Sasuke, who had been sent rolling backwards, quickly stabilized himself and pushed up to his feet. Without wasting even a second, his hands began forming rapid hand signs. A moment later, he inhaled sharply and released a massive stream of flames from his mouth.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
From the other side, Ryuko had no intention of backing down either. His eyes sharpened as he drew in a deep breath, his chest expanding before he exhaled a torrent of blazing fire from his mouth. This was the Dragon Breath technique which Ryuko had mastered — a technique personally taught to him by his father, Antares.
The two streams of fire collided in the center.
For a few moments, neither side gave way. The roaring flames clashed violently, twisting and spiraling against each other as sparks scattered into the air. Heat surged outward from the point of impact, and the air itself seemed to shimmer under the intense temperature.
A scorching wave of heat spread across the area where everyone had gathered for dinner, rushing outward like an invisible shockwave. Plates rattled faintly on the tables and the nearby ground crackled under the intense heat.
Just as that scorching air was about to reach the audience, Shanks calmly released his aura. An invisible pressure spread outward from him, halting the wave of heat before it could touch anyone standing nearby. At the same time, Antares and Guy also released their own auras, creating a barrier of protection around the gathering.
Good control, Antares thought briefly as his gaze remained fixed on the clash of flames.
Because of the protection provided by the combined auras of Shanks, Guy, and Antares, the scorching heat released after the collision of the fireball and the dragon breath never reached any of the bystanders who were watching the battle between Sasuke and Ryuko.
However, on the battlefield itself, the situation was very different.
Sasuke was definitely beginning to feel the pressure. Ryuko's dragon breath continued pushing forward relentlessly, the flames growing denser and more violent as they gradually forced Sasuke's fireball backwards.
The stalemate finally broke.
Sasuke's Great Fireball began to collapse under the overwhelming force. The flames wavered, flickered, and then were completely overpowered as Ryuko's dragon breath tore through it. The fireball dissipated into scattered embers.
With nothing left blocking its path, Ryuko's dragon breath surged forward uncontrollably, roaring straight toward Sasuke.
Sasuke immediately used the Substitution Jutsu to move away from the attack. In the blink of an eye, his body vanished and was replaced by a simple chopstick lying on the ground. Sasuke himself reappeared near a dining table a short distance away — right beside where that chopstick had been.
The flames from Ryuko's attack passed through the spot where Sasuke had been standing just moments earlier.
Sasuke steadied his breathing.
He was definitely feeling the pressure from Ryuko. Up until now, Ryuko had dominated the battle between them in almost every exchange. Whether it was physical strength or ninjutsu power, Ryuko had shown the upper hand.
From the outside, it could easily be said that Ryuko was the stronger one.
But Sasuke was an Uchiha.
And the pride of the Uchiha clan ran deep in his veins.
I won't lose… not here.
A moment later, Sasuke appeared again a few meters away from Ryuko. This time, however, his eyes were no longer normal.
His pupils had transformed.
Two tomoe slowly spun within his crimson Sharingan as he stared directly into Ryuko's eyes.
The moment their gazes met, Sasuke cast a Genjutsu.
To an outside observer, nothing seemed to change, but within the invisible clash of minds, Sasuke's illusion had already been activated.
As soon as the Genjutsu landed, a faint smile appeared on Sasuke's face.
"You can never underestimate an Uchiha," Sasuke said confidently.
He slowly began walking toward Ryuko.
"And has your teacher never taught you that when you fight an Uchiha, you cannot look into their eyes?" he continued, his tone calm and certain. "Or else you will definitely suffer a big defeat."
Sasuke's steps were steady as he approached his seemingly frozen opponent.
"You have lost."
In Sasuke's mind, Ryuko had already been caught inside his Genjutsu. Someone trapped within the illusion could not possibly defeat him now.
Raising his hand like a blade, Sasuke prepared to strike Ryuko's neck and finish the fight.
But just as his hand was about to reach Ryuko—
Ryuko suddenly moved.
His hand shot forward and instantly grabbed Sasuke's wrist mid-strike.
The smile on Sasuke's face froze.
In the next moment, Ryuko yanked Sasuke forward with tremendous force. Sasuke's body was pulled off balance, and before he could react, Ryuko's fist drove straight into his stomach.
The impact landed perfectly.
A violent shock ran through Sasuke's body, and stomach juice burst out from his mouth as the air was knocked from his lungs.
Ryuko didn't stop there.
With his other hand, he grabbed Sasuke by the neck and lifted him slightly, forcing Sasuke to look directly at him.
Ryuko's eyes were calm.
Looking at Sasuke struggling in his grip, Ryuko said in an even voice,
"My teacher has definitely taught me that when you fight against an Uchiha, you do not look into their eyes."
He paused for a brief moment before continuing.
"But that works for normal opponents."
Ryuko tightened his grip slightly as he finished,
"Not for me."
"Because just like my father, I have the ability to almost negate all the Genjutsu that fall upon me," Ryuko continued calmly. His grip on Sasuke's neck remained firm, but not cruel.
"And it would be really laughable if I, being the son of Makima Uzumaki—the only person in the world who can control anyone with a single look—ended up being controlled by a normal Genjutsu."
Ryuko looked directly at Sasuke, his expression steady.
"That was your biggest mistake."
There was no arrogance in his voice, only simple certainty.
"You have lost. I can snap your neck if I want to right now."
For a brief moment, the air around them felt heavy.
Then Ryuko released him.
After all, this was only a sparring match. There was no need to go too far.
