"It hurts, no doubt, but if I rely on my willpower alone, I can still keep fighting with this body."
Shiki didn't know whether he was sighing or mocking himself.
He felt there were two things he had forgotten along the way.
First, he had overly relied on the immense power and speed granted by the Eight Gates, neglecting the importance of actual combat awareness.
So yes, without the Eight Gates, losing to Sasuke wasn't unfair!
But then there was the second thing.
He had forgotten the Uzumaki clan's unique way of fighting.
As long as he willed himself to fight,
As long as he was willing to stand up again despite fatigue, injuries, and pain,
Then he would always rise again,
For the strength passed down through his bloodline gave him that ability.
With just sheer willpower, he was like an unkillable fighter!
Chapter 74: Talent vs Humanity
Could willpower really be this powerful?
Even Shiki himself wasn't sure of the answer. Based on knowledge from his previous life, perhaps it was nothing more than the result of some pointless chemical reactions.
Of course, those same chemical reactions probably wouldn't even apply in this world anymore.
But ultimately, all that remained was the outcome—his repeated standing back up.
Just like now.
Shiki turned his gaze toward the heavily panting Sasuke not far away, resting his hands on his knees.
"This really is an unexpected battle." Even Shiki himself hadn't anticipated this confrontation reaching such an extreme level.
Naturally, neither had he nor anyone else.
Was this truly something a human being could do?
Someone stared at the battlefield now completely torn apart, murmuring inwardly.
The ground was pitted with craters; the early spring grass that had just sprouted was now torn and scattered across the battlefield.
It was Shiki Uzumaki who dragged this battle to such a point.
In the earlier rounds when he stood up, hand-to-hand combat dominated their fight, occasionally mixed in with Sasuke's Great Fireball Jutsu.
But dragging on until now, Sasuke was already exhausted.
Almost everyone could see that Sasuke no longer had enough strength left to use the Great Fireball Jutsu.
So... could battles actually be fought this way?
The teenagers' eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Yet looking at Shiki's battered form, wounds still bleeding continuously, most people quickly dismissed any idea of imitating this style of fighting.
How incredibly painful must that be!
Without thinking, everyone came up with the same answer.
But truly, could one simply endure the pain and exhaustion and get back up again?
Perhaps. Or perhaps not.
Gasping for breath, Sasuke asked, "What kind of talent is this? A Kekkei Genkai?"
Shiki shook his head. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely sure whether this counted as a Kekkei Genkai either. If he had to say yes, many other Kekkei Genkai often came with matching ninjutsu techniques, yet the vitality of the Uzumaki clan lacked this feature.
And if he said no, then this ability was just too ridiculous.
Thinking about it, Shiki simply replied, "I don't know."
"Regardless, you're still wasting your talent."
"You can never use Ninjutsu or even Taijutsu that consumes too much chakra. You, who remained a mere genin your entire life, became an unbeatable genius in my memory? How ironic."
At this point, Sasuke also wore a self-mocking smile.
The girls who used to cheer endlessly for Sasuke now stayed silent.
Because as the battle reached this level, the atmosphere around gradually changed.
Almost every time Shiki stood up again, he touched everyone's hearts. Everyone fell silent—even Hyuga Ao and his followers watched quietly as everything unfolded on the battlefield.
Hearing Sasuke's words, Shiki didn't get angry. He knew that for Sasuke, his former self before the injury to his chakra pathways had already become a shadow haunting him.
His inner voice told him it was better this way—after all, Sasuke was bound to abandon Konoha sooner or later. Blinded by hatred, Sasuke had no idea what "comrades" really meant.
He is an extremely selfish person. From beginning to end, all his actions are purely for himself. He always makes others adjust to him.
There will always be someone to clean up the mess he created.
Itachi did. Naruto did. Sakura did. Many others did as well.
He could coldly go after the Eight-Tails without sparing a thought for Uncle Killer Bee's life.
Yet in the end, he just walked away without accepting any responsibility.
No one questioned him.
Shiki even got the feeling that those who played the lone wolf could make everyone else revolve around them.
Such people aren't worth his sympathy.
But perhaps some inner do-goodism stirred within Shiki, as he said,
"So you're going to deny me just because I lost my talent?"
Sasuke gave Shiki an emotionless stare. "Your talent is strong—not you yourself!"
Yet confidence rose inside Shiki. "Then believe this: from now until the very end, you'll never defeat me."
"Absurd."
"Then let's try." As Shiki spoke, his legs slightly trembling, he stepped toward Sasuke.
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