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Atop Katsuragi Mountain, the overwhelming sea of flames surged forward.
Kakashi's Earth-Style Wall barely held for an instant before it was utterly destroyed.
Such a powerful Fire Release could only be withstood by those with absolute defense techniques like Hinata and Neji's Rotation. The other young Konoha Twelve, who hadn't yet fully matured, could barely handle it.
Fortunately, that brief moment of resistance allowed Kakashi to quickly lead the young shinobi to safety.
Seeing this, Gensou was about to take Sasuke and leave.
However, Guy, who had already received a signal from Kakashi, did not retreat.
On the contrary, he immediately unleashed his full power without hesitation, shouting:
"Eight Gates: First Gate, Gate of Opening, open!"
"Second Gate, Gate of Healing, open!"
"Third Gate, Gate of Life, open!"
"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain, open!"
"Fifth Gate, Gate of Limit, open!"
"Sixth Gate, Gate of View, open!"
In an instant, violent chakra surged forth, enveloping Guy in a mass of green steam as his blood boiled, turning his skin a bright red.
Even before exerting any force, the ground beneath his feet cracked like a spiderweb under the immense pressure.
The next moment, as the sea of flames from the Great Fire Annihilation surged toward him, Guy, now far stronger than before, threw a decisive punch.
No ninjutsu was involved, just pure, unadulterated taijutsu.
But even this simple punch, delivered at high speed, sent a shockwave through the air that split the advancing sea of flames in two.
Without hesitation, Guy moved with blinding speed through the flames, the friction of the air roaring as he charged at Gensou with a powerful kick aimed at his chest.
Under the Mangekyō Sharingan, even such speed was clearly visible to Gensou. He quickly tossed Sasuke aside, and with no time to make any other move, he raised his left hand to block.
Boom! Guy's kick collided with Gensou's palm with tremendous force.
Feeling the overwhelming power crashing down on him, Gensou didn't resist. Instead, he loosened his stance and used the force to propel himself backward.
Guy was about to pursue when Gensou, still retreating, quickly formed hand seals:
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Dozens of small fireballs shot out like seeds, leaving no angle for evasion as they homed in on Guy.
Seeing the flames approaching from all directions, Guy stopped in his tracks, took a deep breath, and with fingers clenched, he swung his fists rapidly, shouting:
"Morning Peacock!"
Bam, bam, bam, bam! Like laser beams, the flames generated by Guy's fists from the friction of the air spread out like a peacock's tail, painting the sky red as they dispersed in all directions.
Effortlessly breaking through the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, the flames from Guy's fists continued to spread toward Gensou.
Gensou's Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly as he dodged the oncoming flames with near-precognitive precision.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each burst of flame barely missed Gensou, instead destroying the buildings of the Tsuchigumo Clan behind him, reducing them to rubble.
Seeing that he couldn't quickly take down Gensou, Guy rushed in for close combat, relentlessly attacking while the flames from Morning Peacock continued to rain down.
Crackle!
Lightning Release chakra surged through Gensou's body.
His hands, wrapped in razor-sharp lightning, moved with precision, allowing him to dodge Guy's relentless attacks by the narrowest margins, counterattacking whenever the opportunity arose.
Gensou's current fighting style was completely different from before.
If he were fighting as himself, he would have engaged Guy in a brutal, man-to-man battle using Steel Release.
But with the assistance of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Gensou was now experiencing the subtle art of technique.
As the battle continued, Gensou gained a deeper understanding of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Soon, as Guy's punch left him briefly exposed, Gensou, with his enhanced perception, seized the moment and lunged forward like a rabbit, grabbing Guy's shoulder. He was about to make his move when Guy quickly prepared to counterattack.
Not wanting to be greedy, Gensou used his strength to throw Guy behind him instead.
Boom!
The building that Guy crashed into couldn't withstand the impact and collapsed instantly.
Thick dust billowed up, but it couldn't obscure the brilliant green figure emerging from the rubble.
"As expected of the Sharingan!" Guy, his skin red and his body wrapped in green steam, stepped out of the ruins, looking at Gensou with a mix of seriousness and excitement.
"You're really strong, Uchiha Uzumaki!"
