As soon as the words left her mouth, Kiyomi wasted no time in escalating the confrontation in silent focus.
Her two tomoe Sharingan ignited, the black of her almond eyes swirling into the deep red of focused determination now.
With a swift motion, she reached into her robes, drawing a handful of shuriken, her specialty.
The metallic glint of the throwing stars barely caught the light before they were hurtling toward Hikari, slicing through the air with deadly precision.
This initial salvo was a classic Uchiha tactic—swift, direct, and testing the waters of her opponent's capabilities.
Kiyomi watched closely, her Sharingan not just as a tool for attack but also for observation, keen to catch every nuance of Hikari's next response. Hikari, for his part, was fully aware of the shuriken's trajectory the moment they left Kiyomi's hands.
His Byakugan offered him a clarity of vision far beyond the ordinary, allowing him to perceive not just the shuriken but the subtle shifts in Kiyomi's stance and chakra flow.
Hikari took the challenge head-on, moving towards Kiyomi while expertly navigating through the barrage of shurikens with what seemed like ultimate ease.
The Hyuga's fighting style thrived on proximity, leveraging their Gentle Fist technique, which required getting close to the opponent. As he advanced, a slight curve played upon his lips,
"Two-tomoe Sharingan at this age? Not bad...", He praised, his voice carrying a tone of approval even as he dodged another wave of shurikens with what seemed like effortless grace.
He understood that the girl was sure to open the last, third stage of ordinary Sharingan and at least become an Elite Jonin in the future, and Uchiha Elite Jonins were generally much stronger than ordinary Elite Jonins, for example, placing her weight higher in his eyes once again.
His Byakugan was a formidable tool, providing him with a visual acuity that turned the intended complex onslaught full of Sharingan's pattern-domain mastery into a ballet of predictability.
The world around him slowed, each shuriken's path clear as daylight, allowing him to anticipate their trajectories and Kiyomi's intended manipulations, which attempted to confuse him.
For example, Kiyomi's attempts to collide with the shurikens in mid-air, changing their directions in a display of Uchiha's adept control, was impressive and often could even be critical against some non-Uchiha shinobi.
However, against Hikari's Byakugan, the small tactic unfolded in slow motion. His heightened perception wasn't just about tracking movement—it allowed him an expanded temporal window to react, almost as if time itself dilated around him. This allowed him to figure the directions out with his 'ordinary' logical reasoning even without the complex pattern-recognition motor skills the Uchiha clansmen possessed, allowing him to 'solve' them out.
This didn't just compensate for his lack of Sharingan; it provided a different spectrum of insight, one that translated the complex patterns of Kiyomi's attack into a solvable puzzle.
On the other side, Kiyomi's confidence wavered for a moment, her mind racing with questions and doubts, 'How is this possible? What is his secret? Is his Byakugan that genetically atypical on the stronger performance side from the rest of the Hyuga too...?',
She pondered, even as she continued her assault. Her prowess with shuriken, honed through relentless practice from a young age, had always been her strong point and second nature.
Combined with the predictive capabilities of her two-tomoe Sharingan and the endless arsenal of throwing patterns those eyes had recorded, and that she now had in her possession, her attacks became a storm few could navigate, making her strikes virtually unpredictable.
As Hikari gracefully dodged the relentless waves of shurikens, drawing nearer with each step, Kiyomi couldn't help but mentally note this development in her 'Hikari Hyuga folder'.
To most opponents, this barrage would be quite overwhelming, forcing them to either evade the entire area of her attacks completely or brute force with their own attack. Yet, Hikari navigated through it with such ease, showing her that this was his pure dojutsu capability.
Nonetheless, as the gap between them closed, Kiyomi recognized the opportunity to shift the dynamics of the duel,
'The distance is just right...', She thought, locking eyes with him firmly in an attempt to ensnare him with her Sharingan's genjutsu.
But Hikari was not unprepared. His Byakugan had been focused on Kiyomi's eyes from the beginning.
As Kiyomi's Sharingan flared with the intent to cast the genjutsu, Hikari was already fortifying his chakra pathway system.
With exceptional control over his inner chakra flow, he bolstered his defenses, effectively neutralizing the incoming Yin Release chakra before it could even begin to weave its web internally.
