Chapter 67: Chapter 67
Countless thoughts flashed through Haruki's mind in an instant.
He sensed the assassin behind him drawing a kunai, swinging it toward his neck—and he knew that in his normal state, there was no way he could dodge it.
So he didn't hold back anymore.
In a flash, he activated the Sharingan.
And just like that—the attacker's movements slowed to a crawl, like a turtle inching through mud in Haruki's eyes.
He snapped his head back, narrowly avoiding the kunai, then pushed off the ground with both feet, throwing himself backward to create distance.
Only then did he see who had attacked him.
The man looked to be in his early twenties, wearing the uniform of an Iwagakure jonin. His face was contorted in surprise—clearly confused as to how Haruki had managed to dodge that fatal strike.
But once he saw the crimson glow of the Sharingan in Haruki's eyes, his confusion vanished, replaced with a raw, unfiltered hatred.
But it wasn't Haruki he hated—it was those eyes.
Just the sight of the Sharingan dragged Kohara Shuuji back to the past.
He remembered, with bitter clarity, the day he'd gone on a mission as a genin, following his sensei with pride.
They had been ambushed—by a single Uchiha ninja whose Sharingan had already awakened.
The Uchiha toyed with them like a cat with mice, killing his teacher and his comrades with terrifying ease.
Shuuji... had done nothing.
Frozen in fear, too weak to act, he had stood there and watched it all happen.
In the end, the Uchiha hadn't even bothered to kill him. Not out of mercy—but disgust. He'd found Shuuji too pathetic to even stain his blade.
That moment had haunted Shuuji for years.
Even after rising to the rank of jonin, he could never forget the shame, the guilt, the burning need for revenge.
He might have found closure if he'd had the chance to face that Uchiha again—even if it cost him his life.
But that Uchiha had died long ago.
And so, with no target for his hatred, Shuuji turned his rage to the entire Uchiha clan.
Ever since, any time he saw an Uchiha, no matter their rank or strength, he would attack without hesitation.
Today was no different.
The moment he dealt with his previous opponent, he had spotted Haruki and used the Camouflage Stealth Technique to sneak close, aiming for a one-hit kill.
But not only had he failed—he had helped awaken Haruki's Sharingan.
In his eyes, Haruki's eyes had activated because of the emotional shock of losing a comrade right before him.
To the higher-ups of every great shinobi village, the conditions for awakening the Sharingan weren't exactly a secret.
Whether from ancient records of the Warring States era or from three full-scale shinobi wars, the pattern was clear to anyone who connected the dots.
They might not know the exact mechanism, but most could infer the general trigger: the death of a comrade.
As someone obsessed with the Uchiha clan, Shuuji had studied every detail. So it made perfect sense to him.
In fact, he believed it was his attack that triggered Haruki's eye awakening.
And that made him furious.
What could be more disgusting than helping your sworn enemy become stronger?
But Haruki didn't care about any of that. He didn't know Shuuji's past, and he didn't want to.
All he knew was this man needed to die.
That was the only way to burn away the anger surging inside him.
As for the risk of revealing the Sharingan?
It didn't matter.
He'd kept it hidden only to use as a trump card in moments like this.
If he hadn't activated it just now, he'd either be dead or critically wounded.
So what if it was exposed? A trump card left unused is just dead weight.
Swish—swish—swish!
Several shuriken flew from Haruki's hand, each aimed at Shuuji's vital points.
Shuuji twisted and weaved, deflecting them with his kunai in a blur of precise motion.
Haruki used the distraction to leap back and widen the distance, forming hand seals rapidly.
Seeing this, Shuuji immediately averted his gaze and hurled another kunai.
Haruki dodged the kunai with a quick sidestep—and aborted the jutsu.
He had planned to use a genjutsu, aiming to catch Shuuji off guard. But the second Shuuji turned his eyes away, Haruki knew it wouldn't work.
Anyone familiar with the Sharingan's illusions knew to avoid eye contact.
If Haruki forced it, he'd only open himself to a counterattack.
He had felt this limitation before—back when he fought Red Bee.
Even though Red Bee was partially controlled by the Hive King's consciousness, it had still taken effort and a perfectly timed opening to land his Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.
If it had been Red Bee in full control, Haruki wasn't sure he'd have ever gotten the chance.
The problem was clear: at level 2, Shackling Stakes took too long to cast. Without the perfect setup, it was useless.
"After this fight, I need to upgrade that genjutsu."
With that decision made, Haruki resumed his assault.
Swish—swish—swish!
More shuriken launched—some to block Shuuji's evasive routes, others targeting his vitals.
Haruki's Level 4 Ninja Tool Throwing skill, paired with the Sharingan's precision, made every toss deadly.
Even Shuuji couldn't ignore the threat. He had to deflect them with his kunai once again.
And this time, while he was distracted, Haruki moved to cast a jutsu.
Shuuji quickly averted his gaze—but this time, Haruki wasn't using genjutsu.
It was Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu—his most practiced offensive technique.
It only took a second to complete the seals.
Flaming orbs, like the seeds of a fire-pheonix blossom, burst forth in waves, bombarding Shuuji.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A chain of explosions rocked the battlefield.
Shuuji dodged nimbly, avoiding every fireball.
His reactions were fast—so fast that even Haruki, with the Sharingan, couldn't accurately predict where he'd land.
Even when Haruki's predictions were on point, Shuuji's experience let him adjust his positioning mid-air to avoid the blast radius.
But Shuuji didn't stop there.
As he evaded, he also closed the distance.
Haruki barely finished his jutsu when Shuuji was already within striking range, kunai in reverse grip, slashing for Haruki's throat.
Sensing the danger, Haruki leapt back just in time, the blade slicing the air inches from his neck.
Undeterred, Shuuji shifted forms, thrusting the kunai toward Haruki's right shoulder.
The attack was too fast—Haruki didn't have time to draw his blade. All he could do was dodge again.
Thanks to the Sharingan, he barely made it.
Two attacks failed—and still Shuuji didn't stop.
He launched a third strike immediately.
Haruki had no time to breathe.
At point-blank range, the two engaged in a lethal dance, blow for blow, strike for strike—
A full-on fight to the death.