I guess I have some talent after all, Kawasaki thought.
Clang! The sound of a kunai striking.
Zing! The sound of a wire being pulled taut.
A kunai he had just dodged suddenly changed direction, flying straight toward his new position. A shuriken, guided by a wire, curved around and cut off Kawasaki's escape route.
Kawasaki barely managed to evade the attack.
But then Itachi threw another kunai, striking the one already in mid-air. At the same time, the other wires tightened, sealing off Kawasaki's retreat to either side.
As Kawasaki parried the shuriken with his sword, the wires were already ensnaring him.
Itachi closed the distance.
With a single slash, Kawasaki dissolved into a puff of smoke.
Kawasaki's eyes shot open.
Itachi's shurikenjutsu was simply on another level—a work of art.
Refusing to give up, Kawasaki chose another opponent: the Fourth Elder, Youhei.
[Constructing dreamscape... Construction complete. Uchiha Youhei - Taijutsu]
Kawasaki closed his eyes once more.
A long time later, Kawasaki opened his eyes, gasping for breath.
In the dreamscape, Youhei was already in his twilight years. Even so, Kawasaki had to use every ounce of his strength just to fight the elderly Uchiha to a mutual defeat.
That's right—it wasn't a victory, but a double knockout.
Those who have truly seen battle are never pushovers.
However, on his System Panel, the 'Taijutsu' entry for Uchiha Youhei had vanished.
Kawasaki scratched his head. Should he try something else?
He selected Youhei's 'Ninjutsu'.
[Constructing dreamscape... Construction complete. Uchiha Youhei - Ninjutsu]
Kawasaki was more experienced this time. Upon entering the dream, he saw Youhei standing there, explaining the ninjutsu he had mastered. Most of them were Fire Style techniques, with a few Earth Style skills mixed in.
Ninjutsu was Kawasaki's greatest strength, but he was already proficient with Fire Style. As for Earth Style, he was completely clueless. It couldn't be helped; he had no natural affinity for it. Forcing it would be a thankless, difficult task.
Kawasaki had tested his affinities long ago. He only had a talent for Fire and Lightning Style, and his skill with fire far surpassed his skill with lightning.
By copying the hand seals Youhei demonstrated and guiding his chakra through the correct pathways, he was finally able to perform the Fire Style jutsu successfully.