"That was quite a weak Yin Release, Kiyomi-san...", He commented, his tone neither mocking nor boastful but matter-of-fact, "And even with a three-tomoe Sharingan, overpowering me with a genjutsu would prove futile...",
He added that his confidence stemmed not from arrogance but from a deep understanding of the Yin Release and his Byakugan. Hikari's mastery over his chakra and internal defenses was also rare, making him virtually immune to the mental manipulations genjutsu offered.
A fine bead of sweat appeared on Kiyomi's forehead as she grappled with the ease at which Hikari had neutralized her genjutsu. With him closing the distance quickly, she understood the peril she was in.
The close-quarters combat favored the Hyuga, and being within reach of Hikari's Gentle Fist could spell defeat for her.
Realizing that her attempts at genjutsu and shurikenjutsu had fallen short, Kiyomi decided to shift her strategy to ninjutsu, tapping into the Uchiha clan's renowned affinity for Fire Release.
She chose a jutsu not just for its power but for its symbolic resonance within her clan—the Great Fireball Technique. This technique, emblematic of the Uchiha's might, was her best bet to create distance between her and Hikari and potentially turn the tide of their friendly battle.
Kiyomi executed the Great Fireball Technique flawlessly, sending a massive ball of fire roaring towards Hikari. Yet, to her surprise, Hikari didn't retreat. Instead, he continued advancing, his expression calm, almost casual, as if he were merely facing a mild inconvenience rather than a devastating attack characteristic of the Uchiha clan.
As the fireball neared, Hikari prepared to counter. He extended his right hand, performing a precise chopping motion.
Through the chakra points in his hand, he expelled the chakra, weaving Wind Release into his 'slashing' counterattack.
This combination created a force strong enough to split the oncoming fireball in two.
Hikari's use of his Byakugan was critical at this moment. It allowed him to perceive the fireball's trajectory and the best point of intervention in what seemed like slow motion.
He was also ready to use the Hyuga's defensive Rotation technique if any flames came too close in his sharp vision, but his initial counter was so effective that it became unnecessary.
Meanwhile, despite her Great Fireball Technique not hitting its mark, Kiyomi leveraged the moment to put some distance between herself and Hikari again. The fireball, though split, left its mark on the terrain around them.
The mountainous battle area bore the scars of their confrontation; scorched earth and smoldering vegetation outlined the path of the divided fireball, a testament to the technique's power and to Hikari's skill in neutralizing it.
Without hesitation, Kiyomi began weaving hand signs for another Fire Release technique. Acknowledging that subtlety had its limits against Hikari, she decided to unleash her full chakra potency.
She opted for her unique take on the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. Kiyomi's mastery over shurikenjutsu allowed her to infuse the technique with a tactical edge, sending flaming shurikens arcing toward Hikari from all directions.
Her aim was to overwhelm him, forcing him to deploy his Rotation defense, thereby exposing him to a follow-up attack once the defensive technique's brief 'cooldown' left him vulnerable.
However, Kiyomi's strategy was met with yet another surprise. Hikari didn't resort to the Rotation as she anticipated. Instead, he conjured a pair of giant blue lions from his chakra, which roared to life around his arms.
With precise movements, guided by his Byakugan's unparalleled vision, Hikari maneuvered the twin lions to intercept the incoming semi-large fiery shurikens.
The chakra lions 'ate away' at the shurikens' chakra, nullifying their momentum physically and, therefore, extinguishing their effectiveness fully before they could reach him.
Kiyomi watched, her eyes wide with disbelief, as Hikari dismantled her attack with a technique she hadn't anticipated.
The sight of the chakra lions, both majestic and formidable, dealing with her unique technique so efficiently forced her to confront the depth of Hikari's abilities once again.
As Hikari closed the distance between them once more, Kiyomi knew it was time to deploy her most potent technique yet, the Fire Release: Scarlet Fang Overdrive.
This technique was her ace, capable of launching a barrage of medium-sized fireballs that harbored high explosive potential.
Upon nearing their target, these fireballs would fragment into smaller, swifter projectiles, making them a nightmare to dodge or counter due to their explosive-splitting mechanism. It was an A-level technique, the pinnacle of her offensive capabilities.
With determination, Kiyomi unleashed the jutsu, watching as the fireballs tore through the air toward Hikari.