Chapter 278: The Prodigy Among Prodigies, Uchiha Stop-Water
Chapter 278: The Prodigy Among Prodigies, Uchiha Stop-Water
Seeing that there were Uchiha from Tobita's side actively engaging in communication, Stop-Water decided to fight a battle and attract more people to communicate with him.
After all, the Uchiha clan still respected the strong. When your strength was sufficient, as long as you didn't do anything to betray the clan, everyone would respect you.
To prove his strength, Stop-Water naturally had to choose an opponent who was not weak. He ignored the Uchiha who didn't have a Chunin jacket and then found a Uchiha ninja who looked about fourteen years old.
"Hello senior, I am Uchiha Stop-Water, and I would like to challenge you," Stop-Water said directly.
This might seem abrupt in another setting, but this was the Uchiha clan's networking event, where such challenges were expected.
"Uchiha Stop-Water?" The Uchiha Chunin furrowed his brows, quickly recognizing the young genius of the clan.
Commoners only had access to ninja knowledge, chakra refinement, and basic ninjutsu by attending ninja schools. However, it was different for those from ninja clans. They received clan teachings even before starting school.
Different ninja clans taught different things. For example, the secret technique clans focused on secret techniques, while the Uchiha clan taught basic chakra knowledge and Fireball Jutsu. Usually, children started learning these techniques at the age of four or five.
During this learning process, Stop-Water had mastered the Fireball Jutsu at an incredibly fast pace, earning him the reputation of a genius among many Uchiha.
"So it's the little genius of the clan. I am Uchiha Chikara. I accept your challenge," Uchiha Chikara said, agreeing to Stop-Water's challenge after some thought.
He had already intended to fight someone else, but he figured that a battle with Stop-Water wouldn't require much effort or time, so he readily accepted.
In his opinion, although Stop-Water was a genius, his strength couldn't be that high. Stop-Water had been training for too short a time, and he hadn't even graduated from ninja school yet. Defeating a student who hadn't graduated would be a breeze for a Chunin like him.
"Yoshiro, would you be the referee for our match?" Uchiha Chikara asked his friend, Uchiha Yoshiro, who was standing nearby.
Seeing that Uchiha Chikara had accepted his challenge, Stop-Water walked towards the empty space, ready for the fight.
"Chikara, weren't you planning to fight Taishi?" Uchiha Yoshiro asked, confused. They had just been discussing intelligence on Uchiha Taishi.
"It won't be a problem. I'll fight him after I'm done here. After all, he's a junior who hasn't even graduated from ninja school yet," Uchiha Chikara replied with a smile.
"Inaabi was just defeated by Uchiha Tobita, who's a recent ninja school graduate. Don't be careless. These geniuses can't be judged by common sense when it comes to their strength," Uchiha Yoshiro warned, feeling that Uchiha Chikara might be underestimating his opponent.
"It's different," Uchiha Chikara shook his head. "Uchiha Tobita has been training for several years longer than Stop-Water. A ninja school student, no matter how gifted, can only be so strong."
If Stop-Water were two years older, Uchiha Chikara would have been more cautious. Stop-Water's age was deceiving.
The Uchiha members were still discussing Tobita and Uchiha Inaabi's previous fight, so the second match hadn't started yet, and the arena was still empty. Stop-Water and Uchiha Chikara could begin their battle right away.
Seeing another fight about to commence, and with an even greater age gap than the previous pair, many Uchiha members became intrigued.
"It's that Uchiha Stop-Water, I've heard he's a genius. I wonder how he'll perform," one of them commented.
Stop-Water had better relationships within the Uchiha clan than Tobita, and quite a few Uchiha members could recognize him.
"Didn't he just enroll in ninja school last year? No matter how much of a genius he is, it's impossible for him to have the strength to defeat a Chunin this year," another Uchiha member said.
Although Stop-Water's reputation as a genius spread within the Uchiha clan, most Uchiha still favored Uchiha Chikara, who had already become a Chunin.
"Fuji, what's your take on this fight?" Uchiha Hachiro curiously looked at Uchiha Fuji.
He, too, leaned more towards Uchiha Chikara, who had already achieved the rank of Chunin. While Stop-Water was undoubtedly a genius, his training time had been too short.
Uchiha Fuji shook his head. "Hard to say." He didn't give a specific answer to Uchiha Hachiro's question.
The truth was that he didn't know how strong Stop-Water was at the moment. After all, he hadn't installed a camera on Stop-Water nor had he gone to the ninja school to observe the practical exams.
After answering Uchiha Hachiro's question, Fuji turned his attention to the combat arena. He had specifically asked Stop-Water to come over so that he could gauge his strength.
"Begin the fight!" Uchiha Yoshiro called out as he evacuated the area, seeing that both Stop-Water and Uchiha Chikara were ready.
Stop-Water immediately entered the Flame Breathing state and rushed forward.
Upon realizing that Stop-Water's speed was no ordinary, Uchiha Chikara set aside some of the contempt he initially held and engaged in close-quarters combat with him.
