Genius

In July of Konoha's 53rd year, the sun was scorching, signaling the arrival of summer.

The war between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire continued to rage on, and the conflict between the two nations gradually became commonplace. Intense battles frequently occurred in the border regions, though not as severe as the previous spring's assaults.

However, regardless of scale, war is always brutal, and every battle comes with casualties. Since the Kyuubi Rebellion, the Village of Konoha suffered significant losses, losing much of its backbone.

Fortunately, Konoha had deep-rooted heritage and a sufficient reserve of talent, with the younger generation quickly becoming the backbone of the village.

Most of the ninjas sent to the border for support were from this younger generation, carrying the heavy burden of defending their homeland and maintaining peace.

Among the many ninjas, Uchiha Shisui stood out as the best.

Shisui was born in Konoha's 41st year. Young but gifted, he was four years younger than Shintaro, among the ranks of twelve-year-old boys. At this age, he displayed maturity and composure far beyond his peers.

He was also exceptional in strength. He was highly skilled in [Shunshin no Jutsu] and fire-style ninjutsu, possessing power on par with Jonin. However, due to age restrictions and other reasons, he could never officially obtain the title of Jonin.

Therefore, Fugaku did not allow Shisui to stay with the Konoha Police Force but instead sent him to the border battlefield where Shintaro was.

The reason, of course, was that it was easier to perform meritorious deeds on the battlefield, making it easier for Shisui to advance to Jonin.

This applied to both Shintaro and Kakashi. Young ninjas who became Jonin often did so due to war.

Shintaro because of his military exploits in battles against Kumogakure, and Kakashi for leading a Chunin team during the Kannabi Bridge battle.

Fugaku certainly hoped that another talented ninja like Shintaro and Kakashi would emerge from the Uchiha Clan, further solidifying the elite ninja family's name.

In the northeastern border of the Land of Fire, at the command camp, a group of newly arrived ninjas reporting for support checked in with Shintaro.

Shintaro quickly completed the task of assigning teams, saying, "Alright, everything is arranged. You can now report to your respective teams."

"Shisui, wait a moment."

He dismissed the other ninjas, leaving only him and Shisui alone in the room.

"What's the matter, Brother Shintaro?" Shisui asked hesitantly.

"Shisui, we haven't seen each other in a long time. Of course, I have to test whether you've made progress during this time." The corners of Shintaro's mouth slightly curved into a faint smile as he slowly stood up and walked with steady steps.

He was 16 years old this year. After years of training and development, his body gradually approached an adult's level.

Standing at 1.9 meters, he was a giant compared to Shisui, who was currently just under 1.7 meters. So, when Shintaro approached Shisui and patted his shoulder with a smile, his aura was awe-inspiring.

"I'm going to fight Brother Shintaro? In that case, I clearly don't stand a chance." Shisui smiled, pointing to himself as he spoke, then quickly waved his hand, indicating that he didn't dare to compete.

"Hahahaha, of course not. If I took action, I wouldn't be able to see your improvement. I'll take you to find a suitable opponent."

After saying this, Shintaro led Shisui out of the camp and informed the nearby team at the training camp to make arrangements.

Then, he tightly grasped Shisui's collar, his deep eyes glowing with a blue light, forming a mysterious and captivating five-pointed star pattern, and activated the Six-Eyed Mangekyo.

At this moment, he whispered the technique of his right eye's pupil.

"Kunitokotachi."

As the words fell, a powerful force emanated from him, quickly enveloping Shisui.

In an instant, the gravity that had initially weighed on Shisui seemed to vanish without a trace. Soon after, Shintaro took him and soared into the sky like a bird, flying high.

In the next moment, he activated the technique again, and the Six-Eyed Mangekyo in his eyes spun rapidly, working in conjunction with the [Limitless Technique].

In an instant, the space around them seemed to compress and distort precisely, forming a space corridor. With the help of this section, Shintaro led Shisui to Team Tetsuo's location at an alarming speed.

"Alert...!"

