Inside the command tent, Tsunade had just finished reviewing a batch of medical reports. Rubbing her temples, she could vaguely sense the rising chatter outside with her finely tuned perception. She snorted softly, "That brat Kiyohara really doesn't know when to quit."
Shizune, holding Ton-Ton in her arms, looked a little uneasy. "Lady Tsunade, this kind of private sparring… won't it cause internal friction?"
Tsunade waved dismissively, picked up a glass of strong liquor from her side table, and after taking a sip, parted her lips slowly. "Relax. Anyone Orochimaru personally chose wouldn't be the reckless type. I've been observing that kid for days. Aside from hovering around Yūhi Kurenai and Rin a bit too much, the rest of his time is spent training. He knows how to stay within bounds."
Frankly, if Kiyohara didn't train so diligently every day, she'd almost have thought he was two-timing them both.
Stretching lazily, Tsunade's mature figure shifted with a subtle sway. Her face showed the exhaustion of a long day of work. She gave a small yawn. "I'm going to grab a drink and sleep like the dead. If you're that curious, Shizune, go watch for yourself."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Shizune nodded, curiosity already rising in her heart.
Just how strong… was this boy Kiyohara?
"Lady Tsunade, who do you think will win?"
"Kiyohara," she answered casually, already walking off into the night.
"…Kiyohara?" Shizune repeated, watching Tsunade's back disappear into the dark.
Night had fallen. The riverbank clearing was lit by pale moonlight and a few scattered campfires.
Nohara Rin had heard from Kakashi about the duel between Kiyohara and the Uchiha boy. Naturally, she came to watch the commotion.
"Kakashi, who do you think will win?" Rin asked softly.
"…Hard to say," Kakashi replied.
One side had the Sharingan.
The other had Magnet Release.
It was a clash between bloodline limits.
Frankly, Kakashi wasn't sure who would come out on top.
"It'll be Shisui," Sarutobi Asuma said, walking over with his hands in his pockets.
He'd overheard Kiyohara's conversation with the Uchihas earlier.
To him, this wasn't about personal bias—Uchiha really was Konoha's top clan. Sharingan alone had an absurd number of benefits: jutsu replication, hypnosis, chakra perception, enhanced reflexes—any of these could be bloodline limits on their own.
And Sharingan came with all of them in one package.
"You've got Obito's Sharingan. You should know the gap better than anyone," Asuma said.
Kakashi nodded, silent. He did know.
The only real downside of a non-Uchiha wielding it… was being unable to deactivate it.
But that wasn't an issue for someone like Shisui.
"I'm supporting Kiyohara," said Kurenai, stepping up confidently.
Her ruby eyes were fixed firmly on Kiyohara's back. Against an Uchiha, there was no question—she'd root for her own teammate.
While the spectators chatted, Kiyohara and Shisui finished forming the seal of opposition.
"Please take care of me, Kiyohara-senpai," Shisui greeted, polite and composed.
"Likewise, Shisui," Kiyohara replied calmly.
The moment their hands separated—
They moved.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Between Shisui's fingers, eight kunai gleamed. In an instant, he launched them in a crisscrossing arc at Kiyohara's vital points.
Uchiha throwing techniques were no joke. The kunai clashed mid-air to adjust trajectories, creating an unpredictable, layered pattern—one attack feeding into the next.
But Kiyohara's reaction was no slower.
Even as Shisui moved, he was already pulling shuriken from his pouch. They sliced through the air like silver lightning.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of crisp metallic clashes rang out as the weapons collided. Sparks flew.
Each of Kiyohara's shuriken struck precisely—deflecting Shisui's kunai mid-flight.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Without missing a beat, Shisui formed hand seals. His chest swelled—and he exhaled a massive fireball over three meters wide!
Flames roared forth, warping the air around them with sheer heat.
In response, Kiyohara's hands moved even faster, his chakra shifting—
Magnetic Release activated.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
From the thermos on his hip, iron sand burst out like a swarm of black locusts, forming a dense curtain in midair.
Hsssshh!
Flames met iron.
The frontmost layer of iron sand vaporized instantly, creating a thick cloud of steam.
But Kiyohara's sand didn't stop.
More surged forward, blasting through the haze and piercing the fireball, punching straight toward Shisui's chest!
"What?!" Uchiha Tekka's pupils shrank.
He had never seen a Magnet Release user fight before. And now—he was stunned to watch someone punch a hole through a fireball!
The Kiyohara standing here…
Was a far cry from the one who fought in the Chūnin Exams.
This growth rate was insane.
Even for an elite Uchiha, it was hard to keep up.
'Is Magnet Release really this strong…?!'
"Go, Kiyohara!" Kurenai shouted from the sidelines, hands clasped tightly.
In the clearing, Shisui's calm eyes flickered with surprise. But his body moved without hesitation.
With a powerful kick, he propelled himself backwards, spinning midair—
The iron sand narrowly missed, brushing his shoulder as he twisted.
And in that moment—
Kiyohara vanished.
Only a few drifting leaves remained where he stood.
"Leaf Body Flicker Technique…!"
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed.
He's faster than before.
Kakashi could feel it.
Had his bloodline evolved again?
Increased chakra. Enhanced metabolism.
Everything pointed to rapid growth.
A kunai shimmered in the dark—
Kiyohara reappeared behind Shisui, blade aimed at his back.
But at the last possible second—
Clang!
Shisui twisted and caught the strike with his own kunai, stopping it cold.
The two locked briefly, then both sprang back in perfect sync.
Their hands moved again—
And in unison, they both drew their short ninja swords.
Steel gleamed beneath the moonlight.