While the general audience, including the shinobi from the five nations, the Kages, and others, were still caught up in the astonishnt over how quickly the match between Tengu of Agakure and Hōzuki Suigetsu of Kirigakure had ended, with murmurs spreading throughout the arena, Sasuke stepped out of the passage and walked toward the center of the arena as the cheers of the audience rang in his ears. His face remained indifferent, eyes brimming with barely restrained murderous intent. Even the warm sunlight falling on him couldn't dispel the cold, ominous aura that clung to him.
He stopped a dozen ters away from Raijin. The mont Sasuke realized the man standing before him was a mber of the Amatsukami Organization—the sa man who now possessed his father's eyes—his blood boiled with rage. But he forced himself to keep his emotions in check.
Sasuke knew he couldn’t reveal that he had uncovered Raijin's identity just yet. He wanted to lull his opponent into a false sense of security, waiting for the perfect mont to strike. He planned to catch Raijin off guard in battle, defeat him in one decisive move, and reclaim his father’s eyes by plucking the eyes from Raijin—just as the Amatsukami had done to his father.
Seeing the intensity in Sasuke's eyes and the dark aura radiating from him, Raijin smirked inwardly. He knew that Itachi and Shisui had successfully followed his plan, pushing Sasuke to the brink. With a mocking tone, Raijin taunted, "Huh? Uchiha's genius? For a second, I thought you ran away out of fear."
Sasuke's expression darkened, but he held his tongue. He could imagine the smug look hidden beneath Raijin's mask, and it only fueled his rage. ‘Go ahead, mock ,’ he thought. ‘Soon, you'll understand what the na Uchiha truly ans, and you'll regret ever humiliating us!’
Itachi, observing the tension between the two, glanced at both to ensure they were ready.
Raijin, with a twisted grin, added, "Yeah… let’s start. I’m gonna cook him… or should I say, char him!" "Yes, nii-san," Sasuke responded coldly, both eager to begin.
"Well then, begin!" Itachi announced the start of the match, disappearing from the arena in an instant using the Body Flicker Jutsu. At the sa ti, the arena beca encased in the Four Purple Fla Formation, isolating the battlefield from the outside world.
Even though the match had officially started, neither Sasuke nor Raijin rushed to attack. They stood silently, absorbing the atmosphere around them. The deafening cheers of the audience, the intense gaze of his parents, and the presence of his enemy right before him made Sasuke's heart race with excitent. It was almost too much to contain.
'This is the stage that belongs to !' he thought, clenching his trembling hands in anticipation. In an instant, his dark eyes transford, the scarlet Sharingan appearing, with three black tomoe spinning within each eye.
Raijin, standing opposite, noticed the captivating brilliance of Sasuke's Sharingan and smirked. He licked his lips and, with deliberate malice, taunted, "What a beautiful pair of Sharingan. It would be a fine addition to my collection."
Sasuke's smile turned cold. His hands, now steady, moved slowly toward the shinobi pouch at his waist. "I’ll shatter your mask, grind your face into the dirt, and then I'll show you just how magnificent my Sharingan truly is!"
Raijin chuckled. "Oh, really? I'll be waiting for you to break my mask."
Sasuke leaned forward slightly; his eyes locked on Raijin. "You won't have to wait long..." Mid-sentence, Sasuke's hand darted into his shinobi pouch, pulling out a fistful of shuriken and launching over a dozen of them toward Raijin with fierce precision!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
With a sharp whoosh, more than a dozen shurikens flew toward Raijin at high speed, each aid precisely at his vital points. However, Sasuke didn’t pause after launching his initial attack. In a swift motion, he darted to Raijin’s side, calculating the distance carefully. From his pouch, he pulled out a scroll, unfurled it, and in an instant summoned two giant Fūma shurikens from its seal.
The Fūma shurikens were massive, nearly as long as Sasuke’s entire arm, but the weight and size didn’t seem to faze the young Uchiha. With a well-practiced motion, he angled his body and skillfully hurled the giant shurikens at Raijin with deadly precision.
"Hah…" Raijin, who had easily dodged the first volley of shurikens, smirked when he saw the two massive shurikens flying toward him. Confident in his abilities, he casually drew a kunai, deciding to block rather than dodge this ti.
But just as the two shurikens were about to collide with him, Sasuke, standing at a distance, sneered. With a sharp tug, he revealed his hidden trump card—thin, almost imperceptible steel wires attached to the shurikens. The crowd gasped in realization as Sasuke manipulated the wires, triggering the chanisms embedded within the giant shurikens.
Click! Click!
In an instant, the two giant shurikens disintegrated mid-air, transforming into a flurry of razor-sharp blades that shot toward Raijin at close range, overwhelming him with speed and force.
Raijin’s expression remained calm, his kunai twirling in his hand. With a rapid series of tallic clashes—ding, ding, ding, tang, tang, tang—he skillfully deflected every single shard of the shattered shurikens with precise and effortless movents.
Once the last blade clattered to the ground, Raijin smirked. “Is that all you’ve got?” he taunted condescendingly.
Sasuke’s eyes glead with determination. He surveyed the battlefield for a mont, then grinned. “That was just the beginning!”
...
Konohagakure’s Waiting Room
Asuma looked surprised. "This kid, Sasuke..."
Kurenai and Shizune both slightly parted their lips, unable to hide the astonishnt on their faces. From their vantage point in the rest area, it was clear that Sasuke’s recent actions were not just about attacking or testing his opponent—they were about setting up the battlefield.
The shurikens and broken blades that Raijin had deflected or dodged might have seed randomly scattered, but in reality, each one was connected by thin, almost invisible steel wires. These wires created a large web, dividing the battlefield into countless smaller sections, severely limiting both combatants' movent.
Kakashi smiled knowingly. "Don't be so surprised—just wait and see." For Kakashi, this was nothing new. Sasuke had already used a similar strategy during his Ninja Academy graduation exam.
anwhile, Shikamaru, resting his chin on one hand, explained to the nearby shinobi, "Raijin from Agakure has the 'Storm Release' Kekkei Genkai and is a master of a secret technique called 'Lightning Chakra Stimulation.' It makes him incredibly fast. Sasuke’s setup here is ant to limit Raijin's speed advantage."
Ino’s eyes sparkled with admiration. "As expected of Sasuke-kun!"
Neji nodded in agreent. "It’s a clever strategy. By feinting attacks and setting up the battlefield, Sasuke isn’t just showing his precision with ninja tools—he’s also demonstrating sharp tactical thinking."
Chōji, however, scratched his head in confusion. "But wouldn’t Sasuke’s own movents be restricted by the wires too?"
Naruto laughed. "C’mon, Chōji, don’t you rember? Sasuke’s got the Sharingan!"
Kiyomi added, "With his Sharingan, Sasuke-nii-san can easily see and avoid the wires."
As everyone praised Sasuke’s strategy, convinced that he was on the path to victory, Shion, standing a little farther back with Yakumo and Hinata, quietly remarked only for the two of them to hear, "It won’t work, though..."
Hinata and Yakumo exchanged confused glances. Shion’s cryptic statents were often strange, but they had grown accustod to them. Ti and ti again, she would say sothing absurd, and her words would turn out to be right, so they didn’t question it further and returned their focus to the arena.
…
At the Arena
'Restricting your movent is not the main goal!' Sasuke thought, pausing before speaking with pride. "In front of a true Uchiha with the Sharingan... fakes are nothing. Don’t bla for being harsh. Bla your unlucky stars for crossing paths with a real Uchiha and offending them needlessly!"
Raijin, however, seed amused as he casually glanced at the steel wire formations spread across the arena. His expression was a mix of bemusent and disbelief.
At high speeds, these steel wires, specially treated and nearly invisible, are nearly impossible to see for most people with normal eyes, and they act like hidden blades, slicing through limbs instantly if touched, but for those who have Sharingan, every wire can be seen clearly.
'Doesn't he realize I have Fugaku’s eyes?' Raijin thought, unable to understand Sasuke’s reasoning. 'Why use such a tactic? It won’t work. Or does he think that, since I’m not an Uchiha by blood, I can’t use these eyes as effectively and would tire out early? Is he trying to force to use them to exhaust myself? Heh, if that’s your plan, kid… you’re in for a world of trouble.'
Initially, Sasuke devised this tactic to limit the movent and speed of both Raijin and Darui, who are known for their extre swiftness. At the ti, Sasuke only suspected Raijin of possessing the Sharingan, so his strategy had a different purpose. But now, with the certainty that Raijin does have the Sharingan, Sasuke’s objective has shifted.
‘This should tire him out quickly, Sasuke thought, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the battlefield. Co on now, use the Sharingan!’
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