Testing

"Good, well done—exceptionally well done!"

That evening, when Uchiha Haruki saw Suifeng standing before him with a Chunin Forehead Protector tied around his head and a Chunin vest on, his cheeks flushed with excitement and his eyes shining.

Suifeng's performance this time had been truly astonishing: he had defeated all the Genin, become the only graduate, made Chunin at the youngest age in history, and beaten three Root Jonin.

Each of those four achievements was enough to make people's jaws drop, especially the last two.

The youngest Chunin in history had broken the record of every ninja village. What could better prove that the Uchiha Clan was the strongest clan in the Ninja World?

And what could better showcase a genius's strength than defeating three Jonin at once?

From then on, the Uchiha Clan's reputation in the Ninja World was bound to grow even greater.

Haruki could almost see the day when a new powerhouse of the Uchiha Clan rose to prominence.

Suifeng's significance extended beyond the Uchiha Clan. Within the clan, his branch's influence would naturally rise, and its voice would carry more weight.

"Great Elder, what exactly was going on with those three Anbu?!"

Although he had already figured out the identities of the three Root shinobi, he still showed the appropriate confusion in front of the Great Elder.

"They were Root shinobi!"

This time, Uchiha Haruki didn't hide anything from Suifeng. Instead, he explained the situation with Root in detail, then said, "Don't worry. I'll make sure the Third Hokage gives you an explanation."

"Root, Danzo... I never imagined the village had a department like that. I'd never heard of it before!"

"Root's existence is even more secret than Anbu's. Now that you know, don't go telling anyone else," the Great Elder said. "Still, your performance in the Chunin Exams was truly astonishing. I heard you beat three Jonin using only the Body Flicker Technique. Is that true?!"

"Yes. I owe a lot to the chakra control materials you found for me. I was originally planning to study the Strength Enhancement Technique, but I discovered that combining chakra bursts with the Body Flicker Technique could greatly increase my speed. But..."

"But what?!"

"I'm moving too fast, so my reactions can't keep up. And my attacks still aren't powerful enough. When I use the Body Flicker Technique, it's difficult to perform other jutsu. I can't even swing a kunai fast enough to match my speed, so I can only kick—but I can't kill anyone with a kick!" By the end, he wore a wry smile. "My Body Flicker Technique still needs more work!"

"Hahahahaha! Don't rush, don't rush. It's already very good!" Uchiha Haruki burst into laughter. He was a ninja himself, and an Elite Jonin at that. As soon as Suifeng spoke, he understood what was going on. The Body Flicker Technique Suifeng had developed must focus on controlling chakra in his legs, greatly boosting his speed for a short time. But his reaction speed couldn't keep up at all. Before he could even swing his arm, he was already in front of his enemy, leaving him no choice but to kick. Without using a jutsu, though, a kick only inflicted ordinary damage and couldn't kill in one blow.

"How's your Strength Enhancement Technique coming along? If you can combine it with your speed, there won't be many people who can stand against you on the battlefield."

"That's what I thought too. I've made some progress studying the Strength Enhancement Technique, but it's still too slow to use. Otherwise, I would've kicked those three guys to pieces long ago!" As he said this, he wore a suitably defiant expression, making Uchiha Haruki laugh again. "No rush, no rush. You're still young. I believe you'll succeed!"

"Thank you, Great Elder. I'll work hard!"

Suifeng replied, full of energy.

Uchiha Clan Compound, training ground

Uchiha Hideki and Uchiha Haku stared with wide eyes, the Tomoe in their eyes spinning furiously. Yet all they could see were afterimages.

Uchiha Fukuyama was in a sorry state. A steady string of "thump, thump" kicks rang out, and he had already lost count of how many times he'd been kicked.

"That's enough! Stop!!"

He suddenly barked, and the afterimages vanished. Suifeng appeared in the middle of the field, pale-faced and panting heavily, his legs trembling slightly.

"Sensei, that's not fair! You used the jutsu I developed against me!"

