Any other student facing this C-rank ninjutsu might well have been killed instantly!
Uya's expression grew grave. Without hesitation, he pushed off hard and retreated rapidly.
But his retreat was clearly slower than the oncoming Great Fireball.
Just as the Great Fireball was about to strike him, a cold glint flashed in Uya's eyes. A white halo suddenly appeared around the kunai in his hand, and he slashed it downward fiercely.
"Split!!"
Crack!
The white halo abruptly burst apart, but under Uya's control, it did not meet the Great Fireball head-on. Instead, it split the fireball to either side.
By then, the Great Fireball had essentially reached its maximum range. Under Uya's all-out quake... it suddenly split apart!
Flames roared past on either side of Uya without striking him.
"Good!"
At the sight, Uya showed no joy. Instead, he became even calmer.
I still can't contend with C-rank ninjutsu. I can only handle it with a trick... but the day I can shatter C-rank ninjutsu outright isn't far off!
The flames blazed fiercely, and every student outside wore a horrified expression.
"He's not dead, is he...?"
"Oh my god, someone's been killed. That's terrifying."
The students could not see what was happening within the area engulfed by the Great Fireball. All they could see was Uya being swallowed by it.
Everyone looked terrified.
Off to the side, Kushina Uzumaki could no longer hold herself back and was about to rush onto the field. Tears even welled in the corners of her eyes, and she was filled with self-reproach.
Why did I let Uya fight Uchiha Izumiya? Why didn't I stop him?!
At that moment, the chunin teacher, the only person who could intervene, gritted his teeth at the sight and forcibly restrained himself.
Uya looked certain to die.
Watching the Great Fireball slowly dissipate, Uchiha Izumiya was also thinking that Uya must have been burned to ashes. His face was somewhat pale, but there was a trace of cold malice in it.
But the very next instant, his expression froze.
Horror and disbelief filled his eyes.
Within the gradually fading flames, a figure grew clearer and clearer, then actually burst out.
The person who emerged was none other than Uya!
"Impossible!!"
Uya had actually withstood... the Great Fireball?!
Uchiha Izumiya found it almost inconceivable. Watching Uya walk out of the flames, he panicked and threw a punch at him.
After withstanding the Great Fireball, Uya had to be at the end of his rope, merely forcing himself to keep going.
At that thought, a trace of confidence returned to Uchiha Izumiya's eyes.
But facing his punch, Uya's gaze turned cold, and he met it with a punch of his own.
A dim white light surrounded Uya's fist.
The next moment, the two fists abruptly collided in midair.
Crack!!
That strange sound rang out again. Fine cracks spread through the air as though space itself were shattering, a terrifying sight.
Uchiha Izumiya's arm also gave a crack. In a direct clash of fists with Uya, his body ultimately could not withstand it, and the force snapped his arm!
As the quaking force spread, it sent his entire body flying backward.
"This... is impossible..."
Thud!
Uchiha Izumiya landed in a crumpled heap some distance away, his eyes still filled with horror and disbelief. Then he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Unable to endure the searing pain throughout his body, he passed out.
The entire field fell silent.
Only then did Uya casually pat out the few patches of flame burning on his clothes. He also gently pulled off a few scorched strands of hair and tossed them aside.
After the silence, an uproar finally erupted.
"That's impossible!!"
"Oh my god! Did he come back from the dead?!"
"How did Uya withstand such terrifying Fire Release Ninjutsu? It's unbelievable."
As they finally registered what had happened, everyone felt as though they were dreaming.
Every student could not help showing a trace of shock and disbelief.
Uya... had actually defeated Uchiha Izumiya?!
That meant Uya was no longer the dead last. He had leaped straight to being a genius second only to Minato Namikaze!
It was simply an unbelievable miracle!
Among the crowd, Kushina Uzumaki stared blankly at the field, tears still faintly glimmering in the corners of her eyes.
She still had not processed what had happened.
Ignoring the stunned students, Uya looked at Kushina and rubbed the small patch of burned skin on his arm with a slightly apologetic expression.
"Sorry, I still got a little hurt."
"..."
Kushina pressed her lips together.
The tears in the corners of her eyes still turned into crystalline droplets and rolled down, but they were tears of joy.
"Idiot!"
Kushina wiped the corners of her eyes and bit her lip, then waved her hands at Uya in mock ferocity, returning to her lively self.
On the field, the chunin teacher still had not recovered.
He stared at Uya, his face frozen in shock.
"You... you..."
"It looks like I won, didn't I?"
Uya looked calmly at the chunin teacher and spoke evenly.
The chunin teacher looked utterly incredulous. He even rubbed his eyes.
He had never imagined that Uya could win, much less that Uchiha Izumiya would be the one left seriously injured!
It would not have mattered if Uya had been injured, but with Uchiha Izumiya hurt, he, as the chunin teacher, would face enormous pressure. All the responsibility would fall on him!
His expression was exceedingly grim, but in the end, he could only bitterly announce Uya's victory.
However, noticing the extent of Uchiha Izumiya's injuries in the distance, the chunin teacher spoke into Uya's ear, his expression still ugly.
"You beat a member of the Uchiha Clan this badly. You'd better watch yourself."
"You needn't trouble yourself over that, Teacher."
Uya responded evenly, then walked off the field.
Countless people looked at Uya with shock that lingered long afterward.
Even Minato Namikaze's eyes flickered with an unusual light as he repeatedly studied Uya, beginning to take him seriously.
After this practical combat assessment, Uya instantly became the center of discussion throughout the Ninja Academy.
Many people wondered just what power Uya had used.
Uya's explanation was that it was the Quake Release kekkei genkai.
That explanation had no holes in it.
After all, the Shinobi World had countless kekkei genkai. There were dōjutsu types such as the Sharingan and Byakugan, bodily types such as Shikotsumyaku and the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique, and chakra types such as Wood Release and Ice Release.
Everyone understood.
After the initial shock, things gradually settled down.
An open space within Konoha.
The sky was gradually darkening, but Uya showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he continued training his taijutsu with all his might.
For the first time, he had held his head high, but Uya knew that trouble would come one thing after another. So he worked even harder on his taijutsu, strengthening his Quake Release kekkei genkai.
"Four hundred fifty-one, four hundred fifty-two... four hundred ninety-nine, five hundred!"
"Whew!"
Having reached his target number, Uya stretched his nearly stiff arms and stood up.
When training outside, he generally did not push himself to his limits.
Only at home would he try to squeeze out every last bit of his strength.
Although doing so did not make much difference, in this ninja world, Uya still deliberately cultivated his vigilance from a young age.
"At this rate, it's about time to get some weights."
Shaking the sweat off his body, Uya headed home.
Nearly a month had passed since he had eaten that fruit that should not have existed in this world and gained the Quake Release kekkei genkai.
Over that month, Uya had simply abandoned his ninjutsu and chakra training, devoting all his energy to taijutsu instead.