Chapter 52: Shisui, I've Won This Duel!

Chapter 52: Shisui, I've Won This Duel!

'A B-rank mission?'

Nara Keisuke tightened his grip on the kunai and looked up at the sky.

'Uchiha Shisui's strength has already reached the level of a Jonin?'

The lacquer-black feathers scattering across the sky began to converge, gradually forming a human figure. Uchiha Shisui's form appeared amidst the feathers, his scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan looking directly at Nara Keisuke below.

'What was that ninjutsu Nara just used? It was as if he turned into a shadow...' Shisui flipped his wrist, and three shuriken appeared in his palm, ready to be thrown. 'A Transformation Jutsu? Earth Release? Or a special shadow secret technique of the Nara clan?'

There was no time for distraction in battle. Shisui flicked his wrist, and the three shuriken flew from his hand simultaneously.

Whoosh—

The sharp cross-shaped shuriken whistled as they tore through the air, flying towards Nara Keisuke in a triangular formation.

'The Uchiha clan's ninja tool throwing technique?'

Keisuke's brow rose slightly. He brandished the kunai in his hand, intending to block the attack.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With three crisp sounds of metal clashing, the kunai and shuriken collided in mid-air, creating a spray of orange-red sparks. The lighter shuriken were knocked away by the kunai, flying far from their intended target.

But at that moment, Uchiha Shisui's next round of attacks had already arrived.

Through the powerful insight of his three-tomoe Sharingan, Shisui had precisely observed Keisuke's counter-attack and had also predicted the posture of his final defensive move. Just as Keisuke was intercepting the second shuriken, a Fūma shuriken, different in shape and much larger in size than a normal cross-shuriken, was viciously thrown by Shisui, spinning through the air like a black-bladed wheel.

Nara Keisuke's brow furrowed slightly, and he wanted to continue waving his kunai to block the attack. But the Fūma shuriken, which had been aimed directly at his upper body, suddenly changed direction in mid-air, bypassing his swing's trajectory. Following that, a nearly transparent thin wire shot out along with the Fūma shuriken, wrapping itself around the kunai in Keisuke's hand.

'A wire?'

Keisuke's pupils contracted slightly, but instead of alarm, he felt a sense of joy. 'Is this the Uchiha clan's... Manipulated Shuriken Technique?'

But it wasn't just the Manipulated Shuriken Technique. Shisui landed quickly, biting down on the other end of the wire as his hands formed the Tiger seal in front of his chest. He rapidly molded Fire-nature chakra. "Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Hiss—

Like a fire dragon breathing flames, a long, narrow stream of fire spewed from Shisui's mouth. It followed the trajectory of the tough wire, rushing towards Keisuke's arm with incredible speed and urgency.

In the blink of an eye, the straight line of flames from the Dragon Fire Technique was upon him. A dark light dyed Keisuke's eyes as his [Lacquer Eye] silently activated. Although he made no hand signs, one after another, materialized shadow tendrils surged from beneath him. The shadows overlapped layer upon layer, forming a solid and reliable shadow shield that firmly protected him.

[Shadow Shield Technique].

Boom!

The Dragon Fire Technique slammed viciously into the [Shadow Shield Technique]. Like a raging wave crashing against a stubborn reef, not only did it fail to budge the shield in the slightest, but it also shattered itself into pieces. Flames exploded in mid-air like fireworks.

'That shield-like shadow?' Shisui marveled at the defensive skill Keisuke was displaying. 'To have such strong defensive power without any hand signs...'

Shisui had originally intended to immediately move and launch a new round of attacks. But just then, he suddenly found his ability to move was greatly suppressed, as if he were being bound by something invisible.

Shisui's gaze shifted downwards to the ground, his pupils widening. A thin black line was now firmly connecting his shadow with Nara Keisuke's.

'A shadow attack? When?!'

"Shadow Paralysis Jutsu, success!"

Nara Keisuke lightly flicked the kunai in his hand, shaking off the wire that had been wrapped around the weapon. One by one, the shadows gradually solidified into hard shadow spikes, preparing to follow up with an attack.

"I roughly understand what you were thinking... You didn't target my arm with the Manipulated Shuriken Technique, but my weapon instead. You were intentionally holding back, weren't you? Unfortunately for you, the moment you used that technique, your shadow was already connected to the wire and the Fūma shuriken."

For a [Shadow Secret Technique] to succeed, the shadows of the two combatants must overlap. Shisui's Manipulated Shuriken Technique, while appearing to be his combat strategy, had in fact been a willing pitch into the [Shadow Secret Technique]'s "strike zone."

Once controlled by a Nara clan's [Shadow Secret Technique], unless one broke free with brute force, even forming hand signs would be impossible. Shisui's mind recalled what Inabi had repeatedly warned him about. Being unable to move and unable to form hand signs was indeed a huge restriction for him. But he was not completely without a counter.

