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"Even you, proud of the physical skills you've honed since childhood... I can learn them at a glance. Understand this—this is the power of the Uchiha."
Fire Style—Phoenix Fire Jutsu!
Uchiha Sasuke kicked off the ground and launched himself into the air. Mid-jump, he formed hand seals rapidly and exhaled multiple small fireballs toward Ye Dou.
Ye Dou moved with swiftness and grace, his body light as a swallow. He evaded the incoming fireballs one after another with precise footwork.
But Sasuke smirked. "You can't escape."
With the Sharingan activated, his tomoe spinning, Sasuke whispered under his breath, "Windmill Triple Blades."
From within the fireballs, multiple kunai—previously concealed—were revealed, flying toward Ye Dou in a deadly arc.
"He predicted Ye Dou's evasions... and embedded kunai within the Phoenix Fire technique!"
"That level of precision—his manipulation of kunai—is incredible! Is this really something a Genin can do?"
"He's caught! Ye Dou's been tied up with ninja wire!"
From a distance, Nara Shikamaru and the others watched in shock, stunned by Sasuke's tactical prowess.
"To think someone in our class could attack with such speed and pressure…"
"I won, Ye Dou."
As Ye Dou's body was bound and unable to move, Sasuke's expression lost its arrogance. Instead, it grew colder—detached.
At that moment, a memory surfaced—of him. The man who shared Sasuke's blood, the one Sasuke was always chasing.
"You're next," he muttered.
Ye Dou murmured as if unfazed, "So this is why the Curse Mark's chakra feels unstable… it's incomplete."
With a sudden burst of power, Ye Dou flexed his body, snapping the steel wire restraints with ease.
What intrigued Ye Dou wasn't the technique—it was Sasuke's transformation.
The Curse Mark of Heaven, given to him by Orochimaru, was derived from Jūgo's enzymes—akin in some ways to the toad oil of Mount Myōboku. It enabled the absorption of natural energy.
Yet from Sasuke's current state, Ye Dou could tell: the Curse Mark's power was far from that of true Sage Mode.
Ye Dou frowned slightly.
He was pursuing something greater—the Dragon Vein Core located beneath the ancient ruins of Roran. If that energy was also natural energy, then...
"Even if I obtain the Dragon Vein's power, does it mean I'll end up like Sasuke—unable to control or truly use it for Sage Mode?"
"No," he whispered, eyes narrowing. "This is just the first stage of the Curse Mark. It's not comparable to the Dragon Vein."
He remembered that during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke had merged with Jūgo's natural energy. Orochimaru had confirmed it then—the Curse Mark was a synthetic form of Sage Transformation.
When Sasuke infused his Susanoo with Jūgo's natural chakra, it evolved, transforming into what could be called "Heavenly Encampment of Lightning."
"But no matter how refined, the Curse Mark is a processed byproduct of Jūgo's abilities," Ye Dou thought. "If I absorb the Dragon Vein Core directly—and achieve internal balance between physical energy, spiritual energy, and natural energy—I can generate true Sage Chakra."
A glimmer of excitement flashed in Ye Dou's eyes.
"You're weak," Sasuke scoffed. "Even now you act tough? Give it up. A taijutsu-only ninja like you can't beat someone with a Sharingan!"
Ye Dou remained calm, expression unchanged.
That calmness infuriated Sasuke even more.
"You're the same as the first time we fought... but I'm not!"
Without waiting, Sasuke roared and charged, the Curse Mark flaring across his body. His speed was now beyond typical Genin limits.
But Ye Dou was faster.
As Sasuke swept in for a leg strike, Ye Dou was already inside his guard, landing a clean punch to the gut.
Bang!
"Urgh—!"
Sasuke gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, his body sent flying and crashing into the dirt.
"Damn you...!"
"Good. Get angrier," Ye Dou said evenly. "Show me what else the Curse Mark can do."
Sasuke sprang up in rage—but was instantly struck again, unable to follow Ye Dou's movement.
"Ahh—!"
That familiar pain, the helplessness—it stung. Despite all his training, despite the Curse Mark, he was being thrown around like a ragdoll.
More than five years had passed, and still he felt like a child being dominated.
Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji—the new generation of Ino-Shika-Chō—stood frozen in awe. Just moments ago, Sasuke had seemed invincible. Now, he was getting utterly dismantled.
[Second Stage Evaluation: Passed]
"Why... why can't I see it?" Sasuke gritted his teeth. "I have the Sharingan… why can't I follow his movements?!"
Desperation turned to anguish. His scream of frustration echoed, followed by the sound of another strike from Ye Dou.
"This is all…?"
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