Chapter 7: Genjutsu

"Guy, isn't your dad just a genin? How is he this strong?" Ebisu's sunglasses nearly fell off, leaving him utterly stunned.

Genma swallowed hard, staring at Guy in amazement.

"Guy, your dad's so powerful—why didn't you tell us? Afraid we'd beg him to teach us?"

Guy was just as dazed, unable to process that his father, the man who was always shouting about youth, could possess such immense strength.

Watching the scene with growing dread, Raiga, Fuguki, and Momotaro began to sweat, realizing they'd picked the wrong fight this time.

In a swift, silent agreement, they each gripped their swords and vanished in different directions, retreating without a second glance.

However, Akira had anticipated this. With quick, practiced hand signs, he created a shadow clone that immediately split off to chase after Fuguki and Momotaro. As for Raiga, he was already being pursued by Duy, who'd shot after him like a streak of blue light.

Just before speeding off, Duy called out to Akira, "Hey, Uchiha! I can only attack once more in this state—the rest is up to you!"

Though Fuguki and Momotaro were elite jonin-level, they weren't especially fast. Akira caught up easily, his clone went after Fuguki, while he personally focused on Momotaro. Clearly, Akira intended to take down the wielder of the Dual Swords, Momotaro, first.

Compared to Fuguki, who wielded the monstrous Samehada, Momotaro was the easier target. Fuguki's chakra reserves were vast, allowing him to unleash high-level Water Release techniques—an element that effectively countered Fire Release. If possible, Akira wanted to save him for last to focus his efforts.

Though Momotaro's chakra wasn't insignificant, it was still nothing compared to Fuguki's. With his Sharingan, Akira could see everything clearly. Now that Momotaro was isolated, he was far less intimidating.

The Dual Swords weren't particularly fast weapons, and Akira pressed him relentlessly, giving him no chance to wield their full power. Under Akira's lightning-fast attacks, Momotaro quickly found himself covered in wounds.

Meanwhile, Raiga was desperately fleeing. His speed was impressive, but Duy, who had unlocked the Seventh Gate, was even faster—a blur of blue light streaking across the ground. Within mere breaths, Duy had closed the gap.

Realizing his escape was impossible, Raiga combined his twin swords, channeling all his chakra into them.

"Lightning Strike Armour!"

With a crackling blue aura surrounding him, Raiga released a thunderous surge of lightning that roared down upon Duy.

"Thunder Strike!"

Duy responded with a barrage of punches, creating shockwaves in the air. With an explosive boom, his attack shattered the lightning almost instantly, unleashing a wave of energy that obliterated a large swath of forest around Raiga.

Back in the other two battles, Fuguki and Momotarō were startled by the explosion, but Akira kept them firmly engaged, giving them no chance to retreat.

The burly Fuguki swung his Samehada furiously, gritting his teeth in frustration. This Uchiha kid seemed to know the blade's quirks all too well—never meeting its edge directly, avoiding head-on ninjutsu exchanges, and bombarding him from every angle with shuriken and kunai.

Fuguki could not afford to be careless with these projectiles. To make matters worse, the kid was even infusing the weapons with Wind and Lightning Chakra at random, making it nearly impossible for Fuguki to counter with jutsu.

And then there was the Uchiha's Sharingan genjutsu, which constantly kept him on edge, feeling like his strength was being sealed off, bit by bit. For the first time in his life, Fuguki felt utterly constrained.

"Damn Uchiha clan! Damn Sharingan!" he roared, his large frame twisting and dodging the relentless rain of weapons.

Even his vibrant orange hair bristled, batting away incoming shuriken like steel cables, creating a metallic ring with each hit.

Finally, rage giving way to strategy, Fuguki released a massive wave of chakra. His orange hair stretched and hardened, forming a shield around him.

But even that wasn't enough. With a few sharp whistles, Akira's chakra-infused shuriken tore through Fuguki's defenses, leaving trails of blood in their wake.

Through the pain, Fuguki forced himself through a set of hand seals.

"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique!"

Thick, chakra-laden mist spilled from his mouth, enveloping the forest in a shroud that even the Rinnegan couldn't penetrate, let alone the Sharingan.

Using the cover of the mist, Fuguki finally managed to slip away.

Akira knew he'd likely lost the chance to take Fuguki down today. No matter how injured he was, as long as he wielded Samehada and had chakra, he'd remain an unstoppable force. The blade's regenerative powers rivaled the finest medical jutsu, keeping him refreshed and ready for battle.

And with the mist too thick to dispel, Akira's clone had no choice but to redirect its attention to Momotarō, who was in dire straits.

The Dual Swords weren't made for speed, and with both Akira and his shadow clone closing in, Momotarō found himself backed into a corner, his life on the line.