Uchiha Maí spread the scroll open and read it carefully, comparing it with the copy of True Explanation of Fire Release kept at home. After only a few glances, he immediately realized the value of this scroll.
The core content of the two was largely the same, recording around ten of the most commonly used and cost-effective C-rank and B-rank Fire Release techniques. There was nothing surprising about that.
This section alone was just over two thousand characters long - short and concise, much like the works of most Qidian authors.
Some might think the scroll was underwhelming since it didn't contain a single A-rank technique, but that impression couldn't be more wrong.
Ninjutsu rankings had never been about raw power. They were based on danger. It was only because most high-risk techniques happened to be powerful that people developed the illusion that A-rank and B-rank techniques were inherently superior.
There were no invincible techniques - only invincible people.
Uchiha Madara could casually use a B-rank Great Fire Annihilation or Great Fire Destruction, and the result would rival Jiraiya unleashing an S-rank forbidden technique.
The Raikage lineage's lightning body techniques - like Lightning Style: Guillotine Drop, Lightning Plough Hot Knife, and Righteous Thunder Axe - were all C-rank or B-rank as well. Not a single one reached A-rank.
Low learning difficulty, yet power comparable to A-rank or even S-rank techniques - that was where their true value lay.
As for the annotations, the copy left behind by Maí's parents totaled over nine thousand characters. Izuna Uchiha's annotations, however, were just over eight thousand - slightly shorter.
A master was still a master. With fewer words, Izuna explained the key points of training each technique so clearly that it felt like clouds parting to reveal the sun, a sudden and profound moment of enlightenment.
Beyond that, this scroll also contained over ten thousand additional characters of content that the family copy simply didn't have.
Those pages recorded all of Izuna Uchiha's understanding and preferences regarding Fire Release - his combat strategies when using it, his tactical thinking, and his philosophy on manipulating fire-attribute chakra.
Altogether, the scroll was a little over twenty thousand characters long. It sounded like a lot, but translated into a webnovel format, it would only amount to seven to ten chapters.
Maí read as if possessed. Without realizing it, his Sharingan activated on its own. By the time he finished, a long while had passed, and Fugaku had already warmed another pot of tea.
Before Maí could apologize, Fugaku waved it off, pushed another cup toward him, and smiled.
"When I first read this scroll, I was absorbed even longer than you were."
"Did you gain anything from it?"
"A lot."
Maí closed the scroll and replied, "I don't fully understand it yet. But I have a feeling that if I completely grasp what's written here, most Fire Release techniques will become effortless for me - as long as my chakra is sufficient."
"That's exactly the point of this scroll, and what Lord Izuna hoped for.
Whether it was ninjutsu, kenjutsu, or knowledge, Lord Izuna could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Second Hokage in every aspect. If he hadn't died so young, he surely would've developed many more techniques."
After a brief sigh, Fugaku continued, "By the way, is there any technique you're especially fond of? I can demonstrate it for you right now."
Fugaku had already said this once earlier, but Maí had been too immersed in the knowledge to hear it.
A live demonstration?
That was exactly what he needed. Maí pondered which technique he should ask Fugaku to show.
Whether Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan or not, even setting aside the Sharingan entirely, he was unquestionably an elite jōnin - an elite among elites.
The dozen or so techniques on the scroll topped out at B-rank. None of them would pose any challenge for Fugaku.
"Then please demonstrate the Great Fireball Technique, Clan Head. I'm very interested in it," Maí said.
Maí wasn't particularly interested in pure ninjutsu. What he really wanted was to develop a hybrid of Fire Release and taijutsu - a ninjutsu-taijutsu fusion, fully copying the ancient Yagami-style martial arts.
Still, learning a few more techniques never hurt. Who knew - maybe one day they'd come in handy for ambushing someone.
The Great Fireball required few hand seals, had impressive power, and wasn't difficult to learn. As chakra reserves increased, its power could rise even further. In the original storyline, Itachi's Great Fireball looked more like a massive fire dragon.
Aside from occasionally missing its target, it was a perfect C-rank technique.
Fugaku nodded slightly, clearly pleased that Maí wasn't aiming unrealistically high by chasing advanced techniques. One bird in the hand was worth more than ten in the forest.
"Come on. Let's go to the courtyard. Activate your Sharingan and watch carefully."
Fugaku led Maí to the center of the courtyard. His hands formed seals slowly as he explained every detail of the technique - the flow of chakra, its direction, its compression…
A mere C-rank technique took a full half minute to execute.
"Did you learn it?" Fugaku asked expectantly.
Maí replayed Fugaku's demonstration in his mind, layering it together with Izuna's explanations from the scroll.
Only then did he slowly raise his hands.
His fingers flew, seals forming at incredible speed as he guided the chakra within his body.
A wave of heat surged from his chest to his throat. Maí opened his mouth and spat out a fireball over a meter tall, which slammed into a training dummy ten meters away and exploded.
"Excellent!" Fugaku clapped. "As expected of an Uchiha genius. To master the Great Fireball Technique at only eight years old - and with such power on the first attempt."
Ordinary Uchiha became genin first, then learned the Great Fireball, and only afterward advanced to chūnin.
Genius Uchiha learned the Great Fireball first, then became genin and chūnin.
Maí was different. He already possessed chūnin-level strength before learning the Great Fireball.
The dummy ten meters away burned fiercely, just like a real enemy struck head-on. Yet Maí frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied.
Seeing his lack of joy, Fugaku asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy with the power of the Great Fireball?
Among all C-rank techniques, its power ranks at the very top."
"It's not about power…"
Maí shook his head. He gathered chakra, stepped forward, and dashed toward another dummy ten meters away, changing directions multiple times mid-run.
In the end, he leapt high into the air, mimicking the Raikage lineage's Righteous Thunder Axe and Tsunade's Heaven-Shattering Kick, and brought his foot down in a devastating strike, smashing the dummy to pieces.
External Style - Crushing Axe!
In The King of Fighters, Iori Yagami used the Crushing Axe while standing still. In real combat, the variations were far greater - after all, KOF was just a side-scrolling fighting game.
Ah…
Fugaku felt a bit awkward, because he already understood what Maí was trying to say.
The Great Fireball Technique was too slow.
Within ten meters, fists were faster. Against enemies beyond ten meters, it was only slightly faster than Maí's dash - and its fixed trajectory made it easy to dodge.
In comparison, charging in and landing a kick was far more reliable.
This kind of technique was only suitable for bullying weaker opponents, or for strategic use - forcing enemies to dodge and reposition.
The Art of Mercy, confirmed.
"In any case, study the knowledge in that scroll carefully. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me anytime. It's getting cold - go back and sleep early."
Still feeling awkward, Fugaku practically ushered Maí out the door.
Clutching the scroll, Maí headed home.
The Great Fireball Technique might have been a bit underwhelming, but the other techniques recorded in the scroll were all extremely practical. More importantly, the knowledge beyond the techniques themselves was priceless.
For someone like Maí, who wanted to develop ninjutsu-taijutsu hybrids, its value was immeasurable.
(End of Chapter)