Chapter 90: Ambush (Part 2)
Then suddenly—
A flash of brilliant blue light tore through the air—
A long, deep gash split across Uchiha Yuu's back... but the wound quickly cracked and splintered into wood.
Substitution Jutsu!
Uchiha Kei stood silently, staring at the wooden log left behind.
Without wasting a second, he turned his gaze toward a tall tree—where Uchiha Yuu now perched, coldly glaring down at him.
Kei had clearly seen it: the instant Yuu had used the substitution, he had vanished from the spot with astonishing speed.
Still, Kei hadn't pursued him.
What puzzled him was—he had concealed himself so carefully.
How did he get discovered?
"Uchiha Kei, huh? Interesting,"
Yuu sneered.
"Judging from the angle of your strike, you were aiming to subdue me, weren't you? Curious how I found you?"
"I am," Kei answered simply, not bothering with unnecessary words.
He hadn't used Transformation Jutsu to mask himself—
After all, against the Sharingan of another Uchiha, such a trick was useless and only a waste of chakra.
"It was because of the birds,"
Yuu said with a low chuckle.
"I train here every day. I know exactly where the birds nest. You hid yourself well—but your arrival startled them. They wouldn't land anywhere near where you were."
Birds...?
Kei lifted his gaze slightly, scanning the branches.
He had to admit—it was a detail he'd overlooked.
The tiny creatures' sharp instincts—and Yuu's keen observation—had both caught him off-guard.
Who paid attention to where birds perched?
Even on the battlefield, Kei rarely bothered, unless actively tracking someone by flushing out wildlife.
And he hadn't disturbed any birds when he entered.
Still, Yuu had seen right through him.
"Since you struck first,"
Yuu cracked his neck with a sinister smile,
"Don't expect me to hold back. I'm going to kill you."
"Oh?"
Kei casually twirled his blade in his hand, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"Come try."
"You'll regret it."
Yuu's hands blurred through a rapid series of seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Tch. Boring."
Kei snorted, casually leaping backward to avoid the fireball—
—only to feel a sudden prickle of danger.
Instinct seized him, and he twisted sharply, hurtling several meters to the side!
A cold kunai sliced through the air, brushing so close it tore a wide gash in the back of his shirt.
So fast!
Kei couldn't help but admire it.
Yuu's speed was terrifying—and he had cleverly used the fireball to obscure Kei's vision, setting up a deadly ambush.
If Kei's reactions had been even a fraction slower—or if his body control had been anything less than perfect—he would have been skewered.
Now fully alert, Kei was done underestimating him.
His crimson eyes, glowing with the three tomoe of the Sharingan, began to spin.
Landing lightly, Kei kicked off the ground, his body drifting backward toward the shadow behind him.
In a flash of motion, Kei's blade gleamed with concentrated blue chakra.
He reversed his grip and slashed sharply behind him!
But Yuu was no amateur either.
With the three-tomoe Sharingan aiding him, he met Kei's strike head-on, blocking it effortlessly.
On the surface, Uchiha Yuu looked relaxed, almost casual.
But inside, he couldn't help clicking his tongue in admiration—
This kid, Uchiha Kei, was far from ordinary.
Such reaction speed wasn't entirely unheard of, but it was still dazzlingly impressive.
And Yuu knew exactly how fast he was.
For Kei to react, counterattack, and reposition so swiftly—it showed not just lightning-fast reflexes, but also extraordinary bodily coordination.
No wonder he managed to take down so many dangerous enemies on the battlefield...
Still, Yuu wasn't afraid.
He reasoned that Kei's earlier victims had simply underestimated him—that's why they had fallen.
But now that he was fully alert to the boy's capabilities, he wouldn't make the same mistake.
He had begun treating Uchiha Kei as a genuine opponent—an equal.
Even if Kei was barely thirteen or fourteen years old.
Even if this was only their first brief exchange.
Uchiha Yuu couldn't deny it: this boy's strength was real.
Now taking the fight seriously, Yuu's aura changed—and Kei felt it immediately.
If at the beginning of the duel Yuu had only relied on his speed, now, after a full minute of intense hand-to-hand combat, Kei could clearly sense it:
Speed. Precision. Ruthlessness.
Those three words were the only way Kei could describe him.
Under the three-tomoe Sharingan's guidance, Yuu's taijutsu was nearly flawless.
If Kei didn't have his own Sharingan, he might have already been turned into a pincushion!
Still, Kei wasn't concerned.
Their battle had just begun—
And it was a perfect opportunity to test the fruits of his own training.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The sharp clash of metal against metal echoed through the forest.
Their blows grew faster, sharper, more vicious—but strangely, neither bore any visible injuries yet.
Kei knew this stalemate wouldn't last.
Although Yuu's strength was tremendous, Kei's speed was noticeably superior.
As a result, Yuu's attacks were either deflected or narrowly evaded.
And there was another hidden advantage—
Kei's ninja blade, a gift from Kakashi, could conduct chakra.
Meanwhile, Yuu was wielding nothing but an ordinary kunai.
This difference in weapon quality meant that if Kei could seize the right moment, he could utterly overwhelm him.
Finally, after relentless pressure and fierce exchanges—
Yuu's kunai snapped clean in half!
Yuu immediately realized the danger.
He had long noticed Kei's blade was no ordinary weapon.
Without hesitation, he hurled the broken kunai at Kei to disrupt his rhythm.
At the same time, he sprang backward, rapidly weaving hand seals—
Once again trying to obscure Kei's vision with ninjutsu, buying himself precious seconds to regroup.
His actions were fluid, seamless—a split-second decision executed perfectly.
But Kei wasn't about to waste such a golden opportunity.
After days of sparring against Kakashi, Kei had picked up more than just the Raikiri.
He had also drawn inspiration from Uchiha Itachi's "Great Clone Explosion" and begun developing his own tricks.
Especially techniques rooted in basic ninjutsu—
They were often the most deceptive and effective, just like the "Dance of the Crescent Moon" style.
Kei didn't know the exact Crescent Moon Dance technique.
But that didn't stop him from creating something similar.
In an instant, Kei closed the distance—
One hand gripping his blade, the other forming a single-hand seal.
Blue chakra flared violently around him.
A puff of smoke erupted—
—and when it cleared, three identical figures had split from Kei's body, all charging at Yuu from three different angles, blades flashing!