Of course they knew how dangerous it was to be a shinobi. They chose that path without hesitation. How could they fear death? For the future strength of the Uchiha clan, they were even willing to give their lives. The hardliners, especially, spoke out.
"I support Uchiha Ryōsuke."
"The Uchiha clan has no cowards afraid to die."
Itachi was shaken by how many voiced their support for Ryōsuke. The clan had clearly been swayed. If only they had such conviction for the village instead. But their target was wrong. He had to act before they walked further down this misguided path.
He turned to Ryōsuke. "With your strength, you're hardly qualified to represent the clan."
Among the Uchiha, only the strong commanded respect. Without power, no one would listen. If he could suppress Ryōsuke with overwhelming force, perhaps the clan would come to its senses. They might be stubborn, but they always followed strength.
Ryōsuke's face turned cold. 'He dares say I'm not qualified?' The Uchiha had always followed the strong. He wasn't who he was months ago. He could now overpower Itachi without doubt. He'd already kicked Uchiha Obito. Now it was time to punch Uchiha Itachi.
This guy had always opposed him. Maybe only a harsh beating would break his delusions. His arrogance came from his strength. If he saw how fragile he truly was, maybe he'd start thinking clearly.
Ryōsuke stared at him. "Want to fight? I'll show you if I'm qualified to represent the clan."
"Perfect," Itachi replied instantly.
As the clan's genius, he had no fear of losing to Ryōsuke. He knew Ryōsuke had trained under Might Guy in taijutsu, but taijutsu couldn't beat his eyes.
He turned to his father. "Clan head, please allow me to spar with Uchiha Ryōsuke."
Fugaku nodded. "Very well. This place is too small. Take it outside the shrine."
He agreed partly to gauge his son's current strength. He knew Itachi was a genius. He wanted to see how far the gap was with Ryōsuke.
Uchiha Izumi looked troubled. She didn't know who to support—Ryōsuke or Itachi. She liked both. Though she'd favored Itachi at first, recent days showed her how far apart their ideals were. She even feared voicing her thoughts around Itachi, worried it would anger him. His loyalty to the village was absolute. She, Izumi, stood with her clan. Without their support, she and her mother wouldn't even have a place in the world.
She had no reason to oppose her clan. Torn inside, she still followed the others outside to watch the match.
The other Uchiha were excited. Combat was in their nature. They stood back to observe.
Ryōsuke immediately activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Itachi was already very powerful. In two years, he would wipe out the clan. It wasn't just the Mangekyō Sharingan—his dojutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu were all top-tier. He had no intention of losing to a clan traitor.
On the other side, Itachi frowned. He hadn't expected Ryōsuke to have awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan. Maybe that explained his arrogance. Just a while ago, he had only two tomoe.
Still, Itachi didn't fear him. He had the same Sharingan. There was no need for words. Ryōsuke was clearly ready.
He pulled a shuriken from his pouch and threw it. The shuriken collided midair, changing trajectory, then came at Ryōsuke from behind.
Ryōsuke was cautious. His Three Tomoe Sharingan tracked the incoming shuriken and helped him dodge. The Sharingan had strong perception but not 360-degree vision like the Byakugan. This move—redirecting shuriken from behind—was genius. Still, with his dojutsu fully active, Ryōsuke evaded the attack.
The Uchiha watching were impressed. They hadn't realized shuriken techniques could be so intricate. Normal shuriken throws were easy to dodge. They were mostly used for scouting forests or probing enemy presence.
But now, Itachi had turned it into a lethal technique. Even those with Sharingan had to take it seriously.
Izumi recognized the move. This was the "shuriken that curves" Itachi had spoken of. She could never learn that. It demanded precise calculations and control. Without that, the shuriken wouldn't change direction—or even hit the target.
Still, Ryōsuke had dodged it. He was strong.
Itachi, seeing his attack fail, was mildly surprised. 'Not bad. No wonder he's so bold.'
He immediately gathered chakra and formed seals.
"Snake – Ram – Monkey – Boar – Horse – Tiger"
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, scorching toward Ryōsuke with blinding speed and searing heat. The ground beneath it nearly burned black.