The air shimmered faintly above the scorched earth of the Uchiha training grounds. It was late afternoon, the kind of day when the sunlight poured down through the gaps in the trees like molten gold; the cicadas sang lazily from the branches, and the smell of dust, old bark, and faint ash lingered in the stillness.
A low stone wall encircled the clearing, carved with age-old clan sigils. Beyond it, the whisper of the forest softened the world into quiet seclusion.
Satoru stood at the edge of the field, his grey eyes reflecting the soft burn of the sun. To the untrained eye, the Uchiha grounds might have looked ordinary; just another patch of Konoha forest cleared for training, but Satoru knew better. Every scorched mark on the ground told a story of practice and perfection. Fire Release training was practically sacred here.
"Didn't think you'd show up this early," Shisui said with a grin as he came into view, the green flak jacket catching the light.
Satoru turned slightly, offering a small smile. "You said evening. I figured you'd complain if I made you wait."
Shisui chuckled. "Hah, maybe I'm rubbing off on you."
He glanced around, hands on his hips, surveying the training field. "It's been a while, huh? Can't remember the last time we trained together."
Satoru nodded quietly, "Too long,"
Ever since that 'talk' with Fugaku, things had shifted slightly. The clan head's permission hadn't been warm or welcoming, but it had been enough. Enough for him to step inside the Clan compound without side glances or suspicion. Enough to train here without raising questions.
He still didn't know what to make of it.
'Unless I get a clear command from the higher-ups, I won't think much of it,' he thought to himself, fingers brushing absently against the rough bark of a nearby tree.
'Still… I should thank my luck. At least now I have a place to practice destructive jutsu without drawing attention.'
"So," Shisui began, stretching his arms behind his head, "today's the big day."
Satoru smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Just show me how it's done."
"Gladly," Shisui said with mock grandeur, stepping forward. "Watch closely, there's poetry in this technique when done right."
He moved to the centre of the clearing, as his expression shifted from playful to focused in an instant.
Satoru watched as Shisui inhaled deeply, forming the seals: Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger; in a smooth, unbroken motion. The last seal lingered a heartbeat longer; then his chest expanded with a deep breath.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The roar that followed was near deafening. A massive orb of flame burst forth from Shisui's mouth, rippling with heat and light. It rolled forward like a living thing, the air around it warping, grass withering under its passage. The explosion of heat sent a wave of hot wind against Satoru's face, carrying with it the acrid tang of burning earth.
"FWOOOOSH!"
The fireball consumed its mark, a distant training post, leaving behind a pillar of smoke and a hollowed, blackened crater.
Satoru's eyes widened slightly despite himself. The precision was perfect; the chakra flow steady and deliberate. The fireball hadn't sputtered or flared unevenly once.
'He makes it look so easy…' the thought slipped unbidden into his mind.
Shisui exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders as the last trails of smoke faded away. He turned, grin returning.
"See? Not so hard."
"Sure," Satoru said flatly, though the corner of his mouth twitched.
Shisui laughed. "Alright, alright, let's break it down. The Fireball isn't about brute force. You pull chakra into your lungs, ignite it with your will, and expel it in one continuous exhale. But here's the thing, fire is intent. It answers emotion. Panic, hesitation, self-doubt… they choke it."
He gestured to the charred ground. "You've got to want the flame to exist. Feel it in your chest and the warmth before it becomes heat."
Satoru nodded, absorbing every word. He had read about the technique, even analysed the chakra patterns through his Sharingan, but hearing Shisui describe it that way made something click.
'Fire is intent.'
He stepped forward, took his stance, and inhaled slowly. His hands blurred through the seals.
Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger;
He felt the chakra surge through him, pooling at the base of his lungs like liquid sunlight. Then he exhaled.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"BOOF!"
The explosion of flame that followed was brief but wild — too much chakra, released too fast. The sphere ballooned, stuttered, and collapsed on itself with a hiss.
He coughed, waving away the smoke as Shisui's laughter rang out across the clearing.
"You're forcing it," Shisui called. "Fire doesn't respond to panic, remember?"
Satoru scowled lightly, "I wasn't panicking."
"Sure you weren't," Shisui said, "Try again. Less chakra this time, and breathe like you mean it."
Satoru reset, running through the seals again. He focused, inhaled, exhaled—
A faint puff of smoke escaped his mouth, followed by a flicker of orange that died almost instantly.
Shisui tilted his head. "...Or maybe a little more chakra next time."
Satoru let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
'If I can't even master a clan jutsu…' he thought bitterly, his mind flashing to memories of Hoshino performing complex techniques without effort, of Itachi moving through the academy ranks like a storm.
His hand curled into a fist at his side.
They rested after a few more failed attempts, sitting together on a fallen log near the training posts.
Shisui leaned back. "You know, Itachi's not around today," he said casually.
"Off on a genin mission. First one outside the village walls."
Satoru glanced sideways. "Already?"
"Yeah," Shisui said, smiling faintly.
"Honestly, I don't think he'll stay a genin for long. Chunin's just around the corner for him. Probably jōnin by the time he's my age."
Satoru chuckled softly, though his eyes held a shadow of something else; admiration and envy, intertwined.
"Wouldn't surprise me. He's… built different."
Shisui smirked. "And what about you? Why didn't you take the early graduation offer?"
Satoru hesitated. "Guess I just didn't feel ready enough."
"Nonsense," Shisui said, "You're already beyond most clan kids your age. You've got control, precision, the Sharingan… What's left?"
Satoru smiled faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Maybe if I had my second tomoe, I'd have thought about it."
Shisui barked a laugh, eyes gleaming. "Heh, fair enough. Always aiming high, huh?"
"You'd be disappointed if I didn't."
"True," Shisui admitted, grinning.
They sat there a moment longer, the laughter fading into a comfortable silence. Then Satoru stood, stretching his arms. "One more try," he said quietly.
Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Feeling lucky?"
"Feeling ready," Satoru replied, his tone steady now.
He walked back to the centre of the field. The air had cooled slightly, but the ground beneath his sandals still radiated warmth. He could feel the faint thrum of chakra within the earth, the residue of Shisui's earlier fireball.
He closed his eyes. Inhaled slowly.
His chakra flowed smoothly and steadily this time, not a flood, but a current. He shaped it carefully, moulding it around the rhythm of his breath. He felt it swirl in his lungs, hot and alive.
The hand seals came naturally now, each movement precise, deliberate.
He drew in one deep, grounding breath. The warmth in his chest ignited, not with panic, but with focus; with intent.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The world seemed to pause for an instant before the roar came.
"FWOOOOOOOM!"
A brilliant sphere of flame erupted from his mouth, coalescing into a blazing inferno that expanded outward, shimmering in the sunlight.
When it vanished, a wide circle of scorched soil marked its path, the edges still glowing faintly red.
Shisui grinned broadly, clapping once. "Now that's how it's done!"
Satoru staggered slightly, dropping to one knee. His breath came in ragged gasps, sweat running down his temples.
He'd done it.
Shisui walked over, kneeling beside him. "Told you; you're more than ready." He clapped Satoru on the back, the force of it almost knocking him forward.
Satoru managed a weak chuckle. "Remind me to thank you later… after I can breathe again."
"Deal," Shisui said, standing and offering him a hand.
Satoru took it, pulling himself upright.
"Alright," Shisui said, "New goal for the year, we're not stopping until you get that second tomoe. Let's make it happen."
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