"So what if the Sharingan awakened? There are three of us! Don't give him a moment to breathe! Attack together!" Sarutobi Asuma barked, jolting the stunned Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu back to action. Seeing Asuma already charging forward, the two gritted their teeth and followed, converging on Uchiha Kai from three directions.
Uchiha Kai, his newly awakened Sharingan swirling with a single tomoe, calmly observed their assault. In the heightened perception of his dōjutsu, everything seemed to slow. He clearly saw the subtle movement of Sarutobi Asuma's left hand behind his back. In a flash, Kai produced four shuriken, launching two at the approaching Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu, and simultaneously engaging Sarutobi Asuma head-on. Their kunai clashed, locking in a brief stalemate.
"You fell for it!" Sarutobi Asuma grinned, thrusting the shuriken concealed in his left hand towards Uchiha Kai's abdomen. On either side, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu had evaded the thrown shuriken and were closing in rapidly! The combined attacks of the three were about to land.
But Sarutobi Asuma's smile froze. The Uchiha Kai in front of them suddenly exploded in a puff of smoke, momentarily obscuring the three and disorienting them. "Not good! Body Flicker Technique! Be careful!" Asuma yelled urgently, instinctively retreating.
Suddenly, two shuriken, trailing thin steel wires, shot out from Hagane Kotetsu's cheeks, flying past Kamizuki Izumo. Before Izumo could react, the wires snaked through the air and tightened, binding the two Konoha ninja together in an instant.
"This is… Sharingan Windmill Triple Blade!" Renzou's pupils constricted as he watched from the sidelines. He hadn't anticipated such a dramatic increase in Uchiha Kai's strength with the awakening of just a single tomoe. Even that initial stage of the Sharingan amplified Kai's combat prowess exponentially.
As the smoke cleared, Sarutobi Asuma, now at a safer distance, stared at Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu. They were struggling against the taut steel wires, but the more they thrashed, the more entangled they became, the wires biting into their clothes, leaving visible marks. Following the wires, Asuma saw Uchiha Kai several meters away, pulling the wire taut with his mouth, his hands blurring through another set of seals.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!" Fiery chakra gathered in Kai's throat, erupting into a blazing stream that followed the steel wire directly into his mouth. Seeing the line of fire racing towards them, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu's faces paled. They thrashed desperately, hoping to break free, but their struggles only tightened their bonds. The flames reached them and erupted in an explosion, engulfing the two Konoha ninja. Screams pierced the air before abruptly ceasing as the flames died down. Uchiha Kai released the wire from his mouth, and the two charred figures slumped to the ground, incapacitated.
Uchiha Kai crouched, panting heavily, his face pale. His Sharingan had reverted to its normal black. He hadn't yet fully acclimated to using the dōjutsu for the first time. Combined with the earlier exchange with Sarutobi Asuma and the subsequent ninjutsu, his chakra reserves were nearly depleted.
Unseen, Sarutobi Asuma had closed the distance, seizing the opportunity of Uchiha Kai's exhaustion. He lunged forward, his fist aimed squarely at Kai's chest. Uchiha Kai felt the rush of air, desperately trying to shift his body, but he didn't fully evade the blow. Asuma's inch punch landed squarely in Kai's stomach. "Agh!" The impact sent Kai staggering backward, clutching his stomach, retching. Sarutobi Asuma pressed his advantage, drawing his kunai to deliver a final, decisive strike to Kai's chest.
Uchiha Kai's eyes widened with a desperate fury. With a swift backhand motion, he drew his kunai, aiming for Sarutobi Asuma's chest.
"Stop!"
"Not good!" The collective cries of the Uchiha clan on the platform and Sarutobi Hiruzen, observing through his Telescope Technique, echoed through the arena. Both children were going for a lethal blow! It was too late to intervene!
Instantly, as the kunai were about to collide, two sharp shouts rang out. "Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!" "Water Style: Water Barrier!" Two rising barriers of earth and water slammed into place between the two boys. Their kunai slammed into the respective barriers, the tips embedding deeply, leaving only the hilts in their hands.
"Haaah…" Both boys simultaneously released a shaky breath.
"That Water Barrier wasn't bad."
"That Earth Flow Wall was well-timed." Renzou raised an eyebrow, looking at the figure opposite him. "Long time no see, Kakashi. How are you, Uncle Sakumo?"
"Ah, we're fine. You've been meaning to visit for a while now," Kakashi replied, his usual deadpan gaze fixed on Renzou. This Renzou… there's more to him than meets the eye. I hadn't paid him much attention before. The speed of those seals and the power of that ninjutsu just now were almost on par with mine. When the fight had erupted, Kakashi realized he wasn't entirely confident he could have intervened more effectively.
"I asked, why the intense hatred between you two? Were you really going to risk your lives like that?" Renzou said, walking towards Uchiha Kai, while Kakashi approached Sarutobi Asuma. Renzou glanced at the groaning figures on the ground. "Hmph," the two boys muttered in unison, turning away from each other.
"To be fair, let's just call it a draw today. Besides, at this rate, you two would probably end up taking each other out anyway," Renzou declared, assessing the situation. Sarutobi Asuma shot a reluctant glare, and Uchiha Kai mirrored the sentiment. Ultimately, with their allies incapacitated, neither had a clear path to victory. Continuing the fight was pointless.
The Uchiha on the platform swiftly descended. Uchiha Fugaku instructed everyone except Uchiha Yusuke to disperse the curious onlookers. Anbu and members of the Konoha Military Police Force began to appear, gently guiding the crowd away. Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yusuke approached their son.
As soon as he was closer, Uchiha Yusuke looked at Uchiha Kai. "Well done, boy. You didn't shame the Uchiha clan." A flicker of pride touched the exhausted Kai's face, but Yusuke's next words were sharp. "But you were impulsive! Ninjas must always remain calm. Impulsiveness will only hasten your death!" Fugaku, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
"I understand, Father," Uchiha Kai replied immediately.
On the other side, Kakashi had handed Sarutobi Asuma over to members of the Sarutobi clan who had arrived, and he was being escorted back to their compound for a stern reprimand. While unharmed, the incident had shaken Sarutobi Hiruzen, who resolved to personally address Asuma's recklessness, entrusting his care to his mother, Biwako Sarutobi.
"Renzou, my father invited you to visit our home. When would you be free?" Kakashi asked, slowly walking towards Renzou.
"Hmm…" Renzou considered for a moment. "Next Friday, Kakashi. Please tell Uncle Sakumo I'll visit then."
"Okay. I'll get back to… my usual routine. By the way, let's spar sometime when we both have time," Kakashi said, nodding and turning to leave, then glancing back as if remembering.
"Alright, I'd be happy to," Renzou replied with a smile. "Then, Uncle Yusuke, I'll leave Kai in your care. I'll take my leave now. Goodbye, Uncle Fugaku, Uncle Yusuke, and Kai." Renzou bid farewell to the three Uchiha and started towards his own home.
Thinking about the sudden emergence of the Sharingan in Uchiha Kai's eyes, a thrill ran through Renzou. "Could it really become that powerful with just a single tomoe?" As the thought crossed his mind, chakra gathered around Renzou's own eyes, and his dark irises shifted. His left eye manifested a single tomoe Sharingan, while his right eye became the stark white of the Byakugan."Developing these eyes will take some time." Looking up at the drifting white clouds, Renzou stretched. He'd seen some excitement today at the market. Time to return to his training. Tomorrow was another Monday. (ˉ︶ˉ)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Chapter 17