Genius

(Chapter Seventeen)

Every move an opponent made could reveal a great deal of information. Mirai hadn't been idle since coming to this world—he'd bought and read plenty of books about ninjas. They were sold in the ninja tool shops, so his finances were a little tight, but he'd still learned some basics. This was his first fight, and he was a little nervous. A trace of sweat appeared in his palm.

He kept his eyes on Uchiha Itachi's movements. Even the slightest motion could reveal what his opponent planned to do next, allowing Mirai to respond more effectively.

Neither of them moved. Uchiha Fugaku nodded slightly from the side, seeing that Mirai really was promising.

At last, Uchiha Itachi made the first move. He threw two shuriken, which arced through the air and shot toward Mirai from both sides. His technique was leagues beyond that child's from earlier.

Mirai didn't try to block them head-on. Instead, he pressed forward, drew a kunai, and charged at Uchiha Itachi. Itachi quickly drew a kunai of his own and clashed with him.

"Clang! Clang!" The sound of their kunai striking one another rang out repeatedly. Uchiha Itachi blocked all of Mirai's attacks, and as time passed, he gradually gained the upper hand. It was clear that Itachi's fighting skills were a cut above Mirai's, and Mirai could feel it too.

At last, Mirai left an opening while defending against Itachi's attacks. Itachi kicked him away, and the two who had been locked in fierce combat briefly separated.

Mirai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled at Uchiha Itachi. "As expected, I'm still no match for you, Itachi." He'd known that from the start. He didn't have a Jonin to teach him. He'd studied plenty, but fighting skills weren't something you could master just by reading about them.

"Cousin Mirai, let's stop here. Father has taught me, so this fight isn't fair to you," Uchiha Itachi said.

Mirai smiled. "There's no such thing as fairness in this world. If someone's stronger, they're stronger. There's no need to make excuses." Uchiha Fugaku truly saw Mirai in a new light now. To have such insight at such a young age—Mirai was an uncut gem, and after some polishing, he would surely become a strong shinobi.

"But..." Uchiha Itachi tried to persuade Mirai further.

Mirai raised a hand to stop him and smiled. "Fighting you has helped me improve a lot. It's better to grow stronger now than to lose my life on the battlefield later. And don't think I've lost just yet. I haven't given up. Now, get ready!"

Mirai reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out two shuriken, then swiftly hurled them at Uchiha Itachi, using the exact same throwing technique Itachi had just used.

After throwing the shuriken, Mirai charged at Uchiha Itachi with his kunai. "Clang! Clang!" Itachi knocked the shuriken aside with his kunai, then met Mirai's attack head-on.

Just as he was about to clash with Itachi, Mirai suddenly activated his Sharingan. His eyes turned crimson, and a black tomoe appeared in the iris of each eye.

For an instant, Mirai seemed to see what was about to happen. Uchiha Itachi's movements played out in his eyes like a film. So this is the power of the Sharingan? Mirai was thrilled to experience it firsthand. It really was a powerful Kekkei Genkai.

Now that he knew what Uchiha Itachi was about to do, Mirai changed the direction of his attack in an instant. He dodged Itachi's strike and swiftly interrupted his next move. Itachi lost focus for a moment when he saw Mirai's eyes, and a battle that seemed destined to go on much longer ended in an instant.

Mirai's left hand seized Uchiha Itachi's wrist, while the kunai in his right hand rested against Itachi's neck. The sudden turn of events left Uchiha Fugaku stunned, too. That was no move a child like Mirai should have been able to pull off. Though Mirai had seemed evenly matched with Itachi, anyone with a keen eye could see the obvious gap between them.

Yet Mirai had suddenly erupted into action. His movements were swift and utterly unrestrained, as if he'd known what Itachi would do before the fight even began.

[ Ding! You have completed the mission to defeat Uchiha Itachi. Reward: 10 Points! ]

Hearing the system notification, Mirai breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the kunai from Uchiha Itachi's neck. "Sorry, Itachi. I beat you using such a despicable trick."

Uchiha Itachi had recovered by then. He quickly shook his head at Mirai's words. "No, that's your strength, Cousin Mirai. It wasn't despicable at all. Your eyes..." Itachi was astonished. Of course he knew what they were: the Sharingan, the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan. It was because of these eyes that the Uchiha clan was renowned throughout the Shinobi World, known by everyone.

"This? I awakened it a few days ago."

Uchiha Fugaku saw Mirai's eyes then, and his expression changed. He'd never imagined that Mirai would awaken the Sharingan at such a young age. Fugaku himself had awakened it when he was already in his teens, and people had called him a genius then. But Mirai was only four and had already awakened the Sharingan. Apart from the ancestors of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku had never heard of anyone awakening it at four. Could Mirai be the most talented genius in the Uchiha clan in nearly a hundred years?

Uchiha Fugaku called out, "Itachi, Mirai, come here!"

Mirai and Uchiha Itachi went over to Uchiha Fugaku together. Fugaku looked into Mirai's eyes. They were indeed the Sharingan.

"Good. You awakened the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan at such a young age. It's only natural that you defeated Itachi. That's your strength, not a despicable trick. You're still young, and perhaps your parents never told you about the Sharingan. Come inside."