With a simple motion, Ryuko pushed Sasuke away. Sasuke stumbled backward and fell onto the ground, landing on his butt. The impact wasn't particularly painful, but the outcome of the fight was already clear.
He had been defeated.
Before anyone could say anything else, Shanks' voice rang out clearly from the side.
"And the winner of this match is Ryuko Uzumaki."
There was a brief pause before he added,
"And the loser is Sasuke Uchiha."
The announcement sealed the result of the spar.
Sakura immediately ran toward Sasuke the moment the fight ended. Her footsteps were quick as she reached his side and bent down beside him.
"Sasuke! Sasuke, are you alright?" she asked anxiously, extending her hand to help him up.
Sasuke glanced briefly at the hand she offered.
But he didn't take it.
Instead, he clenched his teeth slightly and forced himself to stand up on his own, pushing himself back onto his feet without Sakura's help. His pride simply wouldn't allow him to accept assistance at that moment.
Sakura's hand slowly lowered, a faint look of worry still on her face.
Just then, Naruto hurried over as well. His expression was already burning with anger as he looked past Sasuke toward Ryuko.
"Damn you!" Naruto shouted, pointing a finger at Ryuko.
"How dare you defeat my friend?!"
His fists clenched tightly as his determination flared.
"I am going to fight you!"
As soon as Naruto said this, Kakashi stepped forward and came to their side. His voice was calm, but there was a clear firmness in it.
"Enough," Kakashi said.
Naruto's protest died midway as Kakashi continued,
"There is no need to say anything else. Sasuke challenged Ryuko, and he lost. You all have to understand how to take defeat. Not every battle can be won."
Kakashi's visible eye briefly moved from Naruto to Sakura, then finally to Sasuke.
"Got it?"
For a brief moment, none of them spoke.
Then Naruto nodded quickly. "Yes."
Sakura also responded immediately. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei."
Sasuke, however, said nothing. He simply gave a short nod, his expression still serious as he kept his gaze lowered slightly.
Seeing that the matter had settled, Kakashi turned toward Shanks. He stepped forward slightly and bowed his head with a respectful tilt.
"Lord Uzumaki, I am sorry for the behavior of my students," Kakashi said.
Shanks casually waved his hand as if brushing the matter aside.
"There is no need for that," Shanks replied with an easy smile. "After all, they are children. Having a hot temper is quite normal."
His eyes shifted toward Naruto for a moment.
"Not to mention Naruto is my nephew and the son of Kushina," Shanks added lightly. "And we all know the temper of Kushina."
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"He has definitely inherited the temper of his mother."
The moment Shanks said this, several of the Uzumaki siblings and the onlookers nearby chuckled. A few of them even laughed openly at the remark.
The atmosphere around the area instantly became much lighter.
Naruto, however, scratched the back of his head awkwardly as the chuckles reached his ears. His cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment.
Why is everyone laughing…?
Then Shanks turned toward Sasuke.
"You don't have to compare the geniuses of others," he said calmly. "There are many geniuses in the world. Okay?"
Sasuke looked at him quietly, listening.
"From the Uchiha clan alone, people like Itachi and Shisui Uchiha—both of them are very great geniuses and can be considered gems of the Uchiha Clan."
Shanks gestured lightly toward Kakashi, who was standing nearby.
"The same is true for your teacher here, Kakashi Hatake. He is also a very great genius."
The evening breeze moved softly through the area as Shanks continued speaking, his tone steady but instructive.
"So in every era, in every place, a few geniuses will always appear. That is simply how the world works."
His gaze remained on Sasuke.
"You cannot always compare geniuses, and doing so will not bring you any benefit."
Shanks paused briefly before continuing.
"What you can do is try to become a genius yourself. Work hard for it."
Then his eyes shifted away from Sasuke and swept across the area, looking toward the other children of the Uzumaki Clan who had been watching the sparring match.
"And this is not only for you," Shanks added. "It is for all the children present here."
The Uzumaki children immediately straightened slightly when Shanks' gaze fell upon them, their attention fully focused on the words of their clan head.
Then Shanks returned his gaze to Sasuke.
"Ultimately, if you work hard enough, you can even surpass geniuses."
He gestured again toward Kakashi.
"And you don't have to look very far for examples. You can just ask your teacher Kakashi here, about his friend Might Guy and his father."
Kakashi's eye curved slightly as he understood where the conversation was going.
"Both of them were born with very low talent," Shanks continued, "but today they are among the strongest elites of Konoha."
Shanks folded his arms casually.
"So you can learn from these things."
Then he looked directly at Sasuke and finished with a simple question.
"Got it?"
For a moment, Sasuke remained silent.
Then he gave a small nod after hearing Shanks' words.
The other children of the Uzumaki Clan, however, looked far more enthusiastic. Many of them listened with bright eyes and focused expressions. After all, it was Shanks—the clan head of the Uzumaki Clan—who was speaking.
Naturally, every word he said carried weight for them.
With that, the small sparring match finally came to an end, and the dinner gathering gradually resumed its earlier atmosphere. Conversations slowly returned, and people began eating again.
The dinner continued for a few more minutes before it eventually wrapped up.
Later that night, Naruto and the rest of Team Seven prepared to leave. After saying their farewells, the entire Team Seven departed from the Uzumaki compound.
And once Team Seven had left, the gathering also slowly came to an end.
The next morning, after giving their greetings to the Uzukage, Shanks, Team Seven began their journey back toward Konoha.
----
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