Tetsuo was so frightened by the sudden change that he almost used his pupil technique to counter the possible threat.

But when he saw clearly that the arrivals were Shintaro and Shisui, he immediately sighed in relief.

For Shisui, who was experiencing teleportation for the first time, the feeling was unfamiliar and uncomfortable. However, fortunately, he was an expert in using [Shunshin no Jutsu], so he quickly adjusted, only feeling slightly uneasy.

Finally, Shintaro landed smoothly on the ground with Shisui and slowly retracted his pair of Six-Eyed Mangekyo. Then, he turned to look at Tetsuo and said seriously, "Tetsuo, this time, I specifically brought you an outstanding young man."

"Oh? So it's Shisui. Of course, I know him. He's indeed a rare talent." Tetsuo carefully observed Shisui in front of him and praised him without hesitation.

After Shisui nodded politely to Tetsuo, he turned to Shintaro, with curiosity and doubt in his eyes, and asked softly, "Brother Shintaro, do you want me to spar with Brother Tetsuo?"

Shintaro smiled slightly, nodded, and replied, "This is not just a simple sparring session. I specifically entrusted you to Tetsuo to guide you through actual combat training. I believe this arrangement will be greatly beneficial to you."

Hearing this, Shisui obediently nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Tetsuo also had a smile on his face. He enthusiastically patted Shisui's shoulder and encouraged him, "Good! Shisui, let's have an excellent competition first!"

The surrounding ninjas gave Tetsuo and Shisui plenty of space to display their skills to the fullest.

At this moment, except for the Hyuga Clan ninjas who were still patrolling with sad expressions, the other ninjas focused their attention on the two of them with great interest, anticipating the upcoming duel.

Tetsuo and Shisui stood facing each other, about ten meters apart. After both stood still, they simultaneously formed resistance seals.

Both could only hear Shintaro shout, "Begin!"

They shot out like arrows from a string, immediately engaging in combat.

These two men had very different fighting styles.

Shisui wielded a short sword, moving swiftly and agilely like a ghost. With the help of [Shunshin no Jutsu], his form was elusive and unpredictable—it could be said that the word "fast" was taken to its utmost.

On the other hand, Tetsuo wielded a sword in his hand. This weapon undoubtedly showed that he preferred the path of openness and bravery.

Tetsuo relied on the sword for his attacks, but because of this, he was often mocked by his brother, saying that he was just an antique ninja who had traveled through the Warring States Period.

At this moment, a thrilling battle scene was unfolding on the battlefield!

The two fought together, the sound of clashing iron weapons constantly resounded, and sparks flew like fireworks.

Tetsuo aggressively pursued Shisui and slashed at him, while Shisui flexibly dodged left and right, constantly weaving through the dense forest, occasionally swinging his sword to counterattack with fiery sword energy.

Unfortunately, the fiery sword strikes were all cut down by Tetsuo's brute strength, failing to cause any damage. In desperation, Shisui could only keep fleeing, not daring to pause for a moment.

Although Tetsuo couldn't catch up with Shisui for the time being, each swing of his sword contained immense power. The unfortunate large trees blocking the way fell one after another, with clean and smooth cuts, as if sliced by a sharp axe.

At this time, a loud shout suddenly came from the crowd of onlookers: "Captain Tetsuo, don't just focus on chopping trees! Go and defeat the enemy! Hahaha..."

This intense battle was ongoing, and the atmosphere was getting higher. They clapped their hands in excitement.

Tetsuo was always straightforward. After hearing these words, his cheeks immediately turned red, feeling embarrassed. Angry inside, he exerted force on his feet, his speed increased slightly, and he was about to catch up with Shisui.

At this moment, Shisui was under immense pressure, but he appeared extraordinarily calm. He agilely ducked behind a large tree that required two people to embrace and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Tetsuo was so anxious that he didn't care about anything else. He raised the long sword in his hand and slashed at the large tree.

The large tree fell. However, something unexpected happened. Two figures of Shisui suddenly appeared from behind the large tree!

