Chapter:11

"Mangekyo Sharingan!!!"

Shimura Ryoma stared in shock at the masked man in black, disbelief etched on his face.

As a high-ranking member of the Shimura family and a ninja of Konohagakure, Ryoma was well aware of the powerful eye technique known as the Mangekyō Sharingan, which surpassed the three-tomoe Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. Although rare, it was said to grant immense power to its wielder.

"But there hasn't been anyone in the Uchiha clan with the Mangekyō Sharingan for years!" Ryoma thought, his fear mounting as sweat trickled down his back.

Yet here it was, right in front of him. The realization sent shivers down his spine.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

Faced with imminent danger, Ryoma's instincts kicked in. In a flurry of rapid hand seals, he unleashed his most powerful jutsu. Massive wind bullets shot towards the masked man, each one as destructive as a cannonball.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground erupted in explosions, dust and debris filling the air and obscuring the masked man from view. Using the chaos as a cover, Ryoma turned to flee, but his escape was cut short.

The masked man reappeared in front of him, untouched by the debris.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

A giant dragon-shaped flame roared from the masked man's mouth, scorching everything in its path. Trees ignited instantly, and the ground was charred black.

Bang!

The fire dragon engulfed Ryoma, sending him flying backward. His scream of agony echoed through the forest as the flames burned his skin. He landed heavily, his body a mass of burns, barely recognizable.

"No hand seals!"

Ryoma, struggling to douse the flames that clung to him, was horrified. He knew that simplifying hand seals was possible for those extremely proficient in a jutsu, but performing such a powerful technique without any seals at all was unheard of—unless it was an illusion.

The masked man gave no explanation. Following up with another attack, he unleashed another jutsu without any seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation."

A wave of flames surged forward like an unstoppable tsunami, consuming everything in its path. The forest was ablaze, the trees reduced to ashes, and the ground blackened.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

In desperation, Ryoma formed hand seals and raised an earth wall to shield himself. But the overwhelming flames shattered the wall instantly, and Ryoma was engulfed in fire.

Boom!

The flames spread over a vast area before finally dissipating, leaving nothing but devastation in their wake. Ryoma's body lay motionless on the ground, carbonized beyond recognition, devoid of life.

The surrounding forest was a scene of utter destruction. Trees were reduced to ash, the ground scorched black, and the air still carried the lingering heat of the inferno.

Suddenly, the burned landscape vanished, replaced by the unscathed forest. The trees stood tall and green, the ground unmarked by fire, and the heat in the air dissipated. Only Ryoma's charred body remained, a grim testament to the battle.

"It's all reflected in reality!"

Uchiha Fugaku, his Mangekyō Sharingan fading, removed his mask and stared at Ryoma's lifeless form. The entire battle had been an illusion, cast by Fugaku's right eye technique—True Illusion. Within the illusion, the injuries sustained by the opponent manifested in reality.

"Performing ninjutsu without hand seals, such as the Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique and the Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation, was only possible within this illusion."

In the True Illusion, Fugaku could do the impossible: infinite chakra, instant movement, and even endless resurrection. However, Shimura Ryoma, despite being an elite jonin, stood no chance against Fugaku's superior Kage-level power, bolstered by the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"But each use brings my eyes closer to blindness," Fugaku thought, rubbing his sore right eye, knowing it must be bloodshot and his vision slightly worse.

Despite the powerful abilities granted by the Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku knew its overuse led to blindness—a fate that had caused his predecessor to rarely use its power. Thankfully, he had a plan to prevent this outcome.

"He has no bloodline limit or exceptional talents in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu. He's not suitable for corpse smelting."

Fugaku examined Ryoma's body, shaking his head. The severe burns rendered Ryoma's body useless for corpse smelting.

(End of this chapter)