"Both the Shifting Body Technique and Genjutsu have reached a very high level."
Heiyan, who had witnessed the entire battle, silently mused, evaluating Fugaku Uchiha's strength.
It seemed that Fugaku's two sons in the future would inherit his talents—Itachi Uchiha inherited his father's talent for illusion techniques, awakening the special genjutsu known as Tsukuyomi, while Sasuke inherited the talent for Shifting Body Technique, achieving incredible speed.
However, this battle had not truly ended yet.
"Puff!"
The Kurokawa whom Fugaku had slashed did not bleed heavily. Instead, he vanished into thin air with a soft noise, turning into a puff of white smoke.
Shadow Clone!
"No wonder the Uchiha's Sharingan is impressive," Kurokawa said as his real body emerged from behind a large tree, complimenting before suddenly shifting tone. "Still, even with the Sharingan, you can't distinguish the Shadow Clone."
So he prepared it in advance? He really was cautious.
Fugaku shot him a sharp glance, eyes narrowing.
Swoosh!
Kurokawa gave Fugaku one last look before fleeing deep into the woods.
"Wanna run?"
Fugaku raised an eyebrow and immediately gave chase.
"Be careful, it could be a trap," Heiyan warned, then followed closely behind.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures darted through the thick forest in hot pursuit.
Soon, they arrived at an isolated grove where, hidden among trees and bushes at its center, lay a massive lake stretching about a hundred meters across.
Kurokawa ran straight to the middle of the lake, stepping onto the water surface and halting.
"Do you intend to amplify your Water Release using this environment and face me directly?" Fugaku saw through the opponent's intention without hesitation, showing no retreat but instead proud confidence. "Fine by me. Today, I'll make him submit with no room for doubt."
Even if the battlefield changed and the advantage shifted to his opponent's turf, he still believed confidently in victory.
"Are you really okay?" Heiyan asked.
"Don't worry."
Fugaku signaled that everything was under control. Even in the worst-case scenario, if he truly couldn't defeat Kurokawa, he could rely on his superior speed to activate the [Shifting Body Technique] to withdraw with Heiyan safely.
Among ninja, speed meant control—pursue or escape on your terms, staying one step ahead.
"Young Uchiha brat, your arrogance will cost you your life."
Kurokawa sneered cruelly as he raised one hand above his head. Countless strands of white mist gathered from all directions, covering the entire lake's surface.
[Hiding in Mist Technique]!
"You're too naive thinking this technique can interfere with my Sharingan vision."
Fugaku only scoffed coldly. His Sharingan tracked every wisp of mist, ready at any moment to counterattack from any direction.
Yet after waiting for quite some time, he didn't detect any movement from Kurokawa.
On the lake surface, silence reigned, broken only by the thick fog drifting endlessly.
"I gave you a chance to attack first. Since you failed to take it, don't blame me for finishing this."
Fugaku stated calmly before swiftly forming hand seals with both hands, ending with the Tora seal. Then he puffed up his cheeks and blew forward.
Whooooosh!
A powerful gust of wind shot from his mouth, dispersing the thick fog across a wide fan-shaped area ahead.
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]
It was a common C-rank ninjutsu, but when executed by an expert like Fugaku, its scale far exceeded the ordinary. It easily dispelled Kurokawa's Hiding in Mist Technique.
However, the moment the mist cleared, Fugaku's expression suddenly changed.
Because now, at the four corners of the lake, four semi-transparent black "walls" had risen unnoticed. Towering dozens of meters high, they formed a massive cage that trapped both Fugaku and Heiyan inside.
"What is this..."
Fugaku Uchiha's pupils contracted sharply.
"This is a sealing device from the Uzumaki Clan."
Kurokawa emerged from beneath the water.
It appeared he had laid the barrier here long ago, using his Mist technique to obscure vision. While Fugaku was distracted, he had silently dived underwater and activated it.
"It took me quite some effort to get this from Uzugakure's treasure vault. It's specially designed for trapping people. You're not getting away, little brat from the Uchiha clan."
As he spoke, Kurokawa unwrapped the bandages around his arms, clearly preparing for serious combat.
"If so, I'll just kill you first before figuring a way out."
Realizing the danger, Fugaku once again activated the Body Flicker Technique, rushing straight toward Kurokawa.
At the same time, chakra surged violently within his Sharingan as he prepared to unleash his most powerful genjutsu. If Kurokawa made eye contact with him, he would be instantly caught and killed on the spot.
