Nawaki's Challenge

Everyone couldn't help but marvel and admire him.

When they first joined the class, they had all been geniuses from prestigious clans, and none of them had been willing to admit anyone else was better. But as time passed, the other rising stars realized that there were monsters in this world even more formidable than geniuses!

That was when Keigo Uchiha appeared.

Beside him, everyone else's brilliance seemed utterly insignificant.

Yet their own light shone a little brighter than before.

"Keigo Uchiha has a talent that surpasses even the most gifted geniuses. Perhaps under his leadership, this generation of youngsters will become the strongest generation yet!"

The Hokage's office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the smiling faces in the crystal ball, a faint smile in his eyes.

He had placed his bet correctly ahead of time.

Now all he had to do was wait for the payoff!

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

Under Keigo Uchiha's guidance, Kamimura Yanoi increasingly felt that he... barely counted as a teacher at all.

"Keigo, whenever I perform Hand Seals, the chakra in my body always seems to lag behind. What should I do?"

Yamanaka Asagao ran a hand through her blond hair, her brow furrowed.

"I recently managed to do three Hand Seals in a second, but now the chakra in my body can't keep up with the speed!"

She had been worrying about this for days!

At the lectern, Kamimura Yanoi looked up at the heavens in silence.

"Damn it! Do any of you even remember that I'm your teacher? I'm the teacher here, you know!"

Kamimura Yanoi couldn't help complaining.

"Relax, teacher. What you teach is too complicated to understand. Keigo explains things much more clearly."

Yamanaka Asagao flashed a playful smile.

Everyone immediately nodded in agreement.

"That's right, Keigo explains things best. He's so clear and easy to understand!"

"I kept messing up my Hand Seals when training Fire Release Ninjutsu, but you didn't notice what was wrong, teacher. Keigo was the one who pointed out the problem with my chakra flow!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke complained without holding back.

For a moment, the classroom was filled with complaints, along with an unmistakable sense of dependence on Keigo Uchiha.

There was no helping it.

Keigo Uchiha explained everything so clearly.

He was even clearer than the instructors at home, and Keigo would demonstrate it for you, too!

Whether it was Ninjutsu, Hand Seals, Taijutsu, chakra control, Kunai throwing, or swordsmanship—

Keigo Uchiha could pinpoint the problem every time!

Kamimura Yanoi: "..."

Damn it!

They were making fun of him!

He sighed dejectedly, but there was nothing he could do. Looking at Keigo Uchiha, surrounded by everyone, he had no doubt that Keigo was already stronger than he was!

"Your problem isn't hard to solve. You need to keep practicing chakra control so your chakra becomes more flexible and flows more smoothly through your body." Keigo Uchiha considered it for a moment. "With normal chakra training, you should be able to fix it in a month."

"The speed of your Hand Seals, your chakra control, and how quickly you guide its flow are all key factors. You can't overlook any of them."

Keigo Uchiha finished by emphasizing the crucial point.

That made it much easier for Yamanaka Asagao to understand.

[ Ding! The Golden Egg System's draw countdown has ended! ]

[ Congratulations, host! You have received one Golden Egg draw. Would you like to use it? ]

Keigo Uchiha's eyes lit up. He wasn't surprised.

"Ever since I got Storm Release in my first Golden Egg draw, I've finally earned a second chance!"

He looked forward to it.

The Golden Egg System gave him one draw each year. The Storm Release he'd gotten last time had been a real treat, and it had made training in the Cloud Hidden Village's Nintaijutsu much easier!

His strength had grown rapidly, too.

What ability would he get this time?

"Start the draw now!"

Keigo Uchiha silently said the words in his mind without hesitation!

The next moment.

In his mental space, a golden egg shone brilliantly, glowing with a captivating light.

[ Ding! Congratulations, host! You have acquired the talent 'Absolute Control'! ]

[ Absolute Control: Grants perfect control over everything about yourself, including your muscles, chakra, and even the calmness of your mind! ]

Keigo Uchiha's eyes lit up.

Absolute Control?!

"To think I would get an ability like this. It isn't a power like Storm Release, but Absolute Control is even more important than raw power!"

A hint of delight appeared in his eyes. "That means I can precisely assess everything on the battlefield, know the condition of my body, and perform at my best!"

Just how terrifying was this ability?

It was like being human while also possessing a Super Brain!

Combined with the Sharingan's terrifying ability to track movement, he would become a fearsome machine, leaving any enemy facing him in despair!

"Keigo Uchiha! I've spent this past year constantly training my Hand Seal speed, so... I challenge you!"

Just as Keigo Uchiha was thinking about how to use the advantages of Absolute Control and maximize its potential,

he suddenly heard Senju Nawaki's challenging voice.

He stood proudly in front of Keigo Uchiha and grinned.

"I haven't been slacking off this past year! All my training has made me incredibly strong. This time... I'll challenge you to a contest of Hand Seal speed!"

His voice grew quieter toward the end.

He sounded a little unsure of himself.

But when he thought about Hand Seal speed, his confidence returned!

Over the past year, he had even scaled back training in other areas.

He had devoted all his energy to Hand Seal speed.

He didn't care if that left him with an uneven skill set!

His goal was to defeat Keigo Uchiha!

He had devoted all his energy to Hand Seal speed. Surely he wouldn't lose to Keigo Uchiha, who was focused on so many things at once?

He... only needed to beat Keigo Uchiha in one area!

Why had he chosen to focus on Hand Seals?

Compared to Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or throwing ninja tools, Nawaki felt that Hand Seals were the quickest thing to improve at.

"You? Challenge Keigo? Nawaki, have you lost your mind?"

Kurama Shimotsuki laughed.

She looked at him like he was an idiot.

Keigo Uchiha's strength was there for all to see. Even the teacher couldn't be sure he could beat Keigo, yet now this class dead last, Senju Nawaki, dared to challenge him!

"Nawaki, you're no match for Keigo. To be precise, even all of us together might not be able to beat him."

Nara Kano tried to reason with him.

He had spent the past year observing Keigo Uchiha.

But the more he observed, the more astonished he became!

Over the past year, Keigo seemed to have often used Shadow Clones to attend school. Nara Kano couldn't tell which day's Keigo was the real one. That was beyond the realm of genius!

"Don't you worry about that!"

Senju Nawaki was furious.

Being looked down on like that made him very unhappy. "Keigo Uchiha, do you dare accept? Whoever loses has to call the other 'sir' whenever they meet from now on!"