Sasuke: How could Takasaki possibly know the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique?

Ino lowered her head to look at her body, currently being rinsed by the water from the showerhead.

Her chest was beginning to show signs of budding, though it was still nothing more than a tiny, nascent swell.

As a mere young girl, she couldn't compare to Kurenai Yuhi when it came to physical development.

Was there any other way?

A flash of inspiration struck Ino: "I've read in storybooks that when boys pursue girls, they usually give them flowers. But in reality, boys also really hope to receive flowers from girls; it's just that very few girls ever do that for them."

Her family ran a flower shop, so she had an endless supply of all kinds of blooms.

She would pick out a potted plant in a little while to give to Takasaki.

After making this decision, Ino felt more at ease. Yet, just as she finished her shower and was drying her hair with a hairdryer, she suddenly thought of something else: "But if I take the initiative to give Takasaki flowers, it will look like I'm pursuing him."

"How could I possibly pursue Takasaki? That dead-last student—if it weren't for my cheat sheets, he probably wouldn't even be able to pass the written portion of the Graduation Exam."

"Forget it. If anyone sees, let them misunderstand. I'll just explain it clearly. Anyway, it's impossible for me to like Takasaki—not now, and not in the future."

On the outskirts of the Leaf Village, by a lake.

Sasuke, dressed in the attire of the Uchiha clan, stood by the water's edge, his hands braced against his knees as he panted heavily.

Ripples spread across the surface of the lake before him, and the sound of hissing filled the air as water vapor evaporated under intense heat.

"It's still not enough. The power of my Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique is still inferior to that man's."

The man he referred to was, of course, Itachi Uchiha.

Whenever Sasuke recalled the scene of Itachi wiping out their clan, his eyes filled with hatred.

For the past few years, he had been striving for the sake of revenge.

That was why, even though he consistently ranked first in every exam at the Ninja Academy, he remained unsatisfied.

After returning home from school, he never forgot to train diligently.

He focused especially on the Fire Style techniques the Uchiha clan excelled at, solely to surpass Itachi Uchiha.

Because back then, Itachi had performed the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique right in front of him.

The fireball he had exhaled reached seven meters in diameter.

Sasuke's current fireball, however, only reached 6.5 meters.

In the eyes of the teachers at the Leaf Village Ninja Academy, such power was formidable; not only were other students at the academy unable to match it, but even some Genin who specialized in Fire Style could barely reach Sasuke's level.

Yet, Sasuke was not satisfied with this.

He had only one goal in life: to surpass Itachi, kill Itachi, and complete his revenge!

Sasuke rested for a moment, then rapidly formed hand seals again and took a deep breath: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive ball of flame erupted from his mouth, instantly illuminating the darkness at the edge of the lake.

The intense heat caused the water in the lake touching the fireball to boil.

As the technique ended and the flames dissipated, Sasuke was so exhausted that even standing was a struggle, and his panting grew more labored.

At the same time, he realized he had made progress!

The diameter of the fireball he had just unleashed was, by his estimation, 6.6 meters—an improvement of 0.1 meters compared to before.

A miss is as good as a mile; in actual combat, that 0.1 meters was often the difference between life and death.

So, even though Sasuke was now so tired he could have collapsed on the ground, his mood was excellent.

He gazed up at the bright, full moon, thinking of his father, Fugaku.

Ever since the clan was wiped out, he had practiced the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique whenever he had the chance.

He had come a long way, progressing from having only enough chakra to perform the technique once to now being able to use it twice.

If his father were still alive and could see him, he would surely feel proud.

Suddenly.

Sasuke heard the sound of rustling footsteps.

"Someone is coming this way!"

Sasuke's instincts flared. He immediately stood up and darted toward a large tree a dozen meters away, pressing his back against the trunk and scanning the area with a vigilant gaze to see who was approaching.

It wasn't that he was being overly cautious; it was simply a lingering trauma from the massacre of his clan.

