"Boom!"
Without a word, blazing flames erupted across Uchiha Yusuke's body.
He took a deep breath, his knees bending slightly as chakra gathered—then surged wildly into his lower body.
Yusuke sprang upward, leaping dozens of meters into the air in a single bound.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
With a low shout, his clenched fist transformed into a mass of flames, then blasted forward violently.
The future Uchiha Itachi forming ten hand seals in a second was impressive?
Yusuke's Fire Release didn't require hand seals at all!
The blazing sphere of fire rapidly expanded, gradually engulfing the entire dueling grounds.
The intense heat warped the surrounding air, as if space itself were rippling.
Below the platform, spectators felt their hair curl from the heat while cold sweat poured down their backs.
"So this is the strength of 'Flame Demon' Yusuke?"
"This is terrifying…"
A veteran elite jōnin of the Uchiha stepped forward to stabilize the situation.
"Anyone below jōnin level, retreat at least fifty meters!"
"All who can use Water Release—prepare barriers with me!"
The crowd snapped back to their senses.
A battle between monsters like these was no joke.
Get caught in it, and you'd lose your life.
Even the aftershocks alone were something chūnin-level shinobi couldn't withstand.
Fortunately, the Uchiha dueling grounds were expansive enough to give them room to deploy Water Release defenses.
After all, this was the outskirts of Konoha—renovations here were entirely up to the Uchiha.
Per the higher-ups' orders, the Uchiha had already been relocated to the edge of the village.
The Nine-Tails Incident had been publicly declared an accident.
But in truth, Konoha's leadership had ultimately turned their suspicions toward the Uchiha—the only clan with the Sharingan.
After that upheaval, other clans had basically all received the compensation they wanted.
As for the Uchiha…
"Here's a large empty plot of land. Rebuild your Police Force yourselves."
The Uchiha had followed every order from Konoha's leadership—yet this was the reward they received.
It was enough to chill one's heart.
What was worse, Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku had actually agreed to this unreasonable demand!
Once again, it proved that Fugaku simply lacked the ability to properly lead the Uchiha.
Facing Yusuke's onslaught, Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned solemn. He brought his hands together and began forming seals at high speed.
"Yusuke, your seal-less Fire Release… no matter how many times I see it, it's still astonishing."
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall."
A waterfall-like torrent burst from Fugaku's mouth, enveloping him completely.
The roaring flames swept past Fugaku's hair by a hair's breadth—an extremely close call!
Even for someone of Fugaku's caliber, without prior anticipation, there was no way to block "Flame Demon" Yusuke's seal-less Fire Release.
Crack—crack…
Under the tremendous impact, fissures spread across the dueling ground.
Shattered stone mixed with raging flames scattered outward.
Only through the combined Water Release of multiple Uchiha jōnin were they able to block the residual firestorm.
Sizzle—sizzle—sizzle…
Water and fire clashed, suppressing each other as clouds of steam hissed endlessly.
Gradually, dense mist filled the dueling grounds, as if a Hidden Mist Technique had been cast.
Using the cover of fog, Uchiha Yusuke launched another attack.
"Uchiha Style: Sword Leap—Flame!"
Yusuke vaulted forward, drawing the sword at his waist as he dove downward.
Flames clung to the blade, cutting through the watery curtain like a white arc piercing the sun.
Uchiha Fugaku let out a disdainful smile.
"In front of the Sharingan, don't bother with such little tricks."
The moment his words fell—
He countered with a horizontal block, intercepting Yusuke's spinning kick that was meant to sneak around to his rear.
"Heh…"
A curve suddenly appeared at the corner of Yusuke's mouth as the body attempting the rear attack dissolved into a mass of mist.
Uchiha Fugaku's pupils contracted sharply.
"A Shadow Clone?!"
In the blink of an eye—
Yusuke reappeared head-on, his sword flashing as it sliced off a strand of hair from Fugaku's left side.
The attack failed to land cleanly. Yusuke clicked his tongue inwardly in regret.
Although he had successfully induced a misjudgment from Fugaku, launching a frontal sneak attack against the Sharingan was still extremely difficult.
The two separated at once, retreating back to their original positions.
After that brief exchange alone, cold sweat had already soaked Fugaku's back.
Yusuke had actually deceived his perception?
That sword just now…
He had nearly capsized.
…
At that thought, Uchiha Fugaku immediately revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Yusuke's strength was unfathomable—if he didn't get serious now, he might really fall into the gutter.
The Sharingan's ocular power was no joke. As long as he stayed focused, it would be very hard for Yusuke to attempt another sneak attack.
A trace of admiration surfaced in Fugaku's eyes.
"Yusuke, your rate of progress exceeds my imagination."
"It seems I'll have to show my true strength as well."
Yusuke smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying it.
"Warm-up's over. It's time to get serious."
The exchange just now had already surpassed ordinary jōnin-level combat—but for Fugaku and Yusuke, it was merely a test.
Based on Yusuke's inference, there was a strong possibility that Uchiha Fugaku—like himself—had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, that level of ocular power would inevitably draw Konoha's suspicion.
Given Fugaku's temperament, he wouldn't expose it unless absolutely necessary.
In a straight contest of ninjutsu and taijutsu, Yusuke's Fire Release Chakra Mode gave him a considerable advantage.
The Fourth Raikage A, under Lightning Release Chakra Mode, was a monster who could chase down Uchiha Madara and pummel him.
Yusuke's Fire Release Chakra Mode was no different.
In that state, his speed and destructive power increased exponentially.
And even if it came down to ocular techniques, Yusuke had nothing to fear.
Both possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan—who was afraid of whom?
Yusuke wasn't famous for genjutsu, but his ocular prowess was by no means weak.
Even "Shunshin" Shisui, who was considered on par with Yusuke within the Uchiha clan, was no match for him in ocular techniques.
One had to remember—
In the future, Shisui would be the absolute ceiling of Uchiha genjutsu.
That Yusuke could suppress Shisui spoke volumes about his mastery of ocular power.