In Guy's assessment, this Uchiha, with his Sharingan, had far superior insight and reaction speed compared to his close friend Kakashi.
"Uchiha Uzumaki?" Gensou blinked in confusion.
What was that supposed to mean?
After a moment's thought, Gensou understood.
"Uchiha" was what Guy assumed his surname was.
As for "Uzumaki"...
It must be from the white spiral mask he was wearing.
To be fair, it was a fitting name.
But still...
"If you have a bad memory, don't go around giving people random names," Gensou muttered, shaking his head as he noticed Guy, still wrapped in green steam, preparing to charge again.
"And you still haven't even unleashed the blue steam," Gensou added coolly.
Guy paused in his tracks and nodded in agreement, "You're right. In that case..."
"Seventh Gate, Gate of Wonder, open!"
Boom! In an instant, Guy's aura surged dramatically as the green steam enveloping him turned into blue steam.
With everything complete...
Crack!
Guy crouched down, preparing for battle. As he took a single step forward, the ground beneath him split into several deep cracks, two or three meters wide, as if an earthquake had struck. The scattered gravel didn't fall as expected but instead floated in mid-air, suspended by the intense energy emanating from the blue steam.
Seeing Guy's strength now vastly different from before, Gensou swallowed the words he had been about to say.
He didn't want to risk saying, "And you still haven't even unleashed the red steam," only for Guy to immediately open the Eighth Gate.
"This could be troublesome," Gensou quickly glanced at Sasuke's situation.
With Guy engaging him, Kakashi, along with the other Jonin Kurenai, who had been hiding in the shadows, and the members of Team 8 and Team 10, Sasuke wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.
"In that case, let's finish this quickly."
Gensou took one last look at the pond, now broken and overflowing with water from the recent battle. As Guy, now in the Seventh Gate, charged at him with overwhelming force, Gensou's plan took shape in his mind.
Boom!
The battle resumed with even greater intensity.
(End of Chapter)
[500PS REACHED!! Next Goal: 1000PS!]
"Lee's teacher... is really this strong??"
On Katsuragi Mountain, Sasuke glanced back at the intense battle between Gensou and Guy, his face full of disbelief.
When Guy had broken through the sea of flames from the Great Fire Annihilation and kicked at incredible speed, Sasuke had been shocked.
Even though his Sharingan could see the attack coming, he didn't have time to react. If Gensou hadn't thrown him aside, Sasuke might have been seriously injured, which had already surprised him at the time.
Now, seeing Guy holding his own against Gensou, Sasuke was even more astonished.
Others might not know, but Sasuke was well aware of the true identity of his "clan member."
Even though Gensou wasn't using his full strength, Guy's performance was still something to be proud of.
Sasuke recalled the first time he had seen Guy during the Chunin Exams, thinking how ridiculous the man seemed. He shook his head now, realizing the truth in the old saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover."
But...
"Is Lee's teacher really a Jonin of Konoha?"
"And Kakashi considers Lee's teacher his lifelong rival? Is that really not a joke?"
Watching Guy's current performance and recalling Kakashi's past abilities, Sasuke felt there must be some misunderstanding.
But there was no time to think further.
Having opened four of the Eight Gates, Lee, now a miniature version of Guy, charged forward with a powerful gust of wind.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
A spinning high kick with tremendous force came toward him.
"Eight Gates..."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his Sharingan spinning as he swiftly dodged the attack.
Compared to Guy, Lee was still much more inexperienced.
Clang! Sasuke drew his sword, a blade crafted in the style of the Kusanagi sword by the founder of the Craft Ninja Village, Seimei.
Infused with chakra, the sword was immediately activated with the power of lightning. With one slash, Sasuke forced Lee back and then swept the blade around him.
Clang, clang, clang! A barrage of thrown weapons from TenTen was deflected and knocked down by Sasuke's sword.
Buzzing noises! The sound of countless insects buzzing drew closer.
"Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!"
Shino spread his arms, releasing a massive swarm of kikaichū from his body, forming a black cloud that surged toward Sasuke.
Sasuke frowned, quickly forming hand seals before opening his mouth and saying:
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
A massive flame erupted from Sasuke's mouth, transforming into a giant fire dragon that incinerated the approaching swarm of insects. The fire then turned toward the other advancing ninjas.
