On the spacious training ground, Sasuke and Itachi clashed like two bolts of lightning.
The blades in their hands swung like a raging storm. With every flash of steel, sparks burst out, dazzling the eyes.
Each collision of their weapons rang out with a crisp sound.
The strength of a healthy Itachi was beyond doubt.
Even fighting with just one hand, he could easily deal with Sasuke's attacks.
However, this duel was, after all, just a teaching match, so Itachi deliberately held back his strength.
He only displayed a level slightly above Sasuke's, firmly suppressing him.
As a model figure of the Uchiha clan, known for strategy and fighting with his mind, Itachi's control over the rhythm of battle had reached perfection.
He could always, at unexpected moments, throw out a kunai or shuriken from tricky angles, bringing unforeseen threats to Sasuke.
Facing such a strong opponent, Sasuke did not show any weakness either. He quickly drew shuriken from his waist and counterattacked.
For a moment, the ninja tools of both sides collided violently in midair, letting out a loud "clang" before shooting off in different directions.
Immediately after, Itachi suddenly took out a smoke bomb and smashed it onto the ground.
In an instant, thick smoke billowed up, quickly spreading across the battlefield and completely swallowing Itachi's figure.
Sasuke did not rashly charge into the smoke. Instead, he swiftly lowered himself into a crouch while activating his signature three-tomoe Sharingan.
His eyes spun rapidly, like a precise radar, carefully searching for Itachi's possible hiding place.
The posture he adopted at this moment not only minimized the chance of being attacked, but also allowed him to launch a swift counterattack the instant he detected the enemy.
Ever since Rengoku returned, he had never once praised Sasuke, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow to him.
But the more it was like this, the stronger Sasuke's resolve to prove himself became, 'I have to prove myself!'
At that moment, Sasuke suddenly shouted, "Here!"
His gaze was sharp. Gripping the Kusanagi sword tightly, he flipped it and thrust it forcefully into the hard ground beneath his feet.
At the same time, his hands rapidly formed seals, his chest swelling.
"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"
As Sasuke filled his lungs, a massive blaze burst out in an instant, roaring straight forward.
BOOM!
With a loud explosion, the previously calm ground suddenly burst apart, dirt flying everywhere.
A black shadow shot out from underground like lightning. But what was unexpected was that it landed exactly in the position Sasuke had predicted for its evasion.
Immediately after, another dull impact sounded. The shadow that had just leapt out was Uchiha Itachi, and he had been struck head-on by the surging Great Fireball.
However, faced with such a fierce attack, there was not the slightest trace of joy on Sasuke's face.
Because he knew very clearly that a simple Great Fireball Technique could not possibly cause any real damage to his unfathomably strong brother.
Sure enough, at the very moment Itachi was blasted by the fireball, his figure instantly turned into countless black crows, scattering in all directions.
Accompanied by a series of harsh "caw… caw… caw…" cries, the entire scene became eerily unsettling.
But Sasuke did not pause for even a moment. His hands once again formed seals at high speed. In an instant, a blazing white light suddenly flared up around him and exploded outward.
In the next moment, countless white light needles, like a torrential rain of blossoms, shot out from his body in all directions.
These white needles were incredibly fast and powerful, leaving behind sharp, piercing sounds as they cut through the air.
This was one of Sasuke's signature techniques, Chidori Senbon!
With continuous crisp "bang! bang! bang!" sounds, large numbers of crows were struck by Sasuke's Chidori Senbon, crying out as they fell.
Not only that, even the crows farther away were not spared. They were struck one by one by Sasuke's precisely thrown shuriken, falling from the air and turning into smoke.
In that split second, Sasuke suddenly spun around without warning. The sharp Kusanagi sword in his hand stabbed backward from under his arm like lightning.
At the same time, Itachi, who had been hidden among the crows, truly revealed himself at that moment, appearing behind Sasuke like a ghost.
Sasuke's Kusanagi sword collided head-on with the kunai tightly held in Itachi's hand, producing a clear metallic clash.
Sparks flew as their weapons locked briefly. Then Itachi's arm trembled slightly, easily deflecting Sasuke's fierce strike.
However, in the very next instant, Itachi's hand, fast as the wind, clamped down on Sasuke's sword-wielding wrist like iron pliers.
Facing such a disadvantageous situation, Sasuke did not panic. He decisively abandoned the Kusanagi sword and hooked his foot skillfully.
It turned out that during the earlier exchange of ninja tools, he had already cleverly thrown out shuriken attached with steel wire.
Now, with a forceful pull, the wire shot out like a snake, wrapping toward Itachi with lightning speed.
Seeing this, Itachi had no choice but to release Sasuke's hand and try to evade the sudden wire attack.
But how could Sasuke let such a good opportunity slip by? He quickly reversed his grip and precisely seized Itachi's wrist.
Immediately after, Sasuke let out a shout, "Chidori Stream!"
In an instant, countless dazzling blue bolts of lightning burst out from his entire body.
"Nii-san! This time, it looks like I've won!"
Sasuke felt a surge of joy. After several intense exchanges with Itachi, he had finally managed to turn the situation around through his understanding of his brother's tactics and his own quick reactions.
At this moment, Itachi, tightly bound by the steel wire and with his wrist restrained by Sasuke, seemed to have fallen into a dead end.
To break free and reverse the situation, it seemed that only by using the powerful Susanoo could he win.
However, what was unexpected was that Itachi did not take any action. He simply calmly raised two fingers toward Sasuke and gently pointed to the right.
Then, with a loud "bang," his entire body suddenly burst apart, turning into a cloud of dense smoke that spread through the air.
"A shadow clone?"
Sasuke's eyes widened as he stared at the smoke, his face full of shock.
'When did this happen? Why didn't I notice at a ll?'
Immediately after, his gaze snapped to the right, because that was the direction Itachi had pointed to at the end.
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