32 - Breaking the Ice with Steel

Shortly after, Shin heard from Shisui in Sora-ku that the Uchiha clan was about to head to the battlefield.

To be honest, he felt a bit disappointed when he first heard the news. Another wasted opportunity.

When Torune had just died not long ago, he had intentionally sent a figurative weapon to the Uchiha clan through Shisui. Yet from what he described, it seemed that even when Iwa openly declared war on Konoha just a few days ago, Fugaku had still not used that weapon decisively.

If someone had publicly stood against Danzō earlier, Root's standing in Konoha would likely be worse than it is now.

But alas, Fugaku still did nothing…

These people don't even seize opportunities when they're handed to them. Shin sighed inwardly, reflecting that he shouldn't have placed too much hope in someone like Fugaku.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset.

After all, he wasn't omnipotent; he couldn't be expected to predict every outcome flawlessly. As a strategist, he was simply someone who did his best and left the rest to fate.

He had already been fortunate enough; he shouldn't complain about a single failed strategy.

Soon after, he inquired about Shisui's reason for visiting—and received an unexpected answer. The young Uchiha's stance shifted slightly.

"Aizen, I know you're incredibly powerful, far beyond the level of an ordinary chunin. Since I'll soon be heading to the battlefield, may I ask you to spar with me once?"

"I want to test my own strength."

You Uchihas really do love talking about strength, Shin thought, amused.

But he was happy to oblige. For one, he had recently developed a new jutsu and needed a capable sparring partner to test it out. And second, seeing Fugaku's lack of resolve had only heightened his interest in Shisui.

He'd always planned on recruiting the young Uchiha, and now that desire only burned brighter. Time to show just enough skill to earn respect, but not enough to raise suspicion.

"Excellent! Let's head to the training grounds right away!" Shisui said eagerly.

Shin smiled kindly, but his eyes betrayed deeper thoughts. Behind Shisui's enthusiasm, he sensed anxiety and loneliness.

A perfect opportunity to gain influence—wasn't that exactly what he had been waiting for?

He decided to take the risk by revealing some of his true skill, even if it meant slightly breaking the character he had cultivated. Uchihas were combat fanatics, and to earn their respect and get them to listen, an appropriate display of power was essential.

The training ground spread before them, a circular clearing surrounded by tall trees. Shisui took his position, his stance casual but ready.

"Aizen, my specialties are the Body Flicker, genjutsu, and clone techniques. I've also awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, so be careful," Shisui said, revealing his capabilities as a respectful prelude to their duel.

His Sharingan activated with a subtle flash of red, tomoe spinning lazily.

At least he was not that naive—all of it was already common knowledge. 

"Alright, my specialties are swordsmanship and Wind Release. Be careful too, Shisui," Shin replied, drawing his blade with deliberate slowness.

He left out one detail, however: that he was skilled in genjutsu as well.

The two of them bowed to each other at the village's modest training grounds before simultaneously leaping back, creating space and forming hand seals with remarkable speed.

"Shadow Clone!"

"Wind Style: Triple Slash!"

The Triple Slash was a jutsu of his own creation, so he didn't care if his opponent heard its name.

As expected, Shisui hesitated upon hearing it.

What jutsu is that? Never heard of it.

But there was no time to ponder. After completing the Shadow Clone jutsu, he immediately formed another seal and readied a kunai.

Shin recognized the seal—it was the Body Flicker. At this point, Shisui hadn't earned the title of Shisui the Teleporter on the battlefield, but that didn't mean he hadn't already mastered the skill.

In an instant, all four Shisuis—Shisui himself and his three clones—vanished.

Had this been a month prior, Shin might have been slightly nervous. But after taking down Torune, he'd gained knowledge of reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, which included basic sensory and detection skills.

He felt the wind shift on his right.

Without hesitation, he swung his sword in that direction. But as the blade cut through the air, he sensed no resistance. Not even a clone—only an afterimage.

Oh, another Body Flicker.

Stepping lightly, he crossed his feet and turned, focusing on the wind's direction to guide his next strike.

This slash was so swift it surprised even Shisui. But then—

Poof!

He vanished in a cloud of smoke that mixed with the swirling leaves.

