Qingyu jumped straight over the top of the enormous fireball.
Twisting, leaping.
Qingyu's head pointed down as his body turned upside down in midair.
He raised his Water Flow Kunai and swung it forward.
The Water Blade cut a white, steaming gap through the edge of the Great Fireball, with a sharp hiss.
Uchiha Tekka's pupils contracted.
Water Release?
But Uchiha Tekka had no time to think further. All he could do was watch Qingyu swoop down from above.
There was no time to dodge!
Uchiha Tekka could only pull a Kunai from his pouch while flicking two Shuriken out with his left hand.
But Qingyu was faster.
The Sharingan's powerful perception of movement had already seen through the path of his wrist.
It was like watching everything in slow motion, broken down into individual frames.
From the movement of his wrist, Qingyu could tell exactly where the Shuriken would land.
Qingyu knocked both Shuriken away with his Water Flow Kunai.
Then the Water Blade swept sideways.
Water swirled rapidly around the Kunai's metal edge, humming as it spun.
Uchiha Tekka hurriedly raised his Kunai to block.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal rang across the training ground.
Uchiha Tekka's hand went numb, and the tremendous force drove him backward three or four steps. His soles scraped two black streaks across the white line.
What strength.
The Water Blade's weight, combined with the momentum of Qingyu's fall, was more than a hurried block could absorb.
Before he could steady himself, Qingyu had already stepped forward, the tip of his Kunai stopping in front of his neck.
Even without touching him, Uchiha Tekka could feel its chilling cold.
If Qingyu's hand had so much as trembled, he would really have died!
The water swirled away from the Kunai, leaving only a drop that slid from its tip.
The training ground fell silent.
"The winner is Qingyu."
Umino Shika was the first to react, breaking the silence.
He had never expected Qingyu to be so fast.
And there was something strangely familiar about the Ninjutsu Qingyu had just used.
Could it have been Water Release Ninjutsu passed down from the Second Hokage, Tobirama?
At Umino Shika's announcement, Qingyu lowered his Kunai and formed the Seal of Reconciliation.
Uchiha Tekka stood where he was, his hand trembling slightly around his Kunai.
The fear of death was overwhelming.
Looking at Uchiha Tekka, who remained frozen in place, Qingyu said calmly:
"Whether you're from the Uchiha Clan or the Senju Clan, we're all one family. There's no need to keep fighting. The Will of Fire is about 'bonds.'"
Only then did Qingyu turn to leave the field.
Usually, villains had to be beaten up before they came to their senses.
After this, Qingyu figured Uchiha Tekka would be a lot more sensible.
By Uchiha Clan standards, the strong ruled—a textbook case of social Darwinism.
Qingyu was stronger than Uchiha Tekka, so Tekka wouldn't dare provoke him casually.
And this wasn't made-up nonsense. Qingyu wasn't just inventing things as he went along.
A thousand years ago, the Uchiha and the Senju really had been one family. They had simply split apart since then.
[Detected collectible trait: E-rank trait]
[E-rank trait: Young Uchiha Fire Style]
[Effect: Defeating a young Uchiha increases Fire Release talent by 10%.]
"Fire Release talent?"
Qingyuan looked over the trait carefully, making sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.
"So defeating someone can make a trait drop, too?"
Qingyuan mused.
Could he farm points this way?
For example, would losing at rock-paper-scissors count as being defeated?
Or did it depend on how he won?
Qingyuan had a hundred questions running through his mind, but in the end, he closed the trait panel without changing his expression.
This was his greatest advantage. He couldn't let anyone see him acting strangely in front of a crowd.
But he suddenly stopped, then turned to look at Uchiha Tekka.
Uchiha Tekka watched Qingyuan in confusion, unsure why he'd stopped halfway.
"If you want to spar again sometime, Tekka, just come find me. You'll make more progress together than on your own."
Qingyu made no secret of how much he wanted to improve!
Obito probably didn't have many worthwhile traits at this stage.
But Qingyu was sure Uchiha Tekka had plenty.
And after beating the younger ones, the older ones might come looking for him.
He remembered that Uchiha Tekka had a relative he was close to, Uchiha Inabi.
Inabi was a year above him and in a different class.
They were all walking, living bundles of leeks, ripe for the picking.
What a waste not to harvest them!
"...All right."
Uchiha Tekka hesitated.
Could Qingyu really be repaying resentment with kindness?
What an incredibly generous heart.
Was this... the Will of Fire?
At that moment, Uchiha Tekka was overcome with doubt.
He wondered whether he had failed to properly understand the true meaning of the Will of Fire.
After hearing Uchiha Tekka's answer, Qingyu continued toward the crowd.
He waited for Umino Shika to call the next student.
It was exam day, and once they were done, they could go straight home. They had no classes.
"Qingyu actually won?"
Obito stood at the back, eyes wide.
He'd just been saying Qingyu was doomed.
Now he thought he was the one who was doomed.
Because Obito had realized, to his dismay, that if he'd been in Uchiha Tekka's place, he might not even have managed to dodge that Great Fireball.
"Qingyu's always been strong," Rin Nohara said.
The first day she'd met Qingyu, she'd seen him spar with Kakashi.
Qingyu had lost, but his skill had clearly shown he had a solid foundation.
"So? I told you I was right."
Shizune looked at Yūhi Kurenai, sounding just a little pleased with herself.
Yūhi Kurenai nodded, her gaze on Qingyu now more curious than before.
There seemed to be a lot about Qingyu he hadn't shown yet.
Sarutobi Asuma stood off to one side, whistling as if nothing had happened, pretending he hadn't said anything earlier.
But his eyes kept darting toward Yūhi Kurenai, as he prayed that what he'd said wouldn't lower her opinion of him.
"No wonder Father said Qingyu would be my rival in the future."
Kakashi nodded.
Watching the fight end, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help lighting his pipe.
In an instant, smoke filled the office.
Shimura Danzō frowned and moved a little farther away from Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He didn't want to breathe so much secondhand smoke that he failed to live long enough to take the Hokage Position.
"See? This is why I insist on promoting the Will of Fire at the Ninja Academy."
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke.
What could be more satisfying than seeing your efforts make a positive difference?
The Second Hokage had founded the Ninja Academy, but by Sarutobi Hiruzen's time, plenty of material about the Will of Fire had been added to the curriculum.
Especially The Third Hokage and the Will of Fire, which told the story of his own illustrious life.
Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō nearly lost his composure.
Hiruzen really did love taking credit for himself.
Still, Shimura Danzō didn't embarrass Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Hiruzen was the Hokage, and he was the head of Root. There were matters he needed Hiruzen's backing to carry out smoothly.
The two bickered often, but they had never let things escalate into a serious conflict.
"I didn't know Qingyu could use one of Teacher Tobirama's techniques."
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