Might Guy's assault came like a torrential tide. Flashy punches, powerful kicks—it was a performance of pure, unadulterated passion.
Uchiha Mai, utilizing his self-styled bootleg Yagami-style ancient martial arts, parried and countered every move. Although he was being suppressed, Guy's stamina was draining at a much faster rate. For the moment, they were at a stalemate.
Mai had been mentally prepared for the fact that he might not be able to easily overpower Guy once the Gate of Opening was active.
In the original lore, Guy met Kakashi after an Academy exam and, spurred by the desire to catch up to that genius, began a regime of insane training that saw his strength skyrocket. In this world, Guy had indeed befriended Kakashi about a year ago.
Setting aside how "Rusty Kakashi" became a meme in his later years, child Kakashi was nothing short of brilliant: entering the Academy at four, graduating at five, and becoming a Chunin in the same year.
Ever since Guy used Kakashi as his benchmark, his growth rate had been absurd—reminiscent of Red-Haired Shanks in One Piece, who went from a cabin boy to a Yonko in just a few years. It was as if Guy and Kakashi had some special "hidden bond" stat boost from a gacha game.
BOOM!
Guy unleashed another high whip kick. Mai raised his left arm in anticipation, but the sheer force left his limb numbing.
"Mai! Is this all a Uchiha genius is capable of? Be more frantic! Be more hot-blooded! Use your full power and settle this with me ,man-to-man!"
Guy threw another punch, not forgetting to pepper in some trash talk. He had truly mastered the psychological warfare of a pro athlete. Without trash talk, what's the point of a fight?
Uchiha Mai: "..."
Uchiha genius? Not using full power?
I'm not, I don't, stop talking nonsense!
Mai didn't dare call himself a Uchiha genius. To earn that title at this age, one had to be on the level of Shisui, Itachi, or Madara. Of course, if the benchmark was young Sasuke, then Mai was definitely a god-tier genius.
As for not using full power... that was complete fiction. If he had the ability to one-shot his opponent, why wouldn't he? His tactical advantage and combat wisdom were simply being offset by Guy's superior raw speed and power.
What can I do? I can only drag this out until you run out of gas. In a fight, winning is everything; how you get there doesn't matter.
Seeing that Mai remained unmoved and stuck to his defensive-counter strategy, Guy felt a twinge of boredom. He ramped up the intensity of his attacks while continuing his verbal barrage.
Mai knew he was positioned to win, but the constant provocation was starting to grate on his nerves. He felt a rising urge to just go wild and trade blows with Guy.
However, his reason suppressed the impulse. You must always remember your true objective. In this duel, the objective was victory. Giving in to anger might look "cool," but it increases the risk of being caught in a mistake and defeated.
But the suppression of his frustration only made the "depressive air" in his heart grow heavier. His dark eyes remained glued to Guy's movements, seeking to capture every intent and motive to drag the fight to its conclusion.
Suddenly, Mai felt a sharp, stinging soreness in both eyes.
His obsidian-black, sparkling pupils began to shift. The color bled into a blood-red hue. A single black dot emerged from the center of each pupil, forming a dark tomoe that began to rotate slowly.
Double Eyes, Single Tomoe Sharingan—AWAKENED!
In an instant, the world changed. Guy's "storm" of punches and kicks seemed to slow down into a series of frames. Every detail, every muscle twitch, was laid bare.
Openings that were previously invisible due to a lack of observation were now glaringly obvious. It felt as if, provided his moves were precise, he could dismantle any of Guy's attacks.
Why is the Taijutsu of most Uchiha so flashy and "broken"? It's the observation power of the Sharingan. It doesn't necessarily boost the user's physical speed or flexibility, but it uncannily slows down the perceived flow of time, allowing the user to capture the enemy's flaws.
A normal human brain reacts in about 0.2 to 0.3 seconds. For a ninja with an active Sharingan, that reaction speed is significantly enhanced. An Uchiha's risky-looking maneuvers aren't gambles—they are "deliberate calculations."
I awakened the Single Tomoe just like that? Mai felt a sense of unreality.
As everyone knows, the difficulty of awakening the Single Tomoe is practically higher than the Mangekyō! Fugaku and Shisui awakened theirs through the despair of being trapped between village and clan; Itachi awakened his Mangekyō through the death of his best friend; Obito awakened his because he watched Kakashi kill Rin.
Yet Sasuke, the greatest "prodigy" of history and Indra's reincarnation, only awakened his Single Tomoe after his entire clan was slaughtered.
It was confirmed: the Single Tomoe is the most "hardcore" eye of the Uchiha, surpassing even the Mangekyō in terms of emotional toll per tomoe!
Having obtained the eyes that Sasuke needed a massacre to achieve, Mai felt a surge of confidence. Is it because I'm too strong, or was Sasuke just too weak?
He'd worry about talent later. The priority was winning.
Mai's eyes flickered left and right, analyzing Guy's trajectory. He smirked. "I originally planned to wait until your stamina ran out to let you lose with some dignity. But since you so desperately want me to defeat you head-on... fine. I'll show you my full strength."
"That's what I'm talking about!" Guy shouted. He leaped into the air, aiming a massive high kick at Mai.
Mai's tomoe spun rapidly. He analyzed the kick and captured the fleeting flaw—an opening that had been there the whole time, but one he couldn't hit accurately before without risking a counter. Now, everything was within his grasp.
Mai extracted his chakra, lowered his center of gravity, and dropped his left shoulder. In a posture similar to a "Tetsuzanko" (Iron Mountain Lean), he slammed forward.
Mai Style · Ancient Martial Arts · External Form: Phoenix · Asura!
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