Chapter 41: The Third Tomoe
Yugito's eyes narrowed sharply, and she spat forth terrifying orbs of flame. "Fire Style: Squirrel-Tail Round Jade!"
These fireballs were even more agile than the Fire Rat Jutsu. Yugito could manipulate them to nimbly track her enemy and produce powerful explosive damage.
"Not even giving me a moment to breathe?"
Having just escaped the smoke and dust, Uchiha Naoki was immediately faced with the threat of these superheated, scorching flame bombs. Even he couldn't help the prickle of tension on his scalp. Without the assistance of his Observation Haki, using his elementalization to dodge this attack would be extremely difficult and might even backfire, injuring him instead.
Therefore, he had no choice but to retreat again! He had to break through his current limits, to enhance the perceptual ability of his Sharingan, so he wouldn't be forced into such a corner again.
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
Relying solely on the insight of his Sharingan and the cover of the forest terrain, he narrowly avoided the bombardment, but it was a close call.
However!
"Your guard has dropped!"
Yugito materialized behind Uchiha Naoki like a ghost. Before he could react, her icy cat's claws carved a deep, scarlet gash across his back.
"Ugh!" Naoki grunted, stumbling forward. Ignoring the pain, he immediately spun around, tracking Yugito's chakra signature. But there was no sign of her in the surrounding area.
Yet!
Before he could analyze further, a cold killing intent surged from behind him again.
"Damn!"
Almost subconsciously, he launched a counterattack. Superheated lava erupted from his arm, twisting through the air to meet the assault with all his strength.
Ahead of him, Yugito's frigid claws were already piercing through the air, aimed at his vitals.
BOOM!
Uchiha Naoki's hasty defense was no match for Yugito's fully powered, premeditated strike. He was sent flying back several meters.
"It's over, Uchiha Naoki!" Seeing her advantage, Yugito immediately pressed it. She began flickering around his figure, waiting for the opportunity to deliver the final, fatal blow. "This time... it is your time to die!"
But Uchiha Naoki had already focused his entire attention. His two-tomoe Sharingan captured every flicker of Yugito's form, not letting a single detail escape. The tomoe in his eyes spun at a blinding speed, and the phantom of a third tomoe had begun to appear.
Evolution. Now.
SWOOSH!
Yugito moved, her speed causing the air to tear with a violent explosion.
"He's coming!"
Uchiha Naoki's Sharingan immediately captured a blurry afterimage. It gradually became clearer in his straining, nearly splitting eyes, the traces becoming slightly more distinct. Though it was still like a nearsighted person looking at a distant scene—blurry and unclear.
"But this is enough!!"
Even if the figure was blurred, as long as he could see the opponent's movement trajectory, it was enough to fight back. His right arm suddenly erupted with scorching power, blasting forth with all his strength along the trajectory captured by his eyes.
Now!
He felt a burning in his eyes more intense than ever before. It was like a volcanic eruption in his mind; a mysterious power poured into his eyes and flooded his entire body. Instantly, as if breaking free from some kind of shackles, his body evolved, finally able to keep pace with the reaction speed of his Sharingan.
And!
Yugito's position in front of him was now imprinted firmly in his mind. He could track it at will.
He knew it.
The Three Tomoe Sharingan was his.
BOOM!
Their fists collided as if causing a landslide and earth-split. The surrounding ground exploded outwards. The force of the impact was so great that even Karui, Omoi, and the Scarlet Sand Scorpion in the distance were affected.
Yugito's final, killing blow was firmly blocked.
"This guy, Naoki..." The Scarlet Sand Scorpion looked at Uchiha Naoki's newly evolved three-tomoe eyes, feeling a rare sense of relief. "Was the reason he suddenly fell into a disadvantage just now simply to force his Sharingan to evolve? To take the initiative to place himself in a desperate situation to stimulate his own potential... How bold."
Even someone as detached as Sasori was shocked by Uchiha Naoki's recklessness.
"How is this possible?!" Karui stared at Uchiha Naoki, who was once again trading blows evenly with Yugito, and covered her mouth in disbelief. Shouldn't Uchiha Naoki's Sharingan have been overused, leaving him dominated by Yugito and finally dealt a heavy blow? Why was he back in the fight?
And!
"Why did his Sharingan evolve?!" A crazy thought occurred to Karui, one she couldn't believe but had to entertain. "Was he doing it on purpose just now? Was his only goal to force himself to complete the evolution of his Sharingan?"
She couldn't stop her teeth from chattering. A chill rushed from her heart to the top of her head. Facing such a crazy enemy, did they really have any chance of winning?
"Then, it seems it is time to conclude our business." Noting that Omoi and Karui had mostly recovered, the Scarlet Sand Scorpion spoke calmly. He tore away the clothing covering his chest, revealing his core, marked with the kanji for 'Sasori'.
He then produced a scroll marked with the character 'Red' and unfurled it, speaking as if sharing a treasured secret. "You are fortunate. This is the first time I have used this scroll."
As it unfurled, the seals upon it activated, and terrifying shadows sprang forth. In a short time, they blotted out the sky above the entire forest. They were puppets, hundreds of them, all clad in red robes. They hung in the air like a dark cloud of despair, enveloping the entire battlefield.
Karui, Omoi, and the recovering Yugito stared, their mouths agape in horror, unable to comprehend the scene before them.
"Manipulating so many... puppets... Is this guy insane?!"
"We... have to face so many puppets? Is there any chance of winning?"
"How in the world... how did he do this?!"
It was common knowledge that controlling ten puppets simultaneously was the absolute limit for any puppeteer. No one could break this rule. But what was this army of puppets, densely covering the sky like storm clouds? There had to be more than a hundred!
Even Yugito, a veteran of the Third Great Shinobi War and a woman of strong will, couldn't stop her lips from trembling in fear. A deep sense of powerlessness turned her body cold. It had been so difficult just to face a single puppet; it had nearly broken Omoi and Karui. Now, facing so many, how could they possibly win? Even if each individual puppet wasn't as strong as Hiruko, the sheer numbers were overwhelming!
"Why... are you frightened?" The Scarlet Sand Scorpion looked at their horrified, pale faces and spoke mildly. "Since you all know I am a genius puppeteer, you should have realized I would not be bound by the rules that restrict others."
Dense chakra strings shot out from the core in his chest, connecting to every single puppet. "This is my original puppet art. I call it the Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets."
"Theoretically speaking," he stated flatly, "it is enough to conquer a small nation."
This explanation plunged Karui, Omoi, and Yugito into utter despair.