Boom!
Jin Uchiha descended like a falling meteor, wrapped in roaring flames. A scorching wave burst outward from him in ripples, and the grass and trees within several meters withered almost instantly, their moisture devoured by heat.
This was no simple layer of fire coating his body.
This was a technique he had developed by combining the Flame-Flame Fruit with chakra—
Fire Release: Chakra Mode.
With the Flame-Flame Fruit amplifying his affinity, Jin's compatibility with Fire Release techniques had reached absolute perfection. He didn't even need hand seals. Flames answered his will as naturally as breath.
Over the years, he had developed numerous techniques.
This was one of them.
While his Fire Release Chakra Mode did not grant the same monstrous physical amplification as A's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, it was both offensive and defensive—and far more versatile than it appeared.
Across from him, lightning crackled violently.
"I admit it," A said coldly. "I underestimated you, Uchiha."
"But I won't give you another chance."
Despite being blasted away earlier, A bore no visible wounds. The Lightning Release Chakra Mode granted him astonishing defensive power—enough to shrug off most attacks.
But being knocked back in a direct clash?
That stung worse than injury.
"Enough talk," Jin replied flatly. "Aragami Bite—Flash."
His figure vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared before A, a tight hook driving toward A's jaw.
"So fast!"
Even A's pupils shrank. If he hadn't long been accustomed to high-speed combat, he wouldn't have caught the movement at all.
And that realization only fanned his fury.
"Don't look down on me!"
"Liger Bomb!"
A twisted sharply, his elbow slamming forward to intercept.
The Uchiha were famed for their ocular prowess, ninjutsu, and genjutsu.
Yet Jin chose to fight him in taijutsu.
Using his own supposed weakness against A's strength.
To A, it felt like mockery.
If Jin could hear his thoughts, he might have laughed.
It was true—Jin excelled in ninjutsu, especially large-scale destructive techniques.
But against someone like A, whose defense bordered on absurd, concentrated single-point attacks were far more effective.
Like this one.
Boom!
A layer of condensed orange-red flame wrapped Jin's fist—so dense it looked nearly solid. Just before their limbs collided, the fire detonated outward, engulfing half of A's body.
The explosion erupted at A's flank, blasting him away before his technique could fully take effect.
A let out a pained roar midair, flipping and landing hard.
This time—
There was damage.
Unlike the earlier Fire Fist, Aragami Bite sacrificed raw explosiveness for compression. The heat had been intensified dramatically.
A's right arm and neck were scorched, skin shriveled and blistered in large patches.
Even a man like A couldn't fully suppress the sharp intake of breath.
"Damn it!"
Grinding his teeth, he reached up and roughly tore open the blisters himself.
The brutal method made even Jin's jaw tighten.
This man truly deserved his reputation as the ninja world's ultimate berserker.
"Lightning Release: Guillotine Drop!"
With a roar, A converted pain into power. Lightning surged violently around him as he launched into the air and came down with a devastating axe kick.
The pressure alone distorted the air.
Jin didn't attempt to block.
His feet exploded against the ground, leaving two scorched footprints behind as he vanished in a streak of flame.
A's eyes narrowed.
Understanding flashed through his mind.
He adjusted mid-descent.
Boom!
The ground within a dozen meters shattered from the impact.
Using the recoil, A propelled himself forward at more than double speed—arriving before Jin in an instant.
His hand cut downward.
"Lightning Release: Chop!"
A blade of condensed lightning chakra struck toward Jin's neck.
Bang!
Jin's body burst apart—
Into flames.
They surged toward A at point-blank range.
Too close to dodge.
But the temperature wasn't overwhelming.
A blasted out through the flames without significant harm.
"A fire clone…"
He stabilized himself, scanning rapidly.
He had seen through it.
The next exchange would decide the battle.
Jin's speed wasn't true speed.
Each movement began with a violent ignition beneath his feet. The explosive thrust of flame created his acceleration.
A variant of Body Flicker—faster than most—
But fundamentally linear.
And lacking flexibility.
The explosive propulsion limited Jin's ability to adjust mid-motion. A had confirmed this during the previous exchange.
In fact, A's sudden acceleration just now had borrowed the same principle.
There was more.
Physically speaking—
Even with Fire Release Chakra Mode active, Jin's raw bodily strength still fell short of A's Lightning-enhanced physique.
Their earlier "clashes" had never involved direct physical contact.
Each time, Jin's flame detonated before their bodies met.
That was why A had been blasted away twice.
If A's Lightning Release Chakra Mode enhanced the body from within—turning it into a living weapon—
Then Jin's Fire Release Chakra Mode operated externally. It was closer to a ninjutsu construct than pure taijutsu enhancement.
Every time A thought he was about to land a hit—
Jin had already struck first.
Continue like this, and A would remain at a disadvantage.
But—
A had found the answer.
He began gathering chakra silently.
His gaze snapped toward a location off to the left.
His eyes gleamed.
"Found you."
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