"Taijutsu Secret Art!"
The familiar phrase made Gekko Chizan and Uchiha Shisui freeze at the same time.
Especially the latter—he had just gone through this himself, and he was still throbbing with pain.
As for Gekko Chizan, the moment he heard it, his entire face stiffened.
Because what followed matched his expectations perfectly.
"Front Lotus: One Thousand Years of Death!"
The bandage-wrapped Hiyakke was yanked downward by Uchiha Obito with a sudden pull.
Obito himself raised both hands and formed the classic Tiger hand seal.
"Hiyakke!"
"Damn it!"
Kazuma saw Uchiha Obito forming the Tiger seal and couldn't help feeling nervous. After all, the Tiger seal usually meant a powerful Fire Release technique.
Hiyakke couldn't move now. If he got hit, even if he survived, he'd shed a layer of skin.
But the unexpected happened. Just as Hiyakke was about to hit the ground, Uchiha Obito—
Yanked the bandage tight, forcing Hiyakke's body to shift mid-air so he landed with both feet straight down.
His stiffened posture couldn't disperse the force, and the pain shot through him like lightning.
But it wasn't over. Uchiha Obito instantly flickered behind Hiyakke, the Tiger seal still held—no hesitation at all—as he rammed it straight toward Hiyakke's ....!
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!"
A scream pierced the entire arena, a soul-wrenching cry that made everyone shudder.
Too ruthless—this move was way too ruthless!
What kind of person could even come up with such a technique?
"Ahahaha!"
"Hey, old man! Do you give up?"
"Taijutsu Secret Arts are amazing like this!"
"Sensei! I won!"
Standing beside the collapsed Hiyakke, Uchiha Obito dispelled the Eight Gates. Though tired, joy filled his face.
Hiyakke, pierced by One Thousand Years of Death, was beet red. The sharp pain left him unable to say even a word.
He could only let Obito hop around in celebration beside him.
The daimyō and his two retainers never imagined the battle would turn out like this.
"Th-this…"
"Hiyakke lost? And like this?"
The daimyō felt faint. He knew full well how strong Hiyakke was—normally, ordinary ninja wouldn't stand a chance.
Even if the opponent was from the Uchiha clan, this… this was too much.
Just as Gekko Chizan's shock peaked, a familiar system chime rang.
[Ding! The system has detected that the host has successfully taught disciple Uchiha Obito to become a ninja who uses dirty tricks, and has passed down One Thousand Years of Death. Truly, a great teacher produces great students! Even this system can't resist giving you a thumbs-up!]
[Special reward: One Thousand Years of Death power increased by 1%! Current power increase: 42%!]
Gekko Chizan: …
Why is the reward so tiny? System, are you skimming my rewards?
[Ding! Host, do not slander me! This system is absolutely fair!]
[With this reward, as long as the host teaches future disciples comparable to Uchiha Obito, you will receive corresponding rewards.]
Hearing this, Gekko Chizan instantly felt much better.
At that moment, the daimyō stood up.
"For this match, Uchiha Obito wins."
"Chizan-kun, if you would, please open the barrier."
Gekko Chizan nodded and waved a hand.
A gap opened instantly in the Crystal Release barrier.
"Men, take Hiyakke down and get him to a doctor."
Medical personnel rushed forward and carried the wailing Hiyakke away on a stretcher.
Uchiha Obito returned to Gekko Chizan's side, swaggering proudly.
He'd won—of course he would be a little smug.
Gekko Chizan glanced at Uchiha Obito, eyes full of approval. Even though Obito hadn't used his full strength—
From what he'd shown, this kid had improved quite a bit.
"Obito, you performed well today. But dirty tricks, though effective, can't be overused. In the end, a ninja's battle is decided by true strength."
Obito scratched his head and countered:
"Sensei, that's not right. I heard people in the village say you used One Thousand Years of Death all the time on the battlefield."
"In the Land of Rivers campaign, they even gave you the nickname 'Cruel Destroyer.'"
Gekko Chizan's expression froze.
His voice chilled instantly.
"Good. Very good, Obito…"
"Shisui, go. Don't underestimate your opponent."
Since they were in front of the daimyō and the crowd, Gekko Chizan didn't act, but those words alone scared Obito half to death.
Uchiha Shisui perked up the moment he heard it was his turn. He nodded excitedly.
Then he dashed straight into the arena.
"Who's next?"
Standing on the stage, Uchiha Shisui had already activated his Sharingan.
He was younger, but far prouder. And unlike Obito, the moment Shisui stepped onto the stage, he was already fully prepared for battle.
"Suirai, you go."
"…Mm."
The man called Suirai looked gloomy, emotionless.
Unlike Shisui who jumped up, Suirai walked up step by step.
The tall and the small faced each other in silence.
Gekko Chizan, knowing the drill, immediately closed the crystal barrier again.
The battle between Uchiha Shisui and Suirai officially began with the daimyō's order.
"Obito, watch carefully. This is the Uchiha clan's way of fighting."
"Even though you won just now, did you really use your ocular power?"
"I'm not against you learning Taijutsu, but you must understand your strengths."
The battle on stage erupted. Shisui and Suirai had already clashed.
Gekko Chizan observed while speaking to Obito.
Hearing him, Uchiha Obito wanted to protest. But remembering how he'd already been verbally hammered a moment ago, he swallowed it and obediently listened to his teacher's lecture.
"The Sharingan is a very powerful dōjutsu."
"You've faced life and death—have you truly understood the Sharingan's strength?"
The true strength of the Sharingan?
What was that?
Uchiha Obito was intrigued. He had always believed that awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan meant he'd become a true Uchiha.
But now… he realized he didn't understand it as well as he thought.
"Shisui is younger than you, but look at him once he enters battle."
"You still have a long road ahead."
Thinking of the next evolution—the Mangekyō Sharingan—and Obito's future ocular power Kamui, Gekko Chizan suddenly felt he should take action.