Are You Satisfied with My Strength?

After a long while, Uzumaki Kuming, Uchiha Fugaku, and Hyuga Hiashi arrived together at Training Ground No. 7.

Training Ground No. 7 was located at the very edge of Konoha, in a remote area. During wartime, there were already few ninja from Konoha who went to the training grounds, and even fewer came to one as remote as this.

So when the three of them arrived, the place was deserted. Their sparring wouldn't disturb anyone, nor would anyone with ulterior motives be able to spy on them.

"Since this is just a spar, let's stop once we've made our point."

"I'm not good at Taijutsu, and my techniques are too destructive. It's hard to control their strength, so why don't you handle this, Hiashi?"

Once they reached the training ground, Uchiha Fugaku spoke first. He didn't actually have any objection to Kuming joining the team, and although he was curious about Uzumaki Kuming's strength, he didn't want to get involved in something so thankless.

So he passed the buck to Hiashi. His claim that he wasn't good at Taijutsu was just an excuse he'd come up with on the spot.

"That's fine. I'll do it."

Hyuga Hiashi knew Uchiha Fugaku was making an excuse, but he didn't mind. The stubborn man walked to the clearing in the middle of the training ground and waited for Kuming to join him.

"Is that so? Wouldn't that be a little unfair?"

"Since this is a spar, the point is for us to get familiar with each other's abilities, right?"

"Big Brother Fugaku and Big Brother Hiashi have worked together for quite some time. You know each other well, and you've already built up a certain amount of teamwork."

"But I don't know either of you."

"This is such a good opportunity. Big Brother Fugaku, why don't you join in too? That way, I can get to know you as well."

Though Uzumaki Kuming put it politely and called himself the junior, Uchiha Fugaku heard no humility in his words. He may have phrased it tactfully, but wasn't Kuming basically saying he wanted to take them both on?

"That wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be fair."

"And besides, then we wouldn't get to see how you perform."

Uchiha Fugaku's words sounded gracious, but inwardly, he was starting to resent Kuming. He thought the kid in front of him was overestimating himself, and his opinion of Kuming had taken a hit. There was even a hint of mockery in his voice.

"No need to go to any trouble, no need at all~"

"You two can come at me together. I'm in a hurry."

A moment ago, Kuming's face had still worn a smile, his expression honest and humble. The next moment, his expression turned cold, and the arrogance in his eyes surged forth.

Hearing Kuming's audacious words, Hiashi, standing in the middle of the training ground, grew impatient before Fugaku could even respond. "Let's begin, kid."

"Okay!" Kuming casually formed a one-handed seal to show his courtesy, then lightly threw a punch at Uchiha Fugaku. With his other hand, he quickly pulled several shuriken from his ninja pouch and flung them at Hyuga Hiashi.

Watching the shuriken fly toward him at a moderate speed and with mediocre accuracy, Hiashi didn't even bother to dodge. He didn't activate his Byakugan, either. After taking up a stance, he casually reached out and caught the shuriken in his hand.

Nearby, Fugaku saw Kuming's punch coming, leaned back slightly, and dodged it with a small step.

"You're just a kid, after all. Is that all you've got?" Hiashi casually tossed the shuriken he'd caught to the ground. They clattered against the dirt. Seeing how crude Kuming's attack was, he couldn't help commenting.

Uchiha Fugaku also gave a barely perceptible shake of his head, disappointment showing in his dark eyes.

"Heh. That was just a greeting."

Suddenly, the ground around Kuming began to tremble. Sand and stones rolled outward from him in every direction. Deep purple Chakra, visible to the naked eye, began to swirl around his body.

The sudden tremor made Uchiha Fugaku jump back instinctively, putting distance between himself and Kuming. His black eyes turned crimson, and three black Tomoe quickly took shape as he stared in shock at Uzumaki Kuming, the cause of it all.

In the distance, Hyuga Hiashi's expression turned solemn. He called out in a low voice, "Byakugan!"

"What terrifying Chakra. What in the world is this guy?"

With his Byakugan activated, Hiashi could finally glimpse something of Kuming's abilities. He could see the Chakra surging through Kuming's body growing wild and turbulent. At the same time, Chakra was being continuously sent from within Kuming to every part of his body.

