The Training Class assessment was, plainly put, about showing off as much of what they had learned at the Ninja Academy as possible.
Even throwing a shuriken would count as passing, as long as it hit the mark.
To play it safe, Uchiha Yu did not use the Substitution Technique or Clone Technique, neither of which he had mastered particularly well.
He was going big.
The moment he formed his starting stance, Kotetsu Hagane, the Chunin Exams examiner, flashed in front of him and stopped him.
Because none of the Three Body Technique began with the Snake and Ram hand seals.
Combined with the Uchiha surname, there was only one technique it could be.
"The technique you were about to use... could it be?"
"Yeah."
When Uchiha Yu nodded, Kotetsu Hagane's pupils visibly contracted!
He had taught quite a few students.
Talents like Uchiha Yu were not nonexistent, but they were certainly rare.
The Great Fireball Technique?
He had already learned a C-rank ninjutsu before graduating.
Kotetsu Hagane hesitated briefly, then raised his sign.
"Uchiha Yu, pass!"
"W-What?"
"Teacher! Why?"
"Yeah! He didn't even do anything! Why does he pass?"
The entire group of students was dumbfounded!
What was this supposed to mean?
Kotetsu Hagane was not usually a man of many words. He frowned slightly. "I said he passed."
From within the crowd came a voice. "He's from a great clan. Of course he's different from us."
The voice was exceptionally grating, and Uchiha Yu immediately met the speaker's gaze.
Renji Yazaki.
A child from a civilian family.
He had enrolled in the same year as Uchiha Yu and sat either in front of or behind him.
Their main source of friction was that Uchiha Yu sat to the left of the girl Renji Yazaki liked, so he acted as though he had swallowed vinegar all day long.
Normally, Uchiha Yu would have let a remark like that slide.
But he could not swallow this anger today.
"Teacher, I'd better use that technique after all."
Seeing the students talking all at once, Kotetsu Hagane nodded helplessly.
"Wait a moment first."
As he spoke, his hands began forming seals!
"Water Release: Starch Syrup Capture Field!"
A sticky liquid sprayed from Kotetsu Hagane's mouth onto the ground, quickly forming a large pool of water!
The students did not understand why the teacher was doing this.
Then Kotetsu Hagane shouted, "Use your technique on the water!"
"Understood!"
Uchiha Yu stood before the pool as Chakra began to surge through his body.
He took a deep breath, and his hands rapidly began forming seals, his movements smooth and precise.
His hands left afterimages in the air, and the speed of his hand seals left the students watching in a blur.
Snake! Ram! Monkey! Boar! Horse! Tiger!
Every seal he formed was accompanied by the flow of Chakra within him.
At last, he pressed his hands together, concentrating Chakra in his throat. His mouth parted slightly, and a stream of scorching Chakra surged from deep in his throat, gradually condensing into a fireball!
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Uchiha Yu shouted, thrusting the fireball forward.
The fireball streaked through the air, leaving a brilliant trail of flames as it shot straight toward the pool.
The fireball struck the water's surface with a deafening explosion. flames burst in every direction, and the water in the pool instantly evaporated, forming an enormous cloud of steam!
The heat of the flames sent a wave of scorching air crashing over the students. They instinctively retreated several steps to avoid being burned!
The entire field was stunned. Every student, including Renji Yazaki, stared at Uchiha Yu with mouths agape!
What was this!?
We were still working on the Three Body Technique!
And he was already using a C-rank Great Fireball?
Were they even in the same class?!
Who could have expected this?
Uchiha Yu, who was usually so low-key, could actually perform such a powerful ninjutsu!
"Ahhh! Uchiha Yu's Great Fireball Technique is amazing!" a girl exclaimed.
"He's incredible!" another girl said excitedly.
"How did I not notice he was this handsome before?" a third girl chimed in.
"Then let's work hard too! Maybe we can get assigned to the same class as him!"
The girls who had just been fawning over Ryo Koizumi instantly became Uchiha Yu's fans.
Ryo Koizumi could only sigh. This was simply the kind of world where the strong were respected.
Masahachi Arai stood to one side, his face full of disbelief.
He had never imagined that Uchiha Yu, whom he had always considered just as ordinary as himself, possessed such astonishing strength.
Renji Yazaki's face turned pale. His mockery from moments ago now seemed utterly ridiculous.
He opened his mouth, but had no idea what to say.
Kotetsu Hagane looked at Uchiha Yu, and a trace of approval flashed through his eyes.
He knew that this child was not merely the pride of the Uchiha Clan, but also Konoha's hope for the future.
"Uchiha Yu, your performance was outstanding." Kotetsu Hagane's voice carried a hint of excitement. "Your Great Fireball Technique far surpasses those of your peers. Pass!"
Uchiha Yu gave a slight bow in thanks.
Under the worshipful gazes of his classmates, Uchiha Yu walked to the passing area.
At that moment, a bandage-wrapped student from the Basic Class at the edge of the field muttered with a mixture of envy and anger:
"Why is it that we both have Kekkei Genkai, but my Byakugan doesn't have an effect like that?"
Feeling an unusual gaze fixed on him, Uchiha Yu turned his head.
"Hmm?"
That appearance was far too easy to recognize.
Even though the boy across from him had not yet grown tall, those eyes with only white visible made it clear who he was.
Neji Hyuga.
The Genius of the Hyuga Clan.
At the same time, Pirate World Fang Yu's voice sounded in Uchiha Yu's mind:
"Is there any way to coax the Hyuga Family's Taijutsu out of him?"
Uchiha Yu replied helplessly, "Even if I got it from him, I might not be able to learn it. Neji can use it because he's a genius. Lady Hinata didn't figure out Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms until the very end, and she was using it against White Zetsu. You get what I mean?"
Pirate World Fang Yu clicked his tongue. "That's such a shame. I was thinking you could trade the Great Fireball for his Taijutsu!"
"But... if I ask him to exchange Taijutsu pointers in private, it should work! If I fight him after opening my eyes, we should be evenly matched. I'll go ask him."
Amid the gossiping voices of his classmates, Uchiha Yu, who had already passed the assessment, headed straight for Neji Hyuga.
Neji's brows furrowed tightly. He had not expected the imagined rival he cared about to come toward him.
He did not sit and wait. Crossing his hands before his chest, he assumed the Hyuga Family Gentle Fist starting stance.
"Hello, I'm Uchiha Yu. I saw your eyes."
"What do you want!?" Neji asked, brimming with vigilance.
"I want to spar with you in Taijutsu. Let's find some time."
Neji possessed the pride of a genius and did not take the word spar seriously.
He simply believed that the Uchiha, who was one grade above him, was provoking him.
"Hmph, Uchiha! Before these eyes of mine, that technique from before wasn't all that powerful!"
"Don't worry. When I spar with you, I won't use the Great Fireball Technique. We'll just exchange Taijutsu."
Iruka suddenly came running over from who knew where and made an X with his arms at Uchiha Yu. "Please return to your own class."
"Fine." Uchiha Yu nodded calmly, then glanced again at Neji, who would soon become his source of combat experience. "I'll come find you."
Black lines appeared across Iruka's forehead. "Come on, Neji. We're not paying attention to him."
Before you continue