Yuhara's words made every Uchiha present furrow their brows. This wasn't just arrogance—it was something else entirely.
Fortunately, he was an Uchiha. If anyone else had said something like that, it would've been flat-out unacceptable.
But even so, if Yuhara didn't show strength to back up his words, no one would tolerate that level of arrogance.
Slowly, a dozen Uchiha ninja emerged from the shadows of the bamboo forest. One of them stepped forward ahead of the others.
He locked eyes with Yuhara and spoke in a cold tone. "You really do live up to the name of Uchiha's prodigy. That pride of yours runs deep. The only question is… do you deserve it?"
Yuhara rolled his eyes. That line sounded a lot like: "You really are one of those Uchiha lunatics."
He didn't appreciate the jab. And Yuhara wasn't the type to take things lying down. He stared at the man and suddenly asked, "Just you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" The man had fully stepped out of the shadows—a muscular young shinobi.
But before he could get another word out, Yuhara had already appeared in front of him!
He didn't even give his opponent a chance to react. With a flash of his Sharingan, and a burst of eerie, silent chakra, Yuhara thrust the bamboo staff forward.
Coated in glowing blue chakra, the staff struck without a sound, hitting the bulky Uchiha square in the chest.
To his credit, the man reacted quickly—but the moment their eyes met, he froze.
In that instant, his mind blanked completely.
And in the next, the bamboo rod slammed into him, sending the man crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.
Everyone watching was stunned. Yuhara had acted without hesitation, striking decisively the moment an opening appeared. He didn't waste a second on words.
The bulky Uchiha writhed on the ground, unable to get up, groaning in pain. The others' hearts raced at the sight—but what really raised their blood pressure was Yuhara's next line:
"What I meant was, you alone aren't enough. You wanted to see my Mangekyō? Sorry, but you don't even qualify to make me use it."
He scanned the group, and a crushing aura burst forth from his body.
It weighed down on them like gravity, making their hearts beat slower with every moment.
"If this is all you've got… then you can't even manage to entertain me."
Yuhara's voice was cold and indifferent. Bathed in moonlight, he looked almost monstrous.
The bamboo trees rustled softly in the wind, the shh-shhh sound eerily mocking the silence.
"Attack! Don't let this bastard look down on us!"
Someone suddenly shouted, and the hardliner Uchiha erupted all at once.
With battle cries and anger in their eyes, a dozen of them charged at Yuhara.
There was no comparison in numbers. And usually in ninja battles, numbers could make a difference.
But this was not one of those cases.
"Aaahh—!"
The moment they clashed, someone screamed.
Even though Yuhara was outnumbered, it was only a minor nuisance.
His strength had grown rapidly. While his physical body couldn't keep up with his chakra quality, his speed and perception had reached incredible levels.
Over the past month, he had continued training, even though Shisui hadn't fully stepped down from the Anbu. Most of their efforts had gone into refining Susanoo.
Even so, Yuhara's taijutsu had advanced significantly since awakening his Mangekyō.
And now, even without using that power—or his unique ability "Dao Reversal"—none of these opponents could match him.
In the moonlight, Yuhara danced through the battlefield like a butterfly, his movements light and graceful.
Any Uchiha who came near was knocked down effortlessly.
Some had their Sharingan activated too, but their insight couldn't compete with his. They couldn't even react in time.
In Yuhara's hands, battle looked like art—every motion clean and instinctive.
He casually tossed the bamboo pole high into the air, then ducked to avoid a strike. With lightning speed, he punched one Uchiha clean in the ribs, sending him flying backward into several others behind him.
His scarlet eyes flicked to the side. He tilted his body just enough to dodge a wooden kunai that whizzed past his back.
Clearly, these people had come prepared. Judging by their gear, they never planned to ambush or assassinate him—they wanted a test, and nothing more.
But even so, Yuhara wasn't going to go easy on them. They wanted to see his strength? He'd show them.
He grabbed a ninja's wooden kunai mid-air, seizing the man's wrist in the same motion.
The Uchiha ninja felt his arm twist unnaturally, completely losing control of it.
Thump!
Another attacker was smacked in the chest with the kunai still in Yuhara's grip, knocking him flat.
Even if it was just wood, taking a hit like that still hurt like hell.
Yuhara didn't even look at the guy he'd sent flying. He twisted the other's wrist sharply—pop!—dislocating it.
Then he ducked low to avoid another blow, darting forward like a panther.
One Uchiha saw Yuhara coming—but before he could react, he was already flying backward.
The Sharingan flickered again. A ninja about to strike was caught off guard mid-swing, stunned by eye contact.
Yuhara sent him flying with a sharp kick.
Just then, the bamboo rod he'd thrown earlier fell back down—right into his waiting hand.
"Honestly… I'm disappointed."
Chakra still surged within him as Yuhara calmly looked around at the fallen and exhausted figures.
"If this is all you've got, then we're done here.
"You couldn't even push me far enough to use my Mangekyō."
"Uchiha Yuhara, that's enough!"
A stern voice rang out. A middle-aged man stepped forward, face grim, chakra intense, and carrying a barely restrained killing aura.
He was clearly a veteran of the Third Great Ninja War—one of the few who had returned alive.
Yuhara narrowed his eyes, then offered a smile.
"Oh? Can't even speak the truth now?"
"You're strong. Strong enough to be frightening—that's a fact," the man said in a low voice. "But these are your clanmates. And more importantly…"
"Don't think we have no one left!"
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