Drink, drink, hah—
In the empty training field, two figures, one big and one small, moved and dodged, with the sound of young shouts ringing out.
It was none other than Uchiha Hoken and his great-grandson, Tsukimi, who were engaged in a sparring session.
This was the thirtieth day of Tsukimi's training.
The date was March 3rd, Leaf 41. There were twenty-eight days left before the Ninja Academy opened on April 1st.
Bang, bang, bang—
The dull sound of wooden swords clashing against each other rang out repeatedly. Tsukimi, using the basic swordsmanship he had just learned, continuously used techniques like chopping, slashing, cutting, and thrusting, attacking his great-grandfather.
However, no matter what angle he attacked from, the old man effortlessly blocked all of his strikes.
Slap!
Suddenly, the old man’s sword slammed against the back of Tsukimi's hand holding the sword. A painful muffled groan followed, and the wooden sword dropped to the ground.
His continuous attacks resulted in openings in his defense, leaving him unable to react to the old man’s counterattack. In the end, he was met with a ‘beating’.
Usually, the sparring would end temporarily at this point, giving him a chance to rest and regroup.
But this time was different.
“Fire Release…”
Tsukimi performed a backflip to create distance. He took a deep breath, while his hands continuously formed seals in front of his chest: Snake – Ram – Monkey – Pig – Horse – Tiger.
“What is this?!”
Seeing his actions, Uchiha Hoken looked surprised. “I remember giving Tsukimi the Fire Release scroll only two days ago. He has already mastered it? And completely self-taught?”
Two days ago, sensing that Tsukimi's mastery of basic jutsu was on track, the old man decided to test his chakra affinity.
Yin, Lightning, Fire. The typical chakra affinities of the Uchiha clan. No surprises there.
While having three chakra affinities was considered average in the Uchiha clan, Yin, Lightning, and Fire were all the most proficient chakra types within the Uchiha clan.
After completing the chakra affinity test, Uchiha Hoken casually gave Tsukimi two chakra scrolls. The first was the Fire Release Basics, and the second was the Lightning Release Basics.
They introduced the nature transformation of chakra, as well as some of the classic basic C-rank Uchiha jutsu, such as Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Uchiha Hoken admitted that, due to the young boy’s precocious and disciplined demeanor, and his prior experience in self-teaching chakra refinement, he had anticipated this scenario.
However, when it actually happened, especially just two days after Tsukimi received the jutsu scrolls, the old man was once again stunned by his great-grandson's talent.
Tsukimi didn’t know what was going on in his great-grandfather’s mind, but he was acutely aware of the shock on his face.
It wasn’t just the old man’s expression, but also because this was the outcome he desired.
After all, Tsukimi possessed a mature soul. With the theoretical knowledge, combined with his memories from his previous life, and most importantly, the extraordinary talent of his current body, was learning a basic Fire Release jutsu really that difficult?
He hadn’t forgotten his goal of showcasing his talent to his elders, in order to earn more affection and resources.
“I remember that Uchiha Itachi also learned the Great Fireball Technique around the age of three, I wonder whose record is earlier?”
He concentrated and calmed himself. His chakra was refined and gathered at his throat. Then, with the hand seals, his non-elemental chakra was transformed into scorching flames.
“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!”
A huge fireball shot out of his mouth. The scorching heat caused the air to warp, and the blazing light turned the entire training field crimson.
“He actually did it!”
The old man’s eyes lit up, shining even brighter in the midst of the raging flames.
Tsukimi was only three years old!
It was well-known that even the recognized geniuses of the previous two generations of the Uchiha clan, like Uchiha Kagami, Uchiha Fugaku, and Tsukimi’s father, Uchiha Tsuki, had only learned their first Fire Release jutsu after the age of six. But now, Tsukimi had doubled that record.
“Chakra, swordsmanship, jutsu...”
Thinking about Tsukimi’s talent in chakra volume, chakra affinity, swordsmanship, jutsu, and his innate three-tomoe Sharingan...
Uchiha Hoken's expression shifted slightly. Along with his excitement, he now had a clearer idea of the training plan for the young boy's future.
Boom—
As the old man was ‘lost in thought’, he stood frozen in place, without any movement to dodge or counterattack. The fireball, over a meter in diameter, engulfed him instantly.
“Great-Grandfather?!”
Tsukimi’s face changed slightly as he stared at the place where the raging flames had devoured his great-grandfather. He froze, then immediately turned and searched frantically for his great-grandfather.
He had seen this scene many times in anime. He must have used the Body Flicker Technique to escape, right? He had to be.
However, after searching everywhere without finding him, his expression started to turn tense.
“Could it be that he was completely overwhelmed by my genius and didn’t react at all?”
Tsukimi couldn’t help but think of this possibility, and his heart began to panic.
Tsukimi stared fixedly at the blazing fireball, and was about to move forward to check when the figure that emerged after the flames, no longer fueled by his chakra, died down, finally put his worried heart at ease.
Only...
………………
PS: A new day, continue to ask for collections and flowers!