Hearing that, Naruto was so delighted he could barely contain himself.
He scratched his head and gave a silly little laugh. Then, as if afraid the feeling might disappear, he immediately pulled another kunai from his pouch, took his stance, and aimed at the target.
He threw it.
Another hit.
"Ha ha ha!" Naruto laughed first. "Again!"
One after another.
Qiushui stood beside him, occasionally reminding him to flick his wrist a little more or not to rush into using too much force.
[Talent development complete] [Overall rating: A] [Development reward received—Fire Style: Fireball Technique (Max Level)]
Although the Fireball Technique was only a C-rank ninjutsu, it was one of the most iconic techniques in Naruto, and could even be called the signature move of the Uchiha Clan.
The user gathered chakra in their throat and released it in one breath, forming a massive sphere of flame several meters—or even more than ten meters—in diameter.
However, Qiushui had once seen someone on a Tieba forum tally up all 720 episodes of Naruto. Not a single person had died from the Fireball Technique; most had only suffered burns, which made the jutsu seem somewhat useless.
Still, he had no intention of looking down on it. After all, it was something he'd gotten for free. He hadn't needed to train hard for it, nor spend contribution points to exchange for it.
But as Qiushui looked at the information that had appeared before him, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and he couldn't help feeling a little helpless.
Why did the system keep giving him ninjutsu he already knew?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when, the next moment, a flood of unfamiliar memories burst forth in his consciousness like shoots after a spring rain. They were all scenes of training in the Fire Style: Fireball Technique.
He saw himself forming Hand Seals again and again, repeatedly adjusting how he gathered chakra in his throat, and carefully studying the timing and angle of its release.
Qiushui felt that his Fireball Technique was now beyond the reach of even some Uchiha ninjas, or ninjas who specialized in Fire Release.
Since the system had granted him max proficiency, he now needed only one Hand Seal to release the Fireball Technique, which would normally require four.
As soon as Qiushui announced that class was over, nearly all the students disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, and several other girls immediately surrounded Uchiha Sasuke at lightning speed, chattering away.
Choji Akimichi lay spread-eagled on the grass, his chest rising and falling slightly. From a distance, he looked like a ball of fat.
It wasn't that he didn't want to leave. After these few classes, he felt as if every bone in his body was about to fall apart. He was so tired he didn't even want to move a finger.
Choji glanced toward Naruto and said softly, "Naruto seems pretty hardworking."
He didn't really understand why the villagers rejected and insulted Naruto whenever they saw him. Over the past few years, he'd found that although Naruto often played pranks, he hadn't done anything particularly annoying. And whenever he greeted anyone, he always had a grin on his face.
Shikamaru Nara lay beside him with his hands folded behind his head and a blade of grass between his teeth. He gazed lazily at the clouds drifting across the sky, seemingly lost in thought, and replied listlessly, "Yeah."
If it were him, he definitely wouldn't waste his break training.
Who in their right mind trained during a break?
At noon, Qiushui returned to the office to continue writing his novel. He didn't put down his pen and head unhurriedly toward the Class 1 of the 4th Grade classroom until the bell rang.
Standing at the classroom door, he glanced around at the students and announced, "We'll continue this afternoon's lesson outdoors with practical combat exercises."
The moment he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the classroom came alive.
For these energetic children, nothing could get them more excited than practical combat.
Inuzuka Kiba grinned. This new teacher was starting to suit his tastes more and more.
Uzumaki Naruto made no effort to hide his excitement. He twisted around in his seat, practically itching to rush outside and show off.
Some were happy, of course, while others were troubled.
Ino Yamanaka's expression stiffened slightly.
She hadn't eaten much that morning, and after a whole morning of intense training, she'd only managed to choke down a rice ball and half an apple at lunch. Now her stomach was empty, and she felt weak all over.
If it had been a regular theory lesson, that would've been one thing. But it was practical combat. What if she got matched against a strong classmate? Wouldn't she embarrass herself in front of Sasuke-kun?
She sneaked a glance at Sakura Haruno nearby and saw that her expression was just as troubled. Clearly, Ino wasn't the only one with the same worry.
Outside the window, the midday sun beat down on the earth without mercy. Through the glass, the distant scenery wavered in the rising heat, and a faint, scorching haze hung in the air.
Qiushui didn't take the students to the open-air training ground. Instead, he turned and led them into the training hall. It was much cooler inside, and light slanted through the high windows, casting several sharp bands of light and shadow across the floor.
"Pair up according to the drawing order and have a match," Qiushui said, taking a sheet of paper from his robes and looking over the group. "Keep it friendly. I'll observe and take notes."
The drawing began.
Ino clasped her hands to her chest and silently murmured with her eyes closed, "Sage of Six Paths, please bless me. Sage of Six Paths, please bless me... Let me draw a weaker opponent. Please!"
When she opened her eyes and saw Sakura Haruno's name on her slip, delight appeared on her face.
Although Sakura had ranked first in the whole grade in theory for years, in practical lessons she often ranked a few places below Ino. Ino had a pretty good chance of winning against her.
At the thought of Sakura losing the match and embarrassing herself in front of Sasuke-kun, Ino Yamanaka couldn't help the corners of her mouth from lifting slightly.
The fights all followed the same pattern. First, they threw shuriken at each other from far away, with most of them clattering harmlessly to the ground. Once the distance closed, they grappled without any real technique, trading punches and kicks. Rather than a battle between ninjas, it looked more like a brawl between children on the street. Every now and then, a student tried to use the Three Basic Techniques, but the attempt was full of openings.
"Next pair." Qiushui turned to the sheet and read out two names. "Sakura Haruno and the student who drew her, come up."
Sakura Haruno looked rather unhappy. The person she least wanted to face was Ino. Losing to another classmate would be embarrassing, but it wouldn't bother her too much. If she lost to Ino, though, Ino would definitely tease her about it for the entire next week.
At one corner of the training hall, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka's friends split into two groups, and cheers rang out from both sides almost at the same time.
"Sakura, you can do it!"
"Ino, you can do it!"
Before the match began, Qiushui ran a quality assessment on the two of them.
[Name: Sakura Haruno] [Chakra: 600] [Quality: S] [Evaluation: Solid grasp of the fundamentals; suited to training in Medical Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Binding recommended]
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