Outer Style: Bombing Axe

"What are your rules for choosing team members?" Uchiha Mai asked.

Minato was slightly taken aback. He answered, "There are no rules."

What rules were needed to test the Will of Fire? Wasn't it simply a matter of seeing who was willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others?

Uchiha Mai nodded slightly. He understood.

He then turned around swiftly, drew out chakra, and concentrated it in his legs before lashing out with a high whip kick at Asuma's temple.

I like this kind of game with no rules.

In the office, Fugaku saw the group freeze for a moment. After Mai said something to Minato, he immediately made his move. Fugaku was delighted. Good job. You did very well.

Taking the initiative to say that he was willing to withdraw would cost him nothing aside from losing the chance to join Master Minato's team. It would also greatly reduce the threat the Uchiha posed in the eyes of the old Third Hokage.

Afterward, those who voluntarily withdrew would be assigned to other elite teams. Fugaku had seen this sort of arrangement far too many times.

However, Uchiha Mai's turn and furious kick at Asuma told Fugaku one thing: You celebrated too soon.

Fugaku's heart seemed to stop. What the hell? Wasn't this supposed to be about seeing who could understand the Will of Fire? What do you mean by suddenly attacking someone?

Fine, attack if you want, but why Asuma? Is beating him while eating and sleeping a habit now? Did you gain experience and make it a routine?

Uchiha Mai had a reason for attacking Asuma. After all, Asuma was standing closest to him.

Obito was a fellow clansman, so Mai couldn't target him first. As for Yuhi Kurenai and Rin Nohara, those two weaklings would probably cry for ages if he kicked them once. They posed no threat at all, so he could deal with them later.

Might Guy... He activated the Eight Inner Gates at the slightest disagreement, which made him difficult to deal with. Still, eliminating the other four would be enough. Wouldn't it be wonderful to advance together with Might Guy?

Asuma was just considering whether he should withdraw voluntarily to help Kurenai and Uchiha Mai when he suddenly saw a leg shadow whipping toward him.

By reflex, he quickly leaned his head back and took a step away, avoiding the somewhat familiar whip kick. He had genuinely gained experience from being beaten.

When the first strike failed, Uchiha Mai stepped forward. He planted his left foot firmly to maintain his balance, and every muscle in his body tensed like a fully drawn bowstring.

His right leg rose high over his head, his flexibility pushed to the limit. Wrapped in even more powerful chakra than before, it slammed toward Asuma's head with greater speed and fiercer momentum.

Mai Style—Ancient Martial Arts—Outer Style: Bombing Axe!

This was the new technique Uchiha Mai had developed after a month of intense training. Both its visual impact and its power had been pushed to the limit.

It was a technique Asuma had never seen before.

After perfectly dodging Uchiha Mai's first kick, Asuma had never imagined that Mai would launch another heavy kick so quickly. He wasn't this fast when he beat me before.

What a joke. Did he really need to use his full strength for his routine beatings of Asuma?

Asuma desperately twisted his body in an attempt to dodge, but he only managed to avoid the vital point of his head.

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, the bones in Asuma's shoulder were shattered by the kick. The immense force instantly drove him into the ground.

"Ah~~~"

Dust billowed into the air. Only then did Asuma feel the intense pain in his shoulder. He let out a soul-rending scream, feeling utterly aggrieved.

Uchiha Mai, you have no ninja ethics!

Putting aside the beatings before, at least those were fair fights. You only made me black and blue after more than ten exchanges.

But today, you actually launched a sneak attack. You didn't even care whether I could take it—you just came at me with such a vicious kick...

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

Asuma was deeply aggrieved. In the office, Fugaku and Sarutobi Hiruzen wore even stranger expressions, as though they were both constipated.

This development doesn't match our expectations!

"This Uchiha Mai... not bad. Very impressive." Sarutobi Hiruzen forced a dry, insincere smile and offered a couple of stiff words of praise to conceal his embarrassment.

"His strength is the greatest among the younger members of our Uchiha clan." Fugaku could only do his best to smooth things over for the Third Hokage.

If he continued to be modest and hide Mai's abilities, saying that Mai was merely an ordinary child within the clan, it would only make the Third Hokage even more embarrassed.

What does that mean? My son was just beaten down in two kicks by an ordinary Uchiha his age?

Besides, the strength Uchiha Mai had displayed was genuinely formidable.

Fugaku knew only that Mai often fought with Asuma and won every time, but he had never imagined that Mai would win so effortlessly.

Whenever Asuma returned home with a bruised and swollen face, he said that he had fought Uchiha Mai and lost after a hard-fought battle. There was no way he would voluntarily admit that he had been completely overwhelmed.

The Ninja Academy's fearless troublemaker had gone down so suddenly that everyone was caught off guard.

Only after Asuma fell did Master Minato react. Hadn't the Hokage said that this would test their willingness to sacrifice themselves? Why had Mai suddenly attacked?

What should I do in this situation? Should I intervene? If I do, I'll be contradicting myself after saying "there are no rules" just seconds ago.

Namikaze Minato was caught in a dilemma.

Uchiha Mai had no intention of caring how awkward the two men in the office felt or how conflicted Minato was.

After putting Asuma down, he immediately turned his attention to Obito and charged toward him.

Obito, sorry, but I have to put you down to join Master Minato's team. That means you won't be able to end up on the same team as your best friend Kakashi.

But I'll put Rin Nohara down afterward too. Look on the bright side: Rin Nohara won't be assigned to the same team as Kakashi. That's a good thing for you.

"Mai, you... what are you trying to do?"

Obito was rather slow on the uptake and still hadn't adapted to Uchiha Mai's rapid pace. He had no idea what this sudden attack was about.

"This is for your own good." Uchiha Mai answered with a flying knee aimed at Obito's chest.

Obito also realized that he had to fight. He drew out chakra, raised both elbows, and shielded his chest against the flying knee.

It was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree. Obito felt intense pain shoot through both arms. Though they protected his chest, they failed to completely dissipate the impact, and he staggered backward several steps.

Uchiha Mai pressed forward. With the One Tomoe activated, he analyzed Obito's movements and form, then shot both hands out like phantoms and seized Obito's head.

After practicing the Lightning Five-Chain Whip for so long, Mai's arms, hands, and fingers had all made tremendous progress in both flexibility and speed.

If the person holding Obito's head down had been Rin Nohara, Obito would have enjoyed it immensely. Unfortunately, that was impossible.

Uchiha Mai gripped Obito's head with both hands and yanked it downward. He raised his knee and slammed it into Obito, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

Uchiha Mai had always fought viciously, aiming straight for vital points. At the very least, his opponents could expect a fracture and a mild concussion. There was no upper limit.

His fighting style was indeed somewhat ruthless, especially for a sparring match and test between classmates. Yet so far, neither the Ninja Academy teachers, Fugaku, nor anyone else had ever corrected him on this point.

This was the Ninja World—the Ninja World less than ten years after the Second Great Ninja War had ended!

If one wasn't ruthless enough, one couldn't pose a sufficient threat to an opponent and would be killed in return. What would happen if someone got used to holding back too much and then did the same thing instinctively on the battlefield?

At this point in time, one had to be ruthless. Did they think that, after so many years of peace, everyone was going to play house with them?

Two updates today. Shamelessly begging for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets!