At this moment, A was completely bewildered.
How did my attack pass through him?
Was I caught in a genjutsu?
Believing this might be the case, A immediately disrupted the flow of chakra in his body to break the illusion.
But when he looked around again, nothing had changed. The battlefield remained the same, and Isamu was still standing in front of him.
So it's not a genjutsu…
"Then let me see whether this is truly a genjutsu or some strange ability of yours," A said.
He rushed forward again, this time combining ninjutsu with taijutsu.
"Lightning Release: Lariat!"
A swung his arm like a blade toward Isamu.
But Isamu didn't move at all.
He simply stood there and allowed the attack to hit him.
Just like before—
A's strike passed straight through his body.
---
"I see now," A said slowly.
"So it's not a genjutsu… your ability itself is strange."
For the first time, he carefully examined Isamu.
Then he noticed something different about his eyes.
"I've heard that the legendary Shura of the Ninja World, Madara Uchiha, once fought the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, using a pair of mysterious eyes."
"You're from the Uchiha clan too, aren't you?"
A only knew of Madara. After all, his reputation was legendary throughout the ninja world.
"That's right," Isamu replied calmly.
"My name is Uchiha Isamu."
"And son of Ghost of Uchiha, Madara ."
He didn't bother hiding it.
A's eyes lit up with excitement.
"So you're Madara's descendant."
"That means your eyes are the same as his."
"With such strange eyes, your strength shouldn't be limited to this."
For a long time, A had wanted to challenge Madara himself.
Unfortunately, Madara had already died, leaving that wish unfulfilled.
But now—
Madara's son stood before him.
And he possessed those same mysterious eyes.
A could finally satisfy his long-held desire.
---
Lightning chakra surged into A's hand.
This time was completely different from before.
He gathered almost all of his power, compressing his chakra into a single point.
"Uchiha Isamu," A said seriously.
"You know that if you keep avoiding attacks like that, we'll never determine a winner."
"Use your full strength."
"Let's see if you can withstand this move."
He raised one finger, concentrating immense power at its tip.
The Konoha ninja watching nearby were confused.
"How strong can a single finger attack be?"
But Tobirama Senju looked grave.
He immediately understood what A was doing.
Using Lightning Release to stimulate his body to extreme speed—
Then concentrating all his strength into a single finger.
That meant the attack possessed both terrifying speed and piercing power.
Isamu is in danger.
Meanwhile, the Cloud ninja were smiling confidently.
Even the Raikage himself wouldn't dare take this attack head-on.
As long as the boy didn't dodge—
He would lose for certain.
---
Watching A gather power, Isamu began thinking.
Is this… the famous technique?
Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite.
Ay's speed was almost comparable to the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In terms of pure attack power, Isamu knew his own techniques couldn't match it.
But—
He was an Uchiha.
Dōjutsu was his specialty.
"A," Isamu said calmly.
"Breaking this technique of yours is incredibly simple."
"Oh?" A frowned. "Then try it."
"As long as you don't use that strange evasive ability."
He clearly disliked the intangible trick.
---
Just as A prepared to launch his attack—
Isamu activated Kamui.
A spatial vortex suddenly appeared around A.
Before he could even move—
A vanished.
Gone.
---
"I told you," Isamu said casually, staring at the empty space.
"Breaking your move was easy."
"Sorry."
"I win."
---
"What?!"
The Second Raikage stared in disbelief.
Moments ago, victory had seemed certain.
Now the situation had reversed completely.
Meanwhile, the Konoha ninja erupted in cheers.
"We won!"
"We won!"
The Raikage glared furiously at Isamu.
"Kid!"
"You've already won, so bring A back immediately!"
"Otherwise don't blame me for getting serious."
Isamu shrugged calmly.
"Don't worry, Raikage-sama."
"Once the competition ends, I'll naturally return him."
Holding the future Raikage hostage ensured the Second Raikage wouldn't go back on his word.
With that, Isamu stepped out of the arena.
---
Inside the Kamui dimension, A stood silently.
After his attack missed, he carefully examined the surroundings.
Moments ago there had been snow everywhere.
Now everything was dark and silent.
After observing the space, he concluded something.
"This place… is only about three hundred meters wide."
"So that guy called Uchiha Isamu transferred me to another dimension."
"Instead of dodging, he simply moved me elsewhere."
"That really is a clever way to break my Hell Stab."
---
With A defeated, the remaining matches were straightforward.
Kinkaku fought against Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Ginkaku fought against Kagami Uchiha.
For the sake of their future rebellion, the two brothers intentionally held back.
They didn't use the Nine-Tails chakra or the Six Paths ninja tools, and both matches ended in draws.
---
In the end, the duel concluded with the following results:
Konoha vs. Kumogakure
4 draws
3 wins
2 losses
Overall—
A draw.
---
The Second Raikage frowned.
"Second Hokage," he said to Tobirama, "since the results are tied, how should this be settled?"
Even he hadn't expected a draw.
They couldn't continue fighting—
But backing down openly was also unacceptable.
Tobirama looked at him calmly.
"Since it's a draw, both sides should withdraw their troops."
"Or do you wish to continue the war?"
He could clearly tell the Raikage had no intention of continuing.
The man simply refused to admit defeat.
"Hmph."
"In that case, we'll withdraw in three days and sign a treaty."
Then he looked at Isamu.
"Uchiha boy—return A."
"No problem," Isamu replied.
"I'll send him back now."
He activated the Mangekyō Sharingan again.
A spatial vortex appeared.
And A suddenly reappeared beside the Raikage.
---
"…I'm back?"
Looking at the snowy battlefield, A immediately understood.
Then he bowed his head slightly.
"Raikage-sama."
"I have failed your expectations."
"I'm sorry."
But the Second Raikage didn't scold him.
Instead, he turned to look at Isamu.
"That ability of yours is impressive."
"It works both offensively and defensively."
"Perhaps the next Hokage will be you."
He glanced at Tobirama.
"Second Hokage, you've trained quite an extraordinary young man."
"Kid, I have high hopes for you."
Then he left with the Cloud ninja.
---
What sounded like praise took on a very different meaning in Tobirama's ears.
I didn't train him.
And an Uchiha… cannot become Hokage.
Tobirama stared at Isamu with a complicated expression.
Isamu immediately understood the Raikage's intention.
It was clearly an attempt to sow discord.
Everyone knew the Senju and Uchiha clans had long been rivals.
And Madara Uchiha had even been defeated by Hashirama Senju.
The fact that the two clans weren't openly fighting anymore was already remarkable—
Let alone an Uchiha becoming Hokage.
Seeing Tobirama looking at him, Isamu knew the Raikage's words had worked.
The Second Hokage was probably suspicious of him now.
But Isamu didn't care.
With his current strength, Tobirama could no longer control him.
And more importantly—
Tobirama wouldn't have the chance to control him for much longer.
"Let's go."
"Back to camp."
And just like that, the group returned to the Konoha ninja camp.