Chapter 58: Talent

Just as he was about to perform the Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique but was interrupted, Uchiha Shigemasa looked in surprise at the traces of the recent battle.

Toshirou had timed his attack perfectly, just as Shigemasa threw Zhe away from his side. This avoided accidentally injuring his teammate and allowed him to attack without hesitation.

Even though the smoke bomb transformation used by the Third Hokage's shuriken shadow clone technique as a reference gave him a small surprise, it wasn't too strange. It could only be said that this kid had put serious effort into the three basic transformation techniques.

But it seemed like he hadn't formed seals. Was it pre-prepared? Or did he hide his hand in his sleeve or behind his back? If it was the former, it wouldn't be too unusual. Pre-preparing ninjutsu to use later isn't uncommon in the ninja world. 

However, if it was the latter, that meant he had performed one-handed seals. Although a few people within the clan had achieved this, they were already at the jonin, or even the elite jonin level. This kid was only eight years old—could his talent for forming seals be that exceptional?

Also, the Great Fireball Technique he'd just used showed significant skill in nature transformation. The timing was also spot-on, precisely when I was in the smoke and lost visual. 

Breaking my Earth Release just now required him to anticipate my attack intentions. Was it a coincidence, or intentional?

If everything was as I imagined, then this kid has extraordinary talent in seal forming, ninjutsu, timing, and anticipation. Even his offensive coordination is extremely smooth. If that's the case, then the family has indeed produced an incredible genius.

Standing in the center of the field, glancing at the woods, Uchiha Shigemasa thought to himself.

If Toshirou knew what Shigemasa was thinking now, he would definitely shake his head repeatedly. Seal forming and ninjutsu are indeed the results of daily efforts over nearly four years, but he didn't consider it extraordinary talent. It was the result of continuous learning and hard work, using an adult's mindset.

As for timing, anticipation, and offensive coordination, he has to thank a game from his previous life. Ever tried QWER? Ever dodged like a snake? Got scolded by teammates for missing a shot? An enthusiast of one-combo kills, he worked hard to avoid getting scolded by teammates.

These gaming experiences proved surprisingly useful in battles. Compared to those playful game streamers, he still had a long way to go.

Since ancient times, sincere feelings are hard to keep, only cunning tactics steal the heart! Netizens don't lie! (▽)

Glancing at the woods again, confirming that the two brats wouldn't come out, Shigemasa looked helplessly at Uchiha Zhe, formed seals, and looked at him. At this moment, Uchiha Zhe also looked up at his direction, wanting to say something, but it was too late.

"Magic: Feather Illusion"

A simple C-rank illusion technique that puts the subject to sleep without any additional harm.

Before Zhe could speak, he saw many drifting white feathers appearing around him, feeling warm all over, and his eyelids grew heavier.

[Bad! I think I got hit by an illusion…]

Before he could finish saying "illusion," he was already lying on the ground, spread-eagle, even snoring lightly, causing the observant Shigemasa to frown.

[This kid is too careless, huh?]

[It seems I must properly train him in the future!]

[Time to deal with those two brats!]

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

The soft sound of steps on the ground, passing through the woods, reached his ears. Extending his right hand, he stroked the small beard on his chin, thought for a moment, then headed quickly towards the source of the sound.

In a slightly sparse forest, two figures flashed by rapidly, a boy and a girl in a hurry. They were Toshirou and Flame. Behind them, dressed in a green ninja vest, was Uchiha Shigemasa, leisurely following them.

To him, the two brats who exposed themselves were as good as fish on a chopping board. In less than two minutes, he'd already caught up with them. But instead of attacking, he observed them from a distance for a while.

Seemingly sensing someone tracking them, Toshirou flung a handful of shuriken towards where Shigemasa was.

Yes, flung.

In his mind, dealing with an enemy of Shigemasa-sensei's level, with the opponent in good condition, using shuriken to achieve any real effect was impossible.

Rather than stressing over it, he casually applied it; after all, his main goal was just to slow the opponent's action a bit. As long as that was achieved, precision didn't matter—no need to overthink it. But of course, he couldn't miss by too much.

[Uh! Isn't this shuriken attack a bit too casual?]

[Does he know it won't have any effect?]

Even Shigemasa-sensei chasing behind couldn't help but feel that the clumsy shuriken technique was a bit of an insult. The Uchiha clan's shuriken techniques were famed in the ninja world. Using such sloppy methods to attack him—did he think lowly of him?

[Mmph! Let this kid see how it's done!]

Understand that shuriken throwing is a fundamental ninja skill. Using such clumsy methods, even saying Uchiha would be embarrassing.

Casually reaching for his lower back, he produced several shuriken. Clamping three between his little and index fingers and gripping another between his thumb and index finger, he lifted his arm, flicked his wrist, and a series of whooshing sounds flew towards Toshirou. The technique was effortless and elegant, even the posture of launching the shuriken exuded grace.

Yes, elegance. Maybe due to the Sharingan's excellent perceptual abilities and high-definition vision, the clan members were extremely particular about error and flaw in their techniques. Some even pursued the aesthetics of their moves, exhibiting a bit of a perfectionist streak.

In Toshirou's view, many of the Uchiha's techniques seemed excessively ornate, bordering on flashy showmanship.

(End of Chapter)