After Yusuke completed his hand seals, the flames he exhaled underwent a qualitative change, turning crimson red.
This jutsu was Yusuke's Fire Release, guided by the power of Ryujin Jakka within him. The intensity of the flames far surpassed ordinary flames. In the blink of an eye, they engulfed Uchiha Fugaku's Great Fireball Technique and instantly swallowed Fugaku.
"Father!" Itachi, who was watching from the side, exclaimed.
But soon he felt relieved, seeing that the Fugaku engulfed in flames "bang" turned into a wooden stake, which then turned to ash in the flames.
Obviously, Fugaku had used the Body Flicker Technique in time to dodge Yusuke's flames.
Yusuke quickly retracted the flames and suddenly crossed his arms to the side, assuming a defensive posture, just in time to block a sudden, powerful kick from Fugaku.
The force of Fugaku's kick was immense, and Yusuke was forced to take a few steps back.
Seizing the advantage, Fugaku pressed forward, launching a series of fierce attacks.
Neither of them used weapons, but they engaged in a purely taijutsu-based offense and defense. Their movements were extremely fast, and every move was powerful and forceful, clearly showing that they were both masters of taijutsu.
Ninjas at a certain level would never be weak in taijutsu.
Without sufficient physical fitness and reaction time, it would be impossible to deal with the ever-changing techniques of ninjas from various elements.
The Uchiha clan possessed the Sharingan, which greatly increased their dynamic vision, and they also emphasized taijutsu training. Otherwise, their bodies wouldn't be able to adapt to the visual differences brought about by the Sharingan's dynamic vision.
The two exchanged blows for a while, roughly testing each other's taijutsu abilities.
During the exchange, Yusuke noticed that Fugaku's face didn't seem to have the same anger towards him as it had at the beginning. It was more like admiration, but he couldn't think too much during such a fast-paced exchange.
Suddenly, Fugaku changed his move, jumping up and kicking down hard at Yusuke.
Yusuke raised his arm to block, and Fugaku used the momentum of the kick to leap back and upwards, simultaneously forming hand seals to perform a jutsu.
"Fire Release: Red Phoenix Flower Claw!" Fugaku spewed out dozens of flames from his mouth, and at the same time, he swung his right hand, launching dozens of high-speed spinning shuriken into the flames. Then, enveloped in flames, they quickly shot towards Yusuke.
Facing the oncoming Red Phoenix Flower Claw, Yusuke quickly formed hand seals. A purple barrier, like glass, appeared in front of him.
"Flame Release: Single Purple Flame Formation!"
Dozens of shuriken wrapped in flames collided with the purple barrier in front of Yusuke, creating a cloud of thick black smoke and a sizzling sound as if hot iron was being plunged into cold water. Then they completely disappeared, obviously burned to ashes by the extremely high temperature of the purple flames, leaving not even a trace behind.
This "Flame Release: Single Purple Flame Formation" was a jutsu that Yusuke had developed based on Orochimaru's "Four Purple Flame Formation." Yusuke had also taught this jutsu to Orochimaru, but Orochimaru had always been unable to perform it.
The reason was that Orochimaru couldn't independently complete the transformation from "Fire Release" to "Flame Release," while Yusuke could use the power of his Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka, within him to transform fire into flames.
Fugaku, who had seen a lot in his life, could tell that this purple barrier wasn't so easy to break through. He circled around to the side and launched an attack on Yusuke. This time, Fugaku had a kunai in his hand, and with a thrust, he pierced straight through Yusuke's chest.
But Fugaku realized that he hadn't hit anything solid. He immediately understood that his opponent had avoided his attack through some kind of technique.
Yusuke's body gradually split into crows covered in crimson flames, all flapping their wings and rushing towards Fugaku.
Fugaku retreated while swinging his kunai to drive away the crows.
However, when the kunai pierced the crows, Fugaku discovered that they were also not solid, but the flames attached to the crows' bodies ignited the wide sleeves of his kimono.
Fugaku swung his kunai, cutting off the burning sleeve. At the same time, his rich combat experience allowed him to immediately realize that these crows were not ordinary clones but a combination of genjutsu and elemental chakra clones.
"Good job, Uchiha Yusuke. Let me see what other tricks you have up your sleeve," Fugaku thought to himself, but he didn't show any emotion on his face. He quickly formed hand seals, and the three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes slowly spun.
"Iron Bind Technique!"
Suddenly, dozens of iron spikes appeared, pinning the crows flying in the air. All the crows that were nailed by these spikes instantly became motionless.
Gradually, the crows all disappeared, and Yusuke's figure slowly reappeared. However, at this time, Yusuke was also nailed by several iron spikes, seemingly unable to move.
"Using genjutsu to defeat genjutsu. As expected of the clan leader. I thought my 'Fire Phantom Crow Technique' was nearly invincible, but it was easily broken like this." Yusuke said to Fugaku, unable to move.