Then, four directions all at once—front, back, left, and right—carried the sound of wind as if attacking simultaneously.

Moments earlier, Shin had seen Shisui create only three clones. Yet, even after striking down one, he now faced four simultaneous attacks.

Could the Body Flicker really reach such heights? No... there's something more here. The leaves aren't just moving from his speed.

He closed his eyes and let his intuition take over. The world narrowed down to pure sensation—the whisper of wind, the rustle of leaves, the subtle shifts in air pressure that betrayed movement.

Feel, don't think.

In an instant, he withdrew his blade, stepped forward, and rotated, swinging his sword horizontally. One precise cut unleashed a spiraling gale.

The sudden burst of wind caught Shisui off-guard, forcing him to retreat as two of his clones dissipated in the blast. Leaves shredded by the wind technique fell around them like confetti, and the genjutsu that had been subtly altering Shin's perception shattered like glass.

Shin closed in mercilessly, his blade already moving into position for another strike. "So, you've added genjutsu and sensory deception into your Body Flicker, haven't you?" His tone was casual, but his eyes were sharp, calculating.

Clever. Using the leaves and clone movements to mask the genjutsu's implementation.

Hearing Shin's revelation, Shisui's expression changed from confidence to shock.

How could this be? Shisui thought, his Sharingan spinning faster as he tried to understand what had happened. How did he see through my technique so quickly?

They'd only exchanged a move or two, yet this Ame ninja had already unveiled his best-kept secret.

Shisui's Body Flicker is indeed powerful, but it clearly doesn't reach the unbeatable level of Minato's.

Otherwise, Shin's strike from earlier wouldn't have landed on him so easily. The wound on Shisui's sleeve was proof enough of that fact.

Shin has now fully seen through the true secret hidden beneath Shisui's illusory afterimages.

This can be countered.

Shisui's Body Flicker is actually used in conjunction with Sharingan genjutsu. The afterimage that he struck on his first attack was crafted by the Sharingan.

The purpose was to plant misleading information in his mind, making him think Shisui's Body Flicker was so fast it created afterimages, fast enough to be unstoppable.

Those unfortunate Kiri shinobi in the original story probably believed, to their last breath, that they had encountered a swift, vanishing opponent who was untouchable.

But as an Uchiha, one with the potential to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, how could Shisui abandon his powerful eyes and rely solely on physical skills?

Shisui's ocular power is among the best of the clan and will eventually make him the foremost in his family. Through the dust kicked up by their exchange, Shin could see the three-tomoe of Shisui's Sharingan spinning rapidly, searching for an opening.

A combination of clones, Body Flicker, and Sharingan—this is the real Shisui the Teleporter. This fighting style was truly inspiring to Shin, who felt he might be able to use similar tactics in the future.

Sparring with a high-level opponent certainly brought out fresh ideas and insights.

This fight was worth it, he thought happily.

But unlike Shin's satisfaction, Shisui had a much more complex feeling. How is he reading my movements? The genjutsu should be perfect.

For the young Shisui, this was his first time having his combination technique unraveled so quickly. This stung his pride, pushing him to move faster, strike harder.

His uniquely Uchiha sense of competitiveness was now fully stirred, with the three tomoe of his Sharingan spinning intensely.

At this point, however, Shisui had not yet unlocked the Mangekyo.

He hasn't even experienced a real battlefield yet, let alone the life-and-death struggles of a shinobi with comrades. So Shin had ways to handle the genjutsu misdirection produced by the three-tomoe Sharingan.

From the start of the fight, Shin had kept his gaze no higher than Shisui's chin; his understanding of the Sharingan might even surpass that of an Uchiha.

Shisui's Sharingan spun while using illusions to mislead him one after another. Yet he couldn't shake Shin off his tail.

Clang! Clang! Slash!

After two more sharp sounds of metal clashing, Shisui immediately leapt backward, throwing a flurry of shuriken as he moved, hoping to create some distance.

The gust of wind followed as expected.

This time, Shin used a traditional rising slash, summoning a whirlwind along a straight path that blew away all of Shisui's shuriken.

But he noticed an odd sound without even lifting his gaze.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Shisui pulled with both hands, redirecting the shuriken, connected by hidden wires, to encircle and target Shin from all sides.

