Martial Competition

"I passed successfully, Father," Uchiha Itachi said respectfully.

"Did you take first place?" Uchiha Fugaku asked.

Uchiha Itachi shook his head. "No, there were seven of us left in total when the teacher ended the assessment."

"Hmph! Ending it without determining a first place—what a weak teacher," Uchiha Fugaku remarked, seemingly dissatisfied that his son had not secured the top spot.

Uchiha Fugaku turned his gaze toward Mirai and asked, "Mirai, what were your results?"

Just as Mirai was about to claim he had passed by pure luck, Uchiha Itachi spoke up first: "Cousin Mirai's grades are usually the best in the grade, so he passed easily."

Upon hearing that Mirai was first, Uchiha Fugaku raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the result. He knew the strength of his own son, Uchiha Itachi, who was already a renowned genius within the Uchiha Clan, ranked alongside Uchiha Shisui as one of the clan's two great prodigies. Uchiha Shisui was three years older than Uchiha Itachi and had already graduated from the academy.

Uchiha Itachi was his son, and he personally oversaw his rigorous training every day. Itachi had lived up to his expectations, mastering both ninjutsu and taijutsu with ease and skill, truly worthy of the title of genius.

He intended to pass the position of Uchiha Clan head to Uchiha Itachi in the future, but he had not expected that Mirai, who lacked a mentor, could actually achieve first place. Naturally, he was somewhat taken aback.

Mirai felt speechless toward his cousin Itachi. He knew Itachi was looking out for him, but this was completely counterproductive. He hadn't wanted to stand out; it was the system that had forced his hand.

"Since you were able to achieve first in your grade, you haven't disgraced the name of the Uchiha Clan. Why don't you spar with Itachi now? I am very curious to see how your strength compares to his," Uchiha Fugaku proposed.

[Ding--! Temporary mission triggered. For the sake of the host's safety, defeat Uchiha Itachi. Mission reward: 10 points. Abandoning or failing will result in a deduction of points. Mission difficulty: B-rank!]

Mirai was slightly stunned. He had known a mission would likely appear the moment Uchiha Fugaku suggested the spar. Mirai was well aware of the system's treacherous nature; it offered ten points for success but deducted three for failure or abandonment, as if it knew exactly how many points he had and was determined to drain him dry. Damn it, the points he had earned just this afternoon hadn't even warmed up in his pocket before they were about to fly away. What a bloodsucker.

Of course, what surprised Mirai even more was the difficulty level. When a selective mission had appeared a month ago, the difficulty of defeating Uchiha Itachi had been S-rank; now, it had dropped to B-rank.

The difference between the two was massive. Itachi had clearly improved significantly over the past month, receiving daily guidance from Uchiha Fugaku, a Jonin-level ninja. In terms of combat technique and awareness, they were no longer in the same league.

Mirai had been practicing on his own. While his progress was obvious, in terms of raw skill and ninjutsu, he was still no match for Itachi. The only major advantage he held was the Sharingan. Since Itachi had likely not yet awakened his, the mission difficulty had dropped to B-rank.

"Father, Cousin Mirai is not..." Uchiha Itachi tried to say something. Clearly, he knew his own situation; he was aware that Mirai lacked a proper teacher and that the academy only taught basics, which didn't reveal the true gap in their abilities.

He had his father's guidance, so the disparity was significant. This simply wasn't fair.

Before Uchiha Itachi could finish, Mirai interrupted him: "No need, Itachi. I know that in terms of pure strength, ten of me combined might not be a match for you. Losing would be normal. But since our elder has spoken, let's have a spar. Don't worry about hurting my confidence; I'm not the type to be crushed by a single defeat. Besides, as a ninja, if you don't fight, your strength will never improve. This is a rare opportunity!"

Just as Mirai thought, a B-rank mission with a 10-point reward was incredibly valuable to him. Even if it meant exposing the fact that he had already awakened his eyes, he had to win to unlock the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. Now that he was determined to become stronger, this was an irresistible temptation he could not abandon.

Hearing Mirai speak this way, Uchiha Fugaku looked at him with newfound respect. As the head of the Uchiha Clan, he had asked Mirai to stay earlier, only to be refused, which was a slight blow to his dignity. However, as an adult, he wouldn't hold a grudge against a child.

Still, coming from the strictly disciplined Uchiha Clan, he had viewed Mirai's refusal as a lack of ambition. If Mirai had lived there, he might have offered some guidance, but since he had been rejected, he saw no reason to waste his energy.

But seeing that Mirai possessed a heart that yearned for strength, his opinion shifted. If the boy had decent potential, he could be cultivated.

"Itachi, since Mirai has requested it, spar with him. This will serve to help Mirai improve his strength," Uchiha Fugaku commanded, his tone stern.

"Yes, Father!" When Uchiha Fugaku spoke in that tone, it was clear there was no room for refusal.

"Come to the backyard," Uchiha Fugaku said, leading the way. Mirai and Uchiha Itachi followed behind.

The Uchiha family's backyard was vast, resembling a small training ground with tall trees. In an open area, Mirai and Uchiha Itachi stood face-to-face. Uchiha Fugaku stood a short distance away and said, "Begin!"

"Yes!" Mirai and Uchiha Itachi replied in unison, both assuming their combat stances, their eyes locked on every move the other made.