As far as Uchiha Fugaku knew, no one possessed such an ability.
He couldn’t do it.
Uchiha Mikoto couldn’t do it.
Neither Sarutobi Hiruzen nor Senju Tobirama could do it.
Even a genius like Uchiha Itachi couldn’t do it.
“It seems the only person capable of such a thing was the legendary God of Shinobi—the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.”
Fugaku’s heartbeat quickened once again.
“Could my son actually possess talent comparable to the God of Shinobi?”
Fugaku stared at Akira, his eyes shining brightly.
“Akira, how did you do that?”
“How did I do it?”
Akira glanced at Fugaku.
“After I went home yesterday, I practiced for a while.
Then I naturally became able to use the techniques like this.”
“Isn’t this how all shinobi do it?”
Fugaku fell silent.
He felt as though he had just suffered a crushing blow.
How could all shinobi possibly be like this?
The overwhelming majority of shinobi needed to form hand seals when performing ninjutsu unless the technique itself required none.
“No.”
Fugaku shook his head.
“Even I cannot perform ninjutsu without hand seals.”
“This is a unique talent that belongs solely to you.”
“However…”
Fugaku’s expression suddenly became serious.
“Akira, you must never reveal this ability in front of outsiders.
Do you understand?”
Akira raised an eyebrow slightly.
Fugaku’s attitude surprised him.
Akira knew about the world of Naruto, but his knowledge was limited to the major events of the story.
That was why he had never been particularly fond of Uchiha Itachi.
However, Akira knew very little about the specifics of shinobi training.
Was extracting chakra difficult?
How quickly could an ordinary person learn ninjutsu?
After mastering a ninjutsu, would a shinobi still need to form hand seals to use it?
…
Akira didn’t know the answers to any of these questions.
In the past, Akira had repeatedly tried to speak with Fugaku through indirect hints, hoping to influence him and ultimately change the fate of the entire Uchiha clan.
Unfortunately, Fugaku never listened to him.
Even when Akira’s warnings became almost completely explicit, Fugaku still paid them no attention.
Eventually, Akira gave up.
From then on, he simply lived however he pleased.
He stopped worrying about how he spoke or behaved.
That was what had caused everyone else to view him as eccentric.
Akira also didn’t believe that he possessed the ability to change the Uchiha clan’s fate by himself.
After all, Uchiha Itachi was a genius.
Uchiha Sasuke was the reincarnation of Indra.
As for Akira, the additional Uchiha child born between them, he believed he was merely an ordinary member of the clan.
His limit might be nothing more than a three-tomoe Sharingan.
What could he possibly accomplish?
Nothing at all.
If he couldn’t resist fate, then he could only lie back and accept it.
However, after seeing Fugaku’s reaction and hearing him say that even he couldn’t perform ninjutsu without hand seals, a possibility suddenly occurred to Akira.
Could I actually be a genius?
Akira’s thoughts immediately began racing.
Why had he given up before?
It was because he believed he could never surpass Uchiha Itachi.
Fugaku refused to listen to him, so he had adopted a self-defeating attitude.
But if Akira was also a genius, then everything would be different.
There would be many things he could accomplish.
Changing the fate of the Uchiha clan through his own strength might not be impossible.
“Father, are you saying that I’m a genius?”
“Of course.”
Fugaku nodded, a hint of pride appearing on his face.
“Itachi is a genius, and so are you.
This is a blessing for the Uchiha clan.
One day, the Uchiha will stand at the pinnacle of this world.”
“However, while the existence of a genius inspires admiration, it can also provoke jealousy and even hatred.”
“Do you understand what I mean, Akira?”
“I understand.”
Akira nodded.
“You’re talking about the Hokage and the village leadership, aren’t you?
You’re worried that if the Uchiha become too powerful and threaten their positions, they’ll take action against us.
Right?”
Fugaku’s expression changed.
“Shh!
You must never say something like that to anyone else.
It’s enough that you understand it yourself.”
“All right.”
Only after hearing Akira agree did Fugaku breathe a sigh of relief.
Given Akira’s unusual personality, Fugaku would never have discussed such matters with him before.
His only expectation had been for Akira to become an ordinary shinobi.
But now Fugaku had no choice.
The ability to perform ninjutsu without hand seals was far too astonishing.
Once Akira entered the Ninja Academy, there was a high possibility that his ability would be exposed.
Therefore, Fugaku had no choice but to warn him.
However, Fugaku hadn’t been certain whether Akira would listen.
As his father, he didn’t possess much authority in front of Akira.
Fortunately, Akira had agreed.
Fugaku also felt that Akira didn’t seem quite as eccentric at that moment.
After a brief pause, Akira said, “Father, I have another question.”
“What is it?”
“You just said that both Itachi and I are geniuses.
So which one of us is more talented?”