Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"Substitution Technique?"

Mikan Shimizu realized what Sasuke had done at this moment. Were the crows he summoned actually tools used for a substitution?

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique".

Sasuke, who was falling from mid-air, launched a fierce counterattack, spitting out small fireballs that fell like a rain of fire.

"hateful!"

In her haste, Mikan Shimizu had no time to defend herself. She had just finished releasing the Misty Mist Technique, and the fire rain was probably already falling on her head before she could even re-refine her chakra. She could only take a step forward and use the 'Boiling Release: Flying Arrow' technique once again, greatly increasing her movement speed in an instant, and managed to rush out of the attack range before the fire rain hit her head.

"Boiling Release... Is there such a use?"

Standing in the corridor, Yakumo stared at Mikan Shimizu's figure, a hint of curiosity appearing in his eyes.

"Boiling Release is different from other bloodline limits; it has two uses: internal and external."

Uchiha Chihaya suddenly spoke up, "The external method is that acid mist that can even corrode rocks. Its destructive power is quite astonishing. During the Third Shinobi World War, many of our comrades fell to that acid mist. In addition to the external method, there is also an internal method that is even more difficult to master. The specific principle is unknown, but it is known that the internal method can greatly increase the speed or strength of the user in a short period of time."

"Two uses, one for internal and one for external?"

Yakumo raised an eyebrow. "Quite interesting! But... it seems this Miss Shimizu Mikan hasn't mastered the internal energy technique yet! What a pity... if she could master this move, Sasuke would probably have been taken down long ago. Dragging it out like this... it won't be so easy to win."

On the field,

Having dodged the attack of the Phoenix Fire Technique using 'Boiling Release: Flying Arrow', Mikan Shimizu's body inevitably fell into a state of stiffness once again.

but,

There shouldn't be any problem.

While she certainly needed time to recover, Sasuke Uchiha was still plummeting through the air! Forget about him forming hand seals to unleash a new ninjutsu; he'd probably just throw a couple of shuriken at most. Having learned from her previous mistake, she'd increased the distance this time, so even if shuriken flew at her, they'd only leave a couple of shallow wounds...

"quack--"

The shrill, piercing cry of the crow echoed in my ears.

Mikan Shimizu was suddenly startled. Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of the crow flying behind her out of the corner of her eye. Then... she watched helplessly as the crow transformed into Sasuke once again. Using the Substitution Jutsu, Sasuke coiled around the girl like a python, tightly gripping her throat.

Victory or defeat

It is now clear.

Mikan Shimizu, who was tightly gripped by Sasuke, struggled desperately like a fish out of water, but she could not break free of her restraints and eventually fainted. Sasuke then released his grip, took a few heavy breaths, and watched as Hayate Gekko came up to check on her, confirming that Mikan Shimizu had lost consciousness.

then,

The results were announced loudly.

"Uchiha Sasuke wins the seventh round and passes the preliminary round."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately coughed up a handful of blood.

[Chapter 448. This is the home turf of the Substitution Technique]

"A Pyrrhic victory!"

"Ahem! Naruto, stop babbling."

"But... it was beautiful! She made the crow fly over, and then used the Substitution Jutsu as a Body Flicker Jutsu, teleporting directly behind the opponent and catching that Mist Ninja off guard. It was a truly spectacular performance."

"The restrictions are too great. We have to, cough cough, we have to use a summoning beast to do this."

"That makes sense. Once a regular substitute is set up, it can't be moved, unlike a summoning beast that can change location. Speaking of which, when did you form a contract with the crows that Shisui-senpai raised? Just now... it seems that one of the crows was dissolved by the acid mist. Is that alright?"

"Naruto, you... cough cough cough, you, you shut up!"

Sasuke's face turned ashen.

Whether it was from an injury or something else, Sasuke looked quite unwell. He was panting heavily from speaking so quickly. Sakura was a little worried seeing Sasuke like this, though there was no romantic feeling involved; it was just concern stemming from her role as a friend and teammate.

"Sasuke, are you sure you don't need to go to the medical room?"

"It's alright. The medical ninja has already examined me and given me emergency treatment. There shouldn't be any major problems for now. I'll go straight to the hospital after the preliminaries. Sakura, you don't need to worry about me. Focus on your preparations. You never know when you might have to go on stage!"

Sasuke spoke slowly, panting, trying hard to suppress the urge to cough.

"Then don't force yourself!"

"Don't worry, don't forget that Kakashi-sensei is here too!"

The white-haired Jonin, suddenly mentioned, cleared his throat and adopted a superior's authority. "Alright, Naruto, Sakura, ignore this stubborn brat. I'll keep an eye on him. Try to get yourself in the game; half the competition is over! There aren't many left."

Kakashi pointed downwards.

The battle of the eighth round ended at this moment. Yamanaka Ino was no match for Omoi, a genin from Kumogakure. The Yamanaka clan's mental techniques were indeed powerful, but her opponent was so cautious that he was speechless. Not only did he push a shadow clone in front to disguise himself as the real person, but the second shadow clone also used a transformation technique, turning into a small pebble and hiding in a corner as a second layer of disguise.

As for the true body, it also used a transformation technique to transform into a shuriken and hid on the first shadow clone.

This trick successfully deceived Ino. After sensing the chakra fluctuations in the corner, Ino mistook it for Omoi's true form. As a result... Omoi seized the opportunity and decided the outcome with a single move, [Cloud Flow: Reverse Slash]. The sharp blade grazed the girl's neck, leaving a shallow bloodstain.

