A swarm of crows fluttered, coalescing at a distance to reveal Gen's figure, calmly watching the Hyuga Jōnin.
"What kind of jutsu is this? Genjutsu? A clone technique?" The Hyuga Jōnin stood, puzzled, as a few stray crow feathers drifted down. He'd been on countless missions and fought ninja from various clans, yet he'd never encountered such an eerie technique.
"Does the Uchiha clan even have such a jutsu?" Madara was equally taken aback. He found himself understanding his cousin less and less. He had thought he was the undisputed number one of their generation, but now it seemed his cousin had depths he couldn't fathom.
"Madara, snap out of it! Let's take him down together!"
As Gen's form solidified, he quickly made hand signs, unleashing a B-rank jutsu: "Fire Release: Flame Slash!"
A massive blade of chakra-infused fire slashed down, tearing off a large section of the hall's roof with a resounding blast.
"Don't fight the Hyuga up close. Use ranged Fire Release techniques and keep your distance!" Gen shouted. Watching the Hyuga Jōnin leap high into the air, Gen's Sharingan tracked his movements precisely, and he swiftly made another sign: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Won't fight in close quarters? Naive..." The Hyuga Jōnin sneered as he accelerated mid-air, dodging the fireball with lightning speed and closing in on Gen. His long blade gleamed dangerously close to Gen's throat, slicing the air with lethal precision.
At the last second, a blade intercepted the strike. Madara had arrived, blocking the deadly blow just in time.
Despite having no prior experience fighting side by side, their movements were surprisingly coordinated. As Madara parried, Gen lunged forward, holding a kunai with an underhand grip, thrusting it towards the Hyuga's throat.
The Hyuga Jōnin smirked and with a swift motion repelled Madara, reversing his grip to thrust at Gen's back. But instead of meeting flesh, his sword pierced a log that burst into smoke—Gen had used the Body Replacement Technique.
When did he make the hand signs?
That thought flitted through the Hyuga Jōnin's mind, but he had no time to dwell on it. Gen reappeared behind him, kunai ready to strike, while Madara, some distance away, completed a fire jutsu: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
With attacks coming from both directions, the Hyuga Jōnin quickly spun in place, creating a large chakra barrier. "Rotation!" The chakra shield repelled both attacks, sending Gen flying and dissipating Madara's fireball.
"This one's strong, a clear level above a special Jōnin," Gen commented, glancing at Madara, who had just regrouped by his side. If he hadn't pulled back in time, he would have been severely injured by the chakra barrier. "A direct hit could've done serious damage. The Hyuga clan's Rotation is no joke."
"No kidding," Madara smirked, his eyes alight with fierce determination. "But that's what makes it a real challenge."
As the chakra from Rotation faded, the Hyuga Jōnin's breath grew more labored, indicating that Gen and Madara's continuous assaults were wearing him down.
"Tell me, kid—when did you perform that Body Replacement Technique? Your skill level shouldn't allow you to do it without hand signs," the Hyuga Jōnin questioned.
Gen sneered, about to retort—only a fool would reveal his secrets mid-battle. But before he could speak, Madara chimed in smugly, "Shows how little the Hyuga know. My cousin developed one-handed signs on his own. He's the only one in the entire Uchiha clan who can do it. If you surrender now, it'll save you the humiliation."
Gen looked at Madara, stunned, mentally yelling, You're doing this on purpose! This is payback for making you hold out against those six explosive tags, isn't it?
"Single-handed signs, you say? Didn't expect that." The Hyuga Jōnin nodded in realization, then vanished in a cloud of smoke, reappearing right behind them.
"So naive! To fall for a simple clone decoy... Gentle Fist: Twin Wolves Howl!" Two chakra wolves lunged toward the pair at close range, leaving no room to evade.
"Tch! Who's naïve now?"
Both Gen and Madara grinned, their bodies vanishing in bursts of smoke, replaced by logs adorned with explosive tags. As the Hyuga Jōnin struck the logs, the tags detonated immediately.
From the smoke, fine chakra threads extended from Gen and Madara's hidden locations. In perfect sync, they tightened the threads around the Hyuga, immobilizing him and sealing his ability to use Rotation.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Flames surged down the threads toward the Hyuga Jōnin, the heat intensifying as it closed in, intending to turn him to ashes.
"Are these two really just kids?" Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, realizing the threat they posed. Unable to use Rotation, he was left vulnerable to their attack.
With a fierce cry, the Hyuga Jōnin unleashed his chakra, snapping the threads before vanishing with a Body Flicker Technique.
Gen and Madara felt the slack in their threads, knowing he had escaped. They scanned the surroundings with their Sharingan, searching intently.
"Madara, to your left!"
Gen's Sharingan, with its advanced three-tomoe pattern, quickly spotted their foe. Madara reacted instantly, swinging his blade toward the left. The Hyuga Jōnin parried the attack, but the force sent Madara reeling, blood seeping from his already injured hands.
"One down! Eight Trigrams: Lion's Roar!" The Hyuga Jōnin's chakra compressed into a roaring lion form, aimed directly at Madara, who, mid-air, had no means of evasion.
"A-rank technique, damn it!" Gen cursed, realizing he was too far to save Madara.
"An A-rank jutsu, huh? I've got one of those too!" Madara, still airborne, swiftly formed complex hand signs. "Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song!"
Three blazing dragons roared toward the lion, meeting it head-on. One dragon clashed with the lion, while the remaining two surged toward the Hyuga Jōnin.
"With a teammate like this, maybe things aren't so bleak." Gen seized the opportunity, charging forward with his Sharingan spinning wildly. Ignoring the pain, he prepared to unleash a genjutsu, determined to end this battle here and now.
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