Hearing Uchiha Changsi's cry of shock, Uchiha Yuan merely gave a scornful smile.
"Don't be surprised. Compared to the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release, your Lightning Release is far too weak."
The moment those words were spoken, Changsi and the others all showed subtle changes in expression.
Only now did these squad captains truly overlap the youth before them with the figure from the intelligence reports—the one who had repelled the Fourth Raikage.
This kid is far more troublesome than expected…
I don't want to admit it, but he really is strong.
In an instant, the squad captains exchanged glances, communicating silently with their eyes.
Then—
their gazes sharpened all at once.
If earlier they had merely been angered by Yuan's arrogance and defiance, then from this moment on, they had subconsciously begun to treat him as a genuine powerhouse—one capable of shaking the shinobi world.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
A dense barrage of piercing sounds suddenly filled the air.
It was Uchiha Yi.
He leapt forward abruptly, his arm sweeping as he scattered a rain of kunai toward Yuan.
Yuan's expression grew impatient. His figure flickered like a ghost, weaving left and right as he casually avoided the incoming kunai.
At the same time, his cold voice rang out.
"This really isn't challenging at all. The kunai are faster than before—but to me, they're still easy to dodge."
Yi offered no reply, continuing to hurl kunai without pause.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, another figure leapt out.
Several more kunai whistled through the air toward Yuan.
"In that case, how about adding me as well?"
Uchiha Mikuma spoke while constantly shifting his position through a series of jumps.
Yuan flipped sideways in midair, narrowly avoiding the kunai converging on him from both sides. As he moved, he flicked a finger outward.
Clink!
The kunai struck the one flying toward him head-on and rebounded, smashing into another incoming kunai. The two weapons deflected again, colliding with yet two more.
In an instant, several kunai reversed course, flying straight back toward Yi and Mikuma.
Seeing this, the observing squad captains couldn't help but frown.
Uchiha Xun let out a soft sigh.
"Everyone together," he said. "This farce should end here."
As he spoke, his hand dipped to his waist. He raised his arm and hurled a kunai at Yuan.
Yuan shifted his body slightly, avoiding the blade.
But almost simultaneously, a streak of cold light flashed before his eyes.
Xun appeared in front of him in a blink, his long blade sweeping down in a lethal arc.
Yuan was about to flick the blade aside—
—but at that instant, his ears caught faint whistling sounds coming from all directions.
Without hesitation, he tapped the ground and sprang backward, narrowly evading Xun's strike.
The next moment, he saw dozens upon dozens of kunai flying in from every direction.
Every possible escape route around him had been sealed off by razor-sharp killing intent.
Yuan raised his hand like a blade, slashing repeatedly as his body flashed through the rain of kunai.
Amid the rapid clangor of metal, kunai fell to the ground one after another.
But soon, Yuan sensed something off.
Some of the kunai he had already dodged suddenly changed direction after colliding with others—once again flying toward him.
For a moment, even with his extraordinary agility, several kunai sliced his clothes and carried away a few strands of hair.
Bang!
Yuan slammed a palm into one attacker, sending him flying. His feet twisted, body swaying as he dodged several kunai from behind and the side.
Yet at the same time, another dozen kunai flew in again.
Hm?
Sensing their trajectories, Yuan frowned slightly.
These kunai… weren't aimed at him.
In the next instant, an intense, rapid series of metallic clashes erupted all around him.
The kunai struck one another in midair, changing direction again and again, weaving into a dense, interlocking pattern that surrounded Yuan completely.
His eyes spun rapidly as he tracked every single trajectory.
Suddenly, Yi flashed into existence directly in front of him and hurled another kunai.
Clink!
The moment that kunai struck one of the others, the metallic clamor around Yuan intensified explosively.
In a heartbeat, Yuan struck out with both hands, palms like blades, batting away kunai one after another—while narrowly dodging several that slipped through.
Then—
One kunai shot toward his face from an extremely treacherous angle.
At that exact moment, both of Yuan's palms were committed—slashing at two incoming kunai, one from the front and one from behind.
Boom!
Yuan changed tactics instantly.
Both palms spun, generating a pillar of roaring wind.
The moment the kunai touched the whirlwind, they were blasted outward in all directions.
Police Force Headquarters
Seeing Yuan summon a spiraling wind pillar with his bare hands, Uchiha Fugaku murmured in surprise,
"Hyūga Clan's Rotation?"
"No,"
Itachi replied beside him, his three-tomoe Sharingan fixed unblinkingly on the whirlwind.
"It's similar—but not the same."
A few seconds later, the wind pillar dissipated.
A kunai was clenched between Yuan's teeth.
"Here—have it back."
He looked at Yi and spat the kunai out.
The blade shot forward like a bullet.
A flash of steel—Yi slashed it in half.
Yuan's gaze slowly swept from Yi to the other squad captains.
"An artistic kunai-throwing technique," he said calmly.
"Only with the Sharingan's perception could you control the trajectories with such precision.
"I admire that."
He paused.
"But it's still not enough to defeat me."
As the words fell, Yuan kicked off the ground.
His body shot forward like a cannonball, his palm transforming into a blade as he slashed toward Yi's chest.
Bang!
Yi's body burst into smoke.
A clone.
In the next instant, Yi appeared in midair.
His pupils shrank as he saw that Yuan's palm strike hadn't lost momentum—it carved a straight trench several meters long into the ground.
The probing is over. He's starting to fight seriously.
Outside the training ground, in a nearby open area, Uchiha Tonghu struggled to his feet.
His chest felt tight, his entire body numb. After several deep breaths eased the discomfort, he turned his gaze back toward the training field.
There—
Eight squad captains were surrounding Uchiha Yuan.
Having already witnessed Yuan's ghostlike evasion of kunai, they had abandoned ranged combat and chosen close-quarters assault.
Their coordination was tight. They moved fluidly around Yuan, and almost every exchange involved three attackers striking at once.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Uchiha Takahiko crossed his arms and took Yuan's straight punch head-on.
His clothes exploded apart, and he was blasted backward.
At the same time, Yuan tilted his head, narrowly avoiding a kick from Xun that came from behind.
He twisted his body and struck out with a palm.
Changsi's left shoulder was hit squarely. His body spun out of control, and his fist smashed straight into another squad captain who was swinging a blade at Yuan.
Some people die… but they don't die completely.
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