Yusuke's expression remained calm, but his tone was filled with admiration.
At this time, the "Iron Bind Technique" that Yusuke was caught in was actually a genjutsu. The iron spikes that pinned Yusuke were not real. Only Fugaku, who was performing the jutsu, and Yusuke, who was caught in it, could see them. Itachi, who was watching from the side, only saw Yusuke standing motionless.
"Yusuke-kun, you are indeed the most outstanding genius of our clan. At such a young age, you have already achieved this level of strength without relying on the Sharingan. And in this sparring match, you, as the 'Flame Sword,' have never used your sword to fight. It seems you still have some strength in reserve," Fugaku said.
Fugaku's expression softened at this time, not as serious as it was when they first met. He looked at Yusuke with an appreciative gaze.
In Fugaku's view, he had already won this sparring match. Whether Yusuke was holding back because of the sparring or because of his arrogance, he was now firmly under his control and unable to continue fighting.
Moreover, Fugaku himself had also held back his strongest trump card!
"I didn't take your conflict with Ryuya and the others to heart. I just wanted to test your strength. I had already made a high estimate of your strength, but it seems I underestimated you." Fugaku continued.
Looking at Fugaku, who was talking eloquently, Yusuke understood his intentions. Fugaku thought he was powerless to resist now, so he was talking to him as the victor.
Fugaku saw that Yusuke didn't say anything and frowned slightly. He said, "Young man, don't let a single defeat get you down. Victory and defeat are common in war, especially when your opponent is the clan leader of the Uchiha clan!"
"Clan leader, sorry, I was just thinking, is this sparring match over?" Yusuke asked.
Fugaku rarely laughed when he heard this. "What do you think?"
"If it's not over, I might have to draw my sword." Yusuke looked at Fugaku calmly.
"All things will turn to ash! Ryujin Jakka, Shikai!"
Before he could finish speaking, Fugaku saw a flash of fire in Yusuke's eyes. The powerful fire chakra in his body went berserk, instantly breaking free from the Iron Bind Technique.
What attracted Fugaku's attention most was the magnificent long sword wrapped in flames that appeared in Yusuke's right hand.
Yusuke swung the Ryujin Jakka in his hand, and the flames on the blade drew a crimson arc in the air, like a magnificent trail of fire.
Seeing this, Fugaku was shocked but couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of the so-called 'Flame Sword,' truly a formidable young man."
He canceled his Sharingan state and habitually tried to put both hands into the wide sleeves of his kimono, but he suddenly found that his left hand went through empty space. It turned out that the right sleeve of his kimono had been burned by the "Fire Phantom Crows."
He chuckled wryly and sighed again, "Unexpected, truly unexpected. According to the definition of sparring, I guess I lost, having lost a sleeve."
Yusuke saw that Fugaku didn't intend to make a move, so he retracted his Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka.
Yusuke hadn't been sure what kind of ninja Fugaku was, but through this sparring match, he knew that Fugaku's strongest skill was probably genjutsu.
The "Iron Bind Technique" wasn't a high-level genjutsu, but Fugaku could perform it flawlessly. He not only used it to break Yusuke's "Fire Phantom Crow Technique" but also firmly controlled him.
If Yusuke hadn't had Ryujin Jakka, with his current abilities, he wouldn't have been able to break free from the jutsu in a short time.
Of course, the so-called "unbreakable" wasn't just about the "jutsu" itself, but more importantly, about the "person" performing it. If Kurenai had used the same Iron Bind Technique, she probably wouldn't even have been able to control him for a second.
Yusuke shook his head, "Clan leader, you're joking. I've actually used all my tricks. I wouldn't be arrogant enough to think that I can defeat the clan leader of the Uchiha clan right now."
This wasn't Yusuke being humble. He knew that Fugaku had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan. If Fugaku used the unpredictable abilities of his Mangekyo Sharingan, Yusuke wouldn't be able to resist him now.
Fugaku nodded in satisfaction, "Yusuke, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go to the reception room and chat."
Fugaku was very satisfied with this talented and humble young man. Even his tone had become more intimate.
The three of them went to the reception room. Fugaku and Yusuke sat facing each other, while Itachi brought over a cushion and sat beside Fugaku.
Yusuke and Fugaku's sparring match had given Itachi his first glimpse of the battle between high-level ninjas.
He, who was born with an extraordinary fighting intellect, felt a sense of yearning.
Just like boys on Earth would have dreams of becoming martial arts masters or superheroes, most boys in the Naruto world would also dream of becoming powerful ninjas.
Looking at Yusuke, who was young but very calm, Fugaku said slowly, "The clan is facing many difficulties now. I believe that you, as a Jonin, should be able to feel it."
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