Uchiha Raihō, who had been arrogant just moments ago, was now visibly stunned.
A clansman without a Three Tomoe Sharingan might have jōnin-level strength, but one who had awakened it certainly possessed that level of power.
That was how outrageous the Three Tomoe Sharingan was.
Even a clansman whose taijutsu wasn't jōnin-level could compensate for it with the eye's abilities.
And yet Ryosuke had awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan right in front of them—so easily—it was downright unbelievable.
After all, awakening and evolving the Sharingan was always tied to intense grief.
But Ryosuke's face showed no sadness whatsoever. On the contrary, he looked excited.
To unlock the Three Tomoe Sharingan required not only elite talent but also a strong and unwavering ninja path.
Every Uchiha present had a painful past, superior talent, and a burning desire to make the Uchiha clan great again.
But Ryosuke? Raihō just couldn't make sense of it.
Instead, Raihō became even more irritated.
He questioned Ryosuke sharply.
"With a Three Tomoe Sharingan, there are countless ways to become stronger. Why would you lower yourself to train taijutsu with someone like Might Guy? Don't you realize you're bringing shame to the clan?"
Ryosuke scoffed and threw the question right back.
"Is the Three Tomoe Sharingan really that impressive?"
If it were so mighty, then the Uchiha clan wouldn't have been wiped out by two Mangekyō-wielding traitors.
He honestly didn't feel anything special about it. Sure, his observation had improved and his ocular power had increased—but that was it. There was no real, qualitative leap.
That leap only came with the Mangekyō Sharingan—when each eye awakened a unique, powerful ability. That was when someone truly became strong.
"Enough talking. Come at me."
Ryosuke spread his arms and took a fighting stance.
Raihō was infuriated.
This guy actually thought the Three Tomoe Sharingan wasn't a big deal?
It was the pride of the Uchiha clan!
He had to teach Ryosuke a lesson—to show him just how powerful it really was.
Raihō had awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan much earlier than Ryosuke and had long since mastered its use.
From what he could tell, Ryosuke was only using it as an auxiliary eye for taijutsu—utterly wasteful. The Sharingan's power was far greater than that.
He would start by defeating Ryosuke in the one area the guy prided himself on: taijutsu.
Raihō's eyes narrowed as they turned blood-red, with three tomoe spinning in each. He dropped into a stance and charged at Ryosuke.
He planned to defeat Ryosuke using the Uchiha clan's taijutsu techniques.
Ryosuke met him with excitement.
He didn't use the Eight Gates right away. Unless he was in real danger, he wouldn't. He also wanted to test his current base strength.
The two fought fiercely for over ten minutes—and ended up dead even.
Raihō grew more and more shocked. Ryosuke's taijutsu was undeniably at the jōnin level, not a chunin's.
He hadn't been holding back at all, and yet Ryosuke could match him blow for blow.
Clearly, Ryosuke had been hiding his true strength.
The watching Uchiha clansmen were equally stunned.
That Ryosuke could go toe-to-toe with Raihō was far beyond their expectations. It looked like Raihō wouldn't be able to win this with taijutsu alone.
Raihō understood that better than anyone else. Though Ryosuke wasn't using traditional Uchiha-style taijutsu, his method was highly effective.
Since he couldn't overpower Ryosuke in close combat, Raihō decided it was time for ninjutsu.
He found an opening, leapt back, and quickly formed hand seals:
"Snake – Ram – Monkey – Boar – Horse – Tiger!"
At the same time, he gathered chakra and inhaled deeply.
Then he exhaled a massive ball of fire.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The watching Uchiha were alarmed. That fireball was huge!
Wasn't this a bit much for a clan sparring match?
If it hit, Ryosuke would be seriously injured.
How would they explain that to the Great Elder?
Ryosuke noticed their shocked expressions and felt a little exasperated.
What were they so worked up about?
The Great Fireball Technique couldn't hit someone who was ready for it—let alone kill them.
He kicked off with both legs and swiftly dodged, evading the attack with ease.
The scorching fireball roared past him and slammed into the ground behind.
Boom! The explosion shook the earth, flinging dirt into the air.
But Ryosuke remained completely unharmed.
Instead, he used the gap after Raihō's fireball to charge straight at him, hoping to catch him off guard.
To his surprise, Raihō didn't react in time, and Ryosuke landed a solid punch that sent him flying.
He didn't expect that. Their taijutsu had seemed evenly matched—so how did he blow Raihō away so easily?
But before he could think further, the airborne Raihō vanished with a poof—replaced by a cloud of smoke.
"A clone!" Ryosuke's eyes widened.
He immediately raised his guard—then sensed an attacker behind him.
Raihō had circled around, and now emerged from the rear, a smug grin on his face.
During the fireball, he had secretly created a clone while his real body slipped into hiding.
He had waited for Ryosuke to engage the decoy—and now, just as Ryosuke committed to an attack, Raihō struck from behind.
All he had to do was land one kick and the match would be his.
He was only using his foot now—but in real combat, he'd use a blade.
Ryosuke didn't have time to turn around.
This match was his, Raihō thought.
Victory was already in hand.