Fists and feet collided, making the fight seem evenly matched. However, upon closer inspection, it became apparent that Uchiha Chikara's attacks were mostly blocked by Stop-Water, while Chikara struggled to defend against all of Stop-Water's assaults.
"He's not my match in taijutsu," Stop-Water concluded, and he hadn't even entered his full concentration breathing yet.
"How can he possess such speed and strength?" Uchiha Chikara wondered, puzzled. Taijutsu was supposed to be the skill that took the most time to yield results.
"I hope this won't turn out like the previous fight. Stop-Water's level of genius is just too exaggerated.
Furthermore, Uchiha Tihoka recalled that Stop-Water's ninjutsu seemed to be even more exceptional than his taijutsu. If his taijutsu was this advanced, then his ninjutsu must be even more extraordinary.
Realizing that he was outmatched in taijutsu, Uchiha Chikara didn't persist. He swiftly retreated, throwing a shuriken and then forming hand seals to cast a ninjutsu.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Chikara gathered a large amount of chakra in his throat and spat out a stream of fire. The flames continued to grow, eventually forming a blazing fireball over three meters tall, which he hurled toward Stop-Water.
Initially, Chikara had intended to conserve his strength and chakra for another opponent, but now, he just wanted to win this battle.
"Flame Breathing, Full Concentration Breathing!"
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Stop-Water quietly focused his breathing to the extreme and, with the enhancement of his breathing technique, unleashed his own Fireball Jutsu. Soon, a fireball over four meters tall took shape in front of him and barreled toward Uchiha Chikara.
BOOOM!!!
The two fireballs collided, and the intense flash of fire left an impression of flames on the faces of the onlooking Uchiha members.
When two users of the same ninjutsu clashed, the stronger one would invariably prevail. Stop-Water's fireball overwhelmed Chikara's, extinguishing it before continuing on its path toward the Chunin.
Chikara's face darkened as he witnessed his own Fireball Jutsu being overpowered. He felt that all his years of training had been for naught, as both his ninjutsu and taijutsu were inferior to this academy student.
"This Fireball Jutsu is stronger than those of Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Inaabi, isn't it? How did he train to achieve this level?" The spectators from the Uchiha clan were even more astonished after witnessing the ninjutsu showdown.
Aside from certain close-range taijutsu that had a wide range of destructive power, it was usually only in combat that one could truly feel the pressure of an opponent's taijutsu. However, ninjutsu was different. The sheer size of those massive fireballs was impressive to behold.
"As expected," Uchiha Tihoka murmured to himself, witnessing Stop-Water's Fireball Jutsu.
Not only the younger Uchiha members but even the Uchiha higher-ups, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Hachiro, were astounded by Stop-Water's display of strength.
"If I'm not mistaken, Stop-Water just finished his first year at the Ninja Academy, and he's not even seven years old yet," Uchiha Hachiro remarked, his eyes wide with surprise as he watched Stop-Water overpower Uchiha Chikara.
He had already been trying to estimate Stop-Water's strength generously, but he realized that he had still underestimated the young prodigy.
Stop-Water's prowess made the Uchiha elder break into a sweat; at the same age, he had been far from becoming a full-fledged genin.
"Stop-Water's talent might even surpass that of Mirror-sensei," Uchiha Fugaku exclaimed, equally astonished.
He had known that Stop-Water was a genius, but he had never imagined the extent of his talent. For someone of his age to defeat a Chunin was extraordinary.
"If he continues to grow like this, and being the descendant of Mirror-sensei, who knows, he might really have a chance to become the Hokage one day!" Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but think.
Becoming the Hokage was the dream of most ninjas in Konoha, and the Uchiha clan was no exception. In fact, they desired it even more intensely.
This desire was shared by both the dovish and hawkish factions of the Uchiha clan. However, the doves believed that as long as they nurtured their talents, it was only a matter of time before an Uchiha became Hokage, while the hawks believed that a strong-arm approach was necessary to seize the position.
At this moment, Uchiha Fugaku truly felt that the Uchiha clan was on the rise again. They had produced not one but two geniuses—Obito and Stop-Water—the latter being a genius among geniuses.
Having lost the ninjutsu showdown, Uchiha Chikara could only desperately dodge the advancing fireball.
However, Stop-Water showed him no mercy. Demonstrating his extreme speed with the Body Flicker Technique, he seized an opening in Chikara's defense and knocked him to the ground, pinning him down with a kunai.
"Uchiha Stop-Water wins," Uchiha Yoshihiro reluctantly announced his friend's defeat.
"Senior, please forgive me," Stop-Water said humbly as he helped Chikara to his feet.
"You're the most talented person I've ever met," Chikara admitted, unable to hold back his praise.
He had never expected to lose this fight, but he accepted his defeat gracefully. Stop-Water had simply overwhelmed him with sheer skill.
"I told you to be careful. These geniuses always defy the impossible," Uchiha Yoshihiro said, patting his friend's shoulder consolingly.
Chikara remained silent. He felt that even if they were to fight again, he would still make the same choices. Who could have anticipated such prowess from an academy student? How had he managed to hold back from graduating early?
(End of Chapter)
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