Tokimitsu's Moment in the Spotlight

Uchiha Tokimitsu's home was located in the heart of the clan compound. After all, his father in this life, Uchiha Nakagen, was one of the jonin publicly presented by Konoha's First prominent ninja clan. His status was naturally far from low, and he was also a powerful Squad Leader within the Military Police Force System. Naturally, his residence was grand and upscale, occupying nearly 700 square meters, with the courtyard garden taking up around 400. However, as a standard Uchiha household, its landscaping followed tradition as always and had little artistic merit. There were no pavilions or waterside terraces in the courtyard, only a dozen or so Osmanthus Trees and a large pile of training equipment.

Since his mother in this life was also a Chunin specializing in Sealing Jutsu and occasionally needed to research all sorts of messy sealing techniques, as Uchiha Nakagen put it, the house's main structure used a stone-and-wood hybrid rather than Konoha's mainstream standalone wooden construction. It was sturdier on one hand and more convenient for inscribing Sealing Jutsu arrays on the other, so she would not blow the house apart while conducting ninjutsu research indoors.

As a newly promoted Chunin, Uchiha Shiina naturally would not walk properly along the road. The moment he returned to the clan compound, he let himself go, skillfully leaping across rooftops while carrying Uchiha Tokimitsu. Along the way, he broke seven or eight weathered roof tiles and kicked five or six Ninja Cats that had been napping on the roofs into the air. Amid curses all the way and the Ninja Cats' unending wails of "Meowww," he bounced back into Uchiha Tokimitsu's courtyard.

"Good evening, Uncle Nakagen~"

Uchiha Shiina enthusiastically greeted Uchiha Nakagen, who was sitting in front of the hall.

"Can't you come in through the front gate just once?"

Uchiha Nakagen was thoroughly speechless.

As a standard Uchiha, Uchiha Nakagen was not only immensely powerful and cold by nature, but also had a slight stone face. Yet even he felt rather helpless when dealing with a flighty Uchiha like Shiina.

"Ahahaha~ Don't worry about such trivial details~ There's great news today! ≧▽≦*)o"

Uchiha Shiina casually changed the subject.

Then the goofy Shiina raised Uchiha Tokimitsu high above his head, his expression fervent as though he were holding up a sacred relic. In a passionate voice utterly unlike his usual tone, he loudly declared, "My little brother—genius Uchiha Tokimitsu—has learned the Great Fireball Technique!"

The moment those words fell, Uchiha Nakagen cracked.

"Huh?!"

Emiko, who had been preparing dinner in the kitchen, also flashed out with the Body Flicker Technique. She snatched the tiny Uchiha Tokimitsu from Shiina's hands, and before he could say anything, her red lips rained kisses over Tokimitsu's little cheeks.

This was where the difference between fathers and mothers showed.

Uchiha Nakagen: My kid is that amazing?!

Uchiha Emiko: My precious son is amazing!

After all that fuss, the smell of something burning drifted from the kitchen. Emiko had no choice but to put down her precious son and dash back to the kitchen to continue cooking.

After being at a loss for quite some time, Uchiha Nakagen gradually calmed down and returned to his stone-faced state. He then asked unhurriedly, "Little Tokimitsu, when did you learn ninjutsu~?"

Just last month, he had taught Uchiha Tokimitsu the Chakra Refinement Technique and hand seals. At the time, Tokimitsu had not even recognized all the characters yet. Now he was saying he had already mastered a ninjutsu. Such a rapid learning speed was truly rare even within the Uchiha Clan, where geniuses and heroes emerged in endless numbers.

"Tokimitsu just told me. I haven't seen it either, so why not show us now?" the quick-tongued Uchiha Shiina answered first.

Uchiha Nakagen helplessly shot Shiina a glare, feeling utterly speechless inside. You believed a little kid just because he said so? When I was young, I even said I was about to awaken the Mangekyo.

But since it was his own child, Uchiha Nakagen still said to Tokimitsu with great anticipation, "How about we demonstrate your ninjutsu in the courtyard~?"

That kindly expression made him seem like a completely different person from usual.

"Okay~"

The obedient Uchiha Tokimitsu was online.

Uchiha Shiina quickly cleared the clutter from the courtyard, then stood in the entry hall and watched expectantly. Only after Shiina had moved everything aside did Uchiha Nakagen slowly walk to the center of the courtyard. He clasped his hands before his chest and slightly raised his chin, signaling that Uchiha Tokimitsu could begin. His expression was calm and composed, his air of strength cranked to the limit.

Uchiha Tokimitsu did not waste words. He brought his hands together and began forming seals.

"Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger."

Uchiha Tokimitsu's hand seals were not fast, at roughly two seals every three seconds, but every seal was exceptionally precise without the slightest deviation. At the sight, the gratification in Uchiha Nakagen's eyes nearly overflowed.

