Uchiha Itachi's blade slashed down toward Uchiha Ran. Although he had reined in most of his strength, he still couldn't completely halt the momentum of the tachi in his hand.
The blade struck Ran's body.
But instead of the sound of flesh being cut, a sharp metallic clash rang out.
Clang!
Sparks burst into the air!
Itachi's pupils shrank violently. He stared at the figure before him in disbelief.
Was this really the same younger brother who used to cower and secretly cry whenever he was bullied?
And just how had he trained his body to the point where blades couldn't harm him at all?
"Itachi, haven't you eaten?" Ran mocked casually.
"Was your swordsmanship taught by your master's wife or something? Tsk tsk—soft and weak."
At that instant, both Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui were stunned.
Only Ran felt a surge of delight.
As expected—hitting myself counts too.
---
Ding! Warning! Warning!
System has detected exploit behavior.
System has detected exploit behavior.
After this battle ends, the activation conditions of 'Indomitable Body' will be adjusted to remove the exploit where self-inflicted damage counts.
Ran's expression darkened immediately.
Damn system!
You didn't even notice the bug yourself—what's wrong with me using it?
And now you're killing my creativity!
System:
"…As compensation for the fix, the host will receive the reward: Uchiha Flame Fan."
Ran's eyes lit up.
The Flame Fan is good. The Flame Fan is very good.
---
Itachi, however, didn't rise to the provocation. He withdrew his tachi and retreated, widening the distance between them.
Once in combat mode, his mind sharpened to a frightening degree.
That previous strike had only been a probe. Now that the result was clear, one thing was certain—
Ran's physical body was terrifyingly strong. He was practically immune to bladed weapons.
Against an opponent like this, taijutsu was meaningless. Or rather—Itachi's taijutsu wasn't enough to threaten him.
This kind of situation wasn't new.
And every time before, the final victor had always been—
Him.
---
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Itachi rapidly formed hand seals:
Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger.
As usual, he tilted his head back and took a deep breath.
The moment he exhaled, a massive fireball roared forth, lighting up the night like a blazing floodlight and illuminating the expressions of all three present.
Shisui—worried.
Itachi—solemn.
Ran—sneering.
The Great Fireball surged toward Ran, dragging the surrounding airflow along with it.
Ran's long hair whipped violently in the scorching heat.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Ran leapt upward, soaring nearly four meters into the air. While airborne, his hands blurred through seals:
Rat → Tiger → Dog → Ox → Hare → Tiger.
His hand seal speed was incomparably faster than Itachi's.
With a casual wave of his hand, five enormous fireballs erupted from his mouth, screaming toward Itachi and the incoming Great Fireball.
Itachi's expression changed instantly.
Even the smallest of those five fireballs was as large as his own Great Fireball Technique.
With his Mangekyō Sharingan active, he could clearly see molten, lava-like fire surging beneath their surfaces.
Boom!
Itachi's Great Fireball collided with the first of Ran's Phoenix Sage Fireballs, exploding violently and dissipating midair.
Itachi immediately cut off his chakra flow—there was no point continuing.
His gaze locked onto the remaining four massive fireballs hanging in the sky, blocking every possible route of retreat.
His face grew grim.
The Phoenix Sage Fire showed no mercy.
The four blazing fireballs crashed down toward Itachi and the area behind him.
He clenched his teeth.
So it comes to this…
His eyes hardened with resolve.
A surge of crimson chakra erupted from his body, spreading outward as a blood-red skeletal ribcage formed around him.
"Susanoo!"
Blood streamed from Itachi's left eye.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The fireballs smashed into the newly formed Susanoo.
Itachi gritted his teeth, enduring the full force of Ran's ninjutsu head-on.
Although Susanoo blocked the attack, cold sweat drenched his body, and a metallic, sweet taste rose in his throat.
He swallowed it back.
As the dust settled, Itachi's figure emerged slowly—encased in a red skeletal frame that radiated an ominous aura.
His eyes, now fully transformed into Mangekyō patterns, stared straight at Ran.
After confirming that Ran wasn't pressing the attack, Itachi dismissed Susanoo and closed his left eye.
Instantly, searing pain and exhaustion surged through him, making his body tremble.
But none of it escaped Ran's notice.
Ran felt a bit speechless.
This guy is really suffering just to save face.
---
"Itachi, that's enough. You've lost."
Shisui appeared beside Itachi in a flash, using the Body Flicker Technique.
Itachi wanted to argue—but the memory of those fireballs, like miniature suns, left him unable to speak.
He looked at his younger brother with a complicated expression.
To Shisui, this fight had merely been a spar between Uchiha geniuses. There was no need to bring out the Mangekyō's offensive abilities.
And to be honest, even Shisui himself knew—
In ninjutsu and taijutsu, he wasn't any stronger than Itachi. And against Ran, the result wouldn't be much different.
"No more fighting?" Ran chuckled lightly.
"I haven't even warmed up yet."
Shisui nodded.
"You've won. Even if I fought you, I wouldn't fare much better than Itachi in ninjutsu or taijutsu."
He looked at Ran with a complicated expression.
"It's no exaggeration to say that right now… you're the strongest person in the Uchiha Clan."
Ran shook his head.
"Whether I'm number one doesn't matter. What matters is getting some rest."
Then he added casually,
"Tomorrow, Shisui-ge, you still need to report to Danzo."
He turned to leave, then suddenly paused, speaking a final sentence in a voice that all three could hear.
After that, he ignored their reactions and walked off toward home.
---
In his memories, only his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, had never looked down on him for being a burden.
She always prepared delicious meals every day just to make him smile.
Oh—and his foolish little brother, Uchiha Sasuke.
Most of Sasuke's ninjutsu had been taught personally by Ran.
After all, Itachi was almost always away on Anbu missions. In an entire year, the number of days he could rest could be counted on two hands.
Coupled with his role as a double agent, his mental burden was immense.
So the responsibility of teaching Sasuke naturally fell to Ran—the so-called "idle one" of the family.
---
Just then, a familiar mechanical voice sounded.
Ding!
Congratulations to the host for defeating Uchiha Itachi in a sparring match, crushing his arrogance and leaving a deep impression.
Reward obtained:
Uchiha Flame Fan ×1
Sengoku Red Armor ×1 set
Please keep up the good work.