"This damned brat..."
Uchiha Hachida endured the excruciating pain, forcing himself to calm down.
As someone with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, it had been a long time since he encountered such an embarrassing situation. Aomi's jutsu and swordsmanship were beyond his expectations.
"Uchiha Aomi's Genjutsu is strange, but the Three-Tomoe should be able to break it. I just need time..."
"I can't let him continue to control the situation like this. My injuries are severe; if I drag this out, I might bleed out, and it will all be over..."
Uchiha Hachida suddenly formed hand seals and spewed out a dense gray smoke from his mouth, layering over the mist and darkness to create a barrier that blocked vision.
"Fire Release: Dust Concealment Jutsu!"
Uchiha Hachida fiercely extracted Chakra, continuing to spew smoke until the entire training ground was covered.
With his vision limited by the darkness, Uchiha Hachida made a clever response.
Under the shroud of smoke, the loss of vision put Aomi back on the same starting line as him.
"Don't worry, this is Dust Concealment Jutsu, not the Ash Pile Burning Jutsu. This smoke cannot be ignited."
Looking at the swirling mist around, Senju Tobirama shook his head with a smile:
"I almost forgot the Hidden Mist Jutsu. He's not the brainless type of Uchiha, but encountering you, this cunning brat, he's still going to suffer..."
The smoke particles met with Aomi's mist, quickly dissolving into a gray haze.
Seizing this brief opportunity, Uchiha Hachida desperately urged his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the blood vessels spreading densely over the whites of his eyes, creating a terrifying sight.
"Boy, let's see what tricks you have left!"
The power of his eyes finally broke through the darkness, and Uchiha Hachida greedily savored the taste of light, but the gray haze in front of him left him stunned.
Uchiha Hachida had intended to use the smoke to stall for time; as long as he could break through this darkness, the smoke carried away by the wind would not obstruct his eye's advantage.
But...
The mist absorbed the Dust Concealment Jutsu, appearing heavier, with an oppressive feeling not less than the darkness of Genjutsu.
"Could it be that all my actions are within Uchiha Aomi's calculations?"
Uchiha Hachida's mind was shaken; layer upon layer of calculations made his Three-Tomoe Sharingan seem like a mere ornament, even a burden, trapping him in Aomi's rhythm.
This reversal of his lifelong beliefs made Uchiha Hachida feel a type of emotion that he dared not face.
Fear!
In that moment of distraction, Aomi's sword blade swung from an unknown direction, decisively cutting towards his left shoulder!
The thick shoulder muscles were severed, and Muramasa cheered as it drank deeply from Uchiha Hachida's blood.
Uchiha Hachida spun around to slash, but his samurai sword failed to capture Aomi, and the powerful swing only whistled through the air.
The training ground returned to tranquility.
Uchiha Hachida forced himself to concentrate, hearing only the distant bird's cheerful chirp, the rustle of leaves in the wind, and even the distant vendor's calls...
But there was absolutely no sound from Aomi.
A massive sense of absurdity welled up in Uchiha Hachida, as if he were trapped in a cage isolated from this world.
"No, impossible! I won't lose to a little brat like you!"
Feeling the irresistible fear within, Uchiha Hachida couldn't stand his own cowardice, and manically spewed out a large amount of gray smoke once more!
"Be careful this time; it's the Ash Pile Burning Jutsu..."
Senju Tobirama spoke at the moment of Uchiha Hachida's action, warning, "Excessive heat will evaporate the mist, don't be too confident in the Hidden Mist Jutsu, brat!"
Aomi nodded: "Understood."
"Fire Release: Great Fire Extinguishing!"
The next moment, Uchiha Hachida fiercely unleashed a violent flame, exactly as Senju Tobirama had said, forcefully evaporating the mist and igniting the entire training ground!
The sky-full flames devoured the earth, sweeping tongues of fire indiscriminately attacking anything present.
Finally.
