As the three jonin jumped at him from different angles Itachi met their attack with pure taijutsu.
They came together in a coordinated rush that showed years of joint training.
One aimed a heavy fist straight at his stomach hoping to drive the air from his lungs.
Another swung a powerful leg toward his knee with the clear intent to break his balance and drop him to the ground.
The third circled behind and prepared a solid punch aimed at the centre of his spine.
All three blows landed on nothing but empty air and a fading afterimage.
The real Itachi was already gone before their attacks could touch him.
Tekka shouted in open disbelief as he stared at the empty space where the boy had stood.
“What is this?
He did not even form a single hand sign!?” Inabi answered through gritted teeth while his eyes searched the darkness.
He confirmed his previous theory.
“He has learned Shisuis body flicker jutsu.
That is the only explanation for speed like this.” Yashiro turned toward the five oclock position where Itachi now perched upside down on a high branch.
The older jonin could feel the faint brush of wind that followed every movement the boy made.
“Yes I can feel the wind striking my skin whenever he changes place.
That confirms it beyond any doubt.
No matter what happens next we must keep our Sharingan locked on him at every second.
If we lose sight of him even once, we will be the ones who fall.” Inside his own thoughts Itachi noted the pleasant change in the body he now controlled.
The long years of spiritual training inside Tsukuyomi had raised his chakra reserves far above the level the original Itachi had possessed already.
The physical energy of the well trained body was finally merging with the greatly increased spiritual energy and the total pool of chakra continued to climb.
And as he released more of the memory seals that had been placed on him, his chakra would continue to grow even more as the spiritual chakra combined with Physical chakra.
Because of that new depth he decided to use techniques he would normally have avoided.
Most of those techniques sat at B rank and demanded more chakra than the simple C rank Fireball Jutsu that he normally used.
Tonight he had chakra to spare and he intended to spend it.
He formed the required seals with fluid speed.
‘Fire Release:Fire Dragon Flame Bullet’ A massive surge of fire erupted from his mouth and shaped itself into the long body and fierce head of a dragon made of pure flame.
The fire dragon rushed forward at high speed burning a black path across the ground as it raced toward the three jonin.
The older Uchihas reacted at once.
All three formed their own hand signs in near perfect unison.
‘Fire Release Fireball Jutsu.’ Three thick streams of flame left their mouths and slammed into the oncoming dragon.
Because they were three fully grown jonin their combined fireballs carried greater volume and force.
The dragon was overpowered and its own flames were pulled into the larger mass.
The united wall of fire then reversed direction and roared straight toward the tree where Itachi had been standing.
The blast struck with power.
The trunk of the tree and several nearby trees burst into bright flames.
Thankfully the fight was taking place at the edge of the training grounds rather than deep inside the forest so the fire did not spread into an uncontrolled blaze that would have threatened the entire compound.
Before the three jonin could clear their vision and see the result of their attack Itachi was already behind Inabi.
He drove a precise kick into the side of the mans head.
The blow landed with clean force and Inabi dropped to the ground completely unconscious.
One opponent was removed from the fight in a single silent movement.
Yashiro watched the fall of his comrade and muttered the realisation that came too late.
“You used a shadow clone huh?” He launched himself at Itachi and the two of them fell into a rapid exchange of taijutsu strikes.
Fists and elbows and knees flashed between them while the Sharingan of both fighters tracked every motion.
The truth of the Itachi was not harmed by the fire was simple.
Itachi had created the clone in the brief window when his opponents could not follow his movement even before he used his first jutsu.
By the time their eyes found his real position, they were looking at the shadow clone and not the real him.
While Yashiro kept Itachi busy Tekka circled behind the fighting pair.
He held a kunai in a firm grip and waited for the perfect opening.
When Itachis back appeared unprotected Tekka drove the blade forward and sank it into the left shoulder.
He deliberately avoided any vital point.
The boy was still the heir of the clan and the goal was only to teach a painful lesson.
A prodigy needed to learn that talent alone did not place him above the experienced elites of the Uchiha.
Blood poured from the wound and a sharp shout of pain rang across the clearing.
Yet the voice that cried out did not belong to Itachi.
The shout came from Yashiro.
Tekkas eyes widened in sudden horror as the meaning of the sound reached his mind.
He instantly poured chakra into the release command and shouted “Kai!” The figure he had stabbed lost the shape of Itachi and became Yashiro.
The kunai was buried deep in Yashiros own shoulder and blood ran freely down the older mans arm.
The real Itachi stood calmly on a branch above them looking down with cold red eyes.
Tekka stared upward and spoke in a voice filled with shock and confusion.
“How is this possible?
I have the Sharingan.
How did you place me under a genjutsu without my noticing the moment it began?” Itachi answered, “You are correct that an Uchiha who possesses the Sharingan is very difficult to catch in a genjutsu.
That protection is one of the great strengths of our bloodline.
But the protection is not absolute.
It is especially weak against another Uchiha who also carries the Sharingan and who has trained its genjutsu to a much higher level.
Your eyes could not see the layer of illusion I placed over you until the damage was already done.
Now let us end this fight.” His Sharingan locked onto both remaining opponents.
Even though Tekka possessed three tomoe, it could barely follow Itachis next movement.
The eyes barely saw the blur but the body of the older jonin could never match the speed.
Itachi dropped from the branch with a descending punch aimed straight at Tekkas face.
The fist travelled in a perfect line that would have ended the battle in one clean blow.
Before the punch could land a strong hand appeared from the side and caught Itachis fist in a firm grip.
The sudden stop of motion sent a small shock through the air.
Both Tekka and Yashiro looked toward the new arrival and spoke the same words in surprised unison.
“Clan head.” ———Author Notes——– Thankyou Cilia Hunter and PandaSho for supporting me!