Uchiha Sasuke: The Rise of a Hidden Genius

Sasuke reached out to grab the ninja pouch at his waist.

This action made Hiruzen frown. Isn't it time to use that Lightning Style?Kakashi thought the same. He didn't understand what Sasuke was trying to do.

Was he going to use hidden weapons against him? Kakashi knew that wouldn't be enough to push him back. Even if Sasuke could avoid the kunai, it wouldn't stop Kakashi's melee attack.

In that moment, Kakashi felt Sasuke had gone from a genius to a fool. But just as he formed that thought, Sasuke's left hand began forming a seal.

'Seal?'

Both Kakashi and Hiruzen were stunned.

It wasn't surprising for a ninja to use seals in battle, but the problem was... Sasuke was forming a one-handed seal!

At the same time, Sasuke threw a kunai with his right hand. The kunai collided with Kakashi's midair, deflecting it.

Kakashi froze. He hadn't expected Sasuke to know how to form a one-handed seal. What was even more shocking was Sasuke's speed in performing the seal.

That speed was no longer something a Genin should possess!

Clang!

The kunai collided in midair, and Kakashi's kunai was deflected. At the same time, Sasuke gasped.

Kakashi's eyelids twitched in alarm.

'This is... Fire Style!'

Judging from Sasuke's hand seal, it could only be Fire Style—there was no mistaking it.

That was bad news for Kakashi.

At the current distance, Fire Style's range was huge. Even Kakashi, a Jōnin, couldn't take a full hit from it.

'Fire Style ~ Great Fireball Technique!'

Sasuke brought one hand in front of his mouth and unleashed a burst of flames.

In an instant, violent flames swept toward Kakashi.

The heatwave from the flames washed over him, and Kakashi felt his face burn unbearably hot.

,

In the blink of an eye, Kakashi quickly jumped backward.

Boom!!!

The terrifying flames exploded outward. A fireball with a diameter of three meters condensed in an instant, rushing straight toward Kakashi.

In the blink of an eye, the fireball traveled more than ten meters before exploding, leaving a massive crater in the ground.

Kakashi had just managed to retreat 20 meters, narrowly dodging Sasuke's Fire Style.

The flames burned fiercely. Naruto, Sakura, and Hiruzen, all watching from different locations, were stunned.

Naruto and Sakura, especially, couldn't believe their eyes. As Genin of the same period, they never imagined Sasuke could master ninjutsu, let alone such a powerful Fire Style!

Naruto: "Sasuke... has... already mastered a Fire Style ninjutsu!"

Sakura: "It's so strong... I couldn't even see the hand seals, and he forced Jōnin-sensei back!"

Standing at the edge of the crater, Kakashi wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead.

If the Great Fireball had been even a bit faster, he might not have been able to dodge it in time.

Great Fireball Technique!

A signature Fire Style ninjutsu of the Uchiha clan.

Kakashi was very familiar with this technique, but what surprised him the most was seeing such a powerful Fire Style displayed by a Genin who had just graduated.

Even more surprising was Sasuke's ability to form the seal with one hand.

This wasn't something that could be learned—it was pure talent!

Any ninja who could form seals with one hand was incredibly enviable. The reason was simple: as seen just now, if Sasuke had used both hands for the seal, Kakashi would have had no time to block the kunai.

The one-handed seal allowed Sasuke to attack and form seals simultaneously.

Kakashi had always thought Itachi was the most outstanding member of the Uchiha clan. But now, it seemed that the most outstanding Uchiha was the kid standing in front of him.

'Uchiha... Sasuke!'

With such talent, Sasuke's future was both exciting and concerning for Konoha.

Kakashi sighed softly.

At that moment, Sasuke's voice rang out.

"Ms. Kakashi, are you tired? Now is not the time to be distracted!"

"Fire Style ~ Fire Dragon Technique!"

Boom!!!

The sound of flames roaring once again filled the air.

While the Great Fireball Technique is a wide-reaching, powerful Fire Style, it's a bit slow.

The Fire Dragon Technique, however, is much faster. Although its power doesn't match the Great Fireball's, its speed is much quicker.

A new flame erupted from the still-burning Great Fireball, shooting straight toward Kakashi.

Kakashi raised his head and quickly began making seals.

"Earth Style ~ Earth Wall!"

An earthen wall shot up, but the roar of the Fire Dragon Technique smashing against it was deafening. The wall, though thin, was reinforced with Chakra and managed to resist the flames.

Naruto, stunned, exclaimed, "You've mastered another Fire Style ninjutsu! Sasuke... how strong are you?!"

As he watched Sasuke's back, it seemed to grow larger and larger in Naruto's eyes.

Then Sasuke suddenly leapt into the air.

With Naruto watching in confusion, the ground beneath Sasuke's feet cracked open.

Kakashi appeared from below.

Naruto froze. What's going on? Why is Kakashi underground?

Kakashi, equally surprised, realized Sasuke had seen through his Earth Style ~ Heart Beheading Technique. However, a smile crept onto his face.

Sasuke, still mid-air, was uneasy upon seeing Kakashi smile.

Before he could react, a shadow appeared from behind and rushed toward him.

Sasuke caught the movement in the corner of his eye. It was Kakashi again, but this time it was likely a Shadow Clone.

The clone held a kunai, and it seemed to be aimed at Sasuke's back, as if planning to kill him.

Sasuke hesitated. Should he dodge with Lightning Style?

For a moment, doubt filled Sasuke's mind.

No!

Stop hesitating, why is Kakashi trying to kill me now?

It wasn't just a stab—if he got seriously injured, he might not die...

But as Kakashi's kunai closed in, it was about to pierce Sasuke's clothes...

A flash of light shot out.