With his Sharingan activated, Osamu's kinetic vision and observation skills surged. Through the roaring flames and distorting heat waves, he easily spotted Kyosuke's figure. He immediately threw several shuriken, then charged blindly into the fire right behind them.
At this moment, Kyosuke had firmly decided on a tactic: avoid close-quarters combat at all costs and spam Ninjutsu from a distance.
His hands formed a new set of seals in a blur.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A howling gale erupted from Kyosuke's mouth, blowing the flames and the incoming shuriken right back toward Osamu. Because the area of effect was so wide and Osamu was already mid-leap inside the flames, his evasion was clumsy. Part of his clothes and hair were instantly scorched.
"I'll see just how many more Ninjutsu you can actually cast!"
Tearing off his burning left sleeve, Osamu looked highly disheveled. He formed a seal, creating two Shadow Clones that charged at Kyosuke from flanking directions.
Osamu already possessed a huge advantage in Taijutsu, and now with the Sharingan predicting movements, his close-combat capabilities skyrocketed. He firmly believed that as long as he could close the distance, he could crush Kyosuke in a single, decisive move.
Kyosuke knew this perfectly well. He absolutely didn't dare let Osamu get close, and he didn't even dare look into the boy's spinning red eyes for fear of Genjutsu. He intended to stand his ground and act as a human turret.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof!
Six Kyosukes appeared simultaneously. Without even bothering to distinguish which of the three Osamus was the original body, they charged forward, turning it into a two-on-one brawl!
One Kyosuke clone blocked in front, completely sacrificing itself, while the other released point-blank Ninjutsu from behind. The jutsu didn't distinguish between friend and foe, directly submerging both the vanguard Kyosuke clone and Osamu in fire.
The reckless tactic was highly effective. Kyosuke lost three Shadow Clones in the ensuing explosions, but he successfully identified Osamu's original body.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Damn it, the Great Fireball again?! You're spamming it even more recklessly than I am! Which one of us is actually from the Uchiha Clan?! Osamu screamed internally.
Osamu retreated in a mess, choking on smoke, but immediately charged back up, shouting furiously.
"After using so many Ninjutsu and spamming Shadow Clones, I don't believe you have a single drop of Chakra left!"
I don't have Chakra, sure. But Nagato does!
Of Kyosuke's two remaining Shadow Clones, one immediately stepped forward to delay Osamu, while the other used combination Ninjutsu alongside Kyosuke's main body.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The fierce wind fueled the fireball, combining into a terrifying, towering firestorm. It moved like an insurmountable, crushing wall of heat toward Osamu.
At that exact moment, Osamu desperately used a Sharingan Genjutsu to paralyze the Kyosuke clone trying to tackle him. But looking up, he saw the inescapable wall of fire and wind bearing down on him.
"Damn it! Impossible!"
Osamu's mind was reeling. He's just a newly graduated Genin! How could he possibly have such abundant Chakra?!
At the cost of yet another Shadow Clone, Kyosuke violently repelled Osamu's desperate attack.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away at the Akatsuki Organization's base, Nagato, who was quietly studying his Rinnegan, suddenly felt that Ooka Shin was consuming Chakra a bit too quickly through the Black Rod.
He looked toward the distant woods where Shin was supposedly training and thought he should remind his friend to rest and not push too hard tonight. Then, Nagato shrugged and went back to his research. Over the years, his strength had increased so rapidly that he truly didn't care about this small amount of consumption.
Nagato had no idea that Shin wasn't using Ninjutsu at all right now; he was merely doing basic physical swordsmanship drills.
Which one of you idiots is showing off and draining so much Chakra? Shin grumbled internally. I need to give them a good warning in the dreamscape tonight. Stop showing off for no reason! I'm the one who secured the cheat code, and even I haven't flexed this hard yet!
Of course, Shin was just complaining playfully. He knew that Kyosuke, Mishu, and Chisuke were working hard to maintain their genius personas for everyone's long-term benefit.
Back in Konoha, the battle continued. All of Kyosuke's Shadow Clones were finally destroyed. Without missing a beat, he immediately formed hand seals and used the jutsu again, creating five fresh Shadow Clones.