This doesn't mean that Omoi lacked the strength to cut the girl's neck; it's just that Omoi and Rokuro Karatachi made completely opposite choices. This cautious and steady young man from the Cloud Ninja Village, who was so cautious it was almost unbelievable, merely demonstrated that he had the ability to kill, but had no intention of actually taking Ino's life.

The Jonin present, as well as some of the more capable Genin, all clearly understood what Omoi was trying to convey.

Even the examiner, Moonlight Gale, was no exception.

Omoi's victory was immediately announced. Although Ino was very upset, she understood that her opponent had held back. The slight stinging pain on her neck reminded her that she had just been on the verge of death, and she dejectedly returned to the corridor.

At this moment,

The electronic display screen lit up again, showing the names of the two sides in the ninth round of combat.

Uchiha Fujika vs. Hozuki Suigetsu

"Wisteria, it's your turn."

Yakumo reached out and nudged the girl who was leaning against the wall taking a nap.

"So fast? I just fell asleep." Fujika opened her eyes with difficulty, yawned widely, and her fatigue and drowsiness were so intense that they were almost tangible. Anyone could see that the girl was obviously out of sorts, at most a little better than Hotaru, who appeared in the first round.

"It's already the ninth round."

Yakumo bent his index finger and made the number nine.

"…Alright! Chakra…Oh no, it's less than half of my full strength, and my head is spinning a bit." Fujika rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and asked, "Um, who's my opponent? Is he easy to deal with?"

Yakumo paused for a second before answering, "It's Suigetsu."

"...Water Moon?"

The wisteria flower remained silent.

Damn it... I actually ran into someone I know! What bad luck! The girl glared resentfully at Zongxian, who was standing not far away. Didn't her brother know to pull some strings and find her an easy opponent? It just so happens that it was Shuiyue who had to be her opponent.

As a friend, he knew very well how troublesome the Hozuki clan's secret techniques were.

However, no matter how unwilling they were, they couldn't change the outcome.

All Fujika could do was cheer herself up. Even if her opponent was Suigetsu, it didn't matter. Even if her specialty, Fire Release, was countered by the opponent, it didn't matter. The Uchiha clan's Fire Release could suppress Water Release. Sogen had earned the nickname 'Flame Demon' by stepping on the corpses of the Mist Ninja.

And she, Uchiha Fujika, is the younger sister of [Flame Demon], and her Fire Release technique was taught to her by her own older brother.

It had been several years since I'd sparred with Shuiyue, so I took this opportunity to see if he'd improved... Standing on the dilapidated training ground, I looked at the white-haired, purple-eyed boy opposite me, "Shuiyue, I didn't expect to meet you here!"

"I was quite surprised too."

Shuiyue shrugged. "However, I'm sorry, I won't hold back at this time."

"Hmph! Who do you think you are! I should be the one saying that." Teng Hua was not one to back down in terms of momentum.

"Alright, enough of this chit-chat." Gekko Hayate stepped in just in time to stop the boys and girls' verbal sparring. "The ninth round's combatants are Uchiha Fujika and Hozuki Suigetsu. Any objections?"

"No."

"No."

"Alright, let's begin!"

Moonlight Gale skillfully stepped back, leaving the stage to the two on stage.

"Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Flame".

The small katana, wreathed in flames, launched a fierce attack on Mizuki.

The reason she wasted so much chakra from the start was because she knew very well that the Hozuki clan's [Water Transformation Technique] was immune to simple physical attacks. Unless it was a physical attack that could generate heat through friction or surpass it, no matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to leave any damage to Suigetsu.

She would have to wrap something like lightning or fire around the blade to threaten Shuiyue.

Lightning Release was originally the most useful, and the second chakra nature the girl was training was also 'lightning'. However, her previous efforts were not focused on utilizing the offensive capabilities of Lightning Release. Instead, she was training a Lightning Release body-strengthening technique from Kumogakure that had been modified and adjusted by Sogen.

The original version of the Lightning Release: Body Tempering Technique from Kumogakure weakened its enhancement effect on physical defense; Sogen's revised version focuses on increasing movement speed.

Regardless of the version of the Lightning Release Body Tempering Technique

None of these things can be accomplished overnight.

It takes years of diligent practice to see results.

Therefore,

Compared to her overly specialized Lightning Release technique, Fujika could only choose Fire Release, which she was most proficient in.

"So fast!"

"But it's still no problem for me,"

As Shuiyue swung her sword to meet the enemy, she didn't forget to mutter a few words. The blades touched each other, and the blazing fire spread along the blades, rushing rapidly toward Shuiyue's hand that was holding the hilt. But before it could touch Shuiyue's fingers, her arm suddenly swelled up and grew larger.

"Water Release: Great Water Arm Technique".

This is a secret technique of the Hozuki family.

By concentrating a large amount of water in the right or left arm, a significant increase in strength can be achieved.

For example, now,

In that instant, Teng Hua clearly felt an irresistible, immense force surging along the touching blades. Before the flames could reach Shui Yue, she was instead sent flying by Shui Yue's sudden, powerful strike.

The phrase "flew out" is not an exaggeration, but rather a description of the current situation.

Previously, Teng Hua's attack was a downward slash, while Shui Yue blocked Teng Hua's attack by holding his sword horizontally. When he used the Great Water Arm Technique, he suddenly swung his sword upward, which sent Teng Hua, who could not match his strength, flying into the air.

no doubt,

The vines that were flung into the air became a target.