"You think I'd fall for genjutsu again?"
Kurokawa sneered and deliberately covered his eyes with the removed bandages.
Then, swiftly executing a series of hand seals—Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram—he bit down on his thumb until blood dripped out.
[Summoning Jutsu!]
With a sharp shout, Kurokawa slammed his bleeding palm onto the water surface. Chakra surged violently across the previously calm lake.
Boom!
A great white shark, seven or eight meters long, rose from the depths of the lake.
Under Kurokawa's control, it whipped its tail powerfully, sending a massive wave crashing toward Fugaku, who flew backward from the impact.
A sharp splash!
Fugaku landed on the water surface, sliding backward nearly ten meters before barely stabilizing himself. A surge of chakra churned within him, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Sharks barely have any eyesight—they use their special sensory organs to track prey and dodge obstacles," Kurokawa stood cross-armed atop the shark, watching calmly. "I share its senses, so even without my eyes, I can 'see.' Your genjutsu is useless now. And besides..."
Before his words ended, he began forming hand seals again, while the giant shark beneath him opened its monstrous jaws. Together, they released a devastating Water Release technique.
Boom!
Beneath the surface, four pressurized water spouts shot skyward. Compressed by chakra and spinning rapidly, their tips resembled drills.
[Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!]
The four fanged water projectiles surged directly toward Fugaku Uchiha, attacking from multiple angles simultaneously.
"Not good!"
Fugaku's face turned grim.
This combined technique launched by Kurokawa and his summoned shark, enhanced by the lake environment, exceeded anything Fugaku had anticipated.
So he had no choice but to give up on a head-on fight and used the Body Flicker Technique to weave dodges left and right.
For a while, under relentless attacks from Suiryūdan (Water Dragon Missile), Fugaku was in a very awkward position—disheveled and in constant danger.
Finally—
Bang!
After completing a series of extremely difficult dodges, Fugaku made a mistake and was hit by a Water Fang Missile.
"Ugh!"
Blood burst from his mouth as his body fell through the air like a broken kite with its string cut.
Then, completely immobilized, he could only watch helplessly as four Water Fang Missiles hurtled in, sealing off every escape route, leaving him nowhere to run.
"So this is the end."
A bitter, self-mocking smile appeared at the corner of Fugaku's lips.
He had fallen into Kurokawa's trap, inching toward death one step at a time due to his youthful arrogance and overconfidence.
This Uchiha genius was about to perish here.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a figure appeared, standing directly in front of Fugaku, blocking the incoming torrent of water-based jutsu with nothing but his flesh-and-blood body.
"You..."
Seeing this, Fugaku Uchiha felt both touched and guilty.
He was moved that Heiyan would step forward at such a moment, placing himself before him. But he also felt guilt for dragging Heiyan into this battle after boasting so much about his own abilities.
"You gave it your all. Now let me take it from here."
Facing away from Fugaku, Heiyan slightly turned his head sideways and calmly said a few words of comfort.
He hadn't jumped in before because he didn't want to upstage Fugaku. But who'd have guessed things would take such a sudden turn? Fugaku went down way too fast...
So now, after Fugaku's failed attempt at looking cool mid-battle, it was time for Heiyan to handle cleanup.
[Heiyan began forming hand seals. His right hand was below his left, thumbs upright—not resembling any conventional seal but instead looking like someone giving a thumbs-up gesture.]
Yet, the next second—
Swish!
A rapidly spinning circular wall of water swiftly rose from beneath the lake surface, protecting both Heiyan and Fugaku within its barrier, forming a defense with absolutely no openings.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The four Water Fang Missiles struck one after another but were all unable to breach the water wall, instead being deflected by the swift rotating currents, breaking apart midair before disintegrating.
"What?!"
Both Fugaku Uchiha and Kurokawa stared at this scene, shocked simultaneously.
The ninjutsu Heiyan used resembled Water Release: Water Formation Wall—but neither the hand seals nor its appearance matched the standard version at all.
That's because this was an improved version of the Water Release technique created by the Second Hokage.
"Didn't expect this brat to be this strong too—could it be that Uzumaki bloodline kicking in?"
Kurokawa frowned tightly, realizing now that when previously gathering intelligence on Heiyan, they had greatly underestimated his actual strength.
"Cough... cough..."
BOOM! On the lake's surface, Fugaku Uchiha coughed up blood while struggling back to his feet.
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