"Haha." Saitama paused near her feet, then suddenly vanished with a flicker.
"Clang!" Just as he escaped the range of the Fire Release, several shuriken flew toward him. Saitama caught a few in one hand, and with a swift sweep of his blade, deflected the rest.
"Tactical approach?" he thought. "First, using Fire Release to block my vision, then launching shuriken under its cover. The sound of the projectiles was masked by the flames… Not bad." His thoughts raced, but his feet didn't slow.
He was less than 20 meters away now—closing that gap in a heartbeat.
"Clang!" Kunai clashed as Kazuo stepped in front, intercepting him.
"Didn't I say I specialize in Lightning Release?" Saitama grinned. Lightning chakra sparked from his hand and channeled into his blade.
"Zzzzt!" The electric current crackled and surged through Kazuo's body—only for him to explode into a puff of white smoke.
"A Shadow Clone?" Saitama's eyes narrowed. "When did he swap? During the Fire Release? Where's the real one?"
He didn't hesitate. His sword arced toward Uchiha Yan, who had moved into position behind him.
Yan clearly hadn't expected his brother's clone to stall Saitama even momentarily. He reacted too slowly and retreated in haste.
Saitama gave chase. Though it was only a spar, his blade didn't pull back.
"Boom!" As Yan stepped back, the ground beneath her cracked—and Saitama collapsed downward in a trap.
Yan's Sharingan lit up as she began weaving hand signs.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" she shouted, spitting out a volley of fireballs toward the now off-balance Saitama.
"Hmph." Saitama formed a hand seal—and vanished.
"What?!" Yan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Boom!" The hilt of a sword gently touched her waist. A cold sweat formed on her brow.
He's that fast? That wasn't Body Flicker... was it? She wasn't sure.
"The Body Flicker Technique really is useful," Saitama said softly.
He lowered his sword hilt from her waist but kept his eyes scanning the surroundings. He hadn't forgotten that Uchiha Kazuo was still lurking.
"Captain, don't forget—there are two of us!" Yan had snapped out of her surprise and glanced to the side, subtly shifting her stance.
"Right. One more… But where?" Saitama tilted his head with mock confusion.
"Huh?" Yan suddenly felt a chill.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" came a low voice from beneath.
Kazuo emerged from the ground—Saitama had stepped right into his trap!
"Thud!" In a blink, Saitama was pulled underground, buried to the neck.
"Haha! Captain, you let your guard down!" Kazuo grinned as he crawled out of the earth, triumphant.
Although Saitama hadn't used his Sharingan—or even activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode—they had still managed to outmaneuver him. Kazuo felt proud of their victory.
Kazuo started walking toward Yan, smiling, but she glanced at Saitama's face and suddenly shouted:
"Look out!"
"Boom!"
The buried Saitama exploded into a puff of smoke.
"A Shadow Clone?!" The brothers' expressions changed instantly. They leapt back to back, kunai drawn, Sharingan spinning.
"Zzzzt!" A flash of lightning streaked past them.
Before either of them could react, a blade buzzed with electricity and rested at their necks.
Neither dared to move.
"He's too strong!" the same thought echoed in both their minds.
They'd executed multiple feints, decoys, and coordination—but against overwhelming speed and skill, their clever tricks were ultimately useless.
"Not bad," Saitama said, lowering his blade and returning it to his waist. "Your teamwork is solid. Most Chūnin would struggle against that."
"Captain, your strength lives up to the rumors," Kazuo praised, half-joking, half-sincere. "You could pass for a top-tier Jōnin."
"Haha!" Saitama clapped him on the shoulder and brushed the dirt off.
"Come on. Back to hand-to-hand drills. We'll stop when it's time for dinner."
His tone left no room for argument. Despite being a spar, the brothers' joint assault had put real pressure on him. It was the perfect chance to refine his Body Flicker technique.
Though he possessed a diluted version of Lightning Release Chakra Mode, it was high in chakra cost and had taxing aftereffects. The Body Flicker Technique, like the one Shisui had mastered, suited his current stamina and style far better.
Still, the way Saitama used Body Flicker was different from Shisui's method.
By focusing chakra into his soles and releasing it in a rapid burst, he propelled himself with a near-instantaneous movement. He had envisioned this method before—but without a fully evolved Sharingan, such speeds were hard for others to follow or counter.
"Alright!" Yan didn't dwell on their earlier loss. The moment Saitama called out, she responded faster than Kazuo.
She treated every battle with Saitama as a chance to learn—not just to win. Saitama was a seasoned ninja, forged in war. She and her brother, despite their Uchiha lineage, were still green.
The trio sparred until the late afternoon sun dipped low. At around five, Saitama called it.
After washing up, he dragged both teammates toward a local yakiniku place. He told Zhu to pass along a message to Granny Kaka—they wouldn't be home for dinner. Zhu and Shisui didn't join them, each busy with family matters.
---
"Captain, are you still going to eat?" Kazuo asked weakly, wiping sweat from his brow.
Several empty plates were stacked high in front of him. He'd stopped eating and was now just watching Saitama demolish dish after dish.
"What? You're full already?" Saitama asked, picking up another set of grilled meats, dipping them into a secret sauce, and devouring them with gusto.
"Well... Captain, you take your time." Kazuo tried to smile, then silently added more meat to the grill, resigned.
In front of Saitama, the table and side rack were stacked with empty and fresh plates alike.
"This is the sixtieth plate..." Kazuo's eyelid twitched. He suddenly recalled how, just before entering the shop, Saitama had smoothly tricked him into offering to pay.
Now, watching his captain eat like a bottomless pit, Kazuo wanted to cry.
"There goes a week's worth of mission pay." He kept grilling meat while glancing at Yan, silently pleading for help.
But Yan pretended not to notice—focusing instead on her own empty plate.
"Might as well call this a bribe to the boss," Kazuo muttered, accepting his fate.
"Boss! Ten more plates!" he shouted to the server.
"Coming right up!" The owner smiled. Every time Saitama visited, it was a windfall. He was even considering giving Saitama a VIP membership to bring more friends.
"Good work, Kazuo!" Saitama grinned, raising his chopsticks in a thumbs-up.
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