If it had been any other student facing this kind of C-rank ninjutsu, they would most likely have been killed instantly!
Shigure's expression turned serious, and he stepped back without hesitation.
However, his retreat was clearly not as fast as the fireball's speed.
Just as the fireball was about to hit him, a cold light flashed in Shigure's eyes. The kunai in his hand suddenly gleamed white as he slashed downward fiercely.
"Break for me!!"
Crack!
A white ring suddenly exploded at that moment, but under Shigure's control, he didn't meet the fireball head-on—instead, he split it into two sides.
The fireball had almost reached its limit by this point, and with Shigure's full-force strike… it split apart!
The flames passed by both sides of Shigure's body without hitting him.
"Nice!"
Seeing this, Shigure didn't look excited; instead, he became even calmer.
I still can't withstand a full C-rank ninjutsu head-on, so I can only deal with it using tricks… But I'm not far from being able to destroy a C-rank jutsu directly!
The flames roared violently, and all the students outside looked horrified.
"Did he die?"
"God, that's murder… That's terrifying."
The students couldn't see what happened within the range of the fireball. They could only see Shigure engulfed in flames.
Everyone's face was filled with horror.
On the other side, Uzumaki Kushina couldn't hold back any longer and was about to rush to the field. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, and she felt deeply regretful.
Why did I let Shigure fight Uchiha Izumi? Why didn't I stop him?
At that moment, the only Chunin teacher who could stop her gritted his teeth and held her back while watching the scene unfold.
It seemed like Shigure had died.
Uchiha Izumi also looked at the gradually fading fireball, thinking Shigure must have been reduced to ashes. Her face turned slightly pale, but there was a hint of cold satisfaction.
But in the next second, her expression froze.
Shock and disbelief filled her eyes.
Because from within the dying flames, a figure slowly became clearer and suddenly shot out.
The one who rushed out—was Shigure!
"Impossible!!"
That powerful fireball… was actually blocked by Shigure?!
Even Uchiha Izumi found it hard to believe. Seeing Shigure emerge from the fire, she lunged at him in a panic.
After blocking that fireball, Shigure must be completely exhausted and just barely holding on.
Thinking this, a trace of confidence returned to Uchiha Izumi's eyes.
However, in the face of her punch, Shigure remained cold and struck back as well.
A faint white glow surrounded his fist.
In the next moment, the two fists collided in the air.
Crack!!
That strange sound rang out again, and tiny cracks spread through the air—as if space itself was shattering. It was terrifying.
Uchiha Izumi's arm cracked, and upon direct impact with Shigure's fist, her body couldn't withstand it—her arm broke!
A shockwave spread and sent her flying backward.
"This… can't be…"
Thud!
Uchiha Izumi crashed to the ground in the distance, horror and disbelief in her eyes. Then she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Unable to withstand the intense pain coursing through her body, she finally passed out.
Silence.
At that moment, Shigure calmly patted out the flames on his clothes and gently pulled off a burnt strand of hair, tossing it aside.
After a moment of silence, an uproar finally erupted.
"No way!!"
"Did he fake his death?!"
"How did Shigure block such a terrifying fire ninjutsu? That's insane."
When they finally realized what had happened, everyone felt like they were dreaming.
The students couldn't help but express utter shock and disbelief.
Shigure… actually defeated Uchiha Izumi?!
In other words, he was no longer the worst student—he had become the second genius after Minato Namikaze!
It was truly a miracle!
Among the crowd, Uzumaki Kushina stared blankly at the field, tears glimmering in her eyes.
She still hadn't recovered from the shock.
Shigure ignored the stunned students and looked toward Kushina, wiping the burned skin on his arm with a slightly apologetic expression.
"Sorry, I'm still a bit injured."
"…"
Kushina bit her lip and stared at Shigure blankly.
"Idiot!"
She couldn't help but wipe her tears, bit her lip again, snorted, then bared her teeth and claws at Shigure—returning to her usual spirited self.
On the field, the Chunin teacher still hadn't reacted.
He stared at Shigure in stunned horror.
"You… you…"
"I think I won, right?"
Shigure looked calmly at the teacher and spoke lightly.
The Chunin teacher looked disbelieving and couldn't help rubbing his eyes.
He never expected that Shigure would actually win, and the one severely injured in the end was Uchiha Izumi!
If it had been Shigure who got hurt, it wouldn't have mattered—but Uchiha Izumi was the one injured. As the supervising teacher, he would be under immense pressure, and all responsibility would fall on him!
His expression was ugly, but in the end, he could only bitterly announce Shigure as the winner.
However, upon noticing Uchiha Izumi's injuries in the distance, the Chunin's face darkened as he leaned over and whispered to Shigure.
"You'd better watch your back after beating up a member of the Uchiha clan like this."
"You don't need to worry about that, sensei."
Shigure replied calmly, then walked off the stage.
Many people watched Shigure with stunned eyes that didn't fade for a long while.
Even Minato Namikaze had a strange look in his eyes.
He continued observing Shigure, starting to take him seriously.
After this practical test, Shigure instantly became the center of attention in the entire ninja academy.
Many were shocked by what kind of power he had used.
Shigure's explanation was: a Kekkei Genkai of the Shock Element.
It was a perfect explanation.
After all, in the world of ninjas, there were countless bloodline limits—such as dojutsu like the Sharingan and Byakugan, body techniques like the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku, the Hozuki clan's hydration technique, or chakra natures like Wood and Ice Release.
Everyone suddenly understood.
After the initial shock, things gradually calmed down.
…
In an open training field in Konoha.
The sky slowly darkened, but Shigure had no intention of leaving. Instead, he continued practicing taijutsu desperately.
Even though he felt proud for the first time, Shigure knew that trouble would follow—so he trained even harder to improve his taijutsu and enhance the power of his Kekkei Genkai.
"Four hundred fifty-one, four hundred fifty-two… four hundred ninety-nine, five hundred!"
"Hah!"
After reaching his set number, Shigure stretched his almost-numb arms and stood up.
When training outside, he generally didn't push to the extreme.
Only at home would he push his limits.
Though it didn't mean much, in this ninja world, Shigure still deliberately cultivated his vigilance from a young age.
"At this rate, it's almost time to start weight training."
Wiping off the sweat from his body, Shigure walked home.
It had been nearly a month since he ate that fruit that shouldn't exist in this world and awakened the Shock Element Kekkei Genkai.
Over the past month, Shigure had stopped practicing ninjutsu and chakra, and instead devoted all his energy to taijutsu.