The Great War Begins

"Send word immediately. From now on, if any of our Jonin encounter Uchiha Mai while on a mission or on the battlefield,

they are to kill him, even if it means abandoning their mission. The Ninja World cannot be allowed to harbor a talent like that."

The Raikage tapped the desk with his index finger as he spoke in a low voice.

Uchiha Mai: ???

What kind of logic is that? They can abandon a mission when they run into Hatake Sakumo, but when they run into me, they have to fight to the death? Talk about picking on the easy target!

There was no helping it. In terms of strength, Uchiha Mai was still far behind Hatake Sakumo.

What the Third Raikage truly feared was Uchiha Mai's potential.

At just nine years old, he already possessed astonishing strength. He had slain a formidable enemy, turned a dire situation around, and made a name for himself as a powerful shinobi.

Surely his strength could only grow from there, right? Well, not necessarily. Just look at Gohan from Dragon Ball.

At nine, Gohan crushed Cell in the Android Saga, yet by the start of the Majin Buu Saga, he had grown weaker when he fought Dabura.

Old Kai later unlocked his potential and turned him into Mystic Gohan, the strongest Z Fighter at the time. But in Dragon Ball Super, he slipped so badly he could not even turn Super Saiyan.

That was what studying did to a person.

But the Third Raikage had never watched Dragon Ball. He knew nothing of Gohan's cautionary tale. Even if he had, he would not have gambled on it.

Putting Uchiha Mai aside, the Third Raikage pondered for a moment, then said, "Our vanguard was wiped out in a single battle. Our plan to