"With Chakra like that, even the Jonin in the village probably can't compare to him. This kid..."

Uchiha Fugaku's Sharingan couldn't see the Chakra flowing within Kuming's body, but its keen vision let him see just how terrifying the Chakra surrounding Kuming was.

At that moment, both Fugaku and Hiashi put aside their contempt. Their expressions grew serious as they began to take Kuming's abilities seriously, quickly analyzing what Ninjutsu he might use.

After all, he'd already unleashed his Chakra. The technique he was about to use must be powerful.

But they probably hadn't expected that unleashing Chakra to apply pressure before a fight was one of Kuming's standard moves. It wasn't a sign that he was about to use a Ninjutsu. It was like fighting in Bleach: you hadn't even seen the other person yet, but you'd already use your spiritual pressure to pin them down and show them you weren't to be trifled with.

Kuming was the same. Before a fight, regardless of the actual difference in strength between the two sides, he first wanted to win by three points on sheer presence. As for the Chakra he wasted, someone else might have felt the loss, but to Kuming it was a mere drop in the ocean, nothing worth worrying about.

Just as Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi waited on guard for Kuming to attack, Kuming, at the center of the Chakra eruption, completely ignored the nearby Fugaku and instead charged at Hiashi in the distance. To Hiashi's surprise, Kuming closed in and threw a soft, feeble punch at his abdomen.

"An attack like this can..." Hiashi hadn't taken Kuming's attack seriously, but a ninja's good instincts made him defend himself with all his strength anyway.

Hyuga Hiashi had initially looked down on Kuming. But when he caught Kuming's punch with his hand, he realized that a huge amount of Chakra had gathered in Kuming's fist in an instant.

The next second, terrifying force sent him flying.

"What?" The tremendous force crashed into him, but luckily, Hiashi hadn't underestimated Kuming when he blocked the blow. As the force hit, he sprang into the air and rolled several times before shedding most of its momentum.

Even so, when Hyuga Hiashi landed, he slid several meters backward before finally stopping. His hands trembled slightly. Simply blocking that blow had already pushed him to his limits.

"Not bad. You actually managed to block my casual, half-hearted punch head-on~"

"Your abilities are impressive, Hyuga Hiashi."

Kuming didn't pursue him. Instead, he spoke to Hiashi in a tone of praise.

"This guy's punches are so powerful. There's no way someone his age could have this kind of strength. It can't be just Taijutsu."

"Could it be Lady Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred?"

"That's right. I heard Uzumaki Kuming has lived at that great lady's home since he was a child."

Hyuga Hiashi paid no attention to Kuming's words. He quickly analyzed Uzumaki Kuming's abilities. Before Kuming made his move, Hiashi had still been holding on to his dignity as the older man and planned to test Kuming while holding back. Now, he was fully alert and had begun to regard Uzumaki Kuming as an equal.

"His punch was that powerful? Hiashi clearly blocked it, but his hands are still trembling. Looks like I can't afford to block his attacks head-on."

"In that case, it's time to show them what the Uchiha Clan can do!"

A little farther away, Uchiha Fugaku had completely forgotten his plan not to team up with Hiashi. He quickly formed Hand Seals, preparing to attack with Ninjutsu.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Although Kuming was facing Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku's movements were completely exposed to him by the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. The instant he sensed Chakra behind him, Kuming jumped up and dodged Fugaku's Fire Release Ninjutsu.

"Hm?" Kuming had just jumped into the air when he noticed something and looked up. He saw Hyuga Hiashi, who had leapt high as well, blotting out the sunlight above him and casting Kuming's entire body in shadow. Then, from above, Hiashi swung his palm down at Kuming's shoulder.

"I see. You were trying to lure me into the air, where I wouldn't have anywhere to push off and dodge."

"You two work together really well."

Uzumaki Kuming knew exactly what the Byakugan could do and how the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist Technique worked. He didn't try to block Hiashi's attack. Just before Hiashi's palm struck his shoulder, Kuming reached out, grabbed his wrist, and shoved it to the side, easily evading the blow.

Kuming didn't let go of Hiashi's wrist. Instead, he began to tighten his grip.

