"Brat, if you kneel down and beg for mercy right now, maybe—if I'm in a good mood—I'll be merciful and spare your life," Uchiha Sora sneered viciously.
In his eyes, Xuan was already a dead man. He wanted to savor this feeling of absolute power a little longer—the feeling of his opponent crawling at his feet, begging for their life, before he ruthlessly crushed their hopes. Ah, it was truly intoxicating.
"Even if you knelt down and begged me right now, I wouldn't spare your life. Because your very existence disgusts me," Xuan replied calmly. This was, in fact, his absolute, unvarnished truth.
Although the whispers of the other Elite Jōnin were quiet, they still reached his ears. He naturally understood why no one favored him to win. The reason was incredibly simple: his age.
When Xuan read the original manga in his previous life, he realized the combat power scaling in the Naruto world was actually highly complex. Raw chakra reserves, elemental affinities, Jutsu mastery, and accumulated combat experience all heavily influenced the outcome of a battle. Therefore, the ninja world only provided broad, sweeping rank classifications—Genin, Chūnin, Jōnin. Even the "Kage" level lacked a definitive, uniform standard.
However, after arriving in this world, Xuan discovered the situation was somewhat different.
The power ranking system in the Warring States Era was far more rigorous and detailed. The core reason behind this was the existence of something called "Chakra Density."
The so-called Chakra Density referred to the process of continuously compressing and refining the chakra within one's body, transforming it into high-intensity, hyper-condensed chakra that was far more responsive to physical manipulation. When the exact same Ninjutsu was cast using highly condensed chakra versus loose chakra, the destructive output was completely different.
This was precisely why certain powerhouses in the original story could use standard B-rank Ninjutsu to achieve the destructive force of an A-rank—or even S-rank—Jutsu. The most classic examples were the Third Hokage and Kakuzu.
Therefore, even if someone possessed a devastating, hyper-destructive S-rank ultimate move, "fighting above their weight class" was still incredibly difficult. If the opponent's Chakra Density was significantly higher, their standard Ninjutsu would hit harder, their casting speed would be faster, and their physical movement speed would vastly eclipse yours. Even if you possessed an ultimate Jutsu, what good was it if you were dead before you could cast it?
This was exactly why Uchiha Madara and Xuan, despite mastering a vast arsenal of high-level Ninjutsu and occasionally managing to assassinate standard Jōnin, were still officially evaluated by the clan as Special Jōnin. Their other foundational attributes simply hadn't caught up. Mastery of Ninjutsu alone was not enough to elevate their official combat rank.
Naturally, there were exceptions to the rule—such as becoming a Jinchūriki or awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan. Those were literal cheat codes. However, because they were so exceptionally rare, they were generally not factored into standard combat assessments.
In the Warring States Era Uchiha clan, aside from their ancient ancestor Indra from countless generations ago, the Mangekyō Sharingan had essentially faded into myth. They didn't even know that a higher evolution existed beyond the three-tomoe Sharingan.
"You little bastard! I know the clan hailed you as a genius, and you probably mastered some incredibly destructive S-rank Ninjutsu, which is why you dare challenge me! But let me tell you—those flashy tricks mean nothing! True, foundational strength is absolute! To kill you... I only need three moves!"
Sora dropped into a combat stance. The three tomoe in his eyes spun slowly as his chakra surged through his entire body.
Xuan sneered coldly. "Three moves? To kill trash like you, I only need one."
Xuan's voice wasn't loud, but it reached the ears of everyone present. The six Elite Jōnin drew sharp breaths, immediately followed by surges of indignation. What unbridled arrogance! He actually claimed he could one-shot an Elite Jōnin! Even a Peak Jōnin wouldn't dare make such an outrageous boast! This was practically slapping all of them right in the face!
We are all Elite Jōnin! By implying you can one-shot him, aren't you saying you can one-shot us too?!
Sora actually laughed—a laugh born of pure, boiling rage. He realized that this brat only needed a single, casual sentence to completely ignite his fury. Therefore, he decided to silence the kid permanently.
In the Warring States Era, the vast majority of shinobi relied primarily on Taijutsu, using Ninjutsu only as a supplement. Unless they belonged to a specific secret clan, very few relied entirely on Ninjutsu for combat. Uchiha Sora was naturally no exception.
His chakra violently erupted, and his body abruptly vanished. Body Flicker Jutsu! A distance of ten meters was virtually non-existent in the face of a high-speed Body Flicker. Almost the exact moment he vanished, Sora's silhouette materialized directly in front of Xuan. His fists, coated in a layer of hyper-condensed chakra that felt as sharp as a blade, punched fiercely toward Xuan's heart. Before the fists even connected, the razor-sharp chakra winds were already stinging the skin. If that blow landed solidly, a shattered heart was the absolute guaranteed outcome.
