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As the whistle blew, both Yagyu and Sasuke Uchiha moved simultaneously, their hands diving into their ninja pouches. Each clasped three shuriken between their fingers and hurled them at each other.
The six shuriken clashed in mid-air, sparks flying briefly.
Whoosh!
Before the shuriken hit the ground, Yagyu and Sasuke's bodies blurred and disappeared, leaving only afterimages behind.
The two shadows collided at speeds almost impossible to track with the naked eye.
Appearing right in front of each other, Yagyu and Sasuke gripped their kunai in reverse, slashing and stabbing at each other with lightning speed.
The strikes were incredibly fast, but each one was either blocked by the other's kunai or deflected by the iron plates on their gloves.
As they grappled, both Yagyu and Sasuke occasionally kicked at each other, exploiting any opening they found.
Whenever one of them found a weak spot, both utilized the Body Flicker Technique or the Substitution Jutsu from the Three Basic Jutsu to avoid the attack.
Their battle dazzled the onlookers, showcasing the massive gap between themselves and the rest of the class.
Their attack speed, movement, combat experience, and battle intelligence were on a completely different level.
Even Iruka and the female teacher, who both feared Yagyu and Sasuke would sustain serious injuries, were amazed by their skill.
It was undeniable—purely on fundamentals, both Yagyu and Sasuke had already mastered the skills needed to graduate from the Ninja Academy.
When Iruka and the other teachers were their age, they weren't even close to being on the same level as these two prodigies.
However, in the next moment, both Iruka and the female teacher's expressions shifted to shock.
The students watching were also stunned.
After another clash, Sasuke, who had yet to land a significant hit on Yagyu, suddenly leapt back, putting distance between them. In mid-air, a confident smirk appeared on his face as he formed the Seal of the Serpent and shouted, "You've lost! Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
His hands formed seals at lightning speed, and Sasuke's cheeks puffed out before a small flame emerged from his mouth.
The flame quickly grew into a massive fireball, hurtling toward Yagyu.
The orange-red glow of the flames reflected on everyone's faces.
At that moment, every student felt the intense heat radiating from the jutsu.
"Not good!"
Iruka's face filled with concern as he prepared to step in and save Yagyu.
But before he could act, his face shifted to one of disbelief.
Yagyu also formed hand seals, his movements even faster than Sasuke's, and calmly said, "Water Style: Water Wall!"
A stream of water shot from Yagyu's mouth, quickly forming a towering wall of water. It resembled a massive hand made of water, slapping down on the incoming fireball.
Hisssss!
The sound of boiling water echoed, and thick steam engulfed Yagyu and Sasuke.
The dense white mist created by the steam lingered for several seconds before finally dissipating.
When the mist cleared, Yagyu and Sasuke were once again visible to everyone.
Their reappearance marked the end of the rule-free duel.
Sasuke stood frozen in place, his expression filled with disbelief.
Yagyu, on the other hand, was standing behind him, holding a kunai to Sasuke's neck.
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The whistle blew.
The first to recover from shock, Iruka, immediately announced the result, "The match is over! The winner is… Yagyu!"
"He's... amazing!"
"N-Ninjutsu... Sasuke and Yagyu both used ninjutsu! Is this their true power?"
"They can already use ninjutsu! Yagyu and Sasuke could graduate early at this rate!"
Iruka's voice brought everyone back to reality.
Instantly, the training ground buzzed with astonished chatter.
Exclamations and discussions filled the air from all sides.
Meanwhile, Yagyu and Sasuke still stood in place.
Sasuke hadn't recovered from the shock. He couldn't believe that even after using his Fire Style jutsu, he still lost to Yagyu.
And how did Yagyu manage to move behind him in the mist? Could it be that Yagyu also knew some sensory technique?
In contrast, Yagyu's attention was drawn to a bright red light suddenly radiating from Sasuke's body.
The light flickered briefly before a red orb shot out from Sasuke's form, hovering in the air before drifting down to Yagyu's feet, transforming into a floating red light orb.
Once the red orb was automatically absorbed into his body, Yagyu snapped back to the present.
"Thank you for the match!" Yagyu said, extending his index and middle fingers toward Sasuke.
Sasuke finally came to his senses at Yagyu's words.
His gaze was filled with complex emotions as he looked at Yagyu before reluctantly extending his own fingers.
After performing the reconciliation seal, Sasuke turned and walked away without a word.
In the past, after every loss, Sasuke would show clear frustration and swear to defeat Yagyu next time.
But now, Sasuke said nothing.
It was evident that losing this no-holds-barred, full-powered match against Yagyu had dealt a severe blow to Sasuke's pride.
Until Sasuke mastered a new ninjutsu or could activate his Sharingan at will, it was unlikely he would regain the arrogance and confidence he once had in front of Yagyu.
Returning to the group, Yagyu halfheartedly responded to his classmates' excited questions, his focus elsewhere.
In reality, his mind was on the virtual interface only he could see, specifically on the red orb in his inventory.
A new level of rarity had appeared!
Over the past few years, Yagyu had occasionally obtained other items, but they were always from white orbs.
These orbs contained relatively ordinary things.
The most valuable item he had gotten was the sensory technique from Sakura.
This sensory technique had been Sakura's most significant growth over the past few years.
It was how Yagyu had located Sasuke in the thick mist and moved behind him to claim victory.
White orbs contained basic skills and techniques—things that could be learned later through training.
Blue orbs, however, held innate abilities or talents that could be enhanced through effort or external forces.
Gold orbs were legendary, containing world-altering powers.
These were the definitions Yagyu had assigned to the various orb colors.
And now, a new color and tier had appeared.
Was it ranked above blue or below it? It couldn't possibly be above gold, as Sasuke's greatest treasure would be the chakra of Indra, the son of the Sage of Six Paths—on par with Naruto's legacy.
Curious, Yagyu checked the information on the red orb.
When the details popped up, Yagyu's heart surged with joy, and he barely managed to keep his expression under control.
The red orb's description read: [Bloodline Limit: Sharingan (Red)].
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