Every ninjutsu has a weakness. Besides breaking free by force, there were several other ways to deal with the Nara clan's shadow techniques. One of them was to interrupt the user's maintenance of the jutsu!

The three tomoe in Shisui's eyes spun continuously, and an invisible spiritual power spread out. The crows that he had summoned with the "Crow Clone Technique" earlier, at Shisui's call, once again gathered. But this time, their role was not as a medium for the clone technique, but as "biological ninja tools" for a direct attack.

Caw, caw—

With a chaotic series of cries, the black crows beat their wings, rushing towards Nara Keisuke one after another. At this moment, the crows' sharp beaks and claws seemed to be emitting a cold, sinister light. The crisscrossing shadows of the crows continuously interfered with the effect of the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu. And what was even more annoying were the crows' pecking, clawing, and flapping, as well as the omnipresent, noisy cawing.

Under these circumstances, Keisuke simply couldn't maintain the [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu] properly. Even the follow-up attack with the [Shadow Sewing Technique] he had planned was cut short by the interference of the crows and could only be used to drive them away.

Poof! Poof! Poof!

Like a shooting game, every time Keisuke's [Shadow Sewing Technique] pierced a crow, it would directly burst into a puff of smoke and vanish. These crows were all summoned here by Shisui, and their existence was temporary to begin with. Under Keisuke's high-frequency attacks, their numbers decreased rapidly.

"Hah!"

Taking this opportunity, Shisui broke free from the [Shadow Paralysis Jutsu]'s control. He quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to escape, letting out a heavy breath. 'I almost fell into Nara's trap... even though this was the combat strategy I had planned!'

Shisui looked at Keisuke, who was continuously clearing out the crows, and calculated in his mind. 'But even so, I've found your weakness... it's still the same as before, Nara.'

Through the battle just now, Shisui believed he had already observed his opponent's ability tendencies and general weaknesses. They were much the same as in the Academy... Quick thinking, superior strategy, powerful secret techniques, but severely lacking in physical energy. During the fight, Shisui had observed that Keisuke almost never initiated movement-based combat.

'Is it because his reserves of conventional chakra are insufficient, directly leading to a lack of physical mobility?'

Strategies flashed through Shisui's mind. To deal with this type of enemy, the Body Flicker Technique, which he was already good at, was the best solution. But from their exchange, Shisui was now very wary of close-quarters combat with Keisuke. A moment of carelessness, and he would be entangled by the other's shadow and pinned on the spot, losing his ability to fight. At that point, Shisui wouldn't have a spare hand to summon crows to get himself out of trouble.

'As I thought, just like Inabi said, the most appropriate choice is to create distance and wear him down with long-range attacks...'

Shisui quickly decided on his next combat strategy. At the same time, Nara Keisuke finished clearing out the last crow.

Shisui extended his right arm, and as if by magic, four finely crafted kunai mixed with chakra metal appeared between his fingers. He threw the weapons with great force. "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"

Almost at the instant they left his hand,缭绕 flames entwined around the kunai, attacking Keisuke from all angles, creating an extremely powerful visual effect.

'Burning kunai? A special attack?'

With a thought, Keisuke once again cast the [Shadow Shield Technique], defending his entire body. The menacing flaming kunai shot into the shadow shield. The moment they hit, the Fire-nature chakra stored within the kunai exploded, causing a series of blasts.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A deafening series of continuous explosions rang out. The [Shadow Shield Technique], under the impact of the fiery explosions, swayed precariously, and cracks appeared on its surface, as if it were about to shatter.

Shisui pressed his advantage, throwing another four kunai, which not only caused a huge roaring explosion but also created a strong visual interference effect.

Keisuke's mind moved. Resonating with the [Chakra Crystal] on his finger, he created a solid [Shadow Doppelganger], while he himself submerged into the ground, using the [Earth Dragon Hiding Technique] to quietly approach.

Shisui, completely unaware, was just about to throw a final round of flaming kunai. But just then, a sharp shadow spike suddenly shot out from the shadow behind him, pinning his movements completely.

A practiced Shadow Paralysis Jutsu.

Nara Keisuke's figure emerged from the shadow.

A practiced kunai-to-the-neck.

"It's over, Shisui. This time, I've won the duel."

(Author's Note:)

The ninjutsu Uchiha Shisui used in this battle, in order, are:

C-rank Great Fireball Technique;

D-rank Body Flicker Technique;

C-rank Crow Clone Technique;

D-rank Manipulated Shuriken Technique;

C-rank Dragon Fire Technique;

C-rank Summoning Technique;

B-rank Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson—but this is also a derivative of the C-rank Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.

(End of Chapter)

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