Tetsuo was shocked and hurriedly activated the three magatama in his Sharingan, trying to identify the real Shisui. However, no matter how hard he tried to observe, he still couldn't distinguish between the truth and the illusion. In desperation, he had no choice but to swing his sword horizontally, attacking both figures simultaneously.

But it was too late. The light of his sword flickered, yet the blade seemed to pass through the air, slicing between the two figures without touching anything at all.

At the same time, two identical figures appeared beside the first two! In the blink of an eye, four Shisuis had surrounded Tetsuo.

The four Shisuis raised their sharp swords simultaneously and attacked Tetsuo fiercely.

Undaunted, Tetsuo charged forward and slashed with his sword. As expected, his strike failed once again. Not only that, he found himself falling before one of the Shisui figures.

At this moment, the four Shisuis seemed like phantoms, attacking from behind once more. Tetsuo hurriedly turned and could only assume a passive defensive stance.

What was even more surprising was that these four figures could initiate an attack!

Tetsuo tried his best to block with his sword, and four dazzling sparks suddenly flew off his blade.

The immense power from these combined attacks was too much for Tetsuo to withstand. He had to retreat several steps before he could barely release the force.

Seeing that Shisui was about to launch a new attack, Tetsuo became smarter this time. He knew well that he could no longer engage in close combat with Shisui; otherwise, he would only continue to be toyed with by his opponent's [Shunshin no Jutsu].

Therefore, he decisively chose to retreat, quickly sheathing his sword at his waist, rapidly forming hand seals, and performing a fire-element ninjutsu.

In an instant, flames swept forward with overwhelming force. Shisui's initially fierce attack was immediately overwhelmed by this sea of fire, forcing him to retreat. The flames mercilessly scorched everything within a twenty-meter radius in front of them, yet they caused no significant damage to Shisui.

Only a small part of Shisui's clothing was singed. Beyond that, his body was almost untouched, not even a single hair was burned.

However, even so, the cost of avoiding such a fierce fire at such close range was not trivial at this moment.

He raised his hand and said, "I... surrender."

At first, Tetsuo wanted to capitalize on his victory and press the attack, but upon hearing those words, he had to stop in his tracks.

"Why are you admitting defeat? We clearly haven't determined the winner yet." Tetsuo shouted with a reluctant expression.

Facing the question, Shisui showed a bitter smile and explained, "I've personally experienced your immense power, Brother Tetsuo. Compared to you, I am indeed far behind. If we continue to fight, I won't be able to defeat you."

"And this is a battlefield, and we have more important tasks to complete. If Brother Tetsuo truly wants to compete with me, you can do so anytime after we return to Konoha Village."

After listening to Shisui's words, Tetsuo nodded, and his previously tense expression gradually eased.

At this moment, Shintaro slowly walked between the two of them.

He first smiled and praised Shisui, "Shisui, your strength has significantly improved compared to before."

Faced with Shintaro's praise, Shisui appeared very humble. He slightly bowed to express his gratitude and gently said, "Not at all, it's all thanks to your careful teaching and guidance, Brother Shintaro."

Shortly after, Shintaro turned his gaze to Tetsuo, with a hint of expectation in his eyes, and asked, "So, are you satisfied with the assistant I specially found for you?"

Tetsuo replied without hesitation, "Excellent! Brother Shintaro, I must say, if I didn't use my abilities, it wouldn't have been easy to defeat Shisui. He is indeed a genius!"

His words were full of appreciation and affirmation of Shisui's abilities.

Shintaro listened to Tetsuo's evaluation and nodded in satisfaction to show his agreement. He then spoke to him earnestly, "Yes, he is a rare talent. Now I entrust him to you. I hope you can cultivate him with care, guide him, and let him reach his full potential."

Tetsuo immediately stood upright and responded with a serious expression, "Don't worry, Brother Shintaro! I will definitely do my best to train him, trust me!"

He knew that the young man before him possessed extraordinary talent. If he could receive the right guidance and training, he would undoubtedly achieve great things in the future.