Chapter 17 – In Fire Release Talent, I Am No Match For You
"What?!"
This vast ninja world was never short of talented youths. Whether it was Kakashi Hatake, Shisui Uchiha, or even Uchiha Itachi himself, they were all exceptionally outstanding geniuses within Konoha. Yet, even so, Uchiha Itachi had never seen or heard of anyone who could leap from genin-level strength to jōnin-level in just one week!
And judging by the confident look on Izaya's face… Uchiha Itachi could tell he wasn't lying.
"Are you serious?" After a long pause, Uchiha Itachi finally spoke slowly, his gaze filled with shock as he looked at Izaya. Although he had witnessed miracles performed by Izaya before… this time, Izaya's claim made it hard for Uchiha Itachi to believe.
Generally speaking, the period from the start of the Ninja Academy to the genin stage was for accumulating knowledge and learning basic ninjutsu. Talented individuals could become chūnin in just half a year to a year. Even those without exceptional talent could still become chūnin through continuous accumulation and training; the only difference was it might take more time.
However, becoming a jōnin was what truly defined a ninja. Jōnin were the backbone of any shinobi village, possessing the authority to lead teams on missions… The overall strength of a jōnin was on a completely different level from that of a chūnin. Almost over 80% of chūnin might never become true jōnin in their entire lives. One could imagine the vast gap in strength between the two!
But… Izaya actually claimed he could reach the level of a standard jōnin in just another week? Of course, Uchiha Itachi found it hard to believe!
"You don't believe me?" Seeing the astonished look on Uchiha Itachi's face, Izaya thought to himself. But after a few moments, he understood the reason. It was simply that Uchiha Itachi found it impossible for him to attain jōnin-level strength in such a short time.
While this might seem like sheer fantasy to others, Izaya was different! He could truly do it!
Thinking this, to make Uchiha Itachi believe in his strength, Izaya stopped explaining. Instead, he walked directly up to Uchiha Itachi and said in a very serious tone, "Won't you know if you try?"
"Try?" Hearing Izaya's words, Uchiha Itachi grew even more puzzled and subconsciously asked, "How?"
"Won't you know my strength after a fight?" No sooner had the words left his mouth than Izaya leaped back several meters, putting distance between them while simultaneously assuming a battle stance!
"You want to spar?" Seeing the fighting spirit emanating from Izaya's body, Uchiha Itachi suddenly smiled and murmured, "Alright, I'll oblige you. Let me see the results of your special training this week!"
"That's what I was waiting for!" The moment Uchiha Itachi agreed to the spar, Izaya immediately entered a combat state. He began running around Uchiha Itachi in an irregular pattern, while one of his hands swiftly formed hand seals…
"This kid's speed…" Although Izaya hadn't made a move yet, this single action alone surprised Uchiha Itachi! During their previous training, Izaya had only displayed his exceptional talent for Fire Release ninjutsu. Uchiha Itachi hadn't known that Izaya's speed had already reached an excellent level among chūnin…
But… it was merely excellent. Even without activating his Sharingan, Uchiha Itachi could easily track Izaya's movements with his powerful dynamic vision. Before Izaya could attack, three sharp kunai had already appeared between Uchiha Itachi's slender fingers.
Swish!
In the next second, the sound of something cutting through the air broke the silence of the forest. The target was Izaya!
"Not good…" Izaya had originally planned to use his speed advantage to close in on Uchiha Itachi and launch a surprise attack with ninjutsu. But… the kunai flying straight toward him shattered that plan! If Izaya continued charging forward as planned, he would definitely be hit by the incoming kunai. The loss would outweigh the gain.
In truth, Izaya had another option. He could activate the power of the Blaze Fruit, elementalizing his body to directly ignore Uchiha Itachi's kunai attack while launching his own assault. But Izaya didn't want to do that…
"It seems I still need to dodge!" In just a few moments, Izaya had already decided on a countermeasure! While the kunai were still in the air, Izaya completed his hand seals. Without any hesitation, he concentrated the Chakra within his body into his mouth…
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Technique!"
With a shout, a dragon several meters long, composed entirely of flames, shot forth from Izaya's mouth! A roar accompanied its emergence.
"Izaya, this kid's Fire Release ninjutsu is just full of surprises…" Watching the kunai he had just thrown get swallowed by Izaya's Fire Dragon Technique, a smile flickered across Uchiha Itachi's face…
Although Uchiha Itachi already knew of Izaya's extreme talent in Fire Release, the Fire Dragon Technique before him still left him somewhat astonished. This technique was considered relatively basic among Fire Release ninjutsu; even ordinary chūnin could perform it easily. It was generally used for long-range harassment or probing attacks and might lack somewhat in lethality…
But the Fire Dragon Technique released by Izaya was completely different! Under normal circumstances, the flame dragon that appeared after casting this jutsu would be orange-red. If more Chakra was infused, the flame's color might deepen to a dark red… Yet, the Fire Dragon Technique released by Izaya was entirely different! The color of the flame was neither crimson nor orange… it was a light blue! Moreover, Uchiha Itachi could perceive that this Fire Dragon Technique contained an inexplicable threat!
One must remember that the Izaya before him was only at the chūnin level. And Uchiha Itachi was already considered a Kage-level powerhouse… If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Uchiha Itachi would never have believed that anyone could use chūnin-level power to unleash a Fire Release ninjutsu that posed a threat to him! And it was just a C-rank, basic Fire Release technique!
"When it comes to talent in Fire Release… I am no match for you…" Watching the enormous fire dragon continuing its assault toward him, Uchiha Itachi let out a deep sigh…