Yuna Was Stunned

Yuhi Shinku explained the theory for a long time.

Yuki Yuichi didn't get impatient. Instead, his eyes lit up as he eagerly absorbed all the knowledge.

This was a jonin's understanding and experience, things that hadn't even been shown in the original story.

For a Ninja Student who'd never learned ninjutsu, learning it wasn't as simple as picking up a scroll and memorizing the chakra flow and hand seal sequence.

This kind of high-difficulty technique was hard to master.

Though Kakashi Hatake would one day be able to copy ninjutsu in battle, that didn't mean it was easy.

Who was Kakashi Hatake?

He was a rare prodigy: he entered the Academy at five and graduated that same year, became a Chunin at six, a jonin at twelve, and an Anbu Captain at fifteen.

That kind of record sounded like something out of a novel.

By the time Yuhi Shinku had taught them the finer points and execution of Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique, it was completely dark.

Yuki Yuichi was eager to give it a try, but when he saw how dark it was outside, he couldn't help frowning.

He might have acted like a mischievous kid, but he wasn't actually one. Where was he supposed to test his ninjutsu in the middle of the night?

As if he'd read Yuichi's mind, Yuhi Shinku chuckled. "If you want to try it, go ahead and practice in the courtyard."

The Yuhi Family home wasn't in the center of Konoha. Thanks to Yuhi Shinku's status as a jonin and the savings he'd accumulated—and since this wasn't a particularly busy area—the house he'd bought was quite large.

The courtyard was naturally spacious, too.

As soon as he heard that, Yuki Yuichi sprang to his feet and ran outside.

At the same time, he silently repeated the hand seal sequence Yuhi Shinku had just taught him.

Snake. Dragon. Hare. Tiger!

Yuki Yuichi stood at one side of the courtyard, with Yuhi Kurenai beside him.

Yuhi Shinku, seemingly convinced that Yuichi wouldn't be able to pull it off, lounged against the doorway.

Yuki Yuichi's hand seals weren't slow.

Though he had a cheat, he'd never neglected the practical skills of a ninja.

From an early age, he'd consciously trained his fingers to be nimble.

As he formed the seals one by one, he controlled the flow of chakra inside his body.

The chakra, normally cool, grew agitated and surged toward his throat. As more and more chakra gathered there, Yuki Yuichi felt a scorching heat.

"Snake. Dragon. Hare. Tiger!"

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"

When he couldn't stand the heat in his throat any longer, Yuki Yuichi let it all out. His lips pursed as he blew toward the open space.

At the same time, a fierce blaze flashed into view. But because Yuki Yuichi had pursed his lips, the flames that should have burst forth were compressed into a thin stream of fire.

Yet as soon as the stream appeared, Yuki Yuichi felt a strange energy surge within him. Then he watched as the line of fire grew by thirty percent.

Before his eyes, the stream of fire became like a rushing river, sweeping toward the wall on the opposite side.

(Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique)

The heat of the flames made Yuhi Kurenai retreat several steps. Her eyes narrowed into crescent moons as she bounced excitedly beside him.

When Yuhi Shinku saw Yuki Yuichi successfully use Fire Release Ninjutsu, he nearly fell over backward against the doorframe.

He truly hadn't expected Yuki Yuichi to actually learn the technique!

Even for an ordinary Genin, a C-rank technique was difficult.

And Yuichi had learned it in just a few hours!

Did that make any sense?

No, it didn't!

Ignoring Yuhi Shinku's shock, Yuki Yuichi's technique continued.

The stream of fire slammed into the wall on the other side. Flames spread in every direction, and the technique blasted a hole right through the wall.

Only then did Yuhi Shinku react. His expression changed, and he rapidly formed hand seals.

"Water Style: Waterfall Basin Technique!"

As soon as Yuhi Shinku finished speaking, a waterfall poured down from above, extinguishing Yuki Yuichi's flames.

Yuhi Shinku then ran to the wall on the other side. Seeing that the damage wasn't too bad, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuki Yuichi and Yuhi Kurenai hurried over as well.

Looking at the damage he'd caused, Yuki Yuichi froze. Just like Yuhi Shinku, he hadn't expected to be able to perform ninjutsu at all.

When he'd learned genjutsu, it had taken him a long time to get the hang of it. He hadn't expected to get such a pleasant surprise while learning Fire Release today.

At the thought, Yuki Yuichi immediately got excited.

"Am I actually a genius?!"

Yuhi Shinku glanced at him, wondering the same thing. Was Yuichi actually a genius?

But just then, Yuki Yuichi remembered how the ninjutsu had suddenly changed. As if in response, two achievements appeared before his eyes.

[Title: Ninja Student. While equipped, ninjutsu effects are increased by 10%, and training effects are increased by 20%.]

[Nintaijutsu: Rage: Passively gain a 20% damage bonus. Your attacks deal an extra 20% damage. Maybe you could try stabbing Susanoo with a Kunai. That ought to break through its defense, right?]

The Dragon Fire Technique had inexplicably grown more powerful. It seemed to line up with these two achievements.

And the title also increased the effectiveness of his training...

Thinking about it, Yuki Yuichi shook his head.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

He'd achieved everything through his own hard work!

It had nothing to do with these achievement rewards!

After taking care of things, Yuhi Shinku drew a deep breath and turned to Yuhi Kurenai. "Kurenai, you try it too."

"Huh?" Yuhi Kurenai blinked her wide eyes at her father.

Then she looked at the gaping hole in the wall and asked nervously, "Isn't this a bad idea?"

"It's fine." Seeing how nervous she was, Yuhi Shinku reassured her. "It's already like this. It can't get much worse."

"If anything goes wrong, Dad will put it out with Water Release."

Only then did Yuhi Kurenai nod.

Unlike Yuki Yuichi, she hadn't spent a long time training her fingers.

She formed the seals one by one, but fortunately, her movements were fluid and she didn't stumble.

A moment later, Yuhi Kurenai took a deep breath and forcefully exhaled.

Yuhi Shinku was ready, too. If another enormous pillar of fire appeared, he'd extinguish it at once.

But he was bound to be disappointed. Yuhi Kurenai looked rather intimidating, but when she let out her breath, all she managed to spray out was a few sparks.

Then Yuhi Kurenai began coughing violently, a little black smoke coming from her mouth.

Yuhi Shinku handed her the water he'd prepared in advance, then nodded.

Now that was how a beginner was supposed to perform!

But what was with that kid?

Yuhi Shinku looked at Yuki Yuichi, who was patting Yuhi Kurenai's back in an attempt to help her catch her breath. He couldn't make head nor tail of it.

If he hadn't seen wrong, the pillar of fire Yuichi first produced hadn't even been that big, had it?