The Power of Top-Tier Affinity with Fire Release Chakra!

Zhou Cheng opened the ninjutsu gift pack without a moment's hesitation.

In an instant, a massive influx of information regarding ninjutsu flooded into his mind.

The hand seals and chakra manipulation methods for various C-rank Fire Release ninjutsu were all clearly imprinted in his consciousness.

Uchiha Tadashi watched Zhou Cheng standing there in a daze and immediately laughed:

"Hey, kid, scared?"

"Just admit you're a fraud, that you're nothing more than a genin!"

He was convinced that this was all a scheme concocted by Zhou Cheng and Itachi.

If he wanted to secure a spot as a candidate for clan head, he had to compete with Itachi at every turn.

He had to suppress Itachi's brilliance.

Zhou Cheng gave a cold smile; if you want to humiliate yourself, I'll grant your wish!

"Are you sure you want to compete with me in Fire Release?"

Uchiha Tadashi nodded, looking as if it were a matter of course:

"We Uchiha are famous throughout the world for our Fire Release, and my chakra affinity is fire!"

Zhou Cheng gestured for him to go ahead and perform his ninjutsu first!

"Let's both perform the Fireball Jutsu at the same time and see whose power is greater!"

Uchiha Tadashi smiled confidently and began to weave hand seals.

He was playing a clever trick; the power of a ninjutsu was linked to one's chakra reserves, and as a chunin, he certainly had more chakra than Zhou Cheng, giving him a massive advantage.

Unfortunately for him, he had run into the cheating Zhou Cheng.

A top-tier Fire Release chakra affinity alone was enough to lower the difficulty of learning Fire Release ninjutsu for him.

It also boosted the power of every Fire Release ninjutsu he performed.

Seeing the speed of his hand seals, Zhou Cheng almost laughed out loud; to think he wanted to compare himself to Itachi with that—what an idiot!

Itachi's hand seal speed was many times faster than his.

The Fireball Jutsu happened to be a C-rank ninjutsu, and Zhou Cheng had already mastered it.

"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"

Both of them spat out a large amount of flame, which converged into a fireball.

Uchiha Tadashi was startled, as the fireball Zhou Cheng unleashed was more than half again the size of his own.

He wore an expression of utter disbelief!

How was it possible? He was just a genin!

A fireball of this magnitude was already comparable to one performed by an elite chunin.

BOOM!

The two fireballs collided, triggering a massive explosion.

The shockwave from the blast knocked Uchiha Tadashi to the ground, while Zhou Cheng's fireball did not fully dissipate and continued to fly toward Uchiha Tadashi.

POW!

Uchiha Tadashi, who had just scrambled to his feet, was struck head-on by the fireball, sent flying, and had his clothes set ablaze.

"Young Master!"

The few subordinates Uchiha Tadashi had brought with him were horrified and immediately rushed to save him.

The next second, a figure appeared before him, tearing off Uchiha Tadashi's burning clothes to pull him from the flames.

"Wow, a fireball like that is almost at the level of a jonin!"

"Zhou Cheng-kun really wasn't lying!"

"Look at how relaxed he looked while performing it."

"He didn't even use his full strength; if he had, Uchiha Tadashi would already be dead under that fireball."

The person who had torn off the clothes to save Uchiha Tadashi was Shisui.

"Damn it, you bastard, how dare you question Senior Zhou Cheng; you deserved to be burned."

Many of the onlookers nodded in agreement.

With just one fireball, the difference in skill was clear!

Uchiha Tadashi had lost completely.

"You brought this humiliation upon yourself!"

"You should know that there is always someone better, and there is always a heaven above the heaven; consider this a lesson for today!"

Zhou Cheng put on the air of a great senior, then looked up at the horizon; it was time to call it a day.

"It's getting late, so I'll be closing up shop for today!"

"I will be here again tomorrow, everyone please come early!"

Huh?

The people still in line immediately let out groans of frustration.

They hadn't received their rewards yet.

Although everyone had two chances each day, missing out today meant they would receive two fewer rewards than everyone else.

Perhaps those two chances were exactly what they needed to pull a precious treasure!

"Senior Zhou Cheng, don't do this! So many of us haven't even stepped onto the arena yet!"