Uchiha Fukuyama's face was livid. A clear footprint marked the right side of his face, and that cheek was swollen. His right eye had puffed up until it was little more than a narrow slit, and blood smeared his mouth. His vest was torn, and footprints covered his body, sparing only a few vital areas. By the end, he'd been focused solely on protecting those vital spots and hadn't been able to spare a thought for his face. "You jerk, why'd you kick me in the face?!" His words came out somewhat slurred.

"An accident, an accident! When you dodged, you happened to leave your face exposed. That spot was just too perfect. I wouldn't have felt right if I didn't kick it!" Suifeng chuckled.

After leaving the Great Elder, Suifeng hadn't even had time to head home before he ran into Uchiha Fukuyama, who promptly dragged him to the training ground.

Fukuyama had also heard about what Suifeng had done in the Chunin Exams and wanted to test his strength. That was how things had ended up like this.

Getting hit in the face had been inevitable.

But compared to the three Root Jonin, Fukuyama was far stronger. First, he was an Elite Jonin, stronger than the three Root Jonin. Second, he had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. With all three Tomoe activated, he could just barely follow Suifeng's speed with his eyes. His reactions still weren't fast enough, though, which was why he'd been forced onto the defensive. Third, his Iron Body technique had reached a decent level. Although his reactions and movements couldn't keep up with Suifeng, his eyes could just about follow him, so he was able to use Iron Body at the most critical moments and greatly increase his ability to take hits. Fourth, Suifeng lacked a way to kill in one blow. He'd kicked and kicked and kicked, which was satisfying, but he couldn't actually bring Fukuyama down—and had ended up exhausting himself instead.

Of course, the main reason was that his opponent was Fukuyama. He couldn't kick him in just any spot. Otherwise, Suifeng could have taken him out in an instant right from the start!

Strictly speaking, then, Suifeng hadn't won this fight. But Fukuyama was both his captain and his teacher, so he couldn't exactly claim that he'd won, either.

"You're too fast. You can't keep up with a lot of your own movements. Have you considered sacrificing some speed to improve your attack power?!"

Suifeng was so fast that even Fukuyama's reactions couldn't keep up. If he gave up some speed to match his reaction time and used suitable jutsu—or even weapons like kunai—his lethality would surely rise to another level, and his overall combat strength would improve considerably.

"Of course I have. But lately, I've thought of another jutsu that could work with the Body Flicker Technique. If I can develop it, I won't need to slow down!" Suifeng said.

That was right. The next jutsu he planned to develop was Finger Pistol.

Compared with kunai and ninjutsu, Finger Pistol was far more flexible. And since his Iron Body had already reached a decent level, it was time to develop Finger Pistol. Once he mastered it, he'd be a killing machine on the battlefield. The only thing bothering him was that he'd inevitably get blood on his hands, so he needed to prepare himself mentally.

"You've thought of another jutsu?!"

Fukuyama's mouth twitched. He felt he could no longer enjoy himself around this student.

"All right. Since you have a plan, go ahead and follow it!" Fukuyama said helplessly. "I was going to treat you to barbecue to celebrate your passing the Chunin Exams, but looking at the state I'm in, let's forget it!" The poor middle-aged man had rarely offered to be generous.

"No way, Captain! You're so sneaky, using that as an excuse to get out of treating us!" Uchiha Haku shouted. "How about we go eat, and you put it on your tab?" Uchiha Hideki nodded beside him, wearing a complicated smile.

Suifeng's progress was simply too astonishing. He had left his senior in the dust, and he was only eight years old. How was that even possible? He was an Uchiha too, and he had his own pride!

Of course, those were only his private thoughts. After spending so much time with Suifeng, he understood him well. It wasn't just his astonishing Body Flicker Technique—he also had a second Kekkei Genkai, Lava Release, and a decent grasp of genjutsu. He had almost no weaknesses. Once he came into his own, it would only take a few years for him to become a Kage Level powerhouse. Hideki, on the other hand, had already tapped out his potential and would only ever reach the level of an Elite Jonin. There was no comparison. Besides, they were from the same clan and so far apart in age. He could be jealous, but there was no real conflict of interest. And making friends with such a young powerhouse could only help him. Who wouldn't want to cling to a ready-made powerhouse?