Naruto: Starting with EMS

Chapter 9: Sparring with Shisui

Suddenly, Shisui turned to Nan with a request.

"Nan, spar with me."

Nan looked at him with interest. Although they were from the same clan, they weren't exactly close.

So why the sudden request for a match?

He asked, "Why do you want to spar now, all of a sudden?"

Shisui replied seriously, "I'm about to head to the battlefield. I don't know if I'll make it back.

Before you came along, everyone said I was the Uchiha clan's number one genius. To be honest, having that title taken away stings a little.

This might be my last chance. Let's fight—to see who truly deserves to be called the Uchiha's number one prodigy."

Hearing that, Nan finally understood. He hadn't expected Shisui to care so much about a title like "number one genius."

In the original timeline, Shisui never got much screen time, so Nan didn't really know what kind of person he was. But based on the fact that Shisui was willing to take his own life just to keep others from coveting Kotoamatsukami, he didn't seem like someone who would care about a meaningless label.

Clearly, this Shisui hadn't yet experienced the brutal reality of war. He hadn't become that self-sacrificing figure just yet.

Considering how chaotic and deadly the battlefield could be, even if the clan's elders tried to protect him, there were no guarantees of survival.

Of course, Nan knew Shisui would survive—at least until just before the Uchiha Massacre, when he ultimately took his own life.

But Shisui didn't know that. In his mind, this could very well be a one-way trip.

"So that's why he wants to spar—before sacrificing himself, he hopes to reclaim the title of 'number one genius of the Uchiha,'" Nan thought.

And he wasn't entirely wrong. Shisui did harbor a bit of jealousy. Ever since Nan took the spotlight, he had been brooding over it.

But that wasn't the only reason.

Shisui had worked hard to evolve his Sharingan to the two-tomoe stage. Now, he was desperate to understand the gap between himself and a three-tomoe wielder. By fighting someone with a fully awakened Sharingan, he believed he could close that distance and potentially trigger the evolution himself. He was chasing after a higher level.

Most of the other three-tomoe users in the clan were already full jōnin—far older and more experienced than him. Sparring with them would be neither fair nor fruitful.

But Nan was different. He was close to Shisui's age and had a three-tomoe Sharingan. A perfect match.

Even though Shisui didn't yet have the third tomoe, he was two years older than Nan. He believed that his extra chakra reserves and training could compensate for the gap in ocular power.

That's why he was so eager—this would be a true head-to-head battle, one he might actually learn from.

And Nan didn't mind either. In fact, he wanted to test himself against Shisui.

After merging the abilities of both his former self and Uchiha Han, he wanted to see how far he had come.

It was now Konoha Year 46—the Third Great Ninja War would end in less than two years.

And Shisui, who had just graduated, would soon earn the nickname Shunshin no Shisui (Shisui of the Body Flicker). That meant even now, fresh out of the academy, he must already be at least chūnin-level.

If Nan could defeat this version of Shisui, he would have a clearer understanding of his own strength.

So he agreed to the duel, and the two made their way to the Uchiha Clan's private training grounds.

Standing in the center of the field, they exchanged the Seal of Confrontation, signaling the start of their match.

At first, neither of them activated their Sharingan. They decided to compare their raw abilities first—no tricks, no dojutsu.

They both widened the distance between them and began weaving hand seals at the same time—each unleashing a Great Fireball Jutsu toward the other.

It was a classic Uchiha opening move. Always start with a fireball.

Thanks to his experience as a medical ninja, Nan had extremely nimble fingers. Combined with Han's extensive battle knowledge, his seal-weaving was slightly faster than Shisui's.

Nan's fireball was launched first, roaring toward Shisui.

Shisui wasn't far behind—his own fireball followed just moments later, crashing into Nan's mid-air flame.

But neither jutsu was meant to be decisive. The goal was to obscure vision, buying time for a follow-up.

Because Nan's fireball came first, he gained the initiative.

With a swift movement, Nan drew six shuriken and flung them at Shisui from strange, unpredictable angles.

Shisui had just finished casting his fireball—he didn't have time to defend against the incoming shuriken.

It looked like he was about to be hit—

Shisui's reaction was lightning-fast. He narrowly dodged the shuriken, then spun around mid-air and counterattacked with several kunai aimed at Nan.

But it was a rushed move. Nan easily evaded the counterattack without much effort.

That concluded the first exchange—a round that slightly favored Nan. Still, Shisui's quick reflexes kept him from suffering any real disadvantage.

Both understood this was merely a test. Through that first clash, they got a feel for each other's fighting styles and began to gauge the difference in their abilities.

Nan's ninjutsu was slightly superior, but Shisui held the edge in speed and reaction time.

As they prepared for the second round, both activated their Sharingan—Shisui's at two tomoe, and Nan's at three.

Shisui knew he couldn't match Nan in ninjutsu, so he opted for close combat.

Using his signature Body Flicker Technique, Shisui closed the distance before Nan could weave any hand seals. Forced into taijutsu, Nan drew a kunai and engaged.

And that's when he realized why Shisui would one day be known as Shunshin no Shisui—the Body Flicker Master.

In close quarters, Nan couldn't gain any advantage at all.

Shisui was simply too fast. Nan wasn't particularly skilled in taijutsu, which made the exchange even more difficult.

Thankfully, his three-tomoe Sharingan gave him a slight edge. With its enhanced perception, he could anticipate movements better than Shisui, allowing him to just barely keep up.

The two entered a deadlock.

Shisui, for his part, was growing frustrated. He thought his speed would allow him to finish the fight quickly.

But every time he launched what should've been a decisive strike, Nan's sharp eyes and calculated precision would neutralize it effortlessly.

They went back and forth for several rounds. Shisui never gave Nan the chance to cast jutsu, and Nan refused to let Shisui gain the upper hand in taijutsu.

As they continued, both of their chakra reserves began to drain rapidly.

And this was where Nan's advantage started to show.

Shisui had just graduated from the academy. No matter how talented he was, his chakra pool was still relatively limited.

But Nan—having fused the chakra of both Uchiha Nan and Uchiha Han—had a significantly higher stamina reserve.

As the fight dragged on, the tide began to turn. Shisui's movements grew slower as fatigue set in, while Nan found it increasingly easier to respond.

Finally, with his keen eye, Nan caught a fleeting moment—a lapse in Shisui's visual acuity and physical strength.

He seized the opportunity, leapt back to create distance, and unleashed a Phoenix Fire Jutsu directly at Shisui.

Shisui had no time to counter. He could only watch helplessly as the fire surged toward him—

But at the last second, Nan withdrew the jutsu, sparing him from any real harm.

Shisui lowered his guard and admitted defeat.

The two exchanged the Seal of Reconciliation.

Shisui hadn't expected to lose because of chakra exhaustion—especially to someone two years younger than him.

Still, a loss was a loss. He had no complaints.

He'd fulfilled a personal goal before heading off to war—his final wish before stepping onto the battlefield.

After bidding Nan farewell, he left to prepare for the graduation exam.

---

The spar had been revealing for Nan as well. He realized there were still flaws in his combat style.

While he was clearly stronger than Shisui overall, his lack of speed caused him to miss several opportunities for a clean victory.

Nan made a mental note:

I really need to do something about my taijutsu and speed.