"That's right, just close up shop a little later! We've been waiting for so long!"

Zhou Cheng did not stop because of this; he jumped straight off the arena and headed toward his home.

"I seek only death; I will be here again tomorrow!"

"Too much time was wasted by certain people today!"

Watching Zhou Cheng's retreating back, those who hadn't received their rewards felt dejected, as if they had missed out on a fortune.

They immediately glared at Uchiha Tadashi, surrounding him layer upon layer and refusing to let him leave.

"It's all because of you, you bastard, that we couldn't get today's rewards."

"Exactly, you compensate us!"

"Beating you up won't even be enough to vent our anger!"

Seeing this scene, Uchiha Tadashi remained unrepentant and pointed directly at those who had spoken:

"You lot, you're courting death!"

"I am the Great Elder's grandson; have you considered the consequences?"

He would have been better off not saying anything, but once he did, the crowd became even more agitated:

"What, do you intend to kill all of us?"

"You've got quite the ego. Even the Clan Head wouldn't dare act like this; who do you think you are!"

Uchiha Tadashi trembled with rage, his eyes turning blood-red—anyone who didn't know better would have thought he had awakened his Sharingan.

These bastards, once I become a candidate for Clan Head, I'll make every one of you kneel at my feet and beg for mercy!

He secretly noted the names of the people who had spoken, waiting to settle the score another day.

Outside the crowd, Itachi and the others had no intention of saving Uchiha Tadashi; they simply took Sasuke and Uchiha Izumi and headed in another direction.

They had to report what happened here to the Clan Head.

On the other side, Zhou Cheng returned to his small house.

Looking at the dilapidated dwelling, Zhou Cheng sighed; he finally had the money to renovate this place!

After a day of breaking shields, he had obtained quite a few ninja tools and money; he was no longer the destitute person he once was.

After his parents died, his situation had become increasingly difficult; after all, the ninja world respected strength above all else.

Even the weakest ninja was better off than an ordinary person.

Yet his body was completely unable to refine chakra, destined to never become a ninja.

Anyone of his generation in the clan could bully him, and as the conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha Village deepened, no one dared to hire Zhou Cheng even when he looked for work outside the clan.

To survive, he had to keep selling off the valuable items in his home, until he awakened the system.

"Yo, the trash is back!"

"Whose house did you go begging at today?"

"I heard he bought a lot of lumber; he wouldn't be building a coffin for himself, would he?"

Walking along the way, Zhou Cheng heard all sorts of filthy insults.

Zhou Cheng remembered these people; they were the children who had bullied him in the past.

Zhou Cheng ignored them; his stomach was already growling with hunger, and he just wanted to get home quickly to find something to eat.

"Damn, we're talking to you!"

"Are you deaf?"

Zhou Cheng was pulled by someone and stopped in his tracks. I don't want to deal with you, and you're pushing your luck?

He turned his head and looked coldly at those few children who were about his age.

"Get lost!"

Seeing those children momentarily stunned by his gaze, Zhou Cheng said coldly and then strode forward again.

"Bastard, who do you think you are!"

"You dare tell us to get lost!"

"Looking for a beating!"

The leading child grabbed Zhou Cheng and threw a punch toward the back of his head.

Zhou Cheng tilted his head to dodge the fist, leaving the boy stunned—he had actually dodged it?

Zhou Cheng spun around violently, breaking free from his grip. A bunch of idiots!

"I'll say it one more time: get lost, or don't blame me when you regret it!"

The boy felt he had lost face in front of the others, having missed his strike and been shaken off.

He lunged forward again, one hand reaching for Zhou Cheng's chest while the other was already balled into a fist.

Zhou Cheng stepped back, his hands already forming seals. You want to die? I'll grant your wish!

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

BOOM!

At such close range, the boy had no way to dodge and was struck directly by the fireball; he was first sent flying by the explosion, then set ablaze.

"Ah, ah..."

The shrill, miserable screams echoed throughout the small courtyard. The others were at a loss for what to do, panicked and terrified to help for fear that the flames would spread to them.

Zhou Cheng gave a cold sneer and kicked him into the drainage ditch nearby.