Ninjutsu!

Time passed quickly. Half a year had flown by since Li started attending the Ninja Academy. During that time, Li had been working hard to refine his chakra. Though he had made some progress, he was still a ways off from becoming a Genin. It was worth mentioning that Li was the top student in his class, reclaiming his reputation as a top scholar from his previous life. Minato Namikaze was in second place, making him Li's direct rival. The two of them were both very popular in class, and the girls had split into two camps, though more were on Li's side. The main reason was that the name Uchiha carried so much weight. And as for looks and bearing, Li had Minato beat by a little.

One day, Uchiha Hao called Li, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Mikoto into his study. Three scrolls lay on the table, each marked with the character for "ninja." Li could tell from a distance that they must be Ninjutsu scrolls.

"You've been refining chakra for over a year now. It's time you started learning Ninjutsu!" Uchiha Hao said, picking up the three scrolls and handing one to each of them.

All three were excited, and Li was no exception. Why else had he trained his body so hard every day and refined chakra like his life depended on it? He'd done it so he could learn Ninjutsu as soon as possible and strengthen himself.

When they unrolled the scrolls, the first line gave the name of the technique and a basic introduction.

"Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique! Rank C!"

This technique was very common in the original story. Its Hand Seals were simple, but its power was immense. It was especially devastating in the hands of the Uchiha Clan. They weren't called fire experts for nothing. Almost all members of the Uchiha Clan specialized in Fire Release. A few talented ones possessed two chakra natures, but no matter how many they had, Fire Release was always among them. Li, for example, had tested as having Fire and Lightning chakra natures half a year ago. He suspected that his Lightning nature came from being struck by lightning before he died in his previous life.

All three had received the same Ninjutsu scrolls. After leaving with their scrolls, Li parted ways with Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku. Neither said much; they happily took their scrolls home to practice.

"Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!"

By the lakeside, Li practiced the Great Fireball Technique alone. Though it was only a C-Class Ninjutsu, it was still somewhat difficult to master. His main problem was that he had too little chakra to properly control the fire's shape and temperature. He often ended up burning his own mouth.

"One more time!" Li wiped his burned mouth and began forming Hand Seals again. Before long, he spat a fireball from his mouth, but it rolled less than a meter before going out. It had plenty of force but no staying power, which was why it went out. Its temperature was also too high, and it burned Li's mouth again.

"What? I'm a genius! It's just a C-Class Ninjutsu. I'll definitely get it this time!"

Li was now fiercely determined to pursue power. That woman's words were etched into his heart, impossible to forget. If he wanted to live, he needed power!

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"

Another three days passed. By now, Li had lost count of how many times he'd tried. He took a deep breath and began forming Hand Seals. "Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!" Once he finished the seals, he opened his mouth and spat out a mass of flame.

"Shape, element, chakra, formation, sustain, harm!"

A half-meter-wide fireball rolled toward the lake like a wheel. Its heat sent the lake water boiling. This time, Li had finally succeeded.

"I didn't expect a C-Class Ninjutsu to take me three days. I really underestimated these techniques!" After mastering the Great Fireball Technique, Li lay down on the lakeside bank and gazed up at the sky, his eyes narrowing slightly. He murmured, "If I could go back now, I'd be able to kill those two bastards, wouldn't I?"

The next day, Li went to school alone again. Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku had arrived early, as usual. When Mikoto saw Li, she walked right past Uchiha Fugaku, grabbed Li's hand, and chattered excitedly about her experiences learning the Great Fireball Technique. From the way she spoke, though, she hadn't even mastered the basics. That made sense; she was only five and a half. She couldn't compare to Li, who carried the soul of a twenty-one-year-old. His knowledge of chakra and Ninjutsu was far beyond what Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku could match.

"All right, students! Today is ranking match day. Hurry and gather at the training grounds!" Morita Mushio said with a smile, calling out to the little brats in his class.

At once, the students rushed out in a swarm. Li, meanwhile, walked out at an easy pace with Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku. One student was even slower than them: Minato Namikaze.

The ranking match was a sparring competition held once every six months. Students fought each other one-on-one, and they could use Shuriken, Kunai, and even Ninjutsu, as long as they didn't deliberately kill anyone.

They'd been at the academy for half a year, and today was the day of the ranking match. Whether someone was usually a top student or a poor one, a good result in the match would make them a top student. After all, what good was knowing a lot of theory if you couldn't put it into practice? That was no different from talking about war on paper.

"Ding! Quest issued: Win first place in the class ranking match. Reward: 100 points. Failure penalty: None."

Just as the students had lined up, the system's voice suddenly rang in Li's mind. For a moment, he didn't react. Ever since he'd bound himself to the system, it hadn't responded at all in the past six months. Sometimes, Li even forgot he had a system inside him.

"These points are probably for redeeming things. If so, I have to win this ranking match!" Li narrowed his eyes and looked toward Minato Namikaze at the end of the line. If anyone in the class could give him a decent fight, it was Minato. Li had never seen him fight, but he assumed Minato was no slouch.

As if sensing Li's gaze, Minato Namikaze turned his head and looked at Li, then smiled gently.

Once the students had lined up, Morita Mushio stepped forward and said, "For this ranking match, you can choose your own opponent. Just remember, no one is allowed to deliberately hurt anyone, understood?"

"Understood!" the children shouted in unison.

Morita Mushio nodded, then glanced at Li and said calmly, "All right, the match starts now. Everyone, choose your opponent and get ready!"