What a classic Uchiha technique.

This was the same move that Sasuke used in the Chunin Exams, and Shisui's execution, even at this age, was no less skillful than Sasuke's would be in the future.

But Shin only smiled calmly. He immediately tossed his own blade.

Swish!

The thrown sword spun through the air, severing a few wires and forced Shisui to dodge, disrupting his shuriken control.

As the storm of shuriken rained down, Shin managed to perform hand signs at the last moment.

Bang!

What Shisui's shuriken ultimately struck was a dead tree stump, not Shin himself.

Substitution Jutsu!

"Darn it!" Shisui cursed under his breath.

Before he could recover, a crackling sound suddenly came from behind him.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Blade!"

While Shin had been learning new techniques, he hadn't forgotten his old jutsu.

And what shocked Shisui even more was—how could someone turn the Substitution Jutsu into an offensive maneuver?

Shin used the slight displacement from the Substitution Jutsu to move behind Shisui, kicking his previously thrown blade back into his hand.

With a swift twist of his wrist, he slashed. Each strike pushed Shisui further from his comfort zone, the young Uchiha's movements becoming increasingly desperate.

Shisui felt the sharp intent bearing down on him, leaving no room to breathe. His sandals scraped against the ground as he was forced back step by step.

Clang!

Each strike was like a predator's fangs, pushing him to his limit with each deflection, leaving him no chance to perform hand signs!

Every attempt at genjutsu misdirection fell flat. Shin's eyes remained fixed on Shisui's lower body, reading his movements from his footwork alone.

Clang! Clang!

After blocking two more strikes, Shisui saw Shin suddenly step back, drawing his blade to his waist in preparation for another rising slash. His eyes widened in alarm.

Swish!

But Shin's blade stopped just short of Shisui's chin, the blade tip only a fraction of an inch from his jaw.

Shisui assumed Shin had held back intentionally at the last second and immediately conceded, saying, "I yield."

His breathing was heavy, sweat dripping from his brow as the adrenaline began to fade.

Shin smiled slyly, "Thanks for the match, Shisui."

What Shisui didn't know was that he had actually been tricked. Shin's Triple Flash technique was still a work in progress; a single use could only summon two whirlwinds, which would last for a total of six strikes.

He was still figuring out how to extend its duration, which would take more practice.

His muscles ached from the strain of maintaining such an aggressive offense. There had been no courtesy in holding back—he simply had no wind left to use.

But Shisui didn't know that. He was completely unaware of Shin's self-created jutsu's limitations.

Shin's relentless offense and aggressive fighting style were all a deliberate façade to prevent Shisui from realizing that his jutsu had run out. And the young Uchiha had fallen for it completely.

Who says only genjutsu could deceive?

After putting away his blade, he extended a hand. "Let's make the Seal of Reconciliation, Shisui."

Shisui stepped forward and their fingers formed the seal.

"You truly are remarkable."

The polite distance in Shisui's demeanor had given way to genuine warmth.

Show strength to an Uchiha, and they'll show you their heart.

Seizing the moment, Shin said, "You're very skilled too. For someone your age, your talent rivals that of many renowned shinobi. With your abilities, there shouldn't be any hesitation about entering the battlefield. Is there something troubling you?"

Shisui lowered his head. Though the seal of reconciliation had ended their match, his Sharingan flickered back to life— betraying his inner turmoil.

After a moment's hesitation, he looked up at Shin.

"With your strength and wisdom, I imagine you don't face such doubts. But lately..." He trailed off, struggling to continue.

Shin's smile was warm and genuine as he encouraged the younger shinobi. "What's troubling you, Shisui? Perhaps I can help."

It seemed that showing his true strength had been the key to connecting with the Uchiha after all.

After this battle, Shisui finally felt comfortable opening up to him. The young Uchiha's guard had completely fallen, his usual caution replaced by trust born from shared combat.

The private sparring session had served its purpose—here in the quiet training ground, he had finally dropped his characteristic caution.

Shin could begin the real conversation he'd been planning all along.

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A single technique won't be enough - Shin will need to develop another one. A wind-based technique would be ideal, given his advanced knowledge of wind release.

I'm specifically thinking of either an ultimate technique or a support technique.

Any suggestions?

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