A scorching wave of heat rushed toward them, leaving their mouths parched.
The ground along its path had been devastated and scorched. The intense heat had even melted the rocks.
As the fireball rapidly grew in his pupils, Uchiha Fugaku's eyes suddenly widened.
Mangekyō Sharingan!
A pale blue light suddenly appeared around Uchiha Fugaku.
A ghostly skeleton quickly took shape.
It was none other than Susanoo!
BOOM!
The Great Fireball slammed into Susanoo.
The scorching flames erupted like a raging tide, sweeping outward with overwhelming force.
The trees along its path snapped in half as roaring flames shot into the sky.
The tremendous explosion covered an area a thousand meters in every direction.
"Big Brother Fugaku, what happened?!"
Minato Namikaze was the first to arrive.
Feeling the scorching heat, he swiftly formed the hand seals for a Water Release technique.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
Roar!
Three water dragons formed out of thin air, and one of them plunged straight into the endless sea of flames.
It instantly doused the flames rushing toward them.
At the same time, Uchiha Fugaku burst out of the sea of fire. His Mangekyō Sharingan had already reverted to its normal form.
Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!
An enormous amount of chakra surged forth, instantly flooding the surrounding land.
The scorching flames were completely extinguished, sending clouds of steam billowing upward.
Wind Style: Great Tornado!
Minato Namikaze continued his attack.
Only after a gust of wind swept past did the mist blanketing the area finally disperse.
"Minato, what happened?" Gekko Kuro Yoru hurried over.
Looking at the scorched trees stretching across a thousand-meter radius, he asked urgently, "Did Qin Yu try to escape and use some kind of forbidden technique?"
"Dad, that must be it! Hurry and join Lord Minato in capturing Qin Yu," Gekko Hayate chimed in urgently.
But he was soon startled by the figure that landed before them.
"What's wrong? Were you talking behind my back?" Qin Yu glanced at Gekko Hayate and smiled warmly.
Gekko Hayate couldn't help shuddering. He took half a step back, tripped, and fell on his backside.
"Black Night, Minato, don't get the wrong idea. I was only testing Qin Yu's strength. That explosion just now was caused by a Great Fireball." Uchiha Fugaku landed right after him.
The moment he finished speaking, everyone present froze. They stared at the scorched trees stretching a thousand meters in every direction, utterly dumbfounded.
"Fugaku, you must have misspoken. I heard from Uzuki that Qin Yu knows some forbidden techniques. An attack on this scale must have been a forbidden technique, right?" Gekko Kuro Yoru couldn't help saying.
At his words, the other ninjas said nothing, but their expressions gave them away.
In their eyes, the Great Fireball Technique was only a C-Rank Fire Release technique.
The Uchiha Clan specialized in Fire Release techniques and could bring the Great Fireball's power far beyond its normal limits.
But to reach the level of an S-Class technique—or even a forbidden technique—was clearly impossible.
"It really was a Great Fireball. I saw it with my own eyes. Though this one was a little large—the diameter must have been around sixty or seventy meters." Minato Namikaze glanced at Uchiha Fugaku and nodded in agreement.
The scene fell utterly silent.
All the Konoha Ninja exchanged bewildered looks.
Even Gekko Kuro Yoru's face had turned ashen.
If anyone else had said those words, they wouldn't have believed him.
But the person standing before them was Minato Namikaze. His words carried an entirely different weight.
A Chunin who could wield a C-Rank Great Fireball with the power of a forbidden technique.
How were Special Jōnin and even Jōnin like them supposed to compete?
"Very well. If there's nothing else, I'd like to talk with Qin Yu. Is that all right?" Uchiha Fugaku hadn't expected this, either.
What had been a simple test had caused such a huge commotion.
"Go ahead. Be careful," Minato Namikaze replied with a nod.
"Can we not talk?" Qin Yu gave him a helpless look.
But seeing the stubborn expression on Uchiha Fugaku's face, Qin Yu had no choice but to turn and lead the way.
Watching the two figures walk away, Minato Namikaze glanced at Gekko Kuro Yoru. He didn't linger and turned back toward the outpost.
Qin Yu's strength had exceeded his understanding time and time again.
He needed to report what had happened here to the Third Hokage as soon as possible.
"Dad!" Gekko Hayate struggled to his feet.
"Shut up!" Gekko Kuro Yoru snapped. "You're useless. You can't even withstand a single look."
"Now answer me. You didn't try to kill Qin Yu, did you?"
Gekko Hayate froze for a moment, then said excitedly, "Dad, you hadn't arrived yet. How could I have dared attack him?"
"Don't worry. I've already thought of plenty of ways to deal with him. As long as you step in, I'll make him regret crossing me."
Smack!
A sharp slap rang out.
Gekko Hayate was stunned, clutching his stinging cheek.
"Shut up, you useless fool! I'm warning you, don't you dare attack Qin Yu. You could drag the entire clan down with you!" Gekko Kuro Yoru scolded him.
"This time, it seems the Uchiha Clan has produced someone even more terrifying than Body Flicker Shisui."
His words caused the Konoha Ninja present to turn pale.
In the previous generation, the most famous ninjas in the Ninja World had been the Legendary Sannin: Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
There had also been the Eight Colors of Konoha.
In the current generation, the strongest figures at the very top were the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, and Body Flicker Shisui.
One tier below them were the likes of Ino-Shika-Cho.
In Konoha, the rise of Uchiha Shisui had already made many people feel threatened.
Now there was an even more terrifying Uchiha Qin Yu.
The entire balance of power in Konoha Hidden Leaf Village might be about to change.
"Hmph. You'd better watch yourself. If you can, make peace with Uchiha Qin Yu. Even if you can't, don't make an enemy of him."
After leaving those words, Gekko Kuro Yoru turned and walked away.
Gekko Hayate was stunned.
No!
The Konoha Ninja present were just as shocked.
They had never expected one of the Eight Colors of Konoha to say something like that.
Several thousand meters away, atop a rocky outcrop,
Qin Yu stood facing the wind, with Uchiha Fugaku behind him, a hint of concern on his face.
"If you have something to ask, just ask, Uncle Fugaku. Don't beat around the bush. I didn't expect you to dare use your Mangekyō Sharingan in front of everyone, either."
Uchiha Fugaku froze, not expecting Qin Yu to expose his secret in an instant.
After awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan during the Second Shinobi World War, Uchiha Fugaku had never used it in front of outsiders.
He knew that this power could protect the Uchiha Clan.
But it could also lead the Uchiha Clan to destruction.
Before you continue