Chapter 9: Everyone Else is Doing the Three Basic Jutsu, and You're Using a Great Fireball?
The Practice Class assessment, to put it bluntly, was just about showing off the results of your studies at the Ninja Academy as much as possible.
Even if you just threw a shuriken accurately, it could be considered a pass.
To play it safe, Uchiha Ren didn't perform the Replacement Jutsu or Clone Jutsu, which he hadn't learned very well.
He was going for something big.
He began forming hand seals, startling the examiner on the side, Izumo Kamizuki, who instantly flickered over and interrupted him.
Because none of the Three Basic Jutsu start with the Serpent or Ram hand seals.
Combined with his Uchiha name, it could only be *that* jutsu.
"The jutsu you're about to use... it couldn't be...?"
"Yes."
Seeing Uchiha Ren nod, Izumo Kamizuki's pupils visibly constricted!
He had taught many students.
Talents like Uchiha Ren weren't completely unheard of, but they were exceedingly rare!
The Great Fireball Technique?
He had learned a C-rank ninjutsu before even graduating.
Izumo Kamizuki hesitated for a moment, then raised his placard.
"Uchiha Ren, pass!"
"Wh-what?"
"Teacher! Why?!"
"Yeah! He didn't do anything, why did he pass?"
The group of students was collectively dumbfounded.
What was that about?
Izumo Kamizuki wasn't a man of many words. He frowned slightly. "I said he passed, so he passed."
From the crowd, a voice piped up, "He's from a great clan. We can't compare to him."
The voice was extremely grating, and Uchiha Ren's gaze instantly locked onto the speaker.
Yazaki Renji.
A child from a commoner family.
He had enrolled in the same year as Uchiha Ren, and they sat near each other.
The main source of friction was that Uchiha Ren sat to the left of a female classmate this guy had a crush on. As a result, he was always acting sour and jealous, as if he'd knocked over a bottle of vinegar.
Normally, if he said something like this, Uchiha Ren would have just let it slide.
But today, he couldn't tolerate this provocation.
"Teacher, I think I'll perform that jutsu after all."
Seeing the students murmuring all sorts of things, Izumo Kamizuki nodded helplessly.
"Wait a moment."
As he spoke, his hands began to form seals!
"Water Style: Starch Syrup Capture Field!"
A viscous liquid shot from Izumo Kamizuki's mouth onto the ground, quickly forming a large pool of water!
The students didn't understand why their teacher was doing this.
They only heard Izumo Kamizuki shout, "Aim your jutsu at the water!"
"Understood!"
Uchiha Ren stood before the pool of water, the Chakra in his body beginning to surge.
He took a deep breath, and his hands began to fly through seals, his movements fluid and precise.
His hands moved so fast they left afterimages in the air, the speed of his seals leaving the other students dazzled and unable to keep up.
Serpent! Ram! Monkey! Boar! Horse! Tiger!
Each seal formed was accompanied by the flow of Chakra within his body.
Finally, he brought his hands together as the Chakra in his body concentrated in his throat. His mouth opened slightly, and a scorching flow of Chakra surged from deep within, gradually condensing into a ball of fire!
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Uchiha Ren roared, unleashing the fireball.
The fireball shot through the air, leaving a bright trail of flame as it headed straight for the pool of water.
The fireball slammed into the water's surface, creating a deafening explosion. Flames shot out in all directions, and the water in the pool was instantly vaporized, forming a massive cloud of steam!
The intense heat from the flames sent a scorching wave over the surrounding students, causing them to instinctively retreat several steps to avoid being burned!
The entire field was stunned. Including Yazaki Renji, all the students stared at Uchiha Ren, completely dumbfounded.
What the hell is this?!
We're still on the Three Basic Jutsu...
And you're busting out a C-rank ninjutsu, the Great Fireball?
Are we even in the same class?!
Who could have expected this?
That this normally low-key Uchiha Ren was actually capable of performing such a powerful ninjutsu!
"Ahhh! Uchiha Ren's Great Fireball Technique is so amazing!" a girl exclaimed in amazement.
"He's too awesome!" another girl said excitedly.
"How did I never notice how cool this guy was before?" another girl added.
"Then let's work hard too! And try to get assigned to the same squad as him!"
The girls who had just been fawning over Koizumi Moeru instantly became Uchiha Ren's fans.
Koizumi could only sigh. This was how things were in a world where the strong were revered.
Arai Masato stood to the side, his face a mask of disbelief.
He had never imagined that Uchiha Ren, whom he had always considered as ordinary as himself, actually possessed such astonishing strength.
Yazaki Renji's face turned pale. His earlier mockery now seemed utterly ridiculous.
He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
Izumo Kamizuki looked at Uchiha Ren, a flash of admiration in his eyes.
He knew that this child was not only the pride of the Uchiha Clan, but also the future hope of the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Uchiha Ren, your performance was outstanding." Izumo Kamizuki's voice held a trace of excitement. "Your Great Fireball Technique far surpasses that of your peers. You pass!"
Uchiha Ren bowed slightly in thanks.
Under the worshipful gazes of his classmates, Uchiha Ren walked over to the area for those who had passed.
Just then, on the sidelines, a bandaged student from the basic class muttered with a hint of envy and anger,
"Why is it that even though we both have a Kekkei Genkai, my Byakugan doesn't have an effect like that?"
Sensing a peculiar gaze upon him, Uchiha Ren turned his head.
"Hm?"
This appearance was just too easy to recognize.
Even though the boy across from him hadn't grown tall yet, those pupil-less white eyes were proof enough of his identity.
Neji Hyuga.
The genius of the Hyuga Clan.
At the same time, the voice of Pirate Ren Arakawa echoed in Uchiha Ren's mind:
"Is there any way to get the Hyuga clan's taijutsu out of him?"
Uchiha Ren replied helplessly, "Even if I did, I wouldn't necessarily be able to learn it. Neji can use it because he's a genius. Lady Hinata didn't master the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms until the finale, and even then, she used it on a White Zetsu. You get what I'm saying?"
Pirate Ren Arakawa clicked his tongue. "What a shame. I was hoping you could trade the Great Fireball Technique for his taijutsu!"
"But... approaching him privately for a taijutsu spar might work! If we fought and I activated my eyes, we should be evenly matched. I'll go ask him."
Amidst the whispers and chatter of his classmates, Uchiha Ren, having already passed the assessment, headed straight for Neji Hyuga.
Neji's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected his chosen hypothetical rival to actually approach him.
He didn't just stand there waiting. He immediately adopted the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist opening stance.
"Hello, I'm Uchiha Ren. I saw your eyes..."
"What do you want?!" Neji was on high alert.
"I want to have a taijutsu spar with you. Let's find some time."
Neji, with the arrogance of a genius, didn't register the word "spar."
He simply thought that the Uchiha before him was challenging him.
"Hmph, an Uchiha! Before these eyes of mine, that jutsu you used just now wasn't that impressive!"
"Don't worry. When we spar, I won't use the Great Fireball Technique. We can just stick to taijutsu."
Just then, Iruka appeared from nowhere. He made a shushing gesture at Uchiha Ren. "Please return to your own class."
"Alright." Uchiha Ren nodded calmly, then glanced again at Neji—his soon-to-be source of combat experience. "I'll come find you."
Iruka's forehead twitched in annoyance. "Come on, Neji. Let's just ignore him."
(end of chapter)