"This guy can keep up with my speed."

"Damn it!"

"Rotation!"

Caught by Kuming, Hiashi was startled. Feeling the immense strength in Kuming's grip, he realized he was in trouble. Chakra instantly burst from the tenketsu all over his body. With a loud shout, he was enclosed in a sphere of Chakra.

Kuming realized something was wrong as soon as Chakra began pouring from Hiashi's tenketsu. He quickly released his grip and kicked at him. But instead of striking Hiashi's abdomen, his foot hit the wall of Chakra around him.

The force of the rebound sent Kuming rushing down toward the ground. But before he could land, Uchiha Fugaku's voice rang in his ears.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Countless fireballs flew up from the ground toward Kuming, who was suspended in midair with nowhere to push off. He was about to be swallowed by the flames. Uchiha Fugaku heard a faint "Body..." from above, then the fire completely engulfed Uzumaki Kuming, followed by a sizable explosion.

"Boom!!!!"

The explosion created a powerful gust of wind, but Fugaku, standing on the ground, wasn't affected by it. He kept his Sharingan active and stared at the center of the explosion. Hyuga Hiashi had also landed by then. His Byakugan was active, and the grave expression on his face hadn't eased at all, despite Fugaku's apparently successful attack.

After a long while, the smoke in the air began to clear, but Kuming had vanished completely.

"Did he get blown to pieces?"

"Heh. Do you really think we'd believe that?"

"Nothing can fool these eyes of mine. Uzumaki Kuming, you don't need to hide. I know you're fine."

Hyuga Hiashi spoke coldly. At almost the same moment, Uchiha Fugaku turned his gaze toward the woods. Both of them had spotted Kuming. The two men, born into Kekkei Genkai clans, had exceptional perception.

"Hahaha~"

"Sorry, sorry. I forgot about your abilities for a moment."

"The Byakugan and the Sharingan. They're really hard to deal with."

Under the gaze of Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku, Kuming emerged from behind a large tree. The shade concealed his expression, and his white training clothes showed no trace of burns. Though shadows covered him, Fugaku could clearly see that Kuming's eyes were closed, and he stared in astonishment.

"This guy's a sensory ninja too? His Sensory Ninjutsu looks pretty strong. I couldn't even tell what he was using to sense us!"

Hyuga Hiashi also stared at Kuming, momentarily dumbfounded. He hadn't expected the other man to be fighting them with his eyes closed.

"You seem to know a lot about my Uchiha Clan's Sharingan."

Uchiha Fugaku realized he wouldn't get a chance to use the Sharingan's genjutsu, and couldn't help sighing. Then he continued:

"You're no match for the two of us. Your Taijutsu is excellent, but with the two of us working together, you won't get a chance."

"And no matter what Ninjutsu you know, you won't be able to do anything against our Kekkei Genkai."

"You just used a Shadow Clone to block my attack. You managed to escape that barrage without a scratch."

"As a teammate, you've proven yourself."

Uchiha Fugaku felt there was no point in continuing the fight. Kuming's strength was impressive, but as long as neither side meant to kill the other, neither could really harm their opponent. The two of them couldn't do anything to Uzumaki Kuming for the moment, but he clearly couldn't do anything to them, either.

"Is that so?"

"Actually, the moment you two stood together, I'd already won!"

Uzumaki Kuming spoke with a smile. As his words fell, a black Cursed Seal appeared on Hyuga Hiashi's wrist.

"What?"

"Damn it!"

Uchiha Fugaku reacted quickly. The moment he saw the Cursed Seal appear on Hiashi's wrist, he tried to get away. But before he could move, the Cursed Seal had already spread across Hiashi's body, with some of it even crawling along the ground onto Fugaku.

Uchiha Fugaku, who'd been about to flee, was immediately caught by the Cursed Seal and couldn't move at all.

"Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal!"

Kuming slowly emerged from the woods. As the shadow fell away from him and sunlight lit his face, he looked at the two men bound by the Cursed Seal and broke into a brilliant smile.

"Was it when you grabbed my hand?"

"I was so focused on the pain in my wrist that I didn't even notice him placing the Cursed Seal!"

