A Wind Style That Was All Fire

Why was this happening?

What gave him the right?

Kakashi had graduated early, and his instructor was Minato.

But when it came to him, he got Orochimaru?

He'd shown such incredible talent. Was he really still inferior to Kakashi?

Just ask Kakashi yourself—who was the number one student in their year!

Ruohuo couldn't understand what the Third was thinking.

Did he think Orochimaru couldn't destroy Konoha, so he was letting the Uchiha lend him a hand?

"Oki told me your theoretical knowledge is solid, and you even got a perfect score on your assessment."

"So I recommended that you skip the theory exam and go straight to the practical test."

"Ruohuo, are you confident?"

Orochimaru stood in the training ground, hands clasped behind his back.

Fugaku, who had eaten only a small rice ball for lunch, watched from the sidelines.

Ruohuo pressed his lips together.

Although he knew Orochimaru hadn't "awakened" yet, he was definitely not as gentle as he appeared.

Orochimaru was good at putting on an act.

And right now, his greatest goal was to become the Fourth Hokage.

Is he planning to use the Uchiha's strength...?

But wouldn't getting too close to the Uchiha hurt his chances of becoming Hokage?

Could this be the Third's idea?

Then what am I supposed to be, a tool? A double... no, a triple agent?

Ruohuo took a breath, temporarily setting aside his doubts. He raised two fingers and formed the Seal of Confrontation.

"You're quite confident, Ruohuo," Orochimaru said with a smile, forming the Seal of Confrontation as well.

Fugaku was still wondering whether he should call out for them to begin.

Ruohuo made the first move.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

He opened with a volley of shuriken while his fingers flew through Hand Seals!

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Fwoom—!

A stream of blazing fire burst from Ruohuo's mouth, combining with the shuriken barrage for a ferocious assault!

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with interest.

Look at the scale of that attack.

Even his Shurikenjutsu was excellent, and he'd hidden a shuriken in the attack's blind spot.

You seem to be holding back today, child...

Orochimaru took half a step back, dodging the "hidden" shuriken as his hands swiftly formed Hand Seals.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Whoosh—

A gale roared!

Boom!

Flames collided with the wind!

Ruohuo immediately felt the pressure. This was an assessment he was destined to pass, so Orochimaru certainly wouldn't take it seriously. But even this mere glimpse of his ability posed a challenge unlike anything Ruohuo had faced before!

After all, when this man got serious, he could scare Kakashi into wetting himself with just a look...

And yet, in the middle of all that, Ruohuo suddenly grinned.

Because as his Sharingan tracked the action, the system displayed another prompt...

[Ninjutsu Type: C-rank Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.]

[Triggered the "Child of Flame" effect. You can learn any nature transformation technique, but all techniques you use will be replaced by flames.]

[Successfully learned ninjutsu: Fire Style: Great Breakthrough.]

After upgrading from Fire Style Little Genius to Child of Flame, it seemed the learning restrictions had been removed entirely. Even the system prompts had become much more concise.

"If I couldn't fleece the Third, I'll fleece his student instead."

Ruohuo grinned. He stopped using Dragon Fire Technique, quickly changed position, and formed Hand Seals once again!

"That Seal?!" Fugaku was stunned. It was the same one Orochimaru had just used!

Had the kid learned it too?

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Ruohuo mimicked the technique, but instead of a gale, flames burst from his mouth!

"????" Fugaku was stunned again. Why was this Wind Style all fire?

Had he called it the wrong thing on purpose? Was it some kind of tactic?

But the Hand Seals were right!

"Interesting." Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with even greater interest!

He had seen it clearly, too.

With those eyes, the child had successfully "copied" his technique after seeing it only once.

But with the exact same Hand Seals, it had turned into a Fire Style technique!

Whoosh!

This time, Orochimaru didn't counterattack. He chose to dodge instead.

He wanted to study the technique carefully—and the child who'd used it.

"Temperature, form... This really is Fire Style. And it still retains Wind Style's speed and impact..."

"Kid, you're starting to scare me a little..."

By Orochimaru's reckoning, the "Wind Style" Ruohuo had just unleashed was every bit as powerful as a combination jutsu!

If the child had truly created a combination jutsu, Orochimaru would have been impressed.

Just how incredible did one's talent have to be to master chakra control of such difficulty at this age?

But the truth was even more astonishing!

The child had used the Hand Seals for a Wind Style technique, yet unleashed a Fire Style technique while retaining most of the original's characteristics!

That was beyond Orochimaru's knowledge.

And exploring the unknown was the brightest mark on Orochimaru's soul.

Orochimaru looked at Ruohuo again, only to find the child looking just as puzzled.

He glanced at Fugaku, who seemed equally astonished.

"So we've all discovered this for the first time."

Orochimaru pressed his lips together.

It seemed they needed to move somewhere else...

Whoosh!

Orochimaru vanished, then reappeared beside Ruohuo.

"Could you use that technique again, Ruohuo—hmm?"

Ruohuo spun around and lashed out with a kick: Konoha Great Whirlwind!

Thud!

Orochimaru blocked it with one hand, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

But Ruohuo immediately retreated after his attack failed. He landed, breathing slightly hard, his expression solemn.

Orochimaru understood at once.

What a stubborn little fellow...

"Congratulations, Ruohuo. You've passed the assessment."

"I don't believe you," Ruohuo replied, unmoved.

"Becoming a ninja can't be this easy. You must be trying to lower my guard!"

"Lord Orochimaru, I'm not a three-year-old anymore. That trick won't work on me!"

"..." Orochimaru's smile stiffened.

But he soon seemed to realize something. He smiled and shook his head, then removed his Headband, raised two fingers, and formed the Seal of Reconciliation.

"I was careless, Ruohuo."

"This is your Headband. Put it on, and you'll be a ninja of Konoha."

Only then did Ruohuo's expression visibly relax.

Orochimaru suddenly felt that he was beginning to figure out how to communicate with this little genius.

But what Orochimaru didn't know was...

[Ding—]

[Clan Mission (C): Become the top student at the Konoha Ninja Academy in the name of the Uchiha, and break the early graduation record (six months). √]

[Received C-rank Clan Reward: C-rank Main Skill Slot *1.]

[Main Skill Slot (C-rank): Select a C-rank skill and bind it to your Innate Skill Slot. The skill will receive a major enhancement and gain a unique trait. (Preview available)]

[Complete each Clan Mission to unlock the corresponding rank of Main Skill Slot.]

[Personal Skill Template unlocked. Click to view.]

[Your Sharingan has upgraded to: Two-Tomoe Sharingan.]