Flame Explosion Technique

Water Release, Lightning Release, Fire Release... Found it! [Fire Release: Flame Explosion Technique]. Hui excitedly opened the scroll, but its contents made him frown.

The ninjutsu scroll before him was unlike any he knew. It was incredibly... precise? It described in great detail how to manipulate chakra into a unique structure, as well as what had to be achieved before completing each hand seal.

The densely packed text formed an invisible wall, keeping Hui from understanding the technique any further.

A sudden "smack" rang out in the study. Hui slapped himself hard across the face with both hands.

Calm down, Uchiha Hui, calm down. This technique is complicated, sure, but Father described plenty of ways to solve problems. I just need to practice step by step, and I'll learn it.

He closed his eyes. A pair of scarlet Sharingan opened. "Sharingan, activate!"

A single Tomoe slowly revolved in his eye. Hui rapidly scanned the entire ninjutsu scroll with his Sharingan, memorized it, then deactivated the Sharingan.

Then he left the study as if nothing had happened. If he didn't hurry, he might not get a turn at the Training Ground this afternoon. That was what Hui thought.

"Father, I'm going to the Training Ground." Hui called toward the study, then headed for the Training Ground.

"Be careful on the way." Chuanhe's voice came from inside.

"Got it!" His voice gradually faded into the distance.

As he walked, Hui kept thinking about how to use the [Flame Explosion Technique]. The scroll covered every detail, except for the principle behind the technique.

Hui didn't understand why the technique worked the way it did, or why he had to learn it through those steps. He only knew that if he followed the process, he could perform it.

"I'll perform the technique once from start to finish first, then think about how it works. I suppose that's why Father didn't explain the principle in the scroll." That was what Hui thought.

"Hey? Isn't that Hui? Are you heading to the Training Ground?"

The familiar voice interrupted Hui's thoughts. He turned around and saw Sasuke.

"That's right, Sasuke—young master... Sasuke," Hui replied.

Sasuke sounded displeased. "Hui, I've told you: don't call me that at school or when we're alone."

Hui looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry, Sasuke. I picked it up from the others, and it became a habit."

Sasuke nodded, satisfied. "By the way, Hui, why are you going to the Training Ground? Don't tell me you've already learned a ninjutsu?"

"Ninjutsu? Oh, I am planning to try the [Flame Explosion Technique] today." Hui found the question strange. Shouldn't everyone know a few ninjutsu before starting school?

"[Flame Explosion Technique]? You mean Senior Chuanhe's [Flame Explosion Technique]? You've already learned such a powerful ninjutsu, Hui? Damn it, why hasn't my brother taught me?" Sasuke said, puffing up his cheeks.

"Hui, I'm coming with you. I want to see just how dangerous the [Flame Explosion Technique] is. Why won't my brother let me learn it, when he already promised to teach me the [Great Fireball Technique]?"

"Uh, Sasuke, but..."

"No 'buts.' You'd have to wait in line, right? Come with me. I know somewhere we can test it without worrying." With that, he led Hui to a secluded training area.

Hui looked around. The place didn't seem any different from the yard at home. He asked worriedly, "Sasuke, are you sure this place is okay? I heard the Flame Explosion Technique is really powerful. Won't it blow this place up? Besides, it doesn't look like an unmanaged area."

Sasuke proudly replied, "My brother brings me here to train all the time. He said I could come whenever I wanted. It'll be fine."

Hui hesitated, but agreed. "All right, then. [Shadow Clone Technique]! Sasuke, let's back up a bit. This ninjutsu paired with the [Shadow Clone Technique] is like a giant Explosive Tag. Father didn't make its exact power clear, either."

"What does it mean that, with the chakra of an average Chunin, it has the power of 102 Explosive Tags? The scroll doesn't even say how much chakra an average Chunin has."

"To be safe, I didn't put much chakra into it this time. With the Shadow Clone Technique cutting it in half, it should... maybe... probably not be too powerful."

Hui's rapid-fire explanation grated on Sasuke's ears. Damn it, was Hui showing off? He had to be!

[Shadow Clone Technique], [Flame Explosion Technique]... Hui definitely knew more than just those. Just wait. With his brother's instruction, Sasuke would never lose.

Hui didn't notice Sasuke's expression. He and the scowling Sasuke hid a hundred meters away, with several trees between them and the clone.

"Sasuke, we should cover our ears. There are about ten seconds left until the Shadow Clone is supposed to perform the technique."

"No! I want to see just how dangerous this technique is," Sasuke said with a displeased look.

Hui didn't find that strange. He was curious, too.

The [Flame Explosion Technique] was famous throughout the Uchiha Clan. It was said that every elite clan member with the Sharingan knew this technique.

Once released, the technique couldn't be stopped. It compressed all the user's chakra to a degree that even Hui thought defied reason.

Still, that amount of chakra shouldn't cause too much damage, should it?

Hui poked his head out from behind a tree, too, planning to see what made his father's signature ninjutsu so impressive.

He saw the Shadow Clone gradually turn transparent. It was as if a sun were burning inside its heart, absorbing all the colors from its body.

Huh? The Shadow Clone hadn't dispersed yet? Hui wondered how the technique worked. Based on what he'd seen, the clone should already have vanished. He'd check the memories he received afterward. That was what Hui thought.

Sasuke had completely forgotten his earlier resentment. His attention was entirely captured by the sight before him.

Hui suddenly felt a pang of dread. Realizing something was wrong, he hurriedly shoved Sasuke behind a tree.

"Let go of me! Let go! It's just getting to the good part! Hui, what are you—" Sasuke hadn't finished speaking when—

He saw a blinding flash of white light. Even though he was facing away from the blast, he instinctively closed his eyes.

Then the enormous shock wave hit, driving them forward. In a daze, Sasuke felt splintered wood and clumps of dirt striking them.

When the roar died away, Sasuke sat there in a daze.

"Sasuke? Sasuke? Are you okay?" Hui's voice came through in broken bursts.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. What about you, Hui?" Sasuke replied instinctively.

"Good thing I reacted quickly. Father really screwed me over. If I'd prepared properly, wouldn't this have blown the entire Uchiha Clan sky-high?"

Hui's complaint reached Sasuke's ears, and his anger flared at once.

"Hui, you idiot! Can you figure out how powerful it is before using it next time? You were showing off, weren't you? You definitely were! I'm going to find my brother when we get back. Next time, I'll use a [Flame Explosion Technique] that's even more powerful than yours!"

Sasuke grumbled as he emerged from behind the tree. The sight before him left him stunned, and he couldn't help asking himself: Was this really ninjutsu? Did they even go to the same Ninja Academy?

A pungent smell hung in the air. Burnt branches occasionally fell from above, and a few flakes of black ash drifted slowly down from the sky.

A small black cloud rose from the distant center of the blast, like an enormous black mushroom. The surrounding trees had toppled outward, and Sasuke could see from afar that the soil at the epicenter had been blasted into something resembling glass. The entire training area had been blown into a huge crater at least fifty meters wide.

"Hey, Sasuke, are you really okay?"

That irritating voice of Hui's sounded again. By now, Sasuke had reached the epicenter.

Just as Sasuke was about to speak, another familiar voice interrupted him.

"Sasuke, are you okay? What happened here? Have enemies invaded?"

A member of the Uchiha Clan with two tear-like marks on his face jumped over to them. Holding a Kunai, he warily scanned the surroundings. It was Uchiha Itachi.