The Uchiha's Competitive Streak

After leaving the academy, Sosuke immediately sprinted to the Training Ground.

The academy taught all kinds of basic knowledge, and he still had to keep attending classes there. As for his training, that would have to wait until after class.

By the time he arrived, his teacher, Uchiha Nagahiko, was already there. A boy who looked about seventy percent like Uchiha Sasuke stood beside him.

This was Madara's younger brother, Uchiha Izuna.

"Well, look who finally showed up." Not only did he resemble Sasuke, but his personality was similar, too.

Aside from his own older brother, Izuna probably didn't take anyone his age seriously.

Not even the genius who had recently started making a name for himself.

Seeing the hostility on Izuna's face, Sosuke decided he couldn't be bothered to respond. He'd been itching to learn ninjutsu for ages.

"You're here." Uchiha Nagahiko took a piece of test paper from his pocket. "Let's start by checking your chakra affinities."

Following his instructions, Sosuke channeled chakra into the paper. Soon, he had the result he wanted.

"Excellent. Dual Lightning and Fire Affinity. Your talent really is outstanding."

As the teacher continued to praise him, Izuna's temper began to flare.

The other things didn't matter so much, but plenty of people were now saying that Uchiha Sosuke's talent surpassed even the Young Clan Head's.

How could Izuna, a devoted older-brother fanatic, possibly put up with that?

"Talent doesn't prove what you can actually do." Izuna stepped forward and stared at him intently. "Teacher Nagahiko believes in tailoring his teaching to each student. You should demonstrate what you can do."

After hearing that, Sosuke knew there was no way he could avoid it.

Uchiha Nagahiko didn't even dare go against Izuna's wishes. The sight made Sosuke understand even better what power and influence could do.

"Looks like you're eager to be my sparring partner."

"We're classmates. Of course we should help each other out."

Then let's fight.

After a brief moment of concentration, an eerie light flashed in Sosuke's eyes.

Sharingan, activate!

"So it really is the Sharingan." Izuna bit his lip, unwilling to admit that he was jealous.

But there was nothing he could do about it. He still couldn't awaken his Sharingan, and even his older brother was still figuring out how to do so.

His brother had warned him that awakening the Sharingan too early would put a tremendous strain on his body.

But no matter how much he looked, the other guy didn't seem to be under any strain at all.

"Forget it. I'll fight first and think later."

Drawing the short blade at his waist, Izuna charged forward. His movements were agile and nimble, like a leopard crouching before it pounced.

Uchiha Nagahiko tensed, ready to stop the fight at any moment. Both boys were special, and he couldn't afford to let anything happen to either of them.

"He's fast." Sosuke's pupils instinctively widened, and the black Tomoe in his eyes began spinning wildly.

He saw his opponent's movements clearly.

From the slightest twitch of Izuna's muscles, he could even predict what he would do next.

Following what he had learned at the academy, Sosuke crossed his arms to block Izuna's wrist. Then he crouched and pressed his back close against him, suddenly driving his arms upward with the force of his rising body.

Poor Izuna was slammed into the ground with a shoulder throw.

"Stop!"

The teacher called an end to their sparring. After just one exchange, he could already judge the new student's ability.

More importantly, he didn't want to see them keep fighting. If Izuna lost, he would definitely get back up and retaliate with Fire Style Ninjutsu.

At that point, the Sharingan wouldn't give Sosuke much of an advantage.

With Izuna glaring at him in frustration, Uchiha Nagahiko began the day's lesson.

First, he corrected Sosuke's movements, carefully explaining which ones were unnecessary and which could save his life on the battlefield.

Sosuke also put aside his lofty ambitions for the time being. He abandoned the idea of learning ninjutsu and followed his teacher's instructions, starting with the basics.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed. Sosuke had finally made up for the knowledge he'd lacked, and it was time to learn ninjutsu.

Hand Seals were an essential part of ninjutsu. Skilled shinobi could form several seals in a second, and without special Dojutsu Power, ordinary people couldn't even see their movements clearly.

Many times, what looked like a simple clap of the hands was actually a complex sequence of seals completed in an instant.

Knowing the order of the seals wasn't enough. He also had to learn how to mold his chakra and familiarize himself with its pathways through his body.

Even with enough chakra to use the technique, he would still need to practice for a long time.

"Ah, how long did it take me to learn this again?"

"Oh, right. I mastered it in about half a day. You'd better work hard."

Izuna's competitive streak flared up again.

The ninjutsu he was talking about was the Fire Style technique every Uchiha was expected to know.

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger!

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

After forming the seals properly, Sosuke opened his mouth and spat out a ball of flame about the size of a basketball.

"...Hahaha, it's not that impressive." Izuna's mouth twitched twice. He forced out a laugh to save face.

He remembered that the first time he'd used the technique, his fireball had only been the size of a fist.

Could this guy really have such incredible talent?!

As it turned out, his guess was right. Sosuke had good control over his chakra, which made it easier for him to learn ninjutsu.

An hour later, the basketball-sized flame in his mouth had grown to the size of a car tire.

"Not enough. I need finer control."

He still hadn't found a way to earn Points. If he wanted to become stronger, he could only rely on his own hard work.

Once the fireball had grown to the size of a truck tire, Sosuke suddenly realized he might be able to make progress in other ways.

Thanks to his powerful spirit, his control over chakra improved constantly. So he decided to focus on improving that first.

It would also give his mouth a break. Practicing Fire Style had left it covered in blisters, and there wasn't much point in pushing on like this.

After everyone else had left, Sosuke went over to the big tree in the yard and tried to attach chakra to the soles of his feet.

His method of practice was tree climbing.

This exercise in control was perfect for Sosuke, who was approaching Genin level.

His first attempt went pretty well. He'd made it about seven-tenths of the way up, and it wouldn't be long before he completed the first exercise.

After tree climbing came the next exercise: Water Walking.

"Looks like tonight's going to be a long one."

The next day, when the teacher and Izuna arrived at the Training Ground, they saw Uchiha Sosuke asleep, hanging upside down from a tree branch.

"Did this guy really work all night?!" Izuna's mouth fell open in disbelief.

Their footsteps woke Sosuke from his nap. He opened his eyes and looked at them, then pushed off and swung down through the air like he was on a swing.

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger!

As soon as he landed, blazing flames poured from his mouth.

The fireball held together at over two meters in diameter. Its heat made even Izuna take a couple of steps back.

He was stunned.