"What?"
"How is this possible?!"
"He really succeeded?"
"Fireball Jutsu is difficult for even lower-ranked ninjas to master. How could this idiot Fūka…"
"Idiot, what are you waiting for? Get out of the way!"
As the fireball approached, the Uchiha children finally snapped out of their daze. They scrambled to the side, stumbling and falling, their attempts to evade the attack leaving them in a messy heap.
Boom!
The fireball exploded, sending a powerful shockwave in all directions. Scattered embers landed on the Uchiha children, causing them to scream in pain from the burns.
"..." On the ground, Obito stared blankly at Fūka, as if he were seeing an alien. His expression was a mix of disbelief, doubt, and shock.
Fūka's chakra had dropped by a third after using the jutsu, leaving him pale. At the same time, his intense anger subsided, and his wild eyes slowly returned to normal. He opened his eyes and coldly looked at the Uchiha children sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.
"Which one of you hit Obito earlier?" Fūka stepped forward. His voice was not loud, but it carried a sense of authority after the display of Fireball Jutsu.
"Fūka, how could you possibly learn Fireball Jutsu!"
"Cheater, he must have cheated!"
"Bastard, how could you let this idiot defeat you? I…"
Before he could finish, Fūka kicked him hard, sending him flying and crashing into the dirt.
"Fūka, stop it," Obito struggled to get up, not wanting to cause more trouble for Fūka.
"Stop it? Are you kidding me!" An arrogant Uchiha child got up with gritted teeth and said coldly, "Uchiha Fūka, don't think you're amazing just because you can use Fireball Jutsu! My dad is the deputy commander of the Police Force. You're dead for daring to use Fireball Jutsu to attack clan members in public!"
Hearing this, Fūka frowned, but since he had already done it, he had no intention of backing down.
"People like you who rely on their parents and are useless themselves are the real trash," Fūka said calmly, and with a swift kick, he knocked the boy down.
"Uchiha Fūka, you bastard!" The boy, covered in dust and with clenched fists, stood up with veins bulging in anger. "Remember my name, I'm Uchiha Rennai. One day, I will completely defeat you!"
"Leave!" Uchiha Rennai turned and walked away.
The Uchiha children who were groaning on the ground staggered to their feet, casting fearful glances at Fūka before quickly following Uchiha Rennai out of sight.
Fūka squinted. More and more adults were gathering to watch. If things continued, it could attract even more trouble. He might end up beating these kids into the dirt if it didn't stop.
But Uchiha Rennai? Heh, I hope you'll realize your mistakes in the next school year. Otherwise...
"Obito, are you alright?"
Fūka helped Obito up and checked him over. He looked pretty beaten up, but the worst injury was a lost tooth. The rest were just superficial wounds that didn't need a hospital visit.
Well, they were just a bunch of kids. Even with their numbers, they couldn't cause too much harm.
Fūka breathed a sigh of relief.
"Damn it, I lost a tooth." Obito tossed the meat he was holding to Fūka and bent down to find his lost tooth, carefully putting it away.
"Don't worry, you're only six. Your teeth will grow back," Fūka reassured him.
"I hope so. But… Fūka, are you hiding something from me? That Fire Jutsu, how did you…" Obito's eyes were nearly glowing with excitement. As a student who ranked among the lowest in the ninja academy, he was desperate for strength and recognition.
And right now, Fūka had given him a huge hope.
In the previous year at the ninja academy, Fūka's performance had only been slightly better than Obito's, but such a low-ranking student couldn't possibly use Fireball Jutsu, right?
"Ahem!" Fūka cleared his throat lightly and gestured to the adults around them who were pointing and whispering. "Let's talk about it at home."
"Alright, but you have to tell me the truth!"
"Sure thing!"
...
At the Konoha Police Force headquarters, news of the incident was quickly relayed up the chain of command.
"Uchiha Fūka? That name seems familiar," Uchiha Yamano, the captain of the Konoha Police Force, said as he read the report. "Able to use Fireball Jutsu at just six years old? Is he a genius? I remember it took me until I was nine to master it."
"Fugaku!"
"Here!"
Soon, Uchiha Fugaku, who had met Fūka earlier at the hospital, entered the room.
"Investigate this child," Uchiha Yamano handed him a slip of paper.
Uchiha Fugaku took it respectfully and, upon reading, was taken aback. "It's him?"
"Do you know this kid?" Uchiha Yamano asked.
"His name is Uchiha Fūka. I just saw him this morning at Konoha Hospital. He seems to be a motivated child. Sorry, that's all I know, Captain," Uchiha Fugaku said, not hiding anything.
"Hmm, find out more. This child might be a genius of the Uchiha clan," Uchiha Yamano said with a grin, resembling an old mountain fox.
"A genius?" Uchiha Fugaku was stunned and then looked at the information on the back of the paper. "What? He just used Fireball Jutsu?! And he's only six years old!"
Seeing the shock in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, Uchiha Yamano smiled. "Keep it confidential. If it turns out he is a genius, we need to protect this little guy. After all, even though the war has just ended, the village is still unstable."
Soon, the same information reached several major families in Konoha.
Senju Clan
Tsunade looked at the report with disdain, showing no interest. Meanwhile, the elders of the Senju clan, with their declining influence and power, had gradually withdrawn from Konoha's stage. Even if they had opinions, they were inconsequential.
Hyuga Clan
In the original story, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans were at odds in their struggle for the title of Konoha's top clan. However, since the Senju clan had not yet completely retreated from the stage, the Hyuga clan was not as sensitive to the Uchiha clan at this time. Therefore, they paid little attention to this piece of information.