively step back.
"W-We…"
Faced with the overwhelming aura of Byakuya and the sight of their captain crushed beneath his foot, no one dared to make a move.
"Trash… All of you," Byakuya sneered. "A leader who's weak breeds only cowards."
With that, he kicked the barely conscious Fugaku toward Uchiha En.
"Take him away. Don't let him die—I'm not about to be accused of killing my own kin."
"Yes, Lord Byakuya!"
Uchiha En responded without hesitation, quickly signaling others to assist. Together, they secured the injured Fugaku and hauled him toward the holding cells deep within the Uchiha compound.
The remaining shinobi who had stood with Fugaku remained frozen for a moment, eyes wide and uncertain.
"What do we do now? Fugaku-sama has been captured…"
"We… we need to inform the clan head!"
"Yes, only the clan patriarch can handle this…"
Without another word, the group dispersed, rushing toward the inner chambers of the Uchiha estate, hoping the clan leader could intervene before things spiraled further out of control.