Hyuga vs. Uchiha, Part One

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Naoki's state of mind was very good.

In this situation, Shisui would definitely not use the Mangekyo Sharingan or any ocular technique related to it.

That meant they were competing in fundamentals.

Naoki possessed more chakra than Shisui and had the Tenseigan, which was extremely resistant to genjutsu. If they competed in taijutsu and ninjutsu, he would not be at a disadvantage.

Because of that, his chances of winning this fight were not small.

Shisui slowly stepped onto the training platform and saluted Naoki. "Senior, I will do my best."

"Begin!"

The referee below the platform gave the command at the proper moment.

The instant the referee's voice fell, Naoki and Shisui both entered combat state.

Shisui moved first. In less than two seconds, he launched more than ten shuriken in succession.

Clang.

The shuriken struck one another in midair, changing their flight paths. Some moved forward, some fell behind, some went left, and others went right. Like a spreading net, they swept toward Naoki from every direction.

Although Naoki had already seen Itachi's use of ninja tools, Shisui's shuriken throwing still made his heart tighten.

Whether angle or force, every throw was flawless. Even with the Tenseigan, Naoki could not find an opening. He could only throw ninja tools of his own to create space to dodge.

Suppressing his impatience, Naoki immediately found an opportunity and threw eight shuriken.

Clang, clang, clang.

In an instant, the sound of shuriken intercepting one another echoed through the entire examination field.

Watching the dazzling ninja-tool battle on the platform, the chunin below held their breath. Everyone who had reached this stage was skilled at throwing ninja tools, so they naturally understood how intense the exchange was.

Suddenly, Guy cried out from the crowd, "Look! The shuriken Naoki knocked away are moving again!"

Asuma's expression darkened. "Steel wires. Shisui connected those shuriken with specially treated wire. If you don't look carefully, you can't see them at all."

The exclamations below did not affect Naoki on the platform.

He had long known how powerful the Uchiha were with ninja tools. How could he not pay attention to their follow-up attacks? So when he countered, he had already been deliberately attacking the wires connecting the shuriken.

However, those wires had clearly undergone special treatment. They were not only tough, they did not reflect light at all. Even with the Tenseigan, Naoki could not find every one of them while they moved at high speed.

On top of that, Shisui's technique was extremely polished. After a long exchange, Naoki still missed a few wires.

The consequence of that mistake was that he quickly fell into a disadvantage.

Part of the reason was that Naoki's throwing skill was insufficient. Another part was that he had not prepared enough ninja tools. After only a short exchange, his ninja-tool pouch was already empty.

He thought Shisui's ninja tools should be almost depleted too. Instead, Shisui took out a scroll, spread it open, and pressed a hand against it. In a puff of smoke, countless shuriken sprang out.

Connected by steel wire, those shuriken swung up and down through the air as if they had a will of their own.

At first glance, Naoki almost thought Shisui was controlling the shuriken with his mind.

Seeing this, only one thought remained in his heart. 'You can use ninja tools like that?'

Below the platform, Asuma shook his head and sighed. "Naoki is probably going to lose. This Shisui is even harder to deal with than I imagined."

Guy stared fixedly at the two fighting on the platform and said without looking back, "Relax. This is only the warm-up. Naoki hasn't gotten serious yet."

Just as Guy said, after deeply realizing that ocular power alone could not make up for the gap in their ninja-tool throwing, Naoki decisively abandoned the entanglement and rushed straight toward Shisui.

Taijutsu was Naoki's advantage.

Seeing Naoki charge forward aggressively, Shisui lightly moved the fingers controlling the steel wire as if he were playing a famous piece of music. Under his control, the countless shuriken flying around him immediately shot toward Naoki.

"Rotation!"

After several months of training, Naoki had become extremely proficient with Rotation. Activating it now was immediate and natural.

Clang, clang, clang.

The sound of countless shuriken striking Rotation hurt the ears. The shuriken deflected by Rotation shot outward in every direction.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

The quick-eyed Third Hokage immediately used Earth Release, raising four earthen walls along the edge of the training platform and barely blocking the shuriken sent flying by Rotation.

The watching chunin also hurriedly retreated more than ten meters.

Among them, Asuma wiped cold sweat from his forehead and muttered, "These two..."

Guy seemed unconcerned and laughed. "Taking on a little risk is inevitable when you get to watch such an incredible duel!"

On the platform, Naoki used the timing created by Rotation to finally close in on Shisui. Both palms struck out together, and he rushed forward like a tiger leaving its cage, unstoppable.

Shisui showed no fear. He immediately drew the short blade on his back, the three tomoe in his eyes spinning.

In the next instant, the two clashed in close combat.

Before long, one chunin below the platform asked in confusion, "Why do their taijutsu styles look so... strange?"

Many of the watching chunin nodded in agreement.

Naoki and Shisui's fight did indeed look strange. Their attacks always stopped abruptly in the middle. A palm would swing halfway out, then suddenly withdraw. A blade would barely begin its cut, then sharply change direction.

After tangling for quite some time, neither had completed many full attacks.

Most of the time, they repeatedly switched between attacking, changing moves, and forcibly withdrawing. Because both of them started and stopped so quickly, their taijutsu exchange looked deeply strange to the spectators.

Guy, who understood taijutsu deeply, seemed like a different person now. He explained with unusual seriousness, "It's prediction. Both of them are constantly predicting each other's attacks. That's why it looks strange."

Asuma said in disbelief, "This many predictions and adjustments? Their insight is absurd. Are they even human?"

Asuma seemed to voice the thought in everyone's heart. At the same time, they all had the same idea.

'Can dojutsu kekkei genkai users really do whatever they want?'

The Third Hokage's gaze flickered as he considered something.

The ANBU standing beside him asked quietly, "Lord Hokage, are they deliberately competing in ocular power?"

The Third Hokage nodded and was about to explain a few more words, but at that moment, the two people on the platform suddenly separated and retreated to opposite corners.

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