16. Accidental Power Up

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Uchiha Fuka's hand holding the blade trembled slightly, his scarlet eyes exuding a pale aura.

The member of the Uzumaki clan before him was like a monster.

Although his own taijutsu wasn't weak, he was utterly overwhelmed in their few exchanges.

Uzumaki Hanamichi's powerful fists could even withstand the iron katana in Uchiha Fuka's hand.

Not only that, Hanamichi's chakra reserves far exceeded his own, and despite his prolonged chakra output, there was no sign of depletion. Worse still, Hanamichi hadn't even revealed his true abilities yet. It felt like Uchiha Fuka was sparring with a child.

With a bored yawn, Uzumaki Hanamichi stared at his opponent, the infamous "Ghost Walker Fuka"

Initially, Hanamichi had high hopes for the fight, but it seemed like it would end before he even got warmed up. Only the illusion technique had posed any real threat.

"So dull. If this is all you've got, step aside. I'm going to find Mito."

With a casual wave, Hanamichi effortlessly knocked away the shuriken that Fuka had thrown at him.

But instead of being discouraged, Fuka smirked knowingly. With a forceful gesture, the deflected shuriken changed direction as if controlled, circling around Hanamichi.

In an instant, the shuriken danced around Hanamichi, perfectly avoiding all his vital points.

"Is this the Uchiha clan's shurikenjutsu?" Hanamichi mocked without moving. The next moment, he felt a sudden tightness around him.

"Shuriken Thread Technique."

Uchiha Fuka had entangled Hanamichi with thin, silver threads, making him experience the same binding technique his sister had once endured.

But Uchiha Fuka wasn't done.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu."

Blazing flames gathered in Uchiha Fuka's mouth, a fiery dragon surging along the threads toward the bound Uzumaki Hanamichi.

In an instant, Hanamichi was swallowed by the flames.

Uchiha Fuka, seeing his opponent engulfed in fire, didn't let his guard down. He raised his katana, aiming to strike down the burning figure of Uzumaki Hanamichi.

As the blade inched closer to Uzumaki Hanamichi's head, Uchiha Fuka felt a surge of victory.

But in the next second, a horrifying sight unfolded—an arm wreathed in flames reached out and firmly grasped his blade. No matter how hard Uchiha Fuka tried, he couldn't break free.

"A combination technique, huh? That's rare," Uzumaki Hanamichi said calmly.

It was only then that Uchiha Fuka realized, despite being enveloped in raging flames, Uzumaki Hanamichi hadn't uttered a single cry of pain.

"Boom!"

With a sudden burst of power, Hanamichi shook off both the binding threads and the flames, revealing his unscathed body.

Casually brushing away the remaining embers on his hair, Uzumaki Hanamichi commented, "As expected of the Uchiha clan—you really know how to put on a flashy show with fire."

Uchiha Fuka, his eyes dry and throat tight, gulped nervously. The body of this Uzumaki clan member was truly monstrous.

A wave of despair washed over him as he glanced at the battlefield. Uchiha Ryoichi and the others were still locked in combat on the other side, struggling against another Uzumaki member with long hair who looked completely at ease.

Defeat seemed to be inevitable.

"Is this really the end?" Uchiha Fuka thought bitterly.

After a lifetime of battles, was he really going to die on such a mission? The thought filled him with regret.

As his chakra neared depletion and his Sharingan grew dim, Uchiha Fuka lifted his head to the sky. His past flashed before his eyes, stopping at the image of a curly-haired man with a gentle smile.

His eyes softened with nostalgia, but soon, his expression hardened with resolve.

"I haven't burned out yet. As long as I can delay him a little longer, that kid's chances of survival will increase."

With that thought, a new surge of strength filled Uchiha Fuka. His previously closed Sharingan reopened, and the three tomoe within began to spin rapidly, gradually merging together.

Sensing the sudden surge of chakra, Uzumaki Hanamichi frowned.

Despite being on the brink of exhaustion, Uchiha Fuka was emitting a powerful aura, a sinister presence washing over Uzumaki Hanamichi.

"What's this?"

Uzumaki Hanamichi had seen enemies burn their life force in desperation before, but the Uchiha weren't known for such techniques.

Was it a bluff?

