Itachi Has Restraint

He finished the last bite of his rice ball, tidied up the tableware, and said, "Alright, it's time for training, but before that... I want to try that 'Skill Fusion Attempt'."

"Now?" Tobirama asked. "You only have one chance per week. Are you sure you want to use it now?"

"I want to try," Qingyu said, "to see what I can create by merging your teachings."

He tapped open the [Skill Fusion Attempt] interface.

Two empty slots appeared, with a prompt below:

[Please select two existing skills or knowledge systems for the fusion attempt. Success rate is related to the host's understanding and skill compatibility.]

"What should I choose..." Qingyu browsed through his skill list.

Currently, he had mastered:

Style Shuriken Basics (taught by Izuna)

Style Chakra Control Intro (taught by Tobirama)

Style: Spark Level (Ninja Academy standard)

Style: Water Droplet Level (result of Tobirama's special training)

: Genin Standard

Body Technique

"Fire Style and Water Style?" Qingyu proposed.

"I want to see if I can combine the two attributes at a basic level to create something more controllable than the Steam Technique."

"You can try," Tobirama said, "but the risk is high. The attributes are contradictory; forcing a fusion could damage your meridians."

"Use chakra control techniques to balance it," Izuna countered. "As long as the control is precise enough, it's theoretically feasible."

"Experimental data is required!"

"There's no time to collect data on the battlefield!"

The two of them started arguing again.

Ignoring them, Qingyu selected [Fire Style Knowledge] and [Water Style Knowledge] and clicked "Fuse."

[Fusion attempt initiated...]

[Analyzing compatibility: Fire attribute and Water attribute, contradictory. Fusion difficulty: High.]

[Detected that the host possesses "Senju Style Chakra Control Intro," fusion success rate increased by 15%.]

[Detected that soul guides "Izuna Uchiha" and "Tobirama Senju" share a common intent for the fusion target, success rate increased by an additional 10%.]

[Final success rate: 42%]

[Continue?]

"Less than a fifty-fifty chance," Qingyu gritted his teeth, "but... let's try it!"

[Fusion in progress...]

A surge of heat and a surge of cold erupted simultaneously from his dantian, rushing upward along different meridians.

Qingyu felt his body become a battlefield; his left side was scorching hot, while his right side was freezing cold.

His meridians felt as if they were being pierced by red-hot iron wires and ice picks at the same time, nearly making him bite through his teeth.

"Control!" Tobirama's voice was stern.

"Use the diversion method I taught you. Split both streams of chakra into a hundred strands each, and bring them together slowly!"

"Imagine they aren't enemies," Izuna added.

"They are two energies that can coexist, just like... just like fire can vaporize water, and water can carry fire!"

Qingyu closed his eyes and focused, exerting all his strength to control them.

Heat and cold converged in his chest, clashing violently, and he felt a sweetness rise in his throat...

[Warning! Fusion is about to fail!]

[Enable Soul Coordination Assist? Will consume 1% of Izuna and Tobirama's soul energy each to temporarily boost control.]

"Do it!" Izuna and Tobirama said without hesitation.

In an instant, two gentle yet powerful consciousnesses intervened, one on the left and one on the right, guiding the two raging streams of chakra.

The fire became docile, and the water became soft.

They began to rotate and intertwine, eventually forming a delicate balance—a translucent, dual-colored sphere of water and fire slowly spinning in his palm.

[Fusion successful!]

[Wow! You hit a 42% chance; are you the luckiest person alive? (Dog head)]

[Obtained new skill prototype: Water-Fire Rotation (Unnamed)]

[Effect: Condenses a small dual-attribute water-fire chakra sphere in the palm. Can be thrown to create a Steam Explosion or maintained as a defensive barrier. Duration: 15 seconds (increases with proficiency).]

[Consumption: Moderate Chakra]

[Proficiency: Beginner 1%]

Qingyu opened his eyes, staring at the dual-colored sphere pulsing in his palm with a face full of pleasant surprise.

