Konoha: You're letting me build up my bonds, but you're offending the entire ninja world.

Anyone who knows a little about the inside story understands that there can only be one winner today.

Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Itachi Uchiha and Gengetsu Shimura arrived at the field and stood facing each other, just as they had a year ago when they graduated.

"Itachi-kun, this should be our third duel, right?"

Shimura Gengetsu said with some regret, "I wish it were Shisui-senpai standing opposite me, at least that would make me a little more excited."

"But I really have no interest in playing with you."

Faced with his sarcasm, Itachi Uchiha frowned. "I'll surprise you."

“No, you can’t,” Shimura Gengetsu retorted seriously. “Without even three tomoe, how could you possibly please me?”

"However, your younger brother is quite good."

Shimura Gengetsu suddenly smacked his lips, and Uchiha Itachi's expression immediately tensed up.

Why are you bringing up Sasuke?

“It’s nothing.” Gengetsu Shimura shook his head. “Just now in the audience, Sasuke said that his brother would accompany him to practice shuriken after the exam, but I said he wouldn’t.”

Gengetsu Shimura's smile grew even wider. "Because... I'll beat your brother to a pulp."

"Then he cried."

Clang~!

Uchiha Itachi drew his short sword expressionlessly.

"Shimura Gengetsu, there's no point in saying more. Let me show you... how much progress I've made over the past year!"

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Naruto Uzumaki, right? Chunin is a level you can never reach in your entire life.

If we're talking about the person in the world who knows the Uchiha clan best, Tobirama Senju would dare to say he's second, and even the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't dare to say he's first.

His assessment of the Uchiha clan was also accurate.

No clan has a deeper love than the Uchiha. Once the Uchiha understand love, their long-suppressed emotions are released.

However, this feeling is too extreme and too single-minded. Once stimulated, the Sharingan is awakened. At the same time, the pineal gland secretes a mysterious substance that makes this feeling even stronger.

Thus, a vicious cycle is formed.

It can be said that the more powerful the Uchiha clan, the more of a fanatic they are.

Their love often causes far more serious harm to the person involved and others than the love itself.

Itachi Uchiha's emotional anchor was his adorable younger brother.

Even though Shimura Gengetsu did not show any malice towards Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi was still moved, and a surge of anger was brewing in his chest.

"Wait a minute, do you want to practice shuriken with Uchiha Sasuke?"

Gengetsu Shimura raised his hand. "Then grant me one request: I can go easy on you."

"I don't need your charity."

Itachi Uchiha's shuriken were being thrown from all directions.

"You asked for this..." Shimura Gengetsu's smile vanished, and he also threw a shuriken, which collided precisely with the one opposite him.

The two of them were throwing shurikens wildly, as if they were having a seizure.

Itachi Uchiha has awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan, and he has brought the Uchiha clan's shuriken throwing technique to its fullest potential.

With his dynamic vision and superior physical abilities, Shimura Gengetsu precisely blocked every incoming shuriken.

But he still lost.

Because he carried fewer shuriken than Itachi Uchiha.

When Shimura Gengetsu found only a shuriken in his ninja tool pouch, his lips twitched. He threw it with one hand while simultaneously forming a hand seal with the other.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Technique!"

One shuriken instantly multiplied into more than ten, blocking Itachi Uchiha's final shuriken.

Then... Shimura Gengetsu stopped, and even gestured for Uchiha Itachi to continue.

"Art fire escape ho fireball!"

"Art fire escape ho fireball!"

The two fireballs collided and entangled for a moment before Itachi Uchiha's fireball was finally shattered, forcing him to dodge.

Gengetsu Shimura stopped again.

The noisy scene gradually quieted down, and Itachi Uchiha's expression grew increasingly cold.

Many people have already figured out what it tastes like.

Gengetsu Shimura... just wanted to completely defeat Itachi Uchiha using the exact same moves.

"Xuan Yuejun..."

Uchiha Shisui's eyes were filled with worry, but not for Shimura Gengetsu, but for Uchiha Itachi.

He didn't know what had happened between the two, but it seemed that Shimura Gengetsu had always disliked Itachi and had even used Itachi's life to blackmail him before.

Fortunately, he successfully completed the task.

But if they really lose in this way this time, it will be a huge blow to Itachi's personality, right?

Aside from Uchiha Shisui, who was worried, the other spectators were just enjoying the spectacle and kept shouting, "Next move! Next move!"

On the highest platform.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just smiled because Gengetsu Shimura used his signature ninjutsu, has now disappeared.

He was in favor of suppressing the Uchiha clan.

But Shimura Gengetsu's actions weren't just suppression; they were a slap in the face...

Uchiha Itachi is Fugaku's son. If he is humiliated, it will only further incite the anger of the other clan members.

"Danzo..."

He felt that Xuan Yue did this because he had received instructions from Danzo.

"What?" The daimyo sitting to the side didn't hear Hiruzen Sarutobi's mutterings, and then asked a question, his face full of excitement at the spectacle.

"Nothing, I was just wondering what Danzo was doing," Hiruzen Sarutobi forced a smile and replied dismissively.

“That’s right.” The daimyo nodded. “Isn’t Shimura Gengetsu his grandson? Why didn’t he come to watch the match? He played well, really well. Using the same moves to break down his opponent’s attacks, that kid is really creative.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled but didn't say anything.

Inside the examination hall, Itachi Uchiha began running and forming hand seals without uttering a word.

However, no matter what he does, Gengetsu Shimura will follow him like a leech, retaliating in the same way.

His meticulously designed trap was covered by another trap, and the forbidden technique he had just mastered, the Clone Explosion, also resulted in a double explosion along with Shimura Gengetsu's clone.

Uchiha felt that he was not fighting Shimura Gengetsu, but another version of himself.

A version of oneself that can completely see through his inner thoughts.

"Then we'll have to compete in physical skills."

The one-tomoe Sharingan enhances perception and chakra sensing abilities.

The two-tomoe Sharingan further enhances these two abilities, while also gaining the ability to copy and adding several more ways to use genjutsu.

But he had just tried, and his eye power was not enough to cast an illusion that would affect Shimura Gengetsu.

The only way to cause damage is through close-quarters combat, relying on reflexes to find an opportunity.

Having made up his mind, Itachi Uchiha changed his previous tactics and charged straight at Gengetsu Shimura, seeking a close-quarters battle.

boom--!

The two exchanged blows, and Itachi Uchiha looked pained, but his other hand continued its attack, slashing vertically with his short sword, leaving a streak of silver light.

The Kusanagi sword easily parried the attack, and the two then engaged in a continuous swordsmanship contest, much to the delight of the audience.

But Itachi wasn't quite satisfied.

He felt only despair.

He was outmatched in every aspect of his abilities—patience, body, and illusion—and was completely crushed. Tactics were useless; he had no idea how to win.

Do you hate it? Do you loathe it?

While launching a rapid and relentless attack, Shimura Gengetsu also unleashed a mental attack.

"This is what they call the Uchiha? What exactly are the abilities of your Sharingan? Why can't I sense them?"

Currently, Itachi Uchiha is only missing the final stage reward. Gengetsu Shimura speculates that it will most likely be one of the eye techniques, either Tsukuyomi or Amaterasu, or even both.

People never know how incompetent they can be until they are pushed to their limits.

Perhaps the most desperate moment for Itachi Uchiha today is when he has the chance to receive the final reward.

"Ga! Ga! Ga!"

The Uchiha Itachi in front of him suddenly turned into a flock of crows, but Shimura Gengetsu was unmoved. While the crows were flying around, he killed several of them.