This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 87 Combat Life Fiber Gloves

Uchiha Setsuna pulled hard with both hands, but the black iron rod didn't budge.

Ryuji bent over and craned his neck, his right hand resting on his knee, his smile widening. "Didn't you want to show me the true power of the Sharingan? Is this all?"

Uchiha Setsuna's face turned ashen.

He released his left hand and formed a mudra with one hand in front of his chest.

But before the seal was finished, Long Er stepped on the iron rod and kicked him.

Uchiha instantly released his staff and retreated rapidly, completing the hand seals he hadn't finished yet.

[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!]

A blazing fireball shot out of his mouth, causing the surrounding air to heat up rapidly and even become distorted, demonstrating its extreme temperature.

Long Er stepped on the end of the stick, and the other end automatically lifted up.

He grabbed the black stick with his backhand, steam billowed from the air pipe on his arm, and with full power, he swung it around like a giant windmill.

The fireball was cleaved in two as soon as it got close, flying off to either side. Ryuji strode forward, his giant whirlwind attack forcing Uchiha Setsuna to retreat hastily.

There was no way around it; the power was too overwhelming, even the air itself was being stirred up and churned.

Uchiha Setsuna retreated while throwing kunai.

Ryuji's staff was so tightly wound that even when he used the Uchiha clan's unique technique to make the kunai collide in mid-air and change their direction, they were all blocked.

Snapped!

Uchiha Setsuna retreated to the wall, with nowhere left to go.

Long Er swung his stick and struck.

Such a simple and straightforward attack was naturally ineffective. Uchiha Setsuna's Sharingan spun wildly, capturing the attack's trajectory.

He tilted his head slightly and bent his legs at the same time.

boom!

The stick smashed into the wall next to his head, creating a large, cracked crater more than a meter in diameter.

"Isn't this guy a puppeteer? How can he be so strong?" Uchiha Setsuna was shocked by Ryuji's strength, but his movements didn't falter at all. The moment the stick slammed into the wall, he quickly got up, grabbed a kunai, and lunged forward.

At this point, Ryuji had exhausted his old skills and had not yet developed new ones. It was impossible for him to change his moves to defend or counterattack, so he had no choice but to abandon his staff and retreat slowly.

Uchiha Setsuke grabbed the stick with his left hand and threw the kunai with his right.

Long Er raised his hand and slapped it, sending it flying.

But Uchiha Setsuna had already successfully retrieved the iron rod. He gripped the rod with both hands and began to spin it, and with a whooshing sound, scorching flames erupted from both ends of the rod.

"Tsk, it's a chakra metal weapon, they're really rich."

While Long Er was surprised, he also felt a little jealous.

The sour feeling naturally stems from being jealous that the other person is rich.

Chakra metal is extremely precious. For an average person, having a dagger or short sword forged is already a sign of wealth. However, Uchiha Setsuna possessed a chakra metal staff, which shows he was no ordinary person.

He's definitely a big spender.

What surprised him was that it was the first time he had ever seen a weapon imbued with fire-attribute chakra nature transformation.

Even though chakra metal has excellent chakra conductivity, it is still metal and will soften or even melt when heated to high temperatures. Moreover, chakra metal is mostly used to forge blades, and even with a high-temperature resistant coating, the thin blade is easily deformed and melted by high temperatures.

Therefore, even though everyone knows that adding flames to a blade would make it much more lethal, no one does it.

But sticks are different.

It is about the size of an egg, and if coated with a heat-resistant material, it can withstand being burned for a long time without deforming.

"I told you, I'd show you the true power of the Sharingan..." Setsuna was pleased with Ryuji's reaction, speaking with a smug look on his face, "The show's just beginning, so keep your eyes peeled and enjoy!"

After saying that, without waiting for Long Er's reaction, he picked up the stick, jumped up, and slammed it down on Long Er's head.

The air howled, and the flames burned.

Uchiha Setsuna's strike was powerful and heavy, with the force of a thousand pounds.

but……

"Is that all?"

Long Er's smile remained unchanged.

He neither dodged nor dodged, nor did he use any weapons or ninjutsu to defend himself. He simply stretched out his right hand in an ordinary manner to grab the stick.

This scene stunned everyone.

Uchiha Setsuna's attack was powered by a jump, making it powerful and heavy enough to easily shatter the boulder.

Even if you, Ryuji, are incredibly strong, you're still just a mortal. You'll get hurt if you're stabbed, and you'll swell up if you're hit by a heavy object. To catch a powerful iron rod with your bare hands without any preparation is just courting death, isn't it?

What's more, the stick was burning with flames.

However, you never know how things will turn out until the very end.

boom!

A dull thud echoed through the hall, and a wave of air rippled out from the point where the stick and the hand met. Long Er's body sank, and his legs sank into the shattered ground.

But... he firmly grasped the stick in his hand.

The gloved right hand gripped the stick, and the flames enveloped both the stick and the right hand... The crackling sound of the flames burning was particularly jarring in the suddenly silent hall.

As for Ryuji... his smile widened even more.

He actually caught it!

In the audience, whether from Sunagakure or Konoha, everyone stared in disbelief at this scene, even the Third Hokage's mouth was slightly agape.

"This is impossible!?"

Uchiha Setsuna's eyes widened, and with a forceful pull, he retracted the staff, spun around, and brought it down on his head again.

Ryuji remained standing still.

This time, however, he extended his left hand.

boom!

The same scene played out again, only this time the right hand became the left hand.

Uchiha Setsuna's eyes widened even more, his expression filled with disbelief.

The same applies to the spectators outside the venue.

One time could be attributed to coincidence or good luck, but if it happens twice, with each hand taking a turn, the outcome is the same.

That means they really have the ability.

"It's those gloves."

Uchiha Setsuna quickly discovered the problem.

Although, judging from the appearance of the gloves and the softness they feel on the hands, they are just ordinary leather gloves.

But his Sharingan could see very clearly that the density of the material that made up the gloves was far beyond what fur could achieve; it was closer to metal.

It can defend against swords and blades, and resist water and fire.

"It seems the Sharingan is still somewhat useful. At least it can quickly distinguish between different materials, which is helpful for material selection," Ryuji praised.

Uchiha Setsuna guessed correctly; the reason Ryuji was able to catch the stick with his bare hands was because of these gloves.

These gloves are made of ordinary fur, but a tiny combat life fiber is sewn into the inside, so they are impervious to swords, water and fire, can withstand heavy blows, and amplify strength.

Ryuji's power is so great, it is the greatest contributor.

Uchiha Setsuna's face darkened once again.

Although Ryuji's tone was one of praise, the content of his words was unmistakably sarcastic.

But he did not respond.

After several provocations, he had to admit it. In terms of trash talk alone, Ryuji could easily bury him in the ground.

"Phew~"

He took a deep breath and then swung the stick left and right violently. The flames at both ends were flung out by centrifugal force, each one the size of a football, like cannonballs bombarding the enemy.

[Fire Release: Fire Barrage!]

(End of this chapter)