Three Tomoe's Pressure

"Teacher Mikoto, I'm coming for you!" Nebula Kotetsu gave a warning before charging in with his whole body.

"Clang, clang, clang!!!" Sparks flew once more.

Two figures exchanged blows rapidly within the training ground; Nebula Kotetsu constantly shifted his stance, while Mikoto Uchiha stood her ground, waiting for an opening.

On the surface, it seemed no different from his previous bout with Asuma Sarutobi. In fact, Nebula Kotetsu's momentum didn't even seem as intense as the furious Asuma's had been just moments ago.

Only Mikoto Uchiha could perceive the difference.

Nebula Kotetsu's strikes were heavy.

At the very least, they were heavier than Asuma Sarutobi's.

It wasn't just the strength; his technique transitions and his reactions during weapon clashes exceeded Mikoto Uchiha's expectations. The strength he was displaying was clearly superior to his performance as cannon fodder during yesterday's assessment.

Was he not using his full strength before? Mikoto Uchiha wondered to herself.

Feeling the force transmitted through each kunai strike from Nebula Kotetsu, she silently evaluated him.

Good taijutsu!

In terms of close-quarters combat ability alone, his performance was enough to handle the majority of genin.

With such strength, in an environment like the Ninja Academy, he should have had no rivals outside of the rare, monstrous talents.

How could he have been labeled a dead-last? Were the academy teachers all useless?

Lost in thought, her focus wavered for a split second.

Nebula Kotetsu's eyes lit up instantly!

He thrust both hands, still gripping his kunai, straight forward!

Mikoto Uchiha reacted in a flash. Showing no panic, she crossed her arms and slashed outward to both sides.

"Clang!" Two crisp sounds rang out almost simultaneously. As her arms swung wide, she knocked the kunai from Nebula Kotetsu's hands.

She thought the fight ended there, but Nebula Kotetsu did not.

The preceding series of attacks had merely been to wait for this exact opportunity! Taking advantage of Mikoto Uchiha's exposed center, he surged his chakra and unleashed his Lv1 Big Slap, tapping into the strength boost provided by his Lv1 taijutsu.

"Swish!" His hands blurred into an afterimage, lunging toward Mikoto Uchiha's shoulders.

He didn't aim for her face, as that would damage Mikoto Uchiha's image. He didn't aim for her center, as that would damage his own.

Aiming for the shoulders, while not a vital point, would achieve his goal—to demonstrate his strength and value to the greatest extent, making Mikoto Uchiha realize he wasn't just some dispensable filler.

Thereby, he would gain her attention in future guidance and mission assignments.

As for his trump cards... he had no such concerns for now.

For one, he was currently too weak, and for another... as long as he kept dating, the system would keep dealing him cards.

"Slap!" A crisp sound echoed.

But it wasn't Nebula Kotetsu's attack that succeeded. The moment his hands were about to strike her shoulders, Mikoto Uchiha's gaze turned sharp in an instant. She retracted her hands and, with a speed that left Nebula Kotetsu in awe, moved faster than him to lock his wrists.

A sense of impending doom rose in Nebula Kotetsu's heart.

He looked up, meeting Mikoto Uchiha's eyes. The sharpness in the beautiful woman's gaze vanished in an instant.

Shock flashed across her face, followed by her pupils constricting violently! Nebula Kotetsu could observe the change in her eyes at close range as her irises turned deep red, and three pitch-black tomoe emerged, spinning rapidly within them.

Nebula Kotetsu: "!!"

Fear.

Because the moment the Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared, a massive sense of danger welled up from the depths of his heart, as if he were facing not a person, but a terrifying beast.

With a single thought from her, he might lose his life on the spot.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

For the first time, he faced the unmasked power and pressure of a formidable jonin, feeling his own insignificance and fragility.

The stronger the friction, the stronger the passive effect of the Hand of the Succubus. Mikoto Uchiha's grip was incredibly tight, so Nebula Kotetsu could clearly see the three tomoe trembling slightly. Under the gaze of the Sharingan, a thought suddenly occurred to Nebula Kotetsu: he really should have kept wearing gloves.

While he marveled at the pressure of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Mikoto Uchiha's heart was far from calm.

Panic.

Confusion.

The moment she locked his hands, a strange sensation traveled from her palms.

It was tingling and numb.

It felt a bit like touching an electric socket, yet not quite.

A current traveled from her fingertips straight to her heart.

A strange, unprecedented feeling caused her, who had been calm for so long, to suddenly lose control of her strength.

Her chakra seemed to be cheering, and her ocular power was singing.

A muffled sound almost escaped her lips, but at the critical moment, the strong willpower and reason of a jonin allowed her to suppress such a shameful display.

Only a soft, trembling gasp escaped from her nostrils.

Whoosh~

Releasing her grip, she quickly retreated two steps!

She suppressed the signals of disappointment radiating from her body, deactivated the Sharingan that had automatically activated in her eyes, and then watched Nebula Kotetsu before her with extreme vigilance.

"What was that?!"

Seeing the red glow fade from Mikoto Uchiha's eyes, Nebula Kotetsu breathed a sigh of relief and answered honestly.

"Teacher Mikoto."

"This is... a matter of constitution; it's not very convenient to go into detail."

A matter of constitution? Mikoto Uchiha thought, her heart full of confusion. Some kind of strange Kekkei Genkai?

No! There is no such outrageous Kekkei Genkai in the ninja world!

She stared solemnly into Nebula Kotetsu's eyes, and after discovering that he did not seem to be lying, her thoughts struggled for a moment before she ultimately abandoned the idea of getting to the bottom of it.

After all, he had intended to wear gloves earlier and hadn't done it on purpose. If it were a constitutional issue like a Kekkei Genkai, she, as a team leader who had only just met him, couldn't press for details unless she reported it to the Hokage beforehand.

Besides, there were two students nearby, staring at them with wide eyes.

She took two deep breaths, suppressed her complicated feelings, and reverted to being the dignified Jonin team leader.

"Your close-quarters combat strength is not bad."

"Keep working hard in the future."

After the sparring session, Mikoto Uchiha had a rough assessment of the three Genin in her squad.

Asuma Sarutobi had decent talent, but his temperament was average; he looked mature, but his nature was impulsive and lacked methodology. His strength was not as high as she had initially expected—just standard Genin level.

Kurenai Yuhi had a good level of Genjutsu. Her temperament was quiet and intelligent, but she lacked courage and close-quarters combat ability. If utilized properly, she could be effective, but she was easily targeted by surprise attacks.

Nebula Kotetsu, hmm... his Taijutsu and assault capabilities were among the best of the Genin, even rivaling some lackluster Chunin. His Mystical Palm Technique was of even greater value.

It was just that face—on the battlefield, he would likely be the primary target for the enemy!

"Everyone is here, I see." A familiar voice suddenly came from afar, interrupting Mikoto Uchiha's train of thought.

Nebula Kotetsu and the others turned to look. At the entrance, a tall man with a square face stood there, a kind smile hanging on his face.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" the man said, walking into the courtyard on his own.

Behind him, a servant followed carrying a tray with sliced drinks and melons.