After Uchiha Hachida's all-out effort, he successfully dispelled the damned mist, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan seeing the light!
"This time, I definitely won't lose!"
Uchiha Hachida's body was covered in burn marks, his eyes wildly searching for Aomi's trace, only to see a scene that nearly broke him.
Beside Aomi and Shisui, a flowing water wall had robustly shielded them from all flames, leaving them unscathed, not even a hair out of place.
Aomi, holding Muramasa, looked at Uchiha Hachida with pity, sighed: "Hachida-senpai, I am very disappointed in you. As a Uchiha, you've lost the wisdom of battle."
"Fear, anger won't bring you power; that's just the weak avoiding the cries of their own hearts..."
Uchiha Hachida clutched his shoulder, the tomoe in his eyes trembling.
He loathed this feeling and was equally terrified of this battle.
Aomi seemed to know everything beforehand; his actions were all seen through in advance, every move in the enemy's grasp.
"I believe that a powerful Uchiha should have the Sharingan as one of his weapons. Even without the Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan's ninja should be formidable in the Ninja World."
"However, since Hachida-senpai loves the Sharingan so much, I will fight you in the Uchiha way."
The tomoe slowly emerged in Aomi's eyes, his unyielding eye power staring directly into Uchiha Hachida's Sharingan, sternly rebuking:
"Pick up your sword! With that lost look, you're not worthy of being called a Uchiha!"
Uchiha Hachida obediently raised his samurai sword, blankly staring at Aomi's Sharingan, his whole being in chaos.
What's happening?
Uchiha Aomi actually possesses the Sharingan...
This rebellious kid who criticized the Sharingan has such powerful eye potency!
Aomi's figure flickered, wielding Muramasa, red light flashing in his eyes, his sword blade mercilessly striking at Uchiha Hachida, attacking while scolding:
"Swordsmanship should be combined with eye power! If you just rely on the Sharingan, you are a slave to its power!"
Uchiha Hachida's vision blurred, Aomi's eye power causing him to be dazed, his mind spinning.
Immediately, Muramasa's blade tore through his flesh once more.
"Calm down, use the Sharingan to copy my Taijutsu, break the rhythm of my attacks!"
Aomi instructed Uchiha Hachida this way, while Shisui on the side watched closely, eyes full of admiration, absorbing knowledge like a sponge.
"What about your Dojutsu? If you're at a disadvantage, disrupt the enemy with Genjutsu and create distance."
"Only using Dojutsu? Can't you form seals for Ninjutsu? Try using a single-handed seal."
"Your swordsmanship is without form or pattern; if your reactions can't keep up with the dynamic vision of the Sharingan, try lowering the pace of the sword clash."
Aomi earnestly guided Uchiha Hachida.
But every time Aomi pointed out something, Muramasa would carve deep grooves into him, a painful tuition.
Who knows why.
Uchiha Hachida recalled when he was a child, training with his grandfather...
"Hachida, study swordsmanship with Grandpa seriously! In the future, you will definitely become a great ninja! Grandpa's swordsmanship was even advised by Young Clan Leader Izuna..."
"Back then, Grandpa was just a teenager, recklessly challenging Lord Izuna; though he was beaten badly in the end, Lord Izuna taught me a lot of valuable experiences that helped Grandpa survive the Warring States Era!"
"The first rule is the combination of eye power and swordsmanship..."
Grandpa's guidance seemed to coincide with Aomi's voice, each instruction striking a remarkable similarity.
Uchiha Hachida trembled all over, covered in bloody marks, while the appearance of Aomi in his eyes changed,
As if Uchiha Izuna, who was worshiped in his clan shrine, had stepped out.
But upon closer look, Aomi also somewhat resembled Senju Tobirama, remembered by every Uchiha...
Uchiha Hachida collapsed.
Incapable of strength, he knelt on the ground, dazedly looking at Aomi, murmuring: "Who are you, really..."