The first light of morning was just beginning to touch Konoha's streets.
Sasuke couldn't wait. There were only seven days left until the graduation exam, a period free of academy classes. This time was his to arrange entirely, and he was determined to use every second.
After a quick breakfast, Sasuke headed straight for a secluded forest outside Konoha Village. He found a clearing roughly the size of a half-football field, far enough from the main roads to ensure privacy, but close enough to be safe. It was the perfect spot to test the terrifying extent of his Perfect Talent.
"Hmph." He let out a light breath, a surge of pure anticipation filling him. If his talent was this monstrous when simply refining Chakra, what change would it bring to Ninjutsu and Taijutsu?
As the only Ninjutsu he had mastered, the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique was the natural starting point.
Sasuke raised his hands to form the seals. He immediately noticed a slight increase in his sealing speed, but the true shock came the moment the sequence was complete. As Chakra surged, he thrust his head forward and inhaled sharply.
CRACK!
A torrent of flame erupted from his mouth. A fireball easily ten meters in diameter exploded forward, instantly incinerating and shattering the trees twenty meters away, leaving nothing but smoking, black charcoal in its wake.
Sasuke stared at the destruction, momentarily stunned.
'The power... it's multiplied by more than tenfold!'
And this was just his first attempt. He could already feel he could do better. Even more incredible, the technique had only consumed about twenty percent of his Chakra. Originally, the same jutsu would have nearly emptied his reserves after just two uses, and it would have been significantly weaker. Now, he could launch it five times!
"This is... Perfect Talent!"
The shift was almost frightening. Sasuke couldn't wait to try again.
He raised his hands. This time, he was even more surprised: his sealing speed was distinctly faster, his hand signs completed in just two-thirds the original time.
In the next second, Chakra mobilized with perfect efficiency, converging at his throat at blinding speed. As Sasuke moved, the flame was unleashed.
BOOM!
This Great Fireball was even more exaggerated. The sheer velocity of the flames created a terrifying heat wave that washed back, causing the air to visibly shimmer. The heat seared his skin. The fireball itself swelled to fifteen meters in diameter and was surrounded by rings of flickering fire.
It impacted nearly thirty meters out, culminating in a colossal, churning explosion. A mushroom cloud of flame almost ten meters tall bloomed against the morning sky.
Sasuke was mesmerized by the chaos. The power had increased by another factor. The speed of his growth was perverse. Looking at the scorched, wide path carved through the forest, a path wider than many Konoha streets, his confidence swelled.
"Only two practice attempts, and the progress is this terrifying!"
He slowly raised his head, watching the lingering flames. If he kept this up, what would the final technique look like? Could it reach the level of an S-rank Ninjutsu? Could his Fire Style one day rival Madara's, forcing an entire army of Water Style users to protect themselves?
"Continue!"
His excitement was further fueled by a sensation in his gut: his Chakra was recovering at a blinding pace. Two Great Fireballs had consumed forty percent of his reserves, but at his current recovery rate, he'd be full again in about four minutes. That was roughly ten percent recovery every minute!
'This is the world of true genius! I am the real genius Sasuke!'
The sheer speed of his Chakra recovery alone—a feat few ninja could match—was astonishing.
Fire Style—Great Fireball Technique! BOOM!
The terrifying flame storm swept across the clearing yet again. The power continued to climb, and his seal speed shortened again, now taking roughly one second to execute the entire jutsu. No more fumbling like his original, weak self.
He continued this cycle five times until his Chakra was nearly spent. The power of the Great Fireball had increased with every visible attempt.
"A qualified ninja can't just rely on Ninjutsu," Sasuke muttered, already looking toward his next goal. "Next, I'll start practicing Taijutsu! And the Kunai Throwing Technique... even the Three Body Technique needs refinement!"
A person who possesses Perfect Talent and is also fanatically diligent is no longer a genius—they are a monster.