"Great Fireball Technique!"

With a childish shout, a fireball roughly one meter in diameter surged from Uchiha Tokimitsu's mouth and pounced towards Uchiha Nakagen, who stood firmly not far away.

"Ha!"

Uchiha Nakagen's voice boomed like Thunderbolt. His right hand chopped fiercely at the fireball, instantly shattering the incoming Great Fireball. It broke apart into clusters of flame that drifted down and scattered in all directions like a blazing tree of silver flowers. Then, with a sweep of his left hand, a gentle breeze passed through, and the flames vanished without a trace. Other than the lawn on the ground, which had yellowed and wilted slightly under the Great Fireball's heat, the courtyard suffered no damage at all. His profound Chakra manipulation was displayed to perfection.

"Good!"

Uchiha Shiina, standing to the side, was thrilled and grinned from ear to ear. He felt that the night's trip had been more than worthwhile. Not only had he witnessed an Uchiha genius's first ninjutsu display, but he had also seen the bearing of a jonin Squad Leader. Worth it, absolutely worth it.

After all, even among the Uchiha Clan, where experts were plentiful, not many could break ninjutsu with one hand.

"You have a solid grasp of the ninjutsu, and all the crucial steps of casting it were in place."

Uchiha Nakagen gave his post-casting assessment with an indifferent expression.

"The Great Fireball Technique has three core principles. The first has ten minor points. I'll begin with the first minor point, which has several key details..."

After returning to sit in the hall, Uchiha Nakagen entered a rarely seen long-winded lecture mode, giving a detailed explanation from numerous angles, including forming hand seals, mobilizing Chakra, and shaping the technique formula.

"..."

After finally finishing his rambling, Uchiha Nakagen picked up the cup on the tea table, took a sip of tea, and said to Uchiha Shiina, "Since Little Tokimitsu has learned the Great Fireball Technique rather well, I won't pursue your offense of violating regulations by leaking ninjutsu secrets to a child who has not yet entered the Ninja Academy."

"Huh?!"

Uchiha Shiina was stunned. How did this get dragged back to him? The triple denial of Not me, I didn't, don't talk nonsense was about to leave his mouth.

"I learned this technique from the Hand Seal Instruction Scroll last week..." Uchiha Tokimitsu answered weakly.

This time, it was Uchiha Nakagen's turn to feel awkward. That scroll had originally been a relatively complete ninjutsu teaching scroll. Besides hand seals, it contained material on Chakra allocation and technique deployment. The Great Fireball Technique was recorded within it as an "after-class exercise." He had assumed Uchiha Shiina had given Little Tokimitsu some extra tutoring, but it turned out that Little Tokimitsu had taught himself. Such talent for ninjutsu left the old father both immensely gratified and under considerable pressure.

My son is terrifyingly gifted!

"Dinner's ready~"

Uchiha Emiko came out of the kitchen carrying dishes and called the family to the table. Seeing this, Uchiha Shiina rose to say goodbye, but Uchiha Nakagen repeatedly urged him to stay. After declining three times and being invited three times, Uchiha Shiina sat down at the dining table with a clear conscience.

"Let's eat~"

Although Uchiha Nakagen's face remained as impassive as ever that night, his heart was far less calm than he appeared. Not only did he open a bottle of fine wine he had treasured for a long time, but he also made an exception and poured Uchiha Shiina a cup. Uchiha Emiko, meanwhile, had a smile that never left her face. Though she had still been in the kitchen while father and son practiced, as a Ninja, she had heard every bit of the commotion outside. Naturally, she knew that her precious son possessed exceptional talent. For a mother, there was no greater comfort than that.

After rounds of drinking and a satisfying meal, Uchiha Emiko cleared away the dishes while Uchiha Shiina rose to say goodbye. Uchiha Nakagen, meanwhile, pulled Uchiha Tokimitsu over to sit at the tea table in the hall. He slowly began brewing tea, poured a cup for Uchiha Tokimitsu, and said nothing, merely sipping his tea in silence.

Once Uchiha Emiko had finished the housework and returned to the hall to settle down beside her husband, Uchiha Nakagen finally said to Uchiha Tokimitsu, "Regarding your ninjutsu training, do you plan to receive training from the clan or attend the Ninja Academy?"

"I hope to receive the clan's instruction!"

Uchiha Nakagen's expression did not change as he slowly nodded. Uchiha Emiko held her husband's arm and continued gazing at her precious son with a doting expression.

Uchiha Nakagen glanced at Uchiha Emiko beside him and took a slight breath. "Tomorrow, I'll take you to meet Elder Setsuna."

At those words, Uchiha Emiko's body trembled slightly, as though the name spoken from her husband's mouth possessed some intimidating magic. Yet she still said nothing, merely lowering her head a little.

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