"Excellent!"
One of the spectating Elite Jōnin couldn't help but cheer. Fueled by his burning rage, Sora seemed to have achieved a minor breakthrough. The seamless combination of his Body Flicker and his sudden Taijutsu ambush was absolutely flawless. Even a shinobi of the exact same rank would struggle to parry it—let alone a standard Jōnin!
A vicious sneer curled on Sora's lips, absolute victory practically within his grasp. Just as I thought. He's nothing but hot air. Go ahead and regret your life choices in hell!
Thud! His fists smashed forward, crushing the opponent's heart. He could distinctly feel the solid impact of flesh and bone; he had absolutely not hit a wooden log or a Substitution Jutsu.
Yet, in the exact microsecond he believed he had won, the opponent in front of him suddenly dissolved into a cloud of white smoke with a soft poof.
Sora's mind went blank. What the hell?! He had specifically used his Sharingan to confirm that the brat hadn't woven any hand seals for a Substitution Jutsu! And a basic Clone Jutsu was even more impossible! What exactly just happened?!
"Goodbye."
Obviously, a life-and-death duel was no place to stand around pondering the mysteries of the universe. A calm voice echoed from directly behind him, dripping with freezing killing intent.
Sora's Sharingan spun wildly, catching a glimpse of the attack through his peripheral vision. Resting in Xuan's right hand was a massive, blindingly bright sphere of chakra. Extending from the central sphere were four rapidly spinning blades, making it look exactly like a giant chakra shuriken. The terrifyingly violent, high-speed winds tearing off the Jutsu felt like actual knives slicing into Sora's skin, stinging painfully.
What kind of Ninjutsu is this?! Sora screamed internally. He had never seen anything like it. Judging by the sheer sharpness, it had to be Wind Style, but the overwhelmingly destructive aura radiating from it felt like it could rip the very world apart. It felt even more devastating than the clan's ultimate S-rank Jutsu, the Sword of Kagutsuchi!
Run!
The instant the thought crossed his mind, Sora forcefully triggered his Body Flicker Jutsu again—even at the cost of damaging his own muscles from the severe strain—instantly opening up a distance of over fifteen meters. Hmph! Even if you have an insanely powerful Ninjutsu like that, your movement speed can't possibly keep up with an Elite Jōnin's Body Flicker! Once I open the distance—!
Before his thought could even finish, Sora was horrified to discover Xuan materializing directly in front of him, completely without warning!
"I told you. One move. Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"
With those words, the hyper-rotating Wind Style Jutsu was thrust violently into Sora's chest. But living up to his title as an Elite Jōnin, Sora somehow miraculously managed to weave a hand seal in the microscopic window of time he had left. "Fire Style: Flame Armor!"
A layer of roaring fire instantly ignited, enveloping him like a burning suit of armor. This was an A-rank defensive Ninjutsu, an absolute lifesaver in desperate situations.
Unfortunately, against the apocalyptic destructive power of the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, this pathetic defense might as well have not existed. The Wind Nature chakra transformed into countless microscopic, razor-sharp needles that directly attacked the human body at the cellular level. The flame armor was instantly torn to shreds, and every cell in Sora's body was systematically obliterated.
Sora could only let out a single, agonizing scream before he was violently blasted away with a deafening boom.
How... how did he catch up to me? In the final moments before his death, Sora's mind was consumed by absolute bewilderment. As his Sharingan spun weakly, he suddenly noticed a bizarre, tadpole-like formula marked directly onto the back of his hand—placed there at some unknown time.
BOOM! With an earth-shattering crash, Sora slammed into a solid stone wall. The terrifying kinetic force completely collapsed the wall, burying half of his motionless, mutilated corpse beneath the rubble.
Xuan slowly turned around, looking expressionlessly at the remaining six Elite Jōnin. To them, the blood-red three tomoe spinning in his eyes now looked incredibly, suffocatingly terrifying!
As Xuan took a step forward toward the main hall, the six Elite Jōnin subconsciously parted, automatically opening a clear path for him. They didn't even dare to breathe too loudly. Everything had happened far too horrifyingly fast—so fast their brains still hadn't fully processed it.
A few of the Elite Jōnin were already breaking out in uncontrollable cold sweats, the scene of that apocalyptic attack replaying endlessly in their minds.
The radiant brilliance of the scorching sun illuminated Xuan's retreating back, making him look impossibly dazzling.
It seems... an absolute monster has emerged in the Uchiha's northern territory, the exact same thought sprouted simultaneously in the minds of all six Elite Jōnin.
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