Leaf Great Whirlwind

The news of the duel between Uchiha Ronai and Uchiha Houka spread through the classes quickly. Since it was lunch break and everyone was bored and full, they were eager to sign up to watch a duel.

Word spread like wildfire, and by the time Houka and Uchiha Ronai arrived at the playground to warm up, trade insults, and glare at each other, they suddenly found a massive crowd surrounding them.

It was a sea of people, flags waving, accompanied by a chorus of jeers.

They were just six or seven-year-old kids, after all; they loved the chaos and were practically hoping to see some blood, chattering away in a noisy frenzy.

Uchiha Ronai seemed to relish the feeling of being the center of attention. He straightened his back, puffed out his chest, and his eyes burned with an eager, competitive desire for victory.

"Uchiha Houka, I'm so sorry, but you're about to lose face in front of the whole school again. Hehe, the shame you carry is destined to follow you for the rest of your life!"

Uchiha Ronai waved his hands, and two cold glints flashed as he instantly fired two Shuriken, which spun rapidly toward Houka's left and right sides.

Houka raised his eyelids, drew a Kunai, and parried left and right, knocking both Shuriken down simultaneously.

You can tell if someone is an expert the moment they make a move!

This display by Houka immediately shocked all the little brats.

"So cool!"

"He actually blocked such fast Shuriken? Who is this guy?"

"What? You don't know him? He's from the Uchiha clan. He challenged senior Kakashi at the end of last semester, only to be kicked unconscious and become a laughingstock."

"Hmph, what a delusional fool, actually challenging senior Kakashi."

"But he's improved a lot, hasn't he? He looks like a completely different person."

The surrounding chatter was constant, but it couldn't affect the two combatants.

Uchiha Ronai shifted his stance repeatedly, firing Shuriken at Houka like a madman.

With a single Kunai in hand, Houka defended himself with airtight precision, leaving Uchiha Ronai grinding his teeth in frustration.

"Uchiha Houka, is that all you've got? Use your Fire Release ninjutsu!" Uchiha Ronai roared. He had trained incredibly hard over the past six months and had finally mastered the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, hoping to use it to teach Uchiha Houka a harsh lesson.

"Ninjutsu? Hey, hey, don't joke around. Someone at your level isn't worth me using ninjutsu," Houka replied lazily.

Nothing is more awkward than a sudden silence.

Uchiha Ronai suddenly realized the surroundings had gone quiet. All his peers were staring at him, looking at him like a brat throwing a tantrum in front of adults, or perhaps waiting for the brat to do something outrageous to entertain them.

"You bastard!" Uchiha Ronai gritted his teeth, his eyes turning red.

Finally, unable to control himself, he began to weave hand seals.

Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger!

One second, two seconds... five seconds... nine seconds!

Finally, after nine seconds, he completed the six hand seals, held his fingers together in front of his mouth, and roared: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!!!"

BOOM!

A fireball the size of a human head erupted from his mouth, growing larger as it caught the wind, rolling toward Houka with increasing intensity as a scorching heatwave swept across the area.

WHOA!

The crowd exploded.

Aside from a few, most of the students at the Ninja Academy had never seen real ninjutsu before. Their eyes were wide with shock.

Kurenai Yuhi, Rin, Asuma Sarutobi, and the others tensed up, feeling inexplicably nervous for Houka.

Even Obito, who appeared indifferent, actually had sweat on his palms.

Only Guy, beneath his thick, bushy eyebrows, had a look of confidence: Houka was very strong!

BANG!

The Great Fireball didn't miss; it struck Houka dead center, causing a violent explosion that also ignited the onlookers.

"He's dead, he's dead!"

"Why didn't that guy dodge?"

"Because he's an idiot, the shame of the Uchiha clan!"

But what landed in the wake of the explosion was merely a piece of wood, burning brightly.

"It's the Substitution Technique!"

"Amazing, that was awesome!"

Uchiha Ronai was stunned, then furious: "Damn you, Houka! You were using your Kunai to block my Shuriken just a second ago, why didn't you block this time? You liar!"

He looked left and right, but aside from the noisy circle of students, Houka was nowhere to be seen!

His heart tightened, and then he saw the figure of his father, Uchiha Yeshing, appearing before him. His father was walking over with a wooden stick tied with straw rope, his face cold and vicious. He glared at him and said coldly, "Ronai, you have disappointed me too much. You are not worthy of being my son, let alone the Uchiha name. You are the shame of the Uchiha clan. I truly regret it; I shouldn't have given birth to you. It would have been better if you had died in your cradle!"

"No, that's not true, I, I am not a shame, Father! I worked very hard, look, I've already learned the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique! I'm a genius, I'm a genius!!!"

Uchiha Ronai's eyes were frantic, sweat poured down his forehead, and his whole body trembled, looking like someone having a seizure that bystanders should avoid.

The onlookers were more confused than ever.

"Hey, what's wrong with him? Who is he talking to?"

"Are you crazy?"

"This makes no sense."

Only a few people could see the trick behind it at a glance.

"It's the Hell Viewing Technique, which forces the target to see the image they fear most. Houka has always been training in Taijutsu with Might Duy, so when did he learn Genjutsu?" Asuma Sarutobi frowned slightly.

In the corner, a somewhat tall boy with a bamboo toothpick in his mouth and his hands in his pockets watched the battle with a calm expression: "Hell Viewing Technique, heh, neither of these two guys is easy to deal with."

His name was Genma Shiranui, the proctor for Naruto during the Chunin Exams in the original story.

He was two years older than Houka and possessed average talent, still studying at the Ninja Academy, but his insight was already quite impressive.

Just then, the figure of Houka suddenly appeared behind Uchiha Ronai and delivered a fierce kick.

"Ah!!!"

Uchiha Ronai let out a sharp scream and fell face-first onto the ground.

At the same time, the intense pain brought Uchiha Ronai back to his senses.

"Damn it, damn it! You hateful bastard!" Uchiha Ronai regained his composure, and seeing the strange looks from the surrounding classmates, he bit his lip until it bled. "I'm going to kill you, I'm definitely going to kill you!"

Uchiha Ronai performed Hand Seals again. Perhaps due to the psychological effect, his speed was much faster this time, completing the seals in eight seconds.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Boom!

A massive fireball roared toward Houka once again.

"Little brat, you're too young." Houka put away his Kunai and, instead of retreating, charged head-on toward the giant fireball.

"Houka!!" Obito, who was watching from the sidelines, was shocked.

"Be careful!" Kurenai Yuhi was also startled. He clearly had the advantage, so why would he try to block it head-on?

"Is it the Substitution Technique again?" Asuma frowned.

Genma Shiranui bit down on his toothpick: "That momentum... it looks like he's about to use some kind of Taijutsu."

Sure enough.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!!!"

Houka leaped into mid-air, his right leg sweeping forward like a whirlwind.

Boom!!!

Before the massive fireball could even get close, it was shattered by Houka's kick, turning into countless sparks that scattered everywhere. The residual force of the kick transformed into a gust of wind that brushed against the faces of the nearby students, seemingly still carrying a hint of heat.

"Nani?!" Uchiha Ronai stared at this scene in disbelief, his eyes bloodshot. He couldn't accept the fact that his Ninjutsu, the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, had been extinguished so easily.

Impossible!

The onlookers also let out exclamations of their own, all stunned by Houka's domineering kick.

"What is this momentum of charging forward without any thought of retreat?" In the corner, Masamune Hyuga widened his eyes in disbelief. "What is going on with this guy's Taijutsu...?!"