Because he had used the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique twice, his chakra and physical strength were nearly depleted, leaving him at his most vulnerable. Even if Sakura Haruno wanted to attack him now, he might not be able to fend her off.

Therefore, he would not reveal himself until he was certain who it was.

A moment later, Sasuke saw a boy about his own height arrive at the lake.

"It's actually Takasaki?"

Sasuke recognized the newcomer.

He was the dead-last student in his class, the one who had been reported by Sakura Haruno several times that very morning for cheating on the exam.

To be honest, Sasuke felt quite disdainful of Sakura Haruno's initiative to report Takasaki for cheating.

At the same time, he did not believe that Takasaki had truly not cheated.

It was just that he had cheated so skillfully that Kurenai Yuhi had not discovered it.

Upon recognizing Takasaki, Sasuke felt his heart settle.

It was for no other reason than the fact that Takasaki was a dead last.

Even though his own physical state was currently very weak, he could defeat Takasaki with one hand tied behind his back.

The lakeside was silent, so silent that Sasuke could clearly hear Takasaki muttering to himself: "This place is quite open; I'll train my ninjutsu here."

So, Takasaki had come to train ninjutsu?

What kind of ninjutsu could he be training?

Sasuke didn't even need to think about it; it could only be the Three Body Technique taught at the Ninja Academy.

Given Takasaki's grades as a dead last, it was impossible for him to have mastered any other ninjutsu.

Thinking back to how there were ten days left until the next ninjutsu test following today's written Graduation Exam, and considering that in class, Takasaki's Three Body Technique had never been successfully performed and had always resulted in a failing grade.

So, was Takasaki trying to cram at the last minute, working hard to train the Three Body Technique during these ten days?

A dead last is always a dead last. Not working hard normally and only trying when the final exam is near—it's far too late.

He hasn't been able to learn the Three Body Technique in six years at the Ninja Academy; no matter how he trains in these last ten days, he won't be able to learn it.

Sasuke had no intention of walking over to greet Takasaki.

He could not learn anything from such a dead last that would help him grow, so he had no desire to go over and interact.

At this moment.

Takasaki did not know that Sasuke was secretly observing his movements.

He was focusing intently on forming the hand seals.

Just like the Three Body Technique, Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique was a ninjutsu rewarded to him by the system, the kind that was forcibly instilled into his brain.

Knowing it was one thing.

Practicing it for the first time, his technique was inevitably going to be a bit rusty.

Performing Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique required a total of six hand seals.

He interlaced his fingers and began to form the first Snake Seal.

This was the starting move for most ninjutsu, and it also allowed him to begin condensing a portion of his fire-attribute chakra.

Immediately after, Takasaki released his interlaced fingers, touching his fingertips together with his left hand on top and right hand on the bottom, mimicking the flickering of a flame to form a Ram Seal.

Sasuke sat on the ground with his back against a tree trunk, intending to rest for a moment before leaving, but he felt something was strange when he saw Takasaki's hand gestures.

In the Three Body Technique, whether it's the Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, or Transformation Technique, only one seal is needed, yet Takasaki has already formed two.

Sasuke shook his head in disappointment: "It looks like he hasn't even learned how to form the seals for the Three Body Technique."

It was even more impossible for him to pass the ninjutsu exam in ten days.

Takasaki continued to form the seals, placing his hands opposite each other, tucking his thumbs between his pinkies to form a Monkey Seal.

Then, he shaped his palms into a half-fist, facing downward and opposite each other to form the fourth, the Boar Seal.

Then came the Horse Seal.

Suddenly, Sasuke had a subtle feeling in his heart; the seals Takasaki was forming felt familiar.

Something's not right. It seems Takasaki isn't training the Three Body Technique.

Sasuke seemed to realize something, and his gaze toward Takasaki became serious: "These five seals are exactly the same as the starting sequence for the Great Fireball Technique. Could it be..."