I Didn't Think It'd Actually Work Either

Knock, knock.

Early one morning, Shinji was woken by someone knocking on his door.

Yawning, he went to answer it. "What is it?"

Haku stood outside, smiling. "Shinji, you're going to be late."

"Huh?"

He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost eight.

He quickly washed up and hurried out.

When he got to the Ninja Academy, he realized he'd forgotten to pack lunch again.

Seeing this, Haku took a lunch box from her bag and handed it to Shinji. "Don't worry, I packed one for you. I just don't know if you'll like what's in it."

Shinji took the lunch box and opened it.

Inside were fragrant sushi and dumplings, along with fresh fish and vegetables. Haku had clearly put a lot of effort into preparing it.

"Thanks."

Haku waved a hand. "We're classmates. You don't have to thank me."

Shinji nodded and accepted her kindness.

He knew Haku was kind by nature, but he still couldn't help feeling that she was being awfully friendly toward him, as if she were deliberately trying to get close.

The morning's theory class soon came to an end.

After lunch, Shinji headed to the schoolyard with the other students.

It was free time, so the schoolyard was bustling with students from every grade.

For instance, Naruto, who was a year below him, sat on a swing in a corner of the yard, looking glum because he couldn't fit in with the others.

In another corner, Neji was, as always, at the same wooden post, practicing the Gentle Fist until he was drenched in sweat.

And then there was Rock Lee, foolishly running laps around the schoolyard.

"I should find somewhere to train, too!"

Once he'd made up his mind, Shinji headed to a secluded grove on school grounds.

After sorting through the fragments of his predecessor's memories, he decided to start with the Great Fireball Technique, which his predecessor had practiced countless times.

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger.

First, he molded his Chakra. Then, he formed the Hand Seals with meticulous care and aimed at a tree in the distance.

Boom.

A massive fireball burst from his mouth, surged forward, and slammed into the distant tree, setting it and the surrounding grass ablaze.

Shinji stood frozen, staring at the towering flames before him.

In his memories, his predecessor had practiced this technique countless times, but had never once managed to perform it.

So he hadn't expected much this time, either. He'd only wanted to give it a try and practice the Hand Seals.

He hadn't expected to succeed on his first try, let alone with such power. In no time, the fire had spread to the surrounding trees and engulfed a wide area.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Before long, figures rushed into the grove.

They were Ninja Academy teachers who had spotted the firelight and smoke and hurried over.

The teachers' faces changed at the sight of the raging flames.

"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"

"Water Release: Water Style Wave!"

Two of the teachers exchanged a glance and then launched their techniques in perfect sync. One used Earth Release to block the flames, while the other tried to put out the fire with Water Release.

After a great deal of effort, the fire was finally extinguished.

The teachers stood in the steam and smoke, covered in soot.

Iruka came over to Shinji and asked, "Shinji, did you do this?"

There was clearly no getting out of it, so Shinji nodded.

Iruka said sternly, "That was dangerous! How could you use such an advanced Fire Release Ninjutsu in the woods?"

"I didn't think it'd actually work either!"

Shinji silently cursed his bad luck.

If he'd known he'd cause such a commotion, he'd never have tried it at the Ninja Academy.

And wasn't it supposed to be a C-rank technique, with Chunin-level difficulty? How had he gotten it on his first try? What part of it was supposed to be difficult?

Mizuki walked over with a smile. "Iruka, don't blame him. It's not as if he caused that much damage."

The other teachers wore complicated expressions.

An eight-year-old who could perform such powerful Fire Release Ninjutsu—it was hard not to marvel at the Uchiha Clan's terrifying talent.

By now, the students in the schoolyard had also been drawn over by the commotion, and they crowded around.

"Huh? What happened?"

"Was there a fire?"

"The trees are all charred!"

The students buzzed among themselves at the sight of the grove ravaged by flames.

When they learned Shinji was responsible, many of them looked at him in astonishment.

Shikamaru murmured, "As expected of the Uchiha Clan!"

Sakura and Ino's eyes sparkled. "Wow, that upperclassman is so cool!"

Rock Lee stared, dumbfounded. "A-amazing!"

Neji's face darkened, his eyes full of wariness.

At seven or eight years old, most Ninja Academy students had yet to begin learning Ninjutsu. Those who could use it were few and far between.

So when Neji saw Shinji casually perform a C-rank Fire Release technique that required Chunin-level skill, he felt an inexplicable sense of threat.

"What's going on? What are you all looking at?"

At the back of the crowd, Naruto shouted as he tried to push his way in, only to be squeezed back out again and again.

Shinji could only sigh helplessly at all the commotion.

Back in the classroom, Haku turned to him. "Shinji, I didn't realize you'd already mastered such powerful Fire Release Ninjutsu."

Shinji shook his head. "It's only a C-rank technique."

He wasn't just saying that to uphold the Uchiha Clan's reputation. He genuinely wasn't all that proud of himself.

After all, Itachi had learned the Great Fireball Technique immediately after watching his father form the Hand Seals once, despite not having awakened his eyes.

Sasuke was a little slower.

But it had still taken him only a day to learn it.

Shinji had not only awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, but had also received the Shinobi World's blessing the night before, doubling his Chakra and giving him more than most children his age.

Under the circumstances, learning a C-rank Fire Release technique was perfectly reasonable when he thought about it.

After all, Ninjutsu was just a way of using Chakra. With enough Chakra, and enough power, you could perform a technique with one hand or even without any Hand Seals at all, instead of forming them with both hands in the usual way.

Thinking this, Shinji glanced at Haku.

In his memory, Haku was the kind of genius who had mastered one-handed Hand Seals at a very young age. Even Kakashi had been shocked.

Soon, Shinji realized he'd still underestimated the impact of what had happened.

By the time school let out that evening, the news had spread everywhere.

The looks many Ninja Academy students gave him had changed from pity to admiration, especially among the girls, whose eyes sparkled whenever they saw him.

It wasn't just the students. Even some of the Ninja Academy teachers treated him with much more respect when they ran into him.

There were precedents for this. In the more distant past, there was Shisui Uchiha; more recently, Itachi Uchiha. Both had made names for themselves at the Ninja Academy at a young age, quickly risen through the ranks after graduating, and within just a few years, far outranked the teachers who had once taught them.

Shinji sighed. "What a headache..."