Not Weaker Than Others

(Chapter 21: Not Inferior to Others)

Moonlight reflected off the surface of the lake, illuminating the water so clearly that even at night, one could see with ease. This moon was created by the Sage of Six Paths when he sealed the Ten-Tails; such a jutsu capable of creating celestial bodies was something Mirai dared not even imagine.

Standing by the lakeshore, Mirai began to weave hand seals: Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger. After completing the sequence rapidly, he channeled the chakra within his body and directed it to his mouth.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Mirai shouted the name of the jutsu aloud.

"Whoosh!" A stream of flames erupted from Mirai's mouth, rapidly forming a massive fireball about two meters in diameter in front of him. It radiated a scorching heat as it surged forward.

BOOM!

The fireball exploded in the center of the lake, sending white water vapor spraying into the air. Mirai stared in astonishment at the effect of his own jutsu, unable to help but clench his fists.

"I, Mirai, am not inferior to others. I will become even stronger," Mirai muttered to himself. Even Uchiha Sasuke had required many practice sessions to master this jutsu, yet he had succeeded on his very first attempt. This meant his talent was superior to Uchiha Sasuke's.

Having inexplicably arrived in this dangerous world of Naruto—a world where children could leap about in life-threatening situations—it was no wonder Mirai had lacked confidence. Back on Earth, such things were impossible; Mirai had lived in a society governed by law, where even physical altercations were rare.

This was the first offensive jutsu he had learned, and succeeding on the first try confirmed that even in this perilous world, without a system shop, his own innate potential was no worse than anyone else's.

Seizing the momentum, Mirai used the Great Fireball Technique once more. Another two-meter-wide fireball erupted from his mouth. This time, Mirai felt a slight sense of dizziness; clearly, his chakra consumption had been excessive. Between the continuous training of the Body Flicker Technique and two blasts of the Great Fireball, Mirai was exhausted enough to lie down on the grass and pant, yet a happy smile remained on his face.

After resting for a while and successfully performing the Great Fireball one last time, Mirai left the lakeshore and returned to his room. It was getting late, and if he continued to throw around jutsu there, he would surely be discovered.

Back in his room, Mirai collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep immediately. He had expended too much mental energy today; suffering from over-exhaustion, he needed a full rest. It was also the first time he had slept so soundly.

The next day, Mirai went to school early. The knowledge taught at the academy was his main quest, and he had to maintain perfect attendance and high scores. With a super genius like Uchiha Itachi around, Mirai did not have a single moment to slack off.

Time flew by, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Counting it up, Mirai had been in this world for a year, and in that time, he had become very familiar with these streets.

Many people on the street where he lived knew Mirai. Because he was independent and strong-willed at such a young age, they were all very friendly toward him. Mirai's appearance had changed significantly over the year, most notably in his height.

Of course, the biggest change for Mirai was that his strength had grown—grown significantly. He was more than ten times stronger than he had been half a year ago. In those six months, Mirai hadn't gained many points, totaling less than twenty in all.

Since there was nothing immediately useful, Mirai chose not to purchase new jutsu to learn, saving the points so he wouldn't be left without options during a critical moment.

He had already mastered quite a few jutsu, all of which he had coaxed out of Uchiha Itachi. Whenever he had free time, Mirai would seek out Uchiha Itachi for a spar. For Mirai, this was a way to rapidly improve his combat prowess and compensate for his lack of battle experience, so he gained a great deal every day over the past six months.

At the beginning, when he didn't use the Sharingan, Mirai would spar with Uchiha Itachi and never win, ending in total defeat. A month later, it was the same. After three months, Mirai finally managed his first non-defeat, ending in a draw after an hour of fighting. Now, half a year later, Mirai and Uchiha Itachi were evenly matched; their battles almost always ended in a draw. If Mirai were to use the Sharingan, the scales of victory would tilt almost entirely in his favor.

Whenever Mirai asked for advice, Itachi would tell him everything without reservation. Mirai felt very grateful toward Uchiha Itachi in his heart. After all, this was a time when he desperately needed to improve his strength, and he decided that if Uchiha Itachi ever had a request in the future, he would help with all his might. The system mission to build a good relationship with Itachi had finally yielded significant results.

Today was another day for the school's strength assessment. It was a bit more special than the usual monthly tests; this time, spectators had arrived. The Fourth Hokage and the Third Hokage had both come to the academy.

Mirai had seen both the Third Hokage and the Fourth Hokage before. He had seen the Fourth at the start of the school year, and subsequent meetings were almost always at the Ichiraku Ramen shop. The Third Hokage, however, appeared frequently at the Ninja Academy. Mirai later learned that the Third was the headmaster of the academy. With the Fourth Hokage now in charge, the Third only needed to provide full support, so he had plenty of time. He also wanted to cultivate a new foundation for Minato so that even if he were gone, no one would rebel or shake Minato's position.

The founding of the Ninja Academy was also intended to cultivate talent, and it was highly valued. The utility of a single Jonin far exceeded that of a hundred Genin. Konoha was still in a period of weakness; although a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, a powerful Konoha was the only guarantee of safety.

Currently, Iwagakure and Kirigakure were both showing signs of restlessness toward Konoha. These were not minor ninja villages, but two of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. If war were to break out, these children might all end up on the battlefield.

Many children whispered and discussed among themselves upon seeing the Third and Fourth Hokage arrive. The phrase "The Hokage is the most respectable person" had always been etched in the hearts of these children.

Many dreamed of becoming Hokage, and seeing two generations of Hokage arrive together to watch their matches naturally made them very excited. They all wanted to showcase their strength well in front of the two Hokages.