At the center of the stage.
Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga, the two brothers, simultaneously tightened their grips on their Armed Spirit Blades.
These were Ghost and Steel Combination Spirit Beasts.
Ethereal as wandering spirits, yet unbreakable as divine iron.
Both brothers' Spirit Blades released their auras simultaneously, pale green soulfire flickering within their sheaths,
the edges of the blades vibrating faintly.
Hiashi: "Hizashi, give it your all."
Hizashi: "Brother..."
As they spoke, both activated their Byakugan!
Their pupils instantly turned white,
veins bulging, the flow paths of their Chakra becoming perfectly clear within their vision.
Both simultaneously awakened their characteristic power - Unprotected!
Both blades gleamed with an eerie silver light.
Unprotected - all attacks would land without fail! Regardless of evasion, substitution, or trajectory!
This battle... would become a desperate exchange of blows.
A rift was suddenly torn open in the air by Sword Energy.
The brothers' assault began.
Clang!
The armed blades of the two Spirit Blades clashed over a dozen times mid-air, each collision accompanied by ghostly energy exploding from their tips.
Hizashi closed in first, lowering his short sword to thrust diagonally at Hiashi's chest.
Not aiming to wound flesh, but targeting the Spiritual Energy Main Channel in his chest.
But Hiashi anticipated completely, blocking with his elbow to deflect the blade by half an inch,
his left hand forming a claw with fingers glowing with the blue light of Gentle Fist.
Gentle Fist!
This strike aimed directly at the Spiritual Energy Flow Center in Hizashi's abdomen.
Instead of retreating, Hizashi lowered his head and pressed forward, forcing his shoulder into Hiashi's attack range.
Gentle Step: Descent!
The fist and palm brushed past his abdomen, leaving trails of light,
but due to Unprotected, the attack still landed by force!
Hizashi's Energy Meridians trembled as if pierced by needles.
Yet his expression remained unchanged as he countered, driving his short sword in an silver arc near Hiashi's ribs.
This strike wasn't meant to cut flesh, but to sever the direction of the Spiritual Energy Flow within the body.
The Chakra in Hiashi's chest instantly became chaotic. He grunted, but seized Hizashi's forearm in response.
From the observation platform, Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged glances.
They hadn't expected the Hyuga's Unprotected power to unleash such astonishing destructive force.
In close combat, it appeared to have become even more terrifying.
At this moment, Hiashi's fingers clamped down like steel hooks on Hizashi's arm, while his other palm pressed against the inside of Hizashi's wrist.
Pressure Point Strike!
The Spiritual Energy Nodes in Hizashi's arm were struck consecutively, their operation disrupted like a kite with its string cut.
Unprotected ensured Hizashi's counterattack would also land without fail.
Even with his arm numb, Hizashi's short blade seemed guided by spirits, sliding upward along Hiashi's ribs from below.
The sound of metal grinding echoed across the stage.
The short blade traced along Hiashi's internal Spiritual Energy Network,
causing his breathing to instantly falter, his steps to hesitate.
The brothers retreated simultaneously for the first time,
their chests heaving violently.
The next instant, they charged forward again.
This time, not with swords, but with fists.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
This was the most primitive, most deadly exchange of Gentle Fist, amplified by the Unprotected power, making their close-quarters combat utterly terrifying.
Every landed punch inevitably damaged Spiritual Energy channels!
Every step brought tremors through Energy Meridians!
Every bodily contact tore through internal organs like acupuncture needles!
Hizashi's right elbow slammed into Hiashi's shoulder and neck,
The power of the Gentle Fist penetrated and vibrated through the body, momentarily paralyzing half of Hiashi's frame.
Yet in the same instant, Hiashi countered with a reverse elbow strike, hitting the vital point beneath Hizashi's ribs,
causing Hizashi to stagger.
Their Byakugan continuously flickered, veins on their foreheads spreading like tree roots.
"Hizashi... you've grown stronger."
"Brother..."
It must be said, the formidable combat prowess displayed by the Hyuga brothers drew cheers from the audience.
However, when the Hyuga brothers unleashed the Secret Technique of the Honedge's skills, the scene became even more astonishing.
Not only Hiruzen and Danzo, but even the higher-ups of the Uchiha clan revealed expressions of shock.
Because the changes in the Hyuga clan were somewhat terrifying.
Especially after the integration of the Honedge system!
[Body Weight Reduction!]
[Rapid Slash!]
Boom!
Simultaneously.
Deep within the different dimension, the residual warmth from the burning of the Flame Gym still lingered.
The flames would not extinguish naturally, the high temperatures would not dissipate, the ashes would not cool.
They were like fragments of energy preserved by the World Tree's memory,
forever waiting here to be reused.
A part of Shiroishi's consciousness was here, contemplating.
Beneath his feet stretched a vast plain made of black-red glass.
This plain was not naturally formed but was the remnant ember left after the Flame Gym burned to its limit.
At this moment, the Eevee raised by Shiroishi sat quietly.
Its small ears, translucent in the firelight,
its pupils reflecting the dance of countless flames like amber.
It was absorbing the flames.
The final power left by the Flame Gym Leader, Red.
Shiroishi slightly raised his hand.
The World Tree Root Veins unfolded in the air like rays of light, guiding the flame fragments around Eevee.
Each fragment that fell was like a small Ember landing on Eevee's fur.
The moment the sparks touched Eevee,
they were compressed into crystalline crimson fire dots, gradually swallowed into Eevee's body.
Eevee seemed to sense some kind of transformation.
It lifted its head, tail swaying gently as if responding to the call of the flames.
The different dimension suddenly trembled.
Deep within the crystalline flame plain, something awakened and glowed.
It was no ordinary flame.
It was the scorching blaze left behind when Red's three Fire-type Pokémon—
Typhlosion, Rapidash, and Arcanine—burned out their lives within the Flame Gym.
Like three red ribbons, they slowly rose from the ground,
circling around Eevee.
Eevee slightly raised its head, amber eyes for the first time gleaming with fiery red spots.
Sensing the change in energy, Shiroishi murmured:
"...It's coming."
Every strand of flame that touched Eevee caused its fur to erupt in small flames.
It started at the tip of its tail.
Then along its spine.
Finally, its entire body began to flicker with red light.
Eevee let out a soft, pained growl but did not flee.
At the final moment, the flames bloomed!
Each strand of Eevee's fluffy fur transformed into fine Fire Crests,
as if forged in a furnace.
It leaped suddenly, soaring high into the air.
The flames around it did not scatter but gathered from all directions as if drawn by some gravitational force, condensing into a massive fireball.
The fireball instantly compressed and contracted, forming flaming armor that enveloped Eevee.
And Eevee...
Dove fiercely toward the ground!
Boom!
The flames exploded like a miniature sun.
Shiroishi calmly raised his hand, allowing the World Tree to absorb the excess energy to prevent spatial collapse.
When Eevee emerged from the flames, its body was still encircled by two rings of burning fire.
It raised its head, revealing unprecedented fighting spirit.
Then, the World Tree System echoed in Shiroishi's mind:
[Eevee has awakened a new Partner Skill: Raging Inferno Burst]
Comment from a user:
Thought it evolved
[Effect: Compresses flame energy to the limit, releasing an explosive shockwave of area flames that inflicts burn status on opponents.]
Shiroishi adjusted his glasses:
Similar flames ignited in his palm.
Compared to the previous two Partner Skills of water and grass types, which mainly focused on draining Chakra for recovery,
this Raging Inferno Burst Partner Skill was purely an offensive, lethal technique.
In an instant, amid the scattering embers, Shiroishi's gaze grew increasingly brilliant.