"I did it..."

"It's merely a prototype," Tobirama's voice sounded somewhat weary.

"The form maintenance is still very rough, and the energy dissipation rate is as high as 37%. It requires a great deal of practice to optimize."

"But the train of thought is correct," Izuna's voice also carried a hint of fatigue.

"Fire Release doesn't have to burn everything, 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 of you."

"Don't be so mushy," Izuna snorted.

"Start your routine training immediately. Tonight's focus is on curved shuriken throwing and precise chakra control, two hours each."

"And tactical review," Tobirama added, "analyze the gains and losses of every battle today."

Qingyu nodded and walked toward the small training ground in the backyard.

Under the moonlight, he began throwing shuriken—once, twice, a hundred times.

In his mind, two voices took turns guiding him, arguing, and occasionally reaching a consensus.

The night grew deep.

Most of the lights in the Uchiha clan grounds had been extinguished, with only a few places still glowing.

One of them was the home of the clan leader, Fugaku Uchiha.

In the study, Fugaku sat at the desk, with Yashiro Uchiha standing opposite him.

"Report the situation of today's exam in detail," Fugaku said.

Yashiro nodded: "The squad Qingyu is in passed the first round, and their performance was... exceptionally outstanding."

"Exceptional?"

"He single-handedly repelled a three-man ambush squad using a technique never seen before, Steam Explosion. Based on observations, it seems he utilized both Fire Release and Water Release simultaneously."

"Simultaneously?" Fugaku frowned, "He shouldn't have any talent for Water Release."

"But he definitely used it. And..." Yashiro hesitated for a moment.

"His shurikenjutsu bears the shadow of the Ancient Style."

Fugaku's fingers tapped the desk: "Ancient Style? Did his parents teach him?"

"He was only seven when his parents passed away; it's unlikely he could have learned the complete Ancient Style," Yashiro said.

"What's even stranger is that the proctors, Kakashi and Itachi, both took notice of him, and Itachi even specifically warned him to be careful."

"Itachi?" Fugaku's eyes deepened, "What did he say?"

"Just a reminder that people in the clan are watching him." Yashiro paused.

"Clan Leader, do you think... Qingyu's changes could be related to the accident at Naka Shrine that day?"

Fugaku remained silent for a long time.

"Continue to observe, but do not alert the enemy," he finally said.

"If he truly possesses special talent... in this current period, it might be a good thing, or it might be a bad thing."

"Should we arrange for someone to make contact?"

"Let Itachi go," Fugaku said.

"They are close in age, and Itachi has a sense of propriety."

"Understood."

Yashiro: "Itachi-senpai does indeed have a sense of propriety, but what if there really is a problem with Qingyu..."

Fugaku: "Then let Itachi judge for himself. He knows better than any of us what the eyes of the Uchiha can see."

Qingyu: Buddy, that's not something you should be looking at!

After Yashiro left, Fugaku walked to the window and looked toward the small house at the edge of the clan grounds.

There, the sound of shuriken hitting targets could still be faintly heard from the backyard training ground.

"Uchiha Qingyu..." Fugaku muttered to himself, "What exactly happened to you?"

At the same time, at the Konoha Anbu headquarters.

Kakashi sat in the report room, with the performance records of all the examinees from today spread out before him.

His gaze rested on the page for "Uchiha Qingyu."

"Steam Technique... using water and fire attributes at the same time..." He scratched his silver hair.

"This child's parents, didn't they research the Soul Guidance Technique back in the day?"

Opposite him, an Anbu wearing an animal mask nodded: "Yes, according to the files, Qingyu's parents were Special Jonin during their lifetime, specializing in the research of forbidden soul-related techniques. They went missing three years ago during a mission and were declared dead."

Kakashi closed the file and looked up at the night sky outside the window.

Meh... anyway, it has nothing to do with me anymore...