As Hanamichi pondered, a strange chakra began to rise behind Uchiha Fuka, slowly forming into an eerie shape.

Just as the ominous energy was about to take full form, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Uchiha Fuka. Holding a kunai in one hand, Uchiha Gin landed with a self-satisfied grin.

"Am I too late?"

With that, Gin flashed what he thought was a cool smile.

Uchiha Fuka's transformation came to an abrupt halt as he stared at Gin in disbelief.

"What the heck are you doing here!? **#@&*%$!..."

Uchiha Fuka couldn't contain his frustration.

He had been prepared to sacrifice himself to buy time for Gin, and yet the fool had come back to die alongside him.

"Uh... shouldn't you be moved to tears?" Gin muttered, confused and disgruntled by the scolding.

"You're here," Uchiha Fuka sighed after his initial anger.

"I'm here," Gin responded.

"You shouldn't have come."

"But I came anyway."

"Are you two done yet? Or are you just here to pad the word count?"

Hanamichi, who had been ignored for a while, exploded in frustration, veins popping on his forehead.

"Ah, sorry about that," Gin apologized sheepishly, scratching his head with a deadpan expression.

"You despicable Uchiha! How dare you come back? Where have you hidden Mito?"

Seeing the man who had laid hands on his precious sister, Hanamichi tightened his fists, cracking his knuckles audibly.

Looking at Hanamichi's massive fists, Gin swallowed hard, reaching for the artifact Mito had given him.

"I hope that little brat's gift actually works."

"Uchiha Gin, why didn't you follow the captain's orders?"

A now-calm Uchiha Fuka asked in a low voice, but he was panicking internally.

What was this kid thinking, coming back here?

"Captain, let's skip the chatter for now and focus on the enemy."

Ignoring the question, Gin drew his katana.

"You don't even have a Sharingan. "

Uchiha Fuka was exasperated.

Did Gin not realize how weak he was? If Uchiha Fuka couldn't win, what difference would Gin make?

But then, he saw the familiar tomoe spinning in Gin's eyes, and for a moment, he saw someone else's shadow overlapping with Gin's figure.

"What's the use of a single tomoe Sharingan? The opponent is a Taijutsu master, and you're born with a weak constitution. Against such an opponent, you're walking into certain death."

Although Uchiha Gin was happy about unlocking his Sharingan, the current situation was not one that could be overturned by a single tomoe.

"Don't test my patience, despicable Uchiha. Hand over Mito, and I might consider giving you a quick death."

Uzumaki Hanamichi, covered in a red chakra cloak, spoke coldly. His refined face tightened, eyebrows raised like a lion let out of its cage.

"Though I want to say this is all a misunderstanding, it seems this misunderstanding won't be easily resolved."

Uchiha Gin could feel the immense chakra from his opponent, like being stared down by a beast. His muscles instantly tensed up.

"Still talking about misunderstandings at this point? Once I break all your limbs, you'll spill the truth yourself."

With that, Uzumaki Hanamichi suddenly rushed forward and threw a heavy punch at Gin's arm.

The punch carried a force like thunder. As Gin's Sharingan began spinning rapidly due to the adrenaline, just as the punch was about to hit him, the single tomoe morphed into two.

In that split second, Gin twisted his body and slashed toward Hanamichi's exposed armpit from a sharp angle.

Realizing that both would lose an arm in this exchange, Hanamichi swiftly twisted his body, redirecting his punch toward a nearby tree. The massive tree, wide enough to be hugged by three people, was instantly shattered, toppling to the ground.

As the dust settled, Uzumaki Hanamichi glanced at the small cut under his ribs, a wound already beginning to heal thanks to the extraordinary constitution of the Uzumaki clan.

Still, he was shocked by Gin's ruthless decisiveness.

On the other side, Uchiha Gin wasn't faring much better. He clutched his right arm.

Although Hanamichi had shifted his punch to avoid a mutual injury, the force of the punch alone had torn the flesh off the side of Gin's arm, leaving blood gushing out.

But something strange happened. In just a few moments, the wound began to close, and new skin started to grow. The bleeding slowed, and Gin realized that his vision had become sharper.

"The Uzumaki clan's recovery ability is truly terrifying. I've only absorbed a trace of their bloodline, and I already have such a strong healing factor."

