If it had been any other student, facing a C-rank ninjutsu like this, they would have been instantly defeated—if not outright killed.
Yuya's expression hardened. Without hesitation, he kicked off the ground and retreated rapidly.
But his retreat was clearly slower than the advancing Great Fireball.
Just as the blazing mass was about to engulf him, a cold gleam flashed in Yuya's eyes. The kunai in his hand suddenly flared with white light as he slashed downward with all his strength.
"Split—!!"
Crack!
The white aura exploded outward.
But instead of colliding head-on with the fireball, Yuya forcibly split it apart.
The Great Fireball had already reached its maximum range. Under the full force of Yuya's vibration—
It was torn in two.
The raging flames surged past him on both sides, scorching the air—but never touching his body.
"Good."
Yuya showed no joy. If anything, he looked even calmer.
He still couldn't directly shatter a C-rank ninjutsu—
This had been a workaround.
But the day he could crush such techniques head-on…
wasn't far away.
The flames continued to roar.
Outside the fire's range, the students were frozen in terror.
"Did he… die?"
"Oh no… this is killing someone, isn't it?!"
They couldn't see what was happening inside the flames.
All they saw was Yuya being swallowed whole.
Fear spread across every face.
Kushina Uzumaki could no longer hold herself back. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes as she nearly rushed forward, overwhelmed with guilt.
Why did I let him fight Izumiya?
Why didn't I stop him?!
Nearby, the chūnin instructor clenched his teeth—
And forced himself not to move.
It looked like Yuya was already dead.
Izumiya stared at the gradually dissipating flames, convinced Yuya had been burned to ashes. His face was pale, yet a trace of cold satisfaction lingered.
Then—
His expression froze.
Shock and disbelief flooded his eyes.
From within the thinning flames, a figure emerged—
Walking forward step by step.
It was Yuya.
"Impossible!!"
He survived the Great Fireball Technique?!
Izumiya's mind reeled. Panic overtook him as he threw a punch at Yuya.
After enduring such a jutsu, Yuya had to be at his limit—surely he was just forcing himself to stand.
Confidence flickered back into Izumiya's eyes.
Yuya met that punch with one of his own.
His gaze was icy.
A dim white aura coiled around his fist.
The next instant—
Their fists collided.
Crack—!!
That same eerie sound rang out again.
Fine fractures spread through the air as though space itself were splintering.
Izumiya's arm made a sickening sound—
It shattered.
Unable to withstand the vibration, his arm snapped outright. The shockwave spread through his body, sending him flying backward.
"No… way…"
Thud!
Izumiya crashed heavily to the ground. Terror still filled his eyes as blood sprayed from his mouth. Overwhelmed by pain, he lost consciousness.
Silence.
Yuya casually patted out the remaining flames on his clothes, then tugged off a few burned strands of hair and tossed them aside.
After a brief stillness—
The field erupted.
"That's impossible!!"
"Is this some kind of resurrection?!"
"How did he survive that Fire Release jutsu?! This is insane!"
The students felt as if they were dreaming.
Every face was filled with shock.
Yuya… defeated Uchiha Izumiya?!
That meant—
He was no longer the dead last.
He had leapt straight into the ranks of geniuses—
Second only to Minato Namikaze.
An unbelievable miracle.
In the crowd, Kushina stared blankly at the field, tears still glistening at the corners of her eyes.
She hadn't fully processed it yet.
Yuya ignored the stunned students and walked over to her, rubbing the slightly scorched skin on his arm with a faintly apologetic look.
"Sorry… I still got hurt a little."
"..."
Kushina bit her lip, staring at him.
"Idiot!"
She wiped her eyes, snorted angrily, then waved her fists at him, quickly returning to her lively self.
The chūnin instructor still hadn't recovered.
He stared at Yuya as if looking at a monster.
"Y-You…"
"I won," Yuya said calmly. "Didn't I?"
The instructor rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
He never imagined Yuya would win—
Much less that Izumiya would be the one severely injured.
If Yuya had been hurt, it wouldn't have mattered.
But an Uchiha clan member being crippled—
That responsibility fell squarely on him.
His face twisted with bitterness, but he could only announce Yuya's victory.
Lowering his voice, he added coldly near Yuya's ear:
"You injured a member of the Uchiha clan. Take care of yourself."
"That won't be necessary," Yuya replied indifferently, then walked off the field.
Countless gazes followed him—
all filled with lingering awe.
Even Minato watched him closely now, eyes gleaming with interest.
After this assessment, Yuya instantly became the center of discussion throughout the Ninja Academy.
Everyone wanted to know what power he had used.
Yuya's explanation was simple:
Vibration Release – a Kekkei Genkai.
The explanation was flawless.
After all, the ninja world was filled with countless bloodline abilities—
Dōjutsu like the Sharingan and Byakugan,
body-based abilities like Shikotsumyaku or the Hōzuki clan's Hydrification,
and chakra-based ones like Wood Release and Ice Release.
Once the shock faded, everything settled down.
That evening, in an open area within Konohagakure.
The sky was growing dark, yet Yuya showed no intention of leaving.
He continued training his taijutsu relentlessly.
This was his first true moment of pride—but Yuya knew trouble would soon follow.
And so, instead of relaxing, he trained even harder.
"Four hundred fifty-one… four hundred fifty-two…"
"Four hundred ninety-nine… five hundred!"
"Haah—!"
Reaching his target, Yuya stretched his stiff arms and stood up.
When training outside, he avoided pushing himself to absolute limits.
Only at home did he completely drain every ounce of strength.
It wasn't the most efficient approach—but in the ninja world, vigilance mattered.
"Looks like it's about time to start using weights."
Shaking the sweat from his body, Yuya headed home.
Nearly a month had passed since he consumed that fruit that shouldn't have existed in this world—
since he awakened Vibration Release.
During this month, Yuya had completely abandoned ninjutsu training.
Every bit of his effort had gone into taijutsu.