"What kind of monster are you exactly?!" Osamu gasped. He panted heavily, wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth, and glared fiercely at Kyosuke.
"Hehe." Kyosuke laughed softly, tilting his head. "I am a genius. You simply don't understand the world of geniuses."
Becoming Minato's disciple meant Kyosuke was officially part of the Hokage's faction. Minato, Jiraiya, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi could be considered his political backers. Therefore, Kyosuke had become much bolder. He was no longer as cautious about hiding his capabilities as before.
In other words, he could finally show off to his heart's content!
Of course, Kyosuke wasn't a fool. The Ninjutsu he used were all explicitly taught to him by Minato to avoid unwanted questions about their origin. As for why his Chakra capacity was so absurdly large? Don't ask. Geniuses are just built different. If the village didn't believe it, they could take him for a medical exam; his physical indicators were guaranteed to be perfectly normal.
The battle raged on. Osamu was constantly being worn down by the relentless bombardment, while Kyosuke grew more courageous as he fought. With the seamless coordination of expendable clones and heavy Ninjutsu, he fully took control of the situation and launched a lethal counterattack.
"Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"
Osamu dodged a blast of wind, but just as his feet touched the ground, the earth beneath him shattered. A pair of hands shot out, grabbing his ankles and violently pulling him deep into the soil.
Osamu desperately threw the kunai in his hand downward, shattering the Kyosuke clone hiding underground.
But that split-second delay was fatal. Four of Kyosuke's clones attacked Osamu simultaneously from all sides. Because Osamu's Chakra consumption had been too severe, he could barely maintain his Sharingan and failed to track the incoming strikes.
He was struck heavily from four directions and knocked to the ground.
Osamu lay completely unconscious in the dirt. Kyosuke looked down at the battered thirteen-year-old boy, feeling no pride in his victory.
As expected of the Uchiha Clan. Even with only a Two-Tomoe Sharingan, he's already much stronger than an average Chunin, Kyosuke thought solemnly. Without Nagato's cheat, I wouldn't have lasted three minutes before losing. Is this the terrifying foundation of a great clan? No wonder the village elders are so wary of them.
Before he could dwell on it further, Kyosuke spun around and sprinted toward Kakashi's position.
At this time, Kakashi and Guy had been knocked down multiple times. Covered in bruises and cuts, they could only stand up by supporting each other's weight.
"You two are a bit stronger than I imagined... but it ends here!"
Uchiha Takuya's expression wasn't looking good either. Blood was slowly seeping from a nasty wound on his abdomen; clearly, Kakashi and Guy had made him pay in blood. However, the momentum of the battle was decidedly his.
In an instant, Takuya blurred forward, sending Guy flying backward with a heavy strike. Just as Guy was about to crash into a decorative rock, he was caught steadily by a pair of strong hands.
"Hey, I can't believe you haven't finished off your opponent yet," Kyosuke teased lightly. "I'm so disappointed."
Guy turned his head, his bruised face lighting up. "Kyosuke! You're okay! That's great!"
During the brutal fight, Guy had actually been deeply worried about Kyosuke facing an older Uchiha alone. Seeing that Kyosuke was perfectly fine, he was genuinely thrilled.
Helping Guy walk over to Kakashi, Kyosuke asked with a smirk, "Can you still fight?"
Kakashi spat a wad of blood onto the grass and snorted. "I've only just warmed up."
Hehe, if your left arm wasn't visibly broken and you weren't wobbling so much that you can barely stand, I might have almost believed you.
"Then let's go. Together, we'll stomp the arrogant Uchiha into the dirt!"
Kyosuke created two more Shadow Clones and took the lead, charging forward. Kakashi and Guy gritted their teeth, dragging their injured bodies to coordinate perfectly with Kyosuke's assault.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Lightning Release: Earth Flash!"
"Leaf Hurricane!"
"You ignorant fools!" Takuya roared, his pride wounded. "Don't you dare look down on the Uchiha!"
Showing absolutely no fear, Takuya activated his own Sharingan and charged head-on toward Kyosuke and the others.
Although Kyosuke's arrival meant that Osamu had been defeated, the honor and immense pride of the Uchiha simply wouldn't allow Takuya to take a single step backward.