"…Alright."
Might Guy hesitated for a moment. Seeing the firm look on Yusuke's face, he finally nodded in agreement.
He knew very well that Uchiha Yusuke was no ordinary opponent.
Yusuke's victory over Uchiha Fugaku had already spread throughout Konoha.
Originally, Guy had planned that if he lost this match, he would keep challenging Yusuke again and again until he won.
But it was obvious—
Yusuke had no intention of giving him that opportunity.
Yusuke cleared his throat lightly.
"Ahem. Konoha is about to go to war with Kumogakure. Let's keep this a light spar."
If Guy got carried away and opened the Seventh Gate…
Yusuke couldn't guarantee he'd walk away unscathed.
"Relax, relax! I understand!"
Guy grinned sheepishly.
"Taijutsu is practically ineffective against you anyway. I won't go overboard."
He wasn't blind to Yusuke's concerns.
Yusuke's Fire Release Chakra Mode allowed partial elementalization—making physical attacks far less effective.
As someone who specialized purely in taijutsu, Guy knew his chances of victory were slim.
Still—
The Eight Gates were no joke.
Might Duy, a mere genin, had opened all Eight Gates and nearly annihilated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
The destructive power—and consequences—of the Eight Gates were well known.
And Yusuke certainly hadn't forgotten that.
Konoha's Mountain Peak
The two stood facing each other at the summit.
Even a controlled spar between them would devastate a standard training field.
And neither of them wanted to pay repair costs.
Konoha had already entered a state of war preparation. Elite shinobi recalled from missions were now back in the village.
By the time Yusuke and Guy reached the peak, a crowd had already gathered.
Their duel was impossible to hide.
Among the spectators were elite shinobi—
Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Anko Mitarashi, and others.
"Guy's as hot-blooded as ever."
Asuma shook his head.
"But challenging Uchiha Yusuke? He's probably going to suffer."
Guy's reputation as Konoha's Proud Blue Beast had grown over the past two years.
But—
He only used taijutsu.
Everyone knew Yusuke's Fire Release Chakra Mode was practically immune to physical damage.
By that logic—
Guy's chances were near zero.
Aoba Yamashiro, Hayate Gekko, and Genma Shiranui nodded in agreement.
They thought the same.
The women, however, reacted very differently.
"Yusuke-kun, you can do it!"
"Lord Yusuke, teach him a lesson!"
"Who wears that ugly green outfit and dares challenge Yusuke?!"
Their cheers rang loudly across the peak.
Asuma and the others looked like they'd just bitten into lemons.
Back in the Academy, girls had swarmed around Yusuke.
Years later—
Nothing had changed.
So what if he was handsome?
"Ahem. Everyone, step back. I don't want to accidentally hurt anyone!"
Guy shouted energetically.
The youthful flames inside him were already burning fiercely.
Kakashi wouldn't spar with him.
Yusuke didn't want to either.
Part of Guy's motivation wasn't just passion—
He wanted more experience fighting ninjutsu users and Sharingan wielders.
In some ways, Yusuke and Kakashi were similar.
Both excelled in ninjutsu and ocular techniques.
But unlike Kakashi—
Yusuke had no clear weakness.
Ninjutsu. Taijutsu. Genjutsu.
He was well-rounded.
A true hexagonal warrior.
"Let's make this quick."
Yusuke gestured calmly, inviting Guy to make the first move.
Guy didn't hesitate.
He immediately took his stance.
"Eight Gates… First Gate—Open!"
"Third Gate—Open!"
"Fifth Gate—Open!"
Right from the start—
Guy activated the Fifth Gate.
He was giving Yusuke full respect.
Yusuke didn't hold back either.
Without forming hand seals—
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Flames erupted, surging across the ground toward Guy.
But with the Fifth Gate open, Guy's speed was astonishing.
With a burst of taijutsu movement—
He vanished from the fireball's path.
"Reverse Lotus!"
Guy counterattacked instantly.
Yusuke remained calm.
His body flickered—
Elementalization.
The attack passed harmlessly through him.
"To use chakra at this level…"
An older jonin watching sighed.
"In today's shinobi world, perhaps only Yusuke and the Fourth Raikage can do so."
Yusuke's Fire Release Chakra Mode mirrored the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode—
Both were pinnacle examples of no-hand-seal techniques.
Minato Namikaze had once created the Rasengan based on the Tailed Beast Bomb—
Another no-hand-seal masterpiece.
Sadly—
Minato had died too young.
"Try my swordsmanship."
Yusuke drew the blade at his waist.
It resembled Orochimaru's Kusanagi in style—custom-forged at enormous expense.
Three years of mission earnings—
Gone.
All for this blade.
"Uchiha Style—Exploding Flame Slash!"
His eyes sharpened.
For a moment—
He seemed one with the world.
The blade swung.
A crescent-shaped wave of blazing flame roared outward.
The true threat wasn't the steel—
It was the compressed chakra formed into a flying slash.
This was Yusuke's newly awakened technique—
Almost reminiscent of a swordsman from another world.
Scorching heat.
Terrifying cutting force.
Blinding speed.
Ordinary shinobi would never evade it.
Over the past six months, his power had risen again.
Fire Release Chakra Mode — 57.4% mastery
Mangekyo Sharingan — 12.8% mastery
Konoha-Style Taijutsu — 82.6% mastery
Master Swordsman-Level Swordsmanship — 7.4% mastery
His Uchiha swordsmanship had evolved into true swordsman-level mastery.
Combined with Fire Release Chakra Mode—
He could rival Kage-level opponents without even relying on Mangekyo.
The flaming crescent tore through the air—
Guy barely reacted before it was already upon him.
And the crowd—
Hold its breath.
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