The Show-Off Fugaku (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Kushina Uzumaki and Mito Uzumaki both felt that Uchiha Kurohane's words made sense.

Kushina Uzumaki envied Uchiha Kurohane's talent, and she practiced desperately in order to catch up to him.

As for Mito Uzumaki, she was filled with admiration for Uchiha Kurohane.

She thought to herself that when she had learned the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique back in the day, it had taken her half an hour, which was why the people of the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools had called her a genius.

Now, Uchiha Kurohane learned it the moment he tried; he was a genius far beyond her.

His talent might even be comparable to Hashirama's!

[Ji~ The Host's talent has earned the admiration of Mito Uzumaki. Achievement "Mito Uzumaki's Admiration" unlocked. Obtained entry: "Mito Uzumaki's Chakra Control Ability S".]

Seeing this reward, Uchiha Kurohane felt pleasantly surprised.

One had to know that the power of a ninjutsu was determined by one's chakra reserves and chakra control ability.

Furthermore, the advancement of ninjutsu and the practice of chakra shape and nature transformation required powerful chakra control as a prerequisite.

Chakra control was also a prerequisite for learning the Strength of a Hundred Technique.

The previously obtained entry for Fugaku's Chakra Control Ability was A, while this one from Mito was S.

This meant that Mito Uzumaki's chakra control ability was even stronger than Fugaku's!

Considering that Uchiha Fugaku was only 14 years old at this time, while Mito Uzumaki was 38, this was understandable.

After obtaining these two entries, Uchiha Kurohane's chakra control ability far surpassed both of them.

He had become a genius among geniuses!

Mito Uzumaki saw that Kushina was encouraged by Uchiha Kurohane and had grown even fonder of him.

She felt that it was Kushina's good fortune to be able to make a friend like Uchiha Kurohane.

She warmly invited Uchiha Kurohane to have lunch, and after they finished training in the afternoon, she invited him to stay for dinner as well.

Since Mito Uzumaki was a wealthy woman, Uchiha Kurohane ate a vast amount of delicacies, including abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw.

When he left that evening, his stomach was bulging, and he felt extremely satisfied.

Uchiha Kurohane couldn't wait to test the power of his ninjutsu now that his chakra control ability had been strengthened.

He wanted to use the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique to unleash the Great Fireball Technique!

However, Fire Release was a dangerous ninjutsu; if one wasn't careful, they could end up burning down a mountain, so it couldn't be used just anywhere.

Moreover, he had learned from Mikoto previously that the nearby forest was her property.

If he burned down her forest, that Miss S would come to threaten him again.

Uchiha Kurohane decided to go to the lake to practice Fire Release.

It was a small lake located on the border of the Uchiha territory.

Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha had both practiced Fire Release there when they were children.

This meant they also understood the principle of not burning down the mountains.

Uchiha Kurohane secretly ordered the crows in the forest to fly to the lakeside first, then used the Yatagarasu Substitute to save the time of walking, arriving at the scene in a single second.

When the crows flew to the lake, he unexpectedly saw two familiar figures.

One was Uchiha Mikoto, who was wearing the same blue ninja outfit as Sasuke, her long hair fluttering in the breeze.

She stood with her hands behind her back, gazing at the dim surface of the lake with a proud expression.

The other was Sasuke's future father, Uchiha Fugaku, who, despite being only 14, looked mature and had a fierce gaze.

Although Fugaku gave off a very intimidating vibe, he was currently acting like a sycophant, hunched over and offering a fawning smile to Mikoto.

"How is your Great Fireball practice coming along? I won't be able to teach you once I leave for the Land of Rain. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me now; I know the tricks to releasing the Great Fireball."

Uchiha Mikoto didn't look at Fugaku behind her; she stared at the distant lake and replied in a bored tone.

"It's alright, I suppose. I don't have much interest in Fire Release; I prefer Lightning Release ninjutsu."

"Lightning Release, huh... I've always focused on practicing Fire Release, so I've never learned any Lightning Release ninjutsu..."

Uchiha Fugaku scratched the back of his head, feeling very awkward.

After the two were silent for a moment, Uchiha Fugaku spoke again.

"Lightning Release looks flashy and seems powerful, but it's actually just for show. The damage from Fire Release is far greater than Lightning Release. Let me show you the true power of Fire Release."

Uchiha Fugaku walked to Mikoto's side, performed hand seals rapidly, and took a deep breath, inhaling until his stomach and cheeks puffed out.

Then, he infused his chakra into the air in his throat and exhaled with force.

Whoosh—

Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!

Orange-red flames erupted from Uchiha Fugaku's mouth, instantly forming a massive fireball over a meter in diameter.

The fireball flew rapidly across the surface of the lake, kicking up a wave of heat.

The strands of hair beside Uchiha Mikoto's cheeks were blown into disarray by the hot wind, and she turned her head to look.

The fireball plummeted into the lake twenty meters away, triggering a small explosion.

BOOM!

Water sprayed in every direction.

"See that? That's the power of my Great Fireball Technique. If that hit an enemy, it would burn them to a crisp!"

Uchiha Mikoto tucked a strand of hair blown astray by the wind behind her ear and nodded in admiration.

"It really is impressive. No wonder everyone calls you a genius."

Hearing the praise from his goddess, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't suppress the smirk tugging at his lips, and he patted his chest smugly.

"Haha, Clan Leader Setsuna said my chakra control is the strongest we've seen in years. Because my control is so refined, the temperature of the fireball I exhale is higher, which is why it causes such a massive explosion when it hits the water..."

Listening to Fugaku's bragging through the crow, Uchiha Kurohane found it unbearable.

It's just a Great Fireball Technique; what is there to boast about?

He had always found the aloof and antisocial Sasuke unlikable, but at least Sasuke was quiet.

This chatterbox Fugaku was far more annoying than Sasuke.

Besides, they were father and son for a reason—both of them loved to show off.

Sasuke liked to show off subtly, while Fugaku preferred to do it blatantly.

However, neither of them were the true protagonist, and there was only one fate for a side character who acted like a show-off.

Getting slapped in the face!

Through his Yatagarasu Substitute, Uchiha Kurohane instantly swapped places with a crow at the edge of the woods, then walked out nonchalantly toward the lakeside.

Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku heard the footsteps sharply and turned to see Uchiha Kurohane approaching.

Uchiha Fugaku snorted in disdain, grumbling inwardly.

Tch, your timing is terrible, you coward.

I'm trying to show off my strength in front of Mikoto; I don't have time to deal with you.

Uchiha Mikoto, however, flashed a radiant smile and hurried over to meet him.

"Good evening, Kurohane-kun. What brings you to the lake?"

Seeing Mikoto take the initiative to greet Uchiha Kurohane, Uchiha Fugaku felt deeply irritated and cut in to answer for him.

"There's only one reason for an Uchiha clansman to come to the lake: to practice the Great Fireball Technique. Am I wrong?"

Uchiha Fugaku shot a malicious wink at Uchiha Kurohane.

He knew Uchiha Kurohane lacked ninjutsu scrolls and couldn't perform Fire Release, so he was deliberately mocking him.

However, Uchiha Kurohane didn't need low-level things like scrolls to learn ninjutsu; as long as his system gave a little "ding" in his mind, he learned it instantly.

"Yes, I just learned the Great Fireball Technique, and I wanted to come practice it."

He actually learned the Great Fireball?

Who taught him?

Uchiha Fugaku's brows furrowed, and his expression darkened instantly.