He ate the last bite of his rice ball, put away his dishes, and said, "All right, time to train. But before that... I want to try that 'Skill Fusion Attempt.'"
"Now?" Tobirama asked. "You only get one attempt per week. Are you sure you want to use it now?"
"I want to try," Qingyu said. "Let's see what your teachings can fuse into."
He opened the [Skill Fusion Attempt] interface.
Two empty slots appeared, with a prompt below:
[Select two existing skills or knowledge systems to attempt fusion. The success rate depends on the host's understanding and the compatibility of the skills.]
"Hmm, what should I pick..." Qingyu browsed through his skill list.
He currently knew:
Style Shuriken Basics (taught by Izuna)
Style Chakra Control Intro (taught by Tobirama)
Release: Match-Size Flame (Ninja Academy level)
Release: Water Droplet Condensation (the result of Tobirama's special training)
: Genin Standard
Body Technique
"Fire Release and Water Release?" Qingyu suggested.
"I want to see if I can combine the two elements, even in a basic way, and create something more controllable than the Steam Technique."
"It's worth a try," Tobirama said, "but it's very risky. The elements are incompatible, and forcing them together could damage your chakra pathways."
"Use chakra control to balance them," Izuna countered. "As long as you're precise enough, it should be possible in theory."
"We need experimental data!"
"When do you have time to collect data on a battlefield?"
The two started arguing again.
Ignoring them, Qingyu selected [Fire Release Knowledge] and [Water Release Knowledge], then tapped Fuse.
[Fusion attempt initiated...]
[Analyzing compatibility: Fire and Water elements are incompatible. Fusion difficulty: High]
[Detected "Senju Style Chakra Control Intro" in host's skill set. Fusion success rate increased by 15%]
[Detected shared intent toward the fusion target from the soul guides "Izuna Uchiha" and "Tobirama Senju." Success rate increased by another 10%]
[Final success rate: 42%]
"Less than a fifty percent chance," Qingyu said through gritted teeth. "But... let's try!"
[Fusion in progress...]
A surge of heat and a rush of cold rose from his abdomen at the same time, shooting upward through separate chakra pathways.
Qingyu felt as if his body had become a battlefield, the left half burning hot and the right half freezing cold.
It felt as though red-hot wires and ice picks were piercing his chakra pathways at once. He nearly bit through his teeth.
"Control it!" Tobirama's voice rang out sternly.
"Use the method of splitting the flow that I taught you. Divide both streams of chakra into a hundred strands and bring them together slowly!"
"Imagine they aren't enemies," Izuna added.
"They're two kinds of energy that can coexist. Just like... just like flames can make water evaporate, and water can carry fire!"
Qingyu closed his eyes and concentrated, controlling the chakra with all his might.
Heat and cold met in his chest, clashing violently. He felt something sweet rise in his throat...
[Warning! Fusion failure imminent!]
[Enable soul coordination support? This will consume 1% of Izuna's and Tobirama's soul energy each, temporarily increasing control.]
"Do it!" Izuna and Tobirama answered without hesitation.
In an instant, two gentle yet powerful wills intervened, guiding the raging chakra from either side.
The flames grew docile, and the water softened.
They began to spin and intertwine, eventually settling into a delicate balance: a translucent sphere of water and fire, slowly rotating in his palm.
[Fusion successful!]
[Wow! You beat the 42% odds. Host, are you the ultimate lucky one? (doge)]
[New skill prototype acquired: Water-Fire Rotation (unnamed)]
[Effect: Condenses a small sphere of dual-nature Water and Fire chakra in the palm. Can be thrown to produce a Steam Explosion, or maintained as a defensive barrier. Duration: 15 seconds (increases with proficiency)]
[Cost: Moderate chakra]
[Proficiency: Beginner, 1%]
Qingyu opened his eyes and stared at the sphere of water and fire dancing in his palm, his face alight with excitement.
"I did it..."
"It's only a prototype," Tobirama said, sounding a little tired.
"Maintaining its shape is still crude, and the energy dissipation rate is as high as 37%. It'll take a lot of practice to refine it."
"But the idea is sound," Izuna said, his voice weary as well.
"Fire Release doesn't have to burn everything down, and Water Release doesn't have to drown everything... They can coexist and create new possibilities."
Qingyu dispersed the chakra sphere and bowed deeply. "Thank you both."
"Enough with the sappy stuff," Izuna huffed.
"Get started on your regular training. Tonight, focus on curved Shuriken throws and precise chakra control, two hours each."
"And a tactical review," Tobirama added. "Analyze what went well and what went wrong in every battle today."
Qingyu nodded and headed for the small training ground in the backyard.
Under the moonlight, he began throwing Shuriken—once, twice, a hundred times.
The two voices in his head took turns offering guidance, arguing, and occasionally agreeing.
Night fell deeper.
Most of the lights in the Uchiha clan compound had gone out, with only a few still lit.
One of them was in the home of Fugaku Uchiha, the clan head.
In his study, Fugaku sat at his desk, with Yashiro Uchiha standing across from him.
"Give me a detailed report on today's exam," Fugaku said.
Yashiro nodded. "Qingyu's team passed the first test. Their performance was... exceptionally good."
"Exceptionally?"
"He single-handedly drove off a three-man ambush squad, using a technique we'd never seen before: Steam Explosion. From what we could tell, it seemed to use both Fire Release and Water Release."
"Both?" Fugaku frowned. "He shouldn't have an affinity for Water Release."
"But he used it all the same. And..." Yashiro hesitated.
"His Shurikenjutsu bears traces of the old style."
Fugaku tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. "The old style? Did his parents teach him?"
"His parents died when he was seven. It's unlikely he learned the complete old style from them," Yashiro said.
"What's stranger is that Kakashi and Itachi, the examiners, both took notice of him. Itachi even went out of his way to warn him to be careful."
"Itachi?" Fugaku's gaze grew intent. "What did he say?"
"He just warned him that someone in the clan was watching him." Yashiro paused.
"Clan Head, do you think... Qingyu's sudden change could have something to do with the incident at Naka Shrine that day?"
Fugaku fell silent for a long time.
"Keep watching him, but don't alert him," he said at last.
"If he really does have a special talent... In times like these, that could be a good thing or a bad thing."
"Should we send someone to approach him?"
"Send Itachi," Fugaku said.
"They're close in age, and Itachi knows how to handle himself."
"Yes, sir."
Yashiro said, "Itachi really does know how to handle himself, but what if there's something wrong with Qingyu..."
Fugaku replied, "Then let Itachi judge for himself. He knows better than any of us what Uchiha eyes can see."
Qingyu: Bro, this is seriously not okay!
After Yashiro left, Fugaku walked to the window and looked toward the small house at the edge of the clan grounds.
From there, the sound of Shuriken hitting their targets still carried faintly from the backyard training ground.
"Qingyu Uchiha..." Fugaku murmured. "What exactly happened to you?"
At the same time, at Konoha's Anbu headquarters.
Kakashi sat in the briefing room, all the records of that day's examinees spread out in front of him.
His gaze lingered on the page marked "Qingyu Uchiha."
"The Steam Technique... using Water and Fire chakra at the same time..." He scratched his silver hair.
"His parents were researching the Soul Guidance Technique back then, weren't they?"
Across from him, an Anbu wearing an animal mask nodded. "Yes. According to the files, Qingyu's parents were Special Jōnin who specialized in research on forbidden soul techniques. They disappeared during a mission three years ago and were presumed dead."
Kakashi closed the file and looked up at the night outside.
"Whatever... It has nothing to do with me anymore..."
Before you continue