Boom! The raging flames formed a barrier in front of them, separating both sides.
Taking advantage of the brief respite, Sasuke reached into his ninja pouch for a soldier pill, intending to consume it.
Although his strength had increased significantly, his chakra reserves hadn't grown as quickly. After the series of intense battles, his chakra was running low.
Just as Sasuke was about to swallow the soldier pill...
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
Suddenly, he found himself tightly bound by a large tree.
Kurenai, who had been silent and out of sight for a long time, emerged from the tree, her slender fingers reaching toward the back of Sasuke's head.
"Genjutsu?" Sasuke scoffed.
Back when he was in Konoha, even though his Sharingan had evolved to the three-tomoe stage, without the proper training from the Uchiha Clan, he might have fallen victim to Kurenai's genjutsu as a Jonin.
But now, having filled in his shortcomings during his time in Locks Village, Sasuke activated his Sharingan.
"Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change!"
In an instant, the tree binding Sasuke vanished, replaced by the image of Kurenai herself being bound by the tree.
"For genjutsu specialists, the Sharingan is truly a source of sorrow," Kurenai sighed calmly, despite being bound.
Facing Itachi could be explained by the power gap due to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But now, facing a younger shinobi with the three-tomoe Sharingan, having her genjutsu reflected again was a clear reminder of the Sharingan's dominance over genjutsu.
However, no matter how powerful the Sharingan is against genjutsu, it's not an absolute counter.
Just like now, Sasuke instinctively looked at Kurenai.
In that moment, Kurenai's figure dissolved like a bubble.
Having already witnessed the power of the Sharingan against Itachi, Kurenai was not about to make the same mistake twice.
Demonic Illusion: Naraku Substitution.
The target of Sasuke's counterattack was only her genjutsu clone.
Not only that, but as the clone dissipated, a cascade of beautiful cherry blossoms scattered from where it had been.
Falling Petals Genjutsu!
Kurenai, who had earned her promotion to Jonin, was not to be underestimated.
In an instant, the roles of attacker and defender were reversed. As Sasuke saw the cherry blossoms, he felt an overwhelming fatigue, a deep desire to sleep immediately.
"Another genjutsu!"
Although Sasuke quickly broke the genjutsu, the moment of delay allowed a hand to reach up from the ground, grab his ankle, and pull him down forcefully.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Boom!
Sasuke's entire body was pulled underground, leaving only his head exposed.
Kakashi, who had been hiding underground, emerged.
"Sasuke, when you return, you should reflect on your actions," Kakashi said, spreading his fingers to perform a sealing jutsu, intending to seal Sasuke's chakra.
Sasuke looked at Kakashi calmly.
The next moment.
A violent tremor shook the ground.
As Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise, Sasuke's head quickly sank into the ground, and he disappeared completely.
Soon, a large hole appeared in a nearby clearing, from which emerged a large orange cat, holding a drill in its paws and wearing a golden abacus around its neck, along with the previously missing Sasuke.
"Meow~~Thank you for your patronage, one digging job, 200,000 ryō please."
The plump orange cat, its eyes sparkling like gold coins, held out a paw to Sasuke, asking for payment.
"I'll pay you when we get back," Sasuke replied, knowing the cat's obsession with money, while swallowing the soldier pill he had been holding.
The fat orange cat tilted its head, reluctantly nodded, and said, "Considering your good credit, Little Sasuke, I'll take the risk and agree this time. Remember, no more than seven days, or the interest doubles, meow."
With that, the fat orange cat waved goodbye in a beckoning cat gesture before disappearing in a puff of white smoke.
Opposite them, noticing the scene, Kakashi frowned and said, "A ninja cat? When did Sasuke sign a summoning contract with them?"
While it was known that the ninja cats were once the Uchiha Clan's source of intelligence, the Uchiha Clan was no more.
In Kakashi's memory, Sasuke had never signed a summoning contract with the ninja cats.
This oversight had caused his plan to falter, allowing Sasuke to escape again.
"Also, when did Sasuke use the summoning jutsu? Was it when he used the Dragon Fire Jutsu to obscure our vision?"
The only time Sasuke was out of sight was during the Dragon Fire Jutsu.
That must have been when it happened.
(End of Chapter)
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