The atmosphere in the arena was taut, vibrating with the suppressed energy of two Uchiha powerhouses.
Uchiha Tekka, the seasoned Jonin whose name commanded respect throughout the Military Police, watched the boy across from him with a predatory intensity. Twelve-year-old Uchiha Yao stood balanced, his composure unnervingly solid. In his orbs, the single-tomoe Sharingan pulsed with a chilling, crimson light.
"Kid," Tekka's voice was a low, dangerous rumble. "Are you ready?"
He no longer saw a graduate. The sophisticated Phoenix Fire technique Yao had just displayed had stripped away any lingering traces of condescension.
"Ready when you are," Yao replied.
"Excellent!"
The moment the word left Tekka's lips, he vanished.
Flicker.
To the spectators, it was as if he had simply ceased to exist. To Yao, it was a blur of high-velocity movement. This was the raw, unbridled speed of a Jonin.
Through the heightened perception of his Sharingan, Yao tracked the displacement. Tekka was ghosting to his right. A whip-kick, heavy with Chakra, tore through the air with a high-pitched whistle.
Yao didn't panic. He arched his body into a perfect "iron bridge," the heel of Tekka's sandal grazing the tip of his nose. The sheer wind of the strike whipped Yao's black hair into a frenzy.
"Good eyes!"
Tekka didn't let up. He transitioned the missed kick into a downward axe-chop, aiming to shatter Yao's guard—and his skull.
Yao tapped his toes, his body becoming as light as a falling leaf as he floated backward. His fingers were already a blur of seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A sphere of condensed, white-hot flame erupted from Yao's mouth, meeting Tekka's descent head-on.
"Child's play!" Tekka snorted. He didn't weave a sign. He didn't dodge. He clenched his right fist, his Chakra erupting in a violent shroud, and punched the center of the fireball.
Bang!
The Great Fireball—a move that could incinerate a house—was shattered by a single, physical blow. Scattered embers singed Tekka's sleeves, but he was untouched.
"Your flames are impressive, boy, but raw power isn't enough to bridge the gap!" Tekka laughed, closing the distance again.
Yao's mind remained a frozen lake. He knew that against a Jonin, Ninjutsu was a secondary tool; the real battle was in the economy of movement and the psychological tempo. He drew a breath, his meridians screaming as he pushed his Chakra to its limit.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
A serpent of fire, more solid and ferocious than the one he had used in the test, roared forth with the intent to cremate everything in its path.
"Again? Repetitive!" Tekka's eyes narrowed as he wove his own signs. "Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Roar—!
A gargantuan dragon of flame, nearly double the size of Yao's, erupted from Tekka's lungs. The two mythical beasts collided in the center of the arena.
Rumble—!
The collision sent a shockwave of thermal force through the grounds. Spectators shielded their eyes from the blinding glare and the oppressive, bone-dry heat.
"He's... he's actually matching the Captain's Great Dragon Fire?!"
Kyoichi and Kaede could only watch in a daze. This was a level of combat that had transcended their reality.
As the flames dissipated, Yao and Tekka stood apart. Sweat beaded on Yao's brow, his chest heaving. Controlling that much output was draining his newly expanded pool. Tekka remained composed, but the casual curiosity in his eyes had been replaced by a deep, unsettling solemnity.
"Captain Tekka... excuse me!"
Yao lunged. A prolonged battle of attrition favored the veteran; he needed a decisive strike. He shot forward like an arrow, his kunai glinting in the midday sun.
"Bring it on!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The arena echoed with the staccato of steel on steel. They moved like shadows, intertwining and separating in a lethal dance. Yao's Sharingan worked overtime, capturing every micro-twitch of Tekka's muscles.
Tekka was internally reeling. Yao's Taijutsu lacked the "polish" of a twenty-year veteran, but his combat awareness was supernatural. Every "sure-fire" opening Tekka presented was either a trap Yao avoided or a feint Yao exploited.
Is this kid a natural-born god of war?
In that split second of Tekka's internal reflection, Yao's eyes flared with a brilliant, bloody light.
The opening.
Tekka had overcommitted to a heavy slash. For a heartbeat, his center was exposed.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Yao didn't wait to reset. From point-blank range, he launched a highly condensed, fist-sized bullet of fire. It wasn't the size of a dragon, but it possessed the piercing velocity of a rifle round.
Tekka's pupils shrank. There was no time for a Substitution. No time for a block. He crossed his arms in a desperate, last-second brace.
Boom—!
A muffled explosion rocked the clearing. Tekka was propelled backward, skidding seven meters across the dirt.
Pfft.
He spat a small spray of blood. His chest plate was scorched black, the acrid smell of burnt leather filling the air.
Silence. The entire headquarters was paralyzed.
Uchiha Tekka had been repelled by a child.
Yao exhaled a long, turbid cloud of smoke, his limbs trembling from the sudden Chakra depletion. He had done it.
"Cough... cough..." Tekka stood up, wiping the blood from his lip. Then, he began to laugh. A hearty, booming sound of genuine joy.
"Good kid! Hahahaha! Incredible!" He walked over and slammed a heavy, supportive hand onto Yao's shoulder. "Uchiha Yao, from this day forth, you are a member of the First Squad!"
Practical Combat Rating: Special.
By nightfall, the name "Waste Yao" had been scrubbed from the clan's vocabulary. In its place was a new title: The Crimson Genius.
Three days later, Yao adjusted the collar of his new black uniform, the Uchiha crest on his back feeling heavier—and more permanent.
Uchiha Yao's Attribute Panel
Strength: Elite Chunin (Chakra approaching Early Jonin)
Skills: Three-Body Technique, Fire Release (All-Series Mastery), One-Tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha-style Taijutsu.
Clan Status: Military Police Force - First Squad
Clan Glory: 385 (Assessment success +200; Daily prestige +100)
Overall Clan Strength: Genin-level (Medium)