Within ten seconds, Gin's wound had fully healed, leaving only a small scab ready to fall off.

"Serpent, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

With his arm back to normal, Gin performed his first ninjutsu.

This was the only long-range attack the original Gin could use, and it was infamous for its low accuracy in the original story.

Feeling the heat build up in his mouth, Gin felt an overwhelming urge to release it.

He took a deep breath, puffed out his cheeks, and shot the gathered fire chakra straight at Hanamichi.

Seeing the massive fireball rushing towards him, Hanamichi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Are you sure this is a Great Fireball and not Great Fire Annihilation (Gokka Mekkyaku)?"

Typically, a Great Fireball from an Uchiha would only be about a hundred cubic meters with a damage radius of about ten meters. Hanamichi was familiar with this technique, but this fireball in front of him was several times larger. If he hadn't seen Gin's hand signs, he would never have believed it.

Moreover, this wasn't just an ordinary fireball. With his heightened perception, Hanamichi could sense the immense destructive power within the gigantic fireball.

Unlike the previous weak Dragon Fire technique Uchiha Fuka had used, this fireball was something his body might not be able to withstand, forcing him to dodge in a hurry.

In reality, no jutsu is inherently more powerful than another; it all depends on the strength of the user.

The Great Fire Annihilation technique, when used by Uchiha Madara, could cause devastation on a massive scale.

Closing his eyes and exhaling every last bit of air in his lungs, Gin finished his ninjutsu.

He took a deep breath to revitalize his exhausted lungs.

His chakra was nearly depleted, and as he opened his eyes, he saw the forest before him scorched into an area the size of a football field.

In disbelief, Gin wiped his lifeless fish eyes.

"Am I under a genjutsu?"

His tone was uncertain. Behind him, Uchiha Fuka, who had been silent, wore the same expression as Hanamichi earlier.

His Sharingan eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Uchiha Fuka swore he had never seen such a terrifying jutsu since he could remember.

Even the strongest in the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Tajima, had never produced a Great Fireball of this scale.

Though standing in the aftermath of the fire, the lingering heat was unbearable.

The air had been completely drained of moisture, making it difficult to breathe.

"What kind of jutsu is this?"

Uchiha Fuka's voice pulled Gin out of his thoughts.

Scratching his curly hair, Gin replied uncertainly.

"Probably... the Great Fireball?"

Though the hand signs were from his memory, Gin wasn't sure if something had gone wrong.

The fireball was far larger than what the original Gin had ever produced.

"Could it be the Uzumaki bloodline?"

Gin wondered if the trace amount of Uzumaki blood he had absorbed had caused his chakra to surge, allowing him to unleash such a powerful jutsu.

But then he realized that didn't make sense. He had only absorbed a small portion of the Uzumaki bloodline.

According to the system's stats, his chakra had merely doubled, nowhere near enough to produce such a gigantic fireball.

If chakra volume alone could enhance a jutsu to this extent, the chakra-abundant Uzumaki clan would have long conquered the world.

"System, system, what's going on?"

Unable to find a reason, Gin decided to ask the system, but there was no response.

Knowing that time inside the system flowed differently, Gin immediately entered the system space.

"***********"

The familiar arena was unchanged. The Steel Heart Treasure was still quietly resting there, its layers reset to zero, waiting to refresh the next day.

Turning to the mysterious arcade machine, Gin noticed something unusual.

The screen, which once displayed the number "10," now showed a row of asterisks.

Where did his hard-earned 10 points go?

"Hey, system, are you there? Answer me!"

Feeling something was off, Gin turned and called for the system.

"System is loading." After a few seconds, the system's emotionless voice echoed from the void.

"Where did my points go? And what happened to my jutsu?"

Hearing the system's voice, Gin urgently asked.

"Detected an increase in host's strength. System loading speed +10%. Updating, please wait."

Increased strength? Did I just get stronger? Gin thought back to what had just happened.

It did seem like he could see Hanamichi's movements more clearly. Could it be that his Sharingan had evolved again?

"Ding! Update complete!" As the system notification sounded, the asterisks on the arcade machine screen disappeared, replaced by the number zero.

"What?! Where did my 10 points go? The one and the zero!"

Gin widened his lifeless fish eyes, pointing both hands at the arcade machine, demanding an answer.