Battle Against Pakura

The Chunin Exams selection arena.

The massive grounds were enclosed by high walls, with dignitaries seated in the uppermost section to watch, while villagers and ninjas crowded the spectator stands on either side.

"Next up, Hidden Leaf Village's Uchiha Shimizu versus Hidden Sand Village's Pakura!"

The proctor read the names, signaling for the two to step forward.

"That's a descendant of the Uchiha Clan; he looks every bit the genius the rumors claim."

"But they say his talent is in medical ninjutsu. I wonder how his combat skills hold up? Has he even awakened the Sharingan yet?"

"Uchiha Shimizu's opponent is Pakura of the Sand. She's supposedly a rare genius from the Hidden Sand Village, a wielder of Scorch Release."

Uchiha Shimizu's entry sparked a flurry of whispers.

The previous rounds had only weeded out the most mediocre ninjas; the truly formidable ones hadn't even needed to show their real strength.

With only half the participants remaining, the selection matches were naturally much more intense and worth watching.

The Uchiha Clan was famous far and wide for their bloodline limit, the Sharingan, while the Hidden Sand Village had produced a Scorch Release user with extraordinary power.

A duel between two bloodline limits drew the attention of even the most indifferent dignitaries.

Qingshui was the most eye-catching of all; his appearance was striking, and he seemed to stand out from the crowd wherever he went.

"Qingshui is up."

Asuma Sarutobi, sitting in the spectator stands, spoke to Kurenai Yuhi on his right.

Kurenai Yuhi gave a faint nod; she also wanted to take this opportunity to see Qingshui's current strength.

"We meet again. So, your name is Uchiha Shimizu."

Pakura's long, half-gold, half-green hair was pinned back with a hairpin, shimmering under the sunlight as she waited for the proctor to signal the start.

"Begin!"

As the proctor gave the command, both figures vanished from their spots in an instant.

Their silhouettes crisscrossed the vast open ground. Pakura waved a hand, and four fireballs appeared, circling behind her; whenever Qingshui attempted an attack, the fireballs would emerge to intercept him.

Seeing this, Qingshui opened his mouth and exhaled, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."

A massive fireball erupted from Qingshui's mouth, sweeping outward with terrifying heat.

"Uchiha fire style..."

Pakura's gaze sharpened. She pressed her hands together, and the four fireballs merged into one giant sphere, its power surpassing even the Great Fireball.

"Scorch Release: Extremely Steam Murder!"

Boom!

The two fireballs collided. Qingshui's Great Fireball dissolved into sparks and vanished into the air, while the fireball formed by Pakura's Scorch Release continued to surge forward with overwhelming force.

"Is the temperature of Scorch Release higher than Fire Style?"

Qingshui stood his ground, his long black hair swaying in the wind generated by the fireball.

Scorch Release was a new nature transformation created by combining Fire Style and Wind Style chakra—a bloodline limit.

Generally, bloodline limits created by combining standard elemental releases possessed special effects.

The temperature of Qingshui's ordinary Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique simply couldn't compare.

"Fire Body Flicker."

Qingshui thought for only a split second before crouching slightly, flames spreading across his legs at incredible speed.

With a flash of fire, Qingshui dragged a long trail of flames behind him as he arrived behind Pakura. He opened his mouth and spat out a new fireball, aiming it at her fair, lotus-root-like back.

From Pakura's perspective, Qingshui, who should have been engulfed by her fireball, had suddenly vanished from her sight, followed immediately by a searing heat at her back.

Instinctively, she unleashed a Wind Style jutsu, blowing the Great Fireball off its trajectory.

Bang.

A charred crater was blasted into the ground. Before Pakura could even catch her breath, a kunai, accompanied by a gust of wind, grazed past her neck.

Pakura retreated in a hurry, struggling to keep up.

"Uchiha Shimizu is too fast; I can't even get a chance to use Scorch Release."

At this moment, Pakura felt incredibly frustrated. Scorch Release: Extremely Steam Murder required physical contact; only by touching the opponent could she evaporate the moisture in their body and turn them into a dried husk.

Qingshui darted left and right, his brilliant flames blooming like a lotus. Pakura's eyes were strained to the point of bloodshot, yet she still couldn't track his movements.

If Pakura's bloodline limit had been the Byakugan, she might have easily seen through Qingshui's position, but unfortunately, hers was Scorch Release.

High above, Danzo Shimura stood in the shadows behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, looking down at the battle below.

His eyes were dark and uncertain; this did not match the intelligence Nonou Yakushi had provided him at all.

According to Nonou Yakushi, Qingshui was only exceptionally gifted in medical fields, and in other areas, he was merely a relatively talented Uchiha, barely qualifying as a genius.

From the results of the exchange between Qingshui and Pakura, Danzo could clearly see that Qingshui's strength far exceeded the scope of a Chunin.

"How on earth are those idiots monitoring the Uchiha?"

Danzo Shimura cursed the Root internally for their incompetence, though in truth, he was wronging them.

Qingshui Uchiha had never revealed his true strength before; every time he sparred within the clan, he had carefully restrained his strikes.

Only today had he revealed far more power than ever before, yet it was still not his full extent.

"Hiruzen, that Uchiha must be handled with caution. Put him into Root."

Danzo Shimura walked up to Hiruzen Sarutobi with a gloomy expression.

Qingshui's strength showed signs of spiraling out of control; he had to be branded.

The Uchiha Clan were the descendants of Madara, and Madara was a madman who had left behind a psychological imprint within the Uchiha even after his death.

There were some Uchiha in the Hawk Faction who had always revered Madara; if Qingshui Uchiha were to follow the path of the Hawk Faction, he would be a potential enemy to the village.

"Danzo, there are many ninjas in the Uchiha Clan with great talent. If we decide their futures so arbitrarily, how can the Uchiha ever open their hearts to Konoha?"

"Hmph, Hiruzen, see for yourself!"

Danzo Shimura pulled a stack of white papers from his sleeve, filled with Qingshui's movement routes and an assessment of his strength.

Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively wanted to reprimand Danzo for defying his orders by secretly surveilling the Uchiha.

However, as he compared Qingshui's strength to his current standing, the result was clear: Qingshui had been hiding his capabilities.

Just how much he had concealed was unknown, as Qingshui had almost never fought outsiders, with the only exception being Tetsu Hyuga of the Hyuga Clan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips parted slightly, and he remained silent for a moment, his gaze flickering.

As the saying goes, with age comes wisdom; having lived for half a lifetime, he knew exactly what this implied.

Qingshui's concealment of his strength did not necessarily stem from malice; perhaps he simply did not want to stand out.

But he had to prepare for the worst-case scenario; the Uchiha Clan had produced more than its fair share of traitors.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could at most guarantee that he would not discriminate against the Uchiha, but he could not bring himself to stop being wary of them.

The ideology left behind by Tobirama Senju had influenced them too deeply, shaping them in ways they didn't even realize.

Danzo Shimura belonged to the Extremist Faction, while he belonged to the Peace Faction.

Yet, if the safety of the village were threatened, he too could become an extremist.

"I have met that child; his thoughts do not deviate from the Will of Fire. I will have Minato take him under his wing."

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the report and cast his gaze downward.

It just so happened that Qingshui Uchiha lacked teammates; he could have Minato Namikaze serve as his squad leader.

Anyone would eventually reveal their true nature through long-term contact.

If Qingshui proved to be fine, he would have Minato Namikaze guide him in the direction of Kagami Uchiha.

If not...