"I see..."
After Uchiha Itachi's reminder, Yun Xi finally understood why the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique he had used was so much weaker than the original.
In essence, all ninjutsu were the same.
Their power depended entirely on the amount of chakra the user had.
Even a top-tier shinobi of the Ninja World like Uchiha Madara could unleash incredible power with nothing more than a C-rank Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.
But if the user didn't have enough chakra,
then even if they had mastered a top-tier technique, they wouldn't be able to use it!
Even though Yun Xi had completely mastered the technique for using the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique,
still...
His chakra was his biggest weakness.
"I really do need to work on building up my chakra..."
From what Yun Xi remembered, the person who used Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique the most in the original story was Sasuke.
Sasuke had been able to use this technique from the very beginning of the story.
But early on, because he didn't have enough chakra, he could barely use the technique more than once before running out...
Yun Xi could tell from that, too: this technique consumed a tremendous amount of chakra!
"Learning ninjutsu takes time. You're rushing things."
After demonstrating the technique for Yun Xi, Uchiha Itachi slowly came over to his side, a faint, wry smile on his face.
Though he hadn't known Yun Xi for long, Uchiha Itachi could sense the kindness in him.
That was the main reason Uchiha Itachi had taught Yun Xi ninjutsu!
"Mm."
Yun Xi nodded, then went back to the open area, ready to try using the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique again!
This time, he wasn't trying to produce a lot of fireballs.
Instead, he planned to follow Uchiha Itachi's earlier instructions and give it another try.
Form Hand Seals.
Gather the chakra inside his body...
Release the technique!
After running through the entire process in his mind, Yun Xi's face filled with confidence!
"Rat-寅-Dog-Ox-Rabbit-寅!"
"Fire Style!"
"Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
As soon as he finished forming the Hand Seals, a basketball-sized flame burst from Yun Xi's mouth.
His target was a large tree about a dozen meters away!
"Boom!"
The moment the fireball struck the tree, an explosion rang out amid a burst of flames!
"Nice!"
Though the tree in front of him hadn't been destroyed, Yun Xi was thrilled to see that his fireball was already fit for actual combat.
Compared to the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique in the original story, though,
Yun Xi's Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique had produced only one fireball, and because he wasn't very skilled yet,
he couldn't control it with chakra.
Still, this was a very clear improvement!
At the same time,
a flash of surprise crossed Uchiha Itachi's face as he watched from behind Yun Xi.
Uchiha Itachi hadn't had any missions recently, so he'd taken advantage of a rare break to bring his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, to the back mountains.
He'd planned to teach him how to use shuriken.
He hadn't expected to run into Yun Xi here.
When he saw Yun Xi training, Uchiha Itachi had casually gone over to greet him.
And offered him a little guidance...
But...
Uchiha Itachi really hadn't expected Yun Xi to actually manage to use this shortcut to perform the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
And it was no weak technique, either!
"This guy..."
For a moment, Uchiha Itachi's opinion of Yun Xi shifted.
When he'd met Yun Xi before, Uchiha Itachi had thought of him as just an ordinary civilian from Konoha.
But now,
it seemed Yun Xi's talent for ninjutsu was actually pretty good!
At least when it came to Fire Release Ninjutsu, he was definitely no worse than the average person.
"Yun Xi."
Suddenly remembering something, Uchiha Itachi called out to Yun Xi.
"Hmm?" Yun Xi asked, puzzled.
"Is this really your first time training in this technique?"
Uchiha Itachi was one of the top geniuses in Konoha, so he could naturally judge Yun Xi's talent.
Besides, Uchiha Itachi had looked into Yun Xi's background before.
The student who had repeated the most years at the Konoha Ninja Academy...
Under normal circumstances, managing to produce even a rough version of Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique within a month would be impressive.
But...
Yun Xi had only tried twice.
And he'd actually succeeded!
Naturally, this left Uchiha Itachi with a trace of doubt...
"Mm. Counting this time, it's my second try."
Yun Xi didn't hide anything when Uchiha Itachi asked.
He sat down on the ground and began recovering the chakra he'd just used up, while curiously eyeing the little boy beside Uchiha Itachi.
"This..."
Seeing that Yun Xi didn't look like he was lying, Uchiha Itachi was even more surprised!
Partly because of Yun Xi's talent.
But also because...
Yun Xi seemed different from how he'd imagined...
"Is this your younger brother?"
Seeing Uchiha Itachi's stunned expression, Yun Xi didn't press him for more answers. Instead, he turned the conversation to the little boy standing in front of him.
Actually, the moment Yun Xi saw the boy,
he'd been able to tell.
The little boy following Uchiha Itachi was the protagonist of the original Naruto story.
Uchiha Sasuke!
He had long hair, and his cold expression made him look a little wary of Yun Xi, a stranger.
His small hands clutched Uchiha Itachi's clothes tightly.
He eyed Yun Xi suspiciously, then hid behind Uchiha Itachi...
"I didn't expect Sasuke to be so shy when he was little."
Seeing that Uchiha Sasuke was different from how he remembered him, Yun Xi smiled.
"Yeah, he's my younger brother."
Uchiha Itachi nodded, then led Uchiha Sasuke out from behind him. In a gentle voice, he said, "Sasuke, this is your big brother Yun Xi. You could say he's a good friend of mine."
"A good friend?"
Hearing Uchiha Itachi say that, Yun Xi was a little surprised.
He hadn't expected to count as a friend in Uchiha Itachi's eyes.
Yun Xi seemed to remember that, in the original Naruto story, Uchiha Itachi had no friends apart from Uchiha Shisui...
As for Kisame Hoshigaki...
He was only a comrade-in-arms...
"This really is an unexpected bonus."
As Yun Xi thought to himself, he slowly stood up and walked over to Uchiha Sasuke with a smile. "You're Sasuke, right? Just call me Yun Xi."
And at that moment,
Uchiha Sasuke said in a soft voice, "Hello, big brother Yun Xi..."
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