Victory

(Chapter 14: Victory)

"Please go easy on me!"

"Hmph! If you don't want to get beaten up and start bawling, you'd better give up now." Sato cracked his knuckles and spoke to Mirai with an arrogant, domineering look, as if he didn't take Mirai seriously at all.

Mirai smiled. "Then I'll have to ask you to go easy on me." He's even more arrogant than I am. I'm the man who'll punch Uchiha Madara and step on the Ten-Tails someday. Of course, Mirai wasn't actually that conceited, but he couldn't stand people acting arrogant in front of him—especially when they were showing off at his expense. He'd just have to teach this guy a good lesson and show him who was boss in class.

Sato quietly put his hands behind his back, took out two shuriken, and hurled them straight at Mirai.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The shuriken spun through the air toward Mirai. He stood perfectly still. Just as they were about to hit him, he swiftly reached out with his right hand and slipped his index and middle fingers through the center rings of the shuriken with perfect accuracy. They spun between his fingers, then came to a stop.

Sato's expression darkened. The other children were astonished. Maybe they'd be able to do something like that one day, but a beginner like them couldn't manage that kind of technique yet.

Teacher Nakamura smiled as she watched Mirai's display. That one move alone showed how far his ability and technique surpassed those of the other students in the class.

"Nice catch, Mirai! Keep it up—beat him!" Cunxia Ye was already cheering loudly. Mirai was his friend, and naturally he wasn't happy to hear someone talk so arrogantly to him.

Shiba Bun rubbed his ears and said to Cunxia Ye, "Stop yelling. It's only natural that Mirai's better than him. He'd beat him just the same without your cheering." Though Shiba Bun seemed to be talking to Cunxia Ye, anyone could tell he was mocking Sato for overestimating himself.

"Yeah, you're right. How could he possibly be Mirai's match?" Cunxia Ye said, scratching his head.

Hearing Cunxia Ye and Shiba Bun trade remarks, Sato's expression grew even uglier. He was the sort of person who loved being the center of attention. How could he put up with their sarcasm?

He put his hands behind his back, gripping two shuriken in each, and threw them at Mirai. Mirai tossed the two shuriken he was holding.

"Clang! Clang!"

Mirai's two shuriken knocked all four of Sato's out of the air. He'd put a lot of effort into throwing shuriken and kunai, and he'd almost always scored full marks. Sato's shuriken had all come straight at him, making them no threat at all in Mirai's eyes.

Sato seemed to realize that his shuriken couldn't do anything to Mirai. With a shout, he pulled out a kunai and charged. Mirai stayed where he was. He carried kunai and shuriken himself, but there was no need to use them against an opponent of this level.

When Sato was about a meter away, he thrust the kunai toward Mirai's face. Mirai hadn't moved yet, and a smile spread across Sato's face. Teacher Nakamura's hand twitched slightly, as if she was about to intervene.

Suddenly, Mirai stepped forward half a pace and struck the crook of Sato's arm with his right hand. His left hand clamped around Sato's kunai-wielding wrist and redirected the weapon. Before many of the students could even cry out, the fight was over. They'd thought they were about to see blood.

The kunai that had been aimed at Mirai was still in Sato's hand, but now its tip was pointed at Sato's brow. It seemed Mirai could take his life at any moment if he wanted to. Sato appeared stunned, his pupils wide and his expression blank.

Homeroom teacher Nakamura Hino stepped forward and announced, "Group Fifteen: Mirai wins!" Mirai released Sato's hand and smiled at him. "You fought well." Then he walked back to where he'd been sitting.

[Ding! The host has defeated an opponent. Reward: 1 Point! Keep up the good work!]

Mirai felt pretty good when he heard the system's notification. He had another Point. Unlocking the Two-Tomoe Sharingan required ten Points, and he had one now. He only needed nine more. Maybe he could unlock the Three-Tomoe Sharingan before graduation. Life was just adorable.

When Cunxia Ye saw Mirai return, he reached out and slapped his hand. "That was amazing, Mirai! When did you get so strong?"

"Of course it's because I've been training hard."

"Congratulations on winning!" Hyuga Hiben said to Mirai. Mikazuki Sora also congratulated him.

"Thanks! Good luck to you two as well," Mirai replied to Hyuga Hiben and Mikazuki Sora.

"That Sato's such a show-off. He's just got a little money at home. He was so scared he nearly wet his pants just now. Ha!" Cunxia Ye gloated, making Sato's expression even uglier.

"Enough. He's got some skill, at least. You're up soon," Shiba Bun said from nearby.

Shiba Bun had fought before Mirai and beaten his opponent, so he'd won earlier. Just as Shiba Bun finished speaking, Homeroom teacher Nakamura called Cunxia Ye's name, and Cunxia Ye went out to fight.

Now that the noisy Cunxia Ye had left, Uchiha Itachi finally had a chance to speak. He congratulated Chen Fan, and Mirai shrugged with a smile. "It's nothing. Winning feels good, but honestly, it's not much of an achievement." That was true. Mirai felt like he was picking on a child.

"By the way, Mirai, my mother wants to meet you, and my father would also like you to visit our clan. Do you have time?" Uchiha Itachi asked.

(⊙_⊙)? The smile on Mirai's face froze. Seriously? Does it have to be like this? I'm not your nephew. Why do they want to meet me? The Uchiha Clan is huge and influential. Can't they just forget about me? This is clearly heading toward a team wipe. Are they trying to recruit me? Wait, they haven't started their rebellion yet—but they will someday...