I'm a Genius Too!!

Those matters could be set aside for now. Height was important, but it had no direct relation to combat strength.

Coming back to his senses, he stopped a clansman and asked where the Training Ground was. After several turns, he arrived at the so-called Training Ground.

It was called a Training Ground, but there was no one there at the moment. As far as the eye could see, there was not even a single piece of cover.

"There aren't even any targets here, just a few lonely saplings."

Uchiha Yuan scratched his head, unable to make sense of it. In any case, he did not have any kunai or anything else on him, so he would test his Chakra first.

"I remember hand seals are twelve gestures corresponding to the twelve zodiac animals, right? Hmph! Those people living the good life really only know how to plagiarize."

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar.

The twelve hand seals were the foundation ninjas used to release ninjutsu. In Uchiha Yuan's memories, he currently knew one B-rank ninjutsu, six C-rank ninjutsu, as well as skills such as the Three-Body Technique and kunai and senbon throwing.

"Then I'll try the Great Fireball Technique first. It's an entry-level Uchiha ninjutsu."

As he recalled the sequence, his hands slowly began to move.

"Snake—Goat—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger."

Hm? This feeling...!

Uchiha Yuan did not shout the skill's name like some edgy teenager. He puffed out his cheeks as if blowing air, and a fist-sized fireball slowly formed before him.

After cutting off the Chakra flow, the fireball swelled to the size of a basketball, flew three meters away, and exploded with a bang, leaving a black streak of ash across the ground.

"It worked on the first try? Looks like this body's innate talent isn't weak either!"

Uchiha Yuan suddenly understood. Becoming Madara's younger brother was a feat in itself; having such talent was hardly surprising.

It was just a pity about all his effort. So what if he was a genius? In the end, he still could not compete with people who had cheats. A genius who failed to grow up was not a genius at all.

After that, Uchiha Yuan continued trying out the rest of his ninjutsu. The only B-rank one was called Majestic Destroyer Flame.

In his memories, this technique had shone brilliantly in Madara's hands later in the anime. The enemy had needed an entire platoon to use Water Release just to block it.

"But then again, Madara is Madara. Even a B-rank technique would have S-rank power in his hands."

In Naruto, the lowest ninjutsu rank was C-rank. Generally, only ninjutsu with destructive power could be ranked, with special ninjutsu being exceptions.

C, B, A, S—four ranks.

Although there seemed to be few categories, the effects and training difficulty of each rank increased exponentially. Often, even a Jōnin only knew one or two A-rank techniques, while those who could learn and master S-rank ninjutsu were few enough to count on one's fingers.

"Hmm, there's still some left. This level of Chakra should put me at Elite Chunin strength."

Uchiha Yuan was already quite satisfied with such a starting point. Compared with those geniuses in Naruto, he might not rank particularly high, but that was exactly what suited him.

Take Kakashi, who became a Chunin at six, or Itachi Uchiha, who exterminated his clan at thirteen. They were geniuses, but their lives had been unbelievably rough.

After familiarizing himself with his ninjutsu, it was time to restore his Chakra. Uchiha Yuan's Chakra extraction method was passed down within the clan. Everyone used the same version, but the results differed from person to person.

Extraction speed varied. Naruto claimed that talent was the deciding factor, but in Uchiha Yuan's view, talent accounted for only a small part of it.

As everyone knew, Chakra was extracted from physical energy and spiritual energy. Combining those two produced Chakra.

Physical fitness could be altered through later effort. Though one's genes were fixed, they were not completely locked in place. Spiritual energy, on the other hand, was considered fixed in the eyes of the world, but in truth, the spirit could likewise be changed and strengthened afterward.

"If that's the case, technical knowledge becomes the real problem. Do I have to become a scientist in the Shinobi World ahead of schedule? Orochimaru probably doesn't even know which man's balls he's in right now."

By the time he had fully replenished his Chakra, it was nearly evening. He returned to his hospital room under the last afterglow of the setting sun.

"Someone came by?"

Living in Naruto's world, one could never forget vigilance. Uchiha Yuan remembered deliberately leaving a small crack in the door when he had gone out, but it was gone now.

"Forget it. I can't figure it out anyway, and this is inside the clan. There probably won't be any danger."

He then lay down on the bed to rest. He had practiced ninjutsu all afternoon without breaking a sweat; extracting Chakra had instead left him somewhat tired.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. The night passed without a single dream.

"I'm dying! I'm starving to death!"

"So our little brother didn't suffer any aftereffects?"

"That's right, Big Brother! Anyway, aside from Yuan being in a bad mood, I don't think there's anything wrong with him. It should be because that damn Tobirama defeated him."

"...Let's go visit him together later."

"Okay."

Beside a waterfall outside the Uchiha clan grounds, two spiky-haired youths were grilling fish. They were none other than the brothers Madara and Izuna.

Izuna had loved training with Madara since childhood and was often inseparable from him. What he did not know was that Madara had secretly developed secrets of his own.

After finishing the fish, the two chatted for a while longer, mostly about training. The rest was spent cursing the Senju Clan, with Izuna particularly emphasizing that Senju Tobirama was a bastard.

Then, carrying the remaining grilled fish as a gift, they went to visit their third younger brother, Uchiha Yuan.

Uchiha Madara was four or five years older than Izuna. He turned eighteen today. By the standards of the Warring States era, he should already have married and had children, but Madara had no thoughts about such things at all.

In his view, marrying, having children, and producing the next generation were the acts of the weak. A strong man! His generation alone was enough!

The two traveled together to the central area of the clan, only to find Uchiha Yuan's door slightly ajar.

"He went out this early?"

Hearing his elder brother's question, Izuna scratched his head and replied:

"I dunno?"

The two tilted their heads and peered inside. Uchiha Yuan was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his hands formed into a strange seal, his eyes closed and his body completely still.

His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, as though an old monk deep in meditation.

The two exchanged a glance. Izuna placed the grilled fish at the doorway, then slowly backed away. Once they had gone some distance, Izuna sighed.

"Looks like that defeat hit our third brother hard. He got up this early just to extract Chakra."

Then he encouraged himself, his eyes practically shining.

"As his older brother, I can't fall behind either. Big Brother! Let's keep training!"

"..."

Madara said nothing. He was still recalling his younger brother's strange posture. Body posture had absolutely nothing to do with extracting Chakra, and he had not sensed any Chakra flowing over Uchiha Yuan's body just now.

"Let's go. Our little brother has secrets of his own now too."

"What secrets?"

"If I told you, they wouldn't be secrets anymore."

"Then why do you get to know when I don't?"

"Hmph! With that mouth of yours, do you think you could keep a secret?"