You've Got to Be Showing Off

Keigo Uchiha paid no attention to the people around him.

Instead, he kept savoring the benefits that high-speed hand seals brought him and thinking about how he could put them to use.

"If I can reach eight seals per second, then I'll be able to do what Senju Hashirama can—clap my hands and use any jutsu I want! Right now, I can manage seven seals per second. I can't quite clap my hands and use any jutsu I want yet."

"But for jutsu below A-rank, I can form the seals with one hand! And for C- and D-rank jutsu, I don't need hand seals at all!"

Keigo's eyes gleamed!

Never underestimate how terrifying one-handed hand seals and jutsu without hand seals could be!

One-handed hand seals meant he could hide one hand behind his back while forming them.

That way, his enemies wouldn't even know he was using a jutsu, much less what kind.

Jutsu without hand seals were even more terrifying!

Otherwise, Minato wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to develop the Rasengan.

It would be a massive boost to his combat ability.

"Also, thanks to Absolute Control, as long as a jutsu doesn't involve Chakra Nature Transformation, all I need to know is the sequence of hand seals, and I can copy it perfectly!"

Keigo pondered this.

In other words, if he saw someone use the Rasengan, he could use it too.

But using Wind Style: Rasenshuriken was impossible.

That involved changing the nature of chakra.

Still, this was already incredible!

"That means I've already mastered chakra shape transformation. There are definitely no more than twenty people in the entire Shinobi World who can do this, and I'm only eight! Thanks to my talent, Absolute Control, I've already reached this level!"

His gaze was composed.

He was very satisfied.

This was what it meant to have a cheat!

"I'm not happy with this! Keigo, I challenge you!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke said with a grin, his eyes brimming with excitement and fighting spirit. "Fighting a genius like you is the only way to really get my blood pumping!"

There was definitely a certain satisfaction in fighting someone at your own level.

After all, you had a chance of winning.

But fighting Keigo Uchiha meant getting beaten up—and still learning a lot from it!

"Me too! Me too!"

Gekko Yabu came over, excited. "I want to have a swordsmanship match!"

"Hmph!"

Kurama Shimotsuki let out a delicate snort and strode over on her long legs. "How could you leave me out of this? Let's have a genjutsu match, Keigo Uchiha!"

She took a deep breath.

Her beautiful eyes were filled with caution and fighting spirit!

Keigo Uchiha laughed. "Then let's do it. I'll see how much you've all improved over the past year!"

He shrugged and grinned.

"Of course, I won't be like a certain idiot who spent the whole year practicing hand seals."

Hyuga Ruri stepped forward.

Her beautiful eyes made no secret of her desire to challenge him.

She wanted to find out how much Keigo Uchiha had improved over the past year, too!

"Then I'll be the referee. Let's go to the training field!"

Kamimura Yanoi was practically bursting with excitement.

He was fired up!

Soon, the Konoha 12 arrived at the training field. Sarutobi Shinnosuke was the first to face Keigo. Holding a black wooden staff, he grinned. "I didn't waste this past year! If you underestimate me, you're going to lose!"

As soon as he finished speaking,

he shot forward!

His gaze sharpened, and he swung the staff hard!

But in the next instant, Keigo Uchiha vanished, reappearing behind him in a flash like a ghost, his figure impossible to catch.

"Your speed's not bad, but your accuracy still needs work."

Keigo chuckled.

"As expected of you. You're so fast!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke broke into a cold sweat. Feeling Keigo Uchiha behind him, he curled his lips into a smile. The wooden staff disappeared from his hand as he quickly formed hand seals and shouted, "Earth Release: Earth Pillar Technique!"

There was no point in testing him anymore.

Keigo Uchiha was far stronger than he was.

All he could do now was make Keigo Uchiha look a little more flustered. That would be enough!

"Earth Release: Earth Pillar Technique!"

Keigo Uchiha shouted the same thing!

But unlike Sarutobi Shinnosuke, he didn't form any hand seals. He simply clapped his hands!

He was even faster than Sarutobi Shinnosuke had been. Shinnosuke didn't even have time to react before he was sent flying, landing in a heap three or four meters away!

He was stunned.

His face was full of shock and confusion!

"I lost."

"But... what the hell was that? Why can you use Earth Release: Earth Pillar Technique too?! That makes no sense! I came up with that Earth Release jutsu myself!"

By all rights, he should have been the only person in the world who knew that jutsu.

How could Keigo Uchiha use it?!

Everyone else was just as stunned, their eyes full of shock. "What happened? What was that just now?"

"Did Keigo use the jutsu without hand seals? How is that possible?!"

"No, he didn't use it without hand seals. He clapped his hands, and the jutsu came out!"

"Does that count as a way of forming hand seals?"

At once,

everyone turned to Kamimura Yanoi, hoping he could give them an answer!

There was even a hint of... hope in their eyes!

Using jutsu without hand seals—if they could do that too, it would be amazing!

Hand seals were such a hassle!

"Uh... well... maybe it's because everyone's body is different. Keigo should explain it to you."

Kamimura Yanoi was sweating bullets. He forced a smile and changed the subject.

How the hell would he know?!

He was only an elite Chunin.

Just a teacher.

How could he know how to clap your hands and get whatever jutsu you wanted?

"Tch! So the teacher doesn't know!"

"Hmph! And he complained earlier that we never asked him questions. Now he can't even answer his students!"

Everyone chimed in with complaints.

Then they turned hopeful eyes toward Keigo Uchiha, one after another, like students eager to learn.

Keigo shrugged, unconcerned. "There's nothing special about it. Shinnosuke just used a D-rank jutsu. Once you can form hand seals as fast as I can, you'll be able to clap your hands and use any jutsu below C-rank, just like that."

"And hand seals are useless anyway. What proper ninja even uses them?"

"The First didn't use hand seals either."

He looked completely calm, as though he were talking about something as ordinary as eating or drinking.

Everyone was stunned!

He's got to be showing off, right?

He definitely is!

The First was a legend of the Shinobi World. Of course someone like him could use jutsu without hand seals. But Keigo was only eight!

"'What proper ninja uses hand seals?' Do normal ninja even exist who don't use them?"

Gekko Yabu complained irritably.

This guy was just too much.

He was getting better and better at showing off!

Yabu couldn't even get close enough to grab his collar!

He was a swordsman, after all!

A swordsman who was as cool as the wind!

"Do you guys think Keigo's getting kind of irritating? I think we should change the format of today's matches."

Kurama Shimotsuki smiled gently, but for some reason, it gave everyone a chill.

She just kept smiling.

So very sweetly...

Keigo Uchiha's mouth twitched.

This girl was devious!