Ninjutsu! (New book seeking support!)

Time passed quickly. Half a year had flown by since Li started attending the Ninja Academy. During these six months, Li had been seizing every moment to refine his chakra. Although he had made progress, he was still a distance away from being a genin. It is worth mentioning that Li was the top student in his class, reclaiming the reputation of an academic prodigy he held in his previous life. The second place was held by Minato Namikaze, who stood in direct competition with him. Both of them enjoyed high prestige in the class, and the girls were almost entirely divided into two camps, though Li's side was more populous. This was mainly because the weight of the name Uchiha was too great, and in terms of appearance and temperament, Li was a cut above Minato Namikaze.

One day, Morita Mushio called Li, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Mikoto into the study. On the table lay three scrolls, each inscribed with the character for "Ninja." Looking from afar, Li knew these must be ninjutsu scrolls.

"You have all been refining chakra for over a year now; it is time for you to come into contact with ninjutsu!" Morita Mushio said as he picked up the three scrolls and handed them to the three of them.

All three were very excited, Li included. What was the point of working hard to train his body every day and refining chakra as if his life depended on it? Wasn't it just to get his hands on ninjutsu as soon as possible to enhance his strength?

After opening the ninjutsu scroll, the first line contained the name and a basic introduction to the technique.

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

This ninjutsu was very common in the original work. The hand seals were simple, yet the power was immense, especially for members of the Uchiha clan, who used it with unparalleled skill. The title of "fire-playing experts" was not earned for nothing. Almost all members of the Uchiha clan focused on Fire Release. A few geniuses possessed two chakra attributes, but no matter how many they had, fire was always among them. Take Li, for example; when he tested his chakra attributes half a year ago, he had both fire and lightning. According to Li's guess, the reason he possessed the lightning attribute was likely due to being struck by lightning before he died in his previous life.

The three of them had identical ninjutsu scrolls. After taking their scrolls and leaving the room, Li parted ways with Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku. Neither of them said much, both happily taking their scrolls back to practice.

"Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!"

By the side of a lake, Li was practicing the Great Fireball Technique alone. Although it was only a C-rank ninjutsu, it was still somewhat difficult to practice. The main issue was that his chakra was too scarce, making it impossible to perfectly control the formation and temperature of the flames, which often resulted in him burning his mouth.

"One more time!" Wiping his scorched mouth, Li began to weave hand seals again. A moment later, a fireball spat from his mouth, but it rolled less than a meter before extinguishing. It had plenty of momentum but lacked staying power—that was the reason it went out. Moreover, the temperature was so high that Li's mouth was burned again.

"What is this? I'm a genius! It's just a measly C-rank ninjutsu; I'll definitely get it on the next try!"

The current Li had a deep obsession with the pursuit of power. That woman's words were deeply engraved in his heart, impossible to ever forget: to survive, one must have power!

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"

Three days flashed by. This time, Li didn't know how many attempts he had made. After taking a deep breath, Li began to weave the seals. "Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!" Once the seals were complete, Li opened his mouth and spat out a ball of flame.

"Shape, element, chakra, composition, maintenance, lethality!"

A fireball half a meter in diameter rolled toward the lake surface like a wheel. The high temperature caused the lake water to boil. This time, Li had finally succeeded.

"I didn't expect a C-rank ninjutsu to take me three days. I really underestimated these things before!" After mastering the Great Fireball Technique, Li lay directly on the wooden platform by the lake, looking up at the sky. He squinted his eyes slightly and muttered, "If I could go back now, I would definitely be able to kill those two bastards!"

The next day, Li went to school alone again. Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku had arrived early, as usual. Seeing Li approach, Uchiha Mikoto bypassed Uchiha Fugaku and grabbed Li's hand, chattering away about the things she encountered while learning the Great Fireball. However, judging by her tone, she hadn't even grasped the basics. Well, that was to be expected; she was only a five-and-a-half-year-old child, after all, and could not compare to Li. His body housed a twenty-one-year-old soul, and both his chakra and his understanding of ninjutsu knowledge were far beyond what Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku could match.

"Alright, students, today is the ranking tournament. Everyone, hurry to the training ground and assemble!" Morita Mushio said loudly with a smile at the group of brats in his class.

Hearing this, the crowd rushed out in a swarm. Li walked out slowly with Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku, while behind them followed an even slower figure: Minato Namikaze.

The so-called ranking tournament was a sparring competition held every six months. Students in the class would spar one-on-one. They could use shuriken and kunai, and even ninjutsu was permitted—provided, of course, that no one intentionally killed anyone.

Li and the others had been enrolled for half a year, and today happened to be the day of the ranking tournament. Regardless of whether one was usually a top student or a bottom-tier one, achieving good results in the ranking tournament made one a top student. After all, what was the point of having rich theoretical knowledge if one couldn't perform in practice? It would be no different from empty talk.

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

Just as they were lining up, the system's voice suddenly rang in Li's mind. For a moment, Li didn't even react. Since binding with the system last time, it hadn't made a sound in half a year. Sometimes, Li even forgot that there was a system inside him.

"These points are probably for exchange. Since that's the case, I must win this ranking tournament!" Li narrowed his eyes and looked at Minato Namikaze, who was standing at the end of the line. If there was anyone in the whole class who could trade a few blows with him, it was Minato Namikaze. Although he hadn't seen his actual combat ability, he imagined it wouldn't be bad.

Seemingly sensing Li's gaze, Minato Namikaze turned his head to look at Li and gave a slight, warm smile, as gentle as spring.

After the students were lined up, Morita Mushio stepped forward and said, "In this ranking tournament, you are free to choose your opponents to spar with. However, take note: no matter who it is, you are not allowed to intentionally hurt anyone. Do you hear me?"

"We hear you!" the group of kids replied in unison.

Morita Mushio nodded at this, then glanced at Li and said calmly, "Then, the competition begins now. Everyone, pick your opponents and get ready!"