"Boom!"
Izuna's fist slammed into Raizen's forearm—but Raizen was ready. He countered instinctively, extending his left hand toward the boy. Izuna met the strike head-on, blocking with no hesitation, then shoved Raizen away and swept his right foot in a gust of wind.
"Boom!"
Raizen caught the kick with a swift strike of his own. Both stepped back, assessing. Close combat was still a dead heat. Each ninja dove into their gear pouches, pulling out six shuriken apiece.
"Ding!"
The spinning blades collided midair with a crisp clang. Izuna's shuriken bounced, spinning relentlessly before darting toward Raizen's blind spot.
Really? Did the Uchiha invent shuriken that curve around like boomerangs? Raizen thought, rolling back to avoid the trap. The shuriken formed a lethal pattern, stabbing at every escape route.
"Huh!"
Raizen melted into smoke at the last second, only to reappear as a wooden stake beside Izuna—Body Replacement Technique in action. Izuna tensed, scanning for his opponent.
"Here!" Raizen struck, his fist connecting with Izuna's face. Smoke and wood erupted where the boy had stood.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Izuna vanished, reforming on Raizen's right flank. His palms twisted hand seals and a massive fireball roared toward Raizen. The heat wave was immediate, forcing Raizen to act fast.
He grabbed clay from his pouch and spat it into his hand. A small clay bird sprang to life, flying straight into the inferno.
"Boom!"
The clay collided with the fireball, erupting into a shockwave that sent both combatants skidding back several meters. Raizen barely suppressed a laugh. This little trick just broke your fireball. How's that for a first lesson?
He planted clay spiders into the soil, each inching toward Izuna while the remaining clay birds flitted from shadow to shadow, poised to explode on command.
"What… what is this ability?!" Izuna blinked, scrambling to avoid the crawling clay. A single whistle from Raizen and another clay bird detonated, sending the boy stumbling backward in embarrassment.
Raizen chuckled as he retracted his jutsu. Not bad, first round's over, and the brat's ego is bruised. Perfect.
Izuna's confidence surged again. He thinks I've exhausted my chakra, the boy mused. Little does he know, I've barely begun.
"Izuna, show me what you've got!" Raizen said, tilting his head with mock curiosity.
Izuna froze, following Raizen's pointed finger. He couldn't see the clay spiders hidden in the soil; one misstep and he'd be buried in a storm of explosives.
"Don't underestimate other clans' ninjas, brat. It'll get you killed." Raizen warned, stepping back toward Amamiya's left-wing.
Before he could relax, a sharp voice cut through the chaos.
"Why? Leaving after bullying your brother?"
Raizen's eyes snapped up. A younger boy, seven or eight, with spiky hair and a haughty glare, appeared among the Uchiha entourage. Only when he looked at Izuna did a trace of gentleness appear.
"You are…?!" Raizen's pulse quickened. Brother? Isn't that—
"I am Uchiha Madara! How about being my opponent now?" the boy demanded. His arrogance was palpable, unshaken by Izuna's earlier defeat.
"Uchiha Madara…" Raizen muttered. Of course. Of course I'd run into the famous Uchiha brothers. Great. Offended them all before even settling in.
Madara's eyes blazed as he stepped forward. Domineering, already radiating the aura of the future tyrant.
"How could I fear you? You'll fall just like your brother!" Raizen said, smirking. Bring it on. If he's already this confident, I want to see how far it goes.
Madara surged forward, faster than expected. Raizen readied himself. Hand seals flashed. From Madara's mouth roared a Great Fireball, larger and hotter than Izuna's earlier attempt.
Raizen chewed a quick mouthful of clay, a little bird springing to life from his palm. It collided midair with the fireball, erupting in a deafening explosion that sent heat and smoke across the courtyard.
The onlookers shivered. These are children? The skill, the precision—it was terrifying.
Three shuriken suddenly flew toward Raizen, each trailing thin threads. Madara tugged, redirecting them to surround Raizen as he executed a swift series of hand seals.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Three curling streams of flame slashed toward Raizen. Calm beneath the inferno, he readied another mass of clay, chewing quickly and preparing his next counter.
Let's see who really controls the battlefield…