Spar

Itachi Uchiha had not expected Zhang Miao to take the initiative and ask to spar with him.

After all, although he had only just entered the Ninja Academy, even the older students were no match for him in terms of strength.

In other words, Itachi Uchiha already possessed the strength of a Genin!

Under such circumstances, Zhang Miao's suggestion that they "exchange a few moves" immediately put Itachi Uchiha in a difficult position.

"Um..."

Itachi Uchiha was worried that he might accidentally hurt Zhang Miao if they fought, but if he refused, he was afraid Zhang Miao would be upset. He was instantly caught between a rock and a hard place.

But Zhang Miao had no such reservations. After rolling up both sleeves, he threw a straight punch at Itachi Uchiha's head.

"Watch out!"

In truth, Zhang Miao did not need to warn him. Habits forged over time made Itachi Uchiha swiftly raise his arms to block.

Slap!

As he blocked Zhang Miao's fist, their arms collided with a crisp smack. Yet the force transmitted through it made Itachi Uchiha's eyes widen in surprise.

What tremendous strength!

During his time at the Ninja Academy, Itachi Uchiha had fought the older students, but none of them had punches as heavy as Zhang Miao's.

Just as Itachi Uchiha was inwardly astonished, Zhang Miao's laughter reached his ears again.

"Hehe, Itachi, if you dare get distracted while fighting me, you're going to pay dearly! Hah!"

With that, Zhang Miao leaped up and delivered a sweeping kick!

Zhang Miao's sweeping kick was swift and precise, practically sealing off every route of retreat available to Itachi Uchiha. This time, Itachi Uchiha did not dare let his guard down and hurriedly raised both arms to block.

Zhang Miao's kick landed squarely on Itachi Uchiha's guarding arms with a dull impact.

Bang!

What Itachi Uchiha had not expected was that the strength in Zhang Miao's leg far exceeded his imagination. Unable to keep his footing, he staggered back several steps, his heart filled with shock.

So strong!

Only then did Itachi Uchiha realize that comparing Zhang Miao to the children at the Ninja Academy had been completely wrong.

In taijutsu alone, whether in strength, speed, or precision of movement, Zhang Miao was comparable to the ninja on the battlefield—perhaps even stronger!

With that thought, Itachi Uchiha no longer dared to be careless. He began focusing intently on Zhang Miao's movements and launched appropriate counterattacks.

Zhang Miao, meanwhile, grew more fluid the longer they fought. The Elite Basic Taijutsu he had inherited from Might Wei began to display its true power!

Smack, smack, smack...

The sounds of their fight quickly drew Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha out of the house.

Watching the two small figures exchange blows enthusiastically in the courtyard, Mikoto Uchiha's eyes widened.

"That's... Ryunosuke? I never expected his taijutsu to be so formidable at such a young age!"

She knew Itachi Uchiha's strength, but she had not expected Zhang Miao to be able to fight him on equal footing.

"Mm, he really is quite impressive."

Upon hearing Mikoto Uchiha's words, the usually taciturn Fugaku Uchiha nodded as well.

"His strength, speed, and precision of movement are all impeccable. Many Genin cannot achieve that. Ryunosuke has an excellent taijutsu foundation. His teacher must have attained a very high level in taijutsu!"

Fugaku Uchiha had always been a very rigorous person, so hearing him praise Zhang Miao so highly made Mikoto Uchiha widen her eyes in surprise.

But before she could speak, Fugaku Uchiha frowned and said in a low voice, "It's about to end!"

Hearing Fugaku Uchiha's words, Mikoto Uchiha quickly turned to look into the courtyard.

She saw Itachi Uchiha evade one of Zhang Miao's side kicks, then turn and leap several meters backward as his hands rapidly began forming seals!

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger!

Seeing Itachi Uchiha's sequence of hand seals, Mikoto Uchiha's eyes widened.

"That's... the Great Fireball Technique? Honey, hurry and stop them!"

Mikoto Uchiha was truly anxious now. The Great Fireball Technique was a C-rank ninjutsu with tremendous destructive power. Getting hit by it was no joke!

But compared to the worried Mikoto Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha appeared completely calm.

"Don't worry. Itachi is about to lose!"

"Itachi is going to lose?"

Hearing Fugaku Uchiha's words, Mikoto Uchiha's eyes widened in surprise once more.

In her view, Itachi Uchiha should have been the one on the verge of victory, while Zhang Miao would likely be seriously injured. Yet Fugaku Uchiha said Itachi Uchiha would lose—how could that be possible?

But soon, she understood that Fugaku Uchiha had been right.

In just three seconds, Itachi Uchiha had completed his hand seals. He took a deep breath, ready to unleash the Great Fireball Technique.

But to his surprise, Zhang Miao, who had just been directly in front of him, suddenly vanished!

Where did he go?

Just as Itachi Uchiha widened his eyes and searched for Zhang Miao's whereabouts, a familiar voice suddenly sounded beneath him.

"Itachi, are you looking for me?"

Hearing that voice, Itachi Uchiha's eyes widened in shock. Instinctively, he tried to retreat, but it was already too late.

"It's over!"

Zhang Miao shouted and launched an upward kick, striking Itachi Uchiha squarely on the chin and sending him flying.

Bang!

When Itachi Uchiha crashed to the ground, applause immediately rang out nearby.

Clap clap clap clap...

Hearing the applause, Itachi Uchiha and Zhang Miao turned around at once. Fugaku Uchiha was walking toward them, applauding as he went.

"Ryunosuke's taijutsu is very good. They may only be basic techniques, but the more basic something is, the more it reveals a ninja's ability. To reach this level, Ryunosuke must have put in a great deal of effort. Very good!"

Faced with Fugaku Uchiha's praise, Zhang Miao scratched his head awkwardly.

"Hehe, I actually didn't practice that much. I never expected to be this good already. Maybe I'm the genius everyone talks about!"

Fugaku Uchiha: "..."

Damn it, give him an inch and he takes a mile!

After shooting Zhang Miao an annoyed glance, Fugaku Uchiha shifted his gaze to Itachi Uchiha, who had just climbed back to his feet.

"Itachi! There was nothing wrong with using ninjutsu against a taijutsu-type ninja, but you need to understand that taijutsu-type ninjas move very quickly. When using ninjutsu, you must put as much distance as possible between yourself and your opponent. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father. I understand!"

Seeing Itachi Uchiha accept the lesson so humbly, Fugaku Uchiha nodded in satisfaction.

At that moment, Zhang Miao walked over and cheerfully hooked an arm around Itachi Uchiha's neck.

"Hehe, Uncle Fugaku, don't be so strict. Itachi hasn't awakened his Sharingan yet, so this is the only time I can bully him a little. Once he awakens his Sharingan, ordinary taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu won't work on him anymore. That's when Itachi will be truly powerful, right, Itachi?"

"Uh..."

Upon hearing Zhang Miao's words, Itachi Uchiha looked toward his father again. But before Fugaku Uchiha could react, Zhang Miao spoke again.

"Don't look at him. With me here, Uncle Fugaku has no say. Believe it or not, I can make him go 'baa—' right now?"

Fugaku Uchiha: "..."

Itachi Uchiha: "..."

Mikoto Uchiha: "..."