Shisui was utterly shocked. At the same time, any lingering suspicion that Izumi might be a spy was gone. After all, shinobi with three natural chakra natures were far too rare.
Izumi himself was also stunned. He'd guessed before that his nature affinity might not be limited to just Fire, but never imagined he'd have three.
"Shisui-nii, I… seem to have three chakra natures," Izumi whispered. Fortunately, the two of them were in a secluded spot. Otherwise, the Uchiha clan elders might already have taken notice.
"I didn't expect such talent from you, kid. But listen—this must stay secret. Other than me and Itachi, you're not to tell a single soul. Not even your parents," Shisui warned. He knew that if the clan elders learned of this, Izumi would be taken away and subjected to relentless training. And that might not be a blessing.
"I understand, Shisui-nii. I won't tell anyone."
Truthfully, even without Shisui's warning, Izumi had no intention of letting this slip. He knew all too well how extreme the Uchiha could be. If Fugaku learned of his potential, it would be a curse, not an honor.
---
Ding!
Side Mission: Learn Fire Style – Great Fireball Technique. Time limit: three days. This is a chain mission; failure will lock subsequent missions.
Izumi's face darkened slightly at the system prompt. Three days might sound like plenty, but for a four-year-old to master a C-rank ninjutsu was no simple matter.
"Shisui-nii, now that the test's done, can you teach me a ninjutsu? Preferably an S-rank one—something that can take down a lot of enemies all at once…" Izumi spoke with the innocent greed of a child, partly to maintain his cover. Acting too mature would draw suspicion.
"You really dare to dream, huh? Even I don't know any S-rank ninjutsu. They consume a ridiculous amount of chakra. If you actually tried one, it'd drain you dry in an instant."
"Then how about teaching me something just a bit powerful?" Izumi puffed up his cheeks in mock frustration, his round face looking almost comically cute.
"All right, fine. I'll teach you a jutsu our clan created. Watch carefully."
Shisui began to weave hand seals—deliberately slow, about two seconds per seal so Izumi could follow.
Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball burst forth, roaring through the air toward the distance.
"This is the Great Fireball Technique, created by the Uchiha clan. This scroll records the seals and chakra control method. Practice well. I'll be away on a mission for the next few days—Itachi too. The Seventh Training Ground is our private spot; no one will disturb you there. I'll check your progress in three days. If I catch you slacking… you're in trouble."
"Don't worry, Shisui-nii! I'll definitely work hard. By then, I'll have it down for sure."
Slacking wasn't an option—who knew what sort of punishment this cursed system might dish out for failure.
---
Scroll in hand, Izumi didn't even bother greeting Itachi and Izumi Uchiha again. He dashed straight to the Seventh Training Ground.
By the lakeside, he found a quiet spot and carefully studied the scroll.
Ninjutsu wasn't as simple as just forming a few seals. Each jutsu had a unique chakra flow pattern in the body, and the seals merely shaped and released that energy. Without the correct chakra route, even perfect seals would amount to nothing.
Following the scroll's instructions, Izumi circulated his chakra and formed the seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A… "fireball" appeared in front of him—if you could even call it that. Its diameter barely reached a centimeter. Forget injuring anyone; it probably couldn't even light a cigarette.
Still, it was a success, technically. From here, it was just a matter of repetition and refinement.
Again and again, Izumi released the Great Fireball Technique. When his chakra ran dry, he sat in meditation to recover, then resumed practice.
---
Before he knew it, snowflakes began to drift from the sky. The ground was soon blanketed in white. Not in a hurry to return home, Izumi decided to wander. In the four years since arriving in the Naruto world, he'd never really explored Konoha—only the Uchiha compound.
As he passed through a small grove, he heard loud voices up ahead. Curious, he walked toward the commotion—and what he saw made his mood sour instantly.
"Hey! If you're from the Hyūga clan, show us your Byakugan!"
"If you don't want to, then stop looking around here."
"Your eyes are disgusting."
"You're probably some kind of freak, huh?"
"You white-eyed monster!"
Three older boys were surrounding a little girl, mocking her relentlessly. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but they showed no sign of stopping.
"Hey! Knock it off! Three against one, and you think you're tough?" Izumi barked at them.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
"Uchiha Izumi. I suggest you stop, or I'll report you for bullying," Izumi shot back. He knew he couldn't win in a straight fight against three older kids, so he brandished the Uchiha name like a shield.
"Uchiha? Even if you are, you can't control us. Or are you saying you can take us all on?" One boy sneered as they started walking toward him.
That's when the little girl looked up at him—
Hyūga Hinata.
Seeing her made Izumi all the more determined to protect her. She was kind, gentle, and quietly strong—the sort of person he refused to see hurt.
"Maybe I can't control you… but you were bullying a Hyūga, and you mentioned her Byakugan. If I tell the clan elders you were trying to steal it, who do you think they'll believe? You might find yourselves spending a few days in the Uchiha interrogation room."
"You—!" The leader's face paled. Even as kids, they knew the Uchiha ran Konoha's Police Force. Anyone deemed a threat to the village could be arrested—and once you entered that interrogation room, you rarely came out the same.
"Then we'll just beat you down first! Let's see you make any reports after that!" the leader growled, lunging at Izumi.