Hyuga Hiashi was bound from head to toe, but he could still speak. He didn't seem particularly frustrated. Instead, his voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"You've mastered Lady Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred, the A-rank Shadow Clone Technique you just used to dodge my attack, and that strange Sensory Ninjutsu. Now you've even mastered the A-rank Fuinjutsu, the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal."

"Most Genin would be considered terrifying geniuses if they mastered even one of these techniques after graduating from the Ninja Academy."

"I never expected a kid who hasn't even reached graduation age to have mastered so many high-level Ninjutsu."

"You really are a terrifying kid. We underestimated you."

Fugaku clearly recognized the Fuinjutsu Kuming had just used. In the original story, Shimura Danzō used the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal in his fight with Sasuke. It was a Fuinjutsu that was easy to place and terrifyingly effective. Sasuke had needed Susanoo to break free. If his Susanoo hadn't evolved again at the time, Obito would have had to step in early to help him.

But the technique Danzo had learned was a watered-down, single-target version that had leaked out from Mito's teachings. The original sealing technique passed down through the Uzumaki Clan was on a completely different level, both in its binding effect and its range.

As things stood, neither Hyuga Hiashi nor Uchiha Fugaku had the ability to break free of this Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal.

"I wonder if my abilities have satisfied you two big brothers."

"If you're not satisfied, we can keep going~"

Uzumaki Kuming walked over to Uchiha Fugaku and, without releasing the Cursed Seal, leaned against him and teased him.

"What a nasty personality." Watching Kuming's pose, Hyuga Hiashi was speechless and didn't want to say anything.

"That's enough. Let us go. You're very strong. Even if the two of us had gone all out from the beginning, we might not have been able to beat you."

"We acknowledge your abilities. Let us go."

Uchiha Fugaku's face showed his helplessness. He spoke as if begging.

By now, Uchiha Fugaku had completely forgotten how much he'd disliked Kuming's arrogance at first. After all, Kuming really was a genius, and it was only natural for him to have a bit of a temper. But if Kuming hadn't beaten them today, Fugaku certainly wouldn't have been so easygoing with him.

"Hiss."

The Cursed Seal receded from both men, and they regained their ability to move. Hyuga Hiashi rolled his wrist and looked at the spot where Kuming had placed the Cursed Seal. Seeing no mark left behind, he nodded to Kuming.

Hyuga Hiashi was an awkward man who often didn't know how to express his feelings. Though he wanted to say something to thank Kuming, his pride kept him from doing so. Nodding to Kuming was already his way of acknowledging him.

"Kuming, let's start over. My name is Uchiha Fugaku."

"From now on, you're my teammate. I'm willing to entrust my back to you."

After regaining the ability to move, Uchiha Fugaku smiled. He straightened his clothes slightly, then held out his right hand and spoke solemnly.

"Uzumaki Kuming! I look forward to working with you." Seeing Uchiha Fugaku's expression, Kuming grew more serious as well, put away his teasing smile, and shook Fugaku's hand.

After letting go of Kuming's hand, Fugaku turned to look at Hyuga Hiashi. Under Fugaku's steady gaze, Hiashi held out his hand too. He was a little embarrassed at first, but once he'd extended it, his expression turned serious as well.

"Sorry about earlier. I hope you won't take it to heart."

"From now on, you're our teammate. Let's get along."

Hyuga Hiashi bowed his head slightly in apology. Seeing his sincere expression, something in Kuming's heart stirred. He smiled, took Hiashi's hand, and said softly, "It's all right. After all, from now on, we're family."

"What?" Hiashi hadn't heard what Kuming said and looked at him in confusion.

But Kuming had no intention of answering. Seeing that it was already getting dark, he stretched and called out:

"Alright~ To celebrate our team's formation, let's all go grab a bite together."

"Let's go to the barbecue shop in the west of the village. It's been ages since I ate there!"

"I'm the youngest, so you two can treat me."

Seeing Kuming's excited expression, Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku exchanged a glance, then spread their hands helplessly. A moment later, Kuming had taken both of them by the hand and was leading them toward the village.

Kuming may have been only seven years old, but neither Hyuga Hiashi nor Uchiha Fugaku could break free of his grip~