Ninjutsu Showdown

(Chapter 24: Ninjutsu Showdown)

The challenge continued, and the final result was exactly as expected. Only Mirai and Itachi were left. Mirai had sparred with Uchiha Itachi many times in private, but they had never fought in front of anyone else.

The students in their class had no idea which of the two was stronger. Itachi rarely spoke and was usually rather solitary. Aside from talking with Mirai and a few others, he hardly ever interacted with the rest of the class.

But when it came to strength, he was unquestionably one of the best. The students all acknowledged that Uchiha Itachi was powerful—after all, he was the Uchiha clan leader's son.

Nakamura Hino looked at Mirai and Uchiha Itachi. "You can begin."

Mirai and Uchiha Itachi faced each other without saying much. They knew each other well, so there was no need for pleasantries. They moved almost as soon as their homeroom teacher, Nakamura, gave the signal.

The two attacked at once, charging toward each other at speeds several levels above the other students'. Even Nakamura Hino was taken aback.

He was an Elite Chunin. Although he mainly taught now and rarely took part in battle, so his skills had declined somewhat, the speed Mirai and Uchiha Itachi displayed was already on par with his own.

A sheen of sweat appeared on Nakamura Hino's forehead. The longer he watched Mirai and Uchiha Itachi fight, the more astonished he became. The other students were already staring in shock.

In the children's eyes, the two moved so fast that they could barely make out their afterimages. The black figures clashed again and again, the sound of Kunai striking each other ringing out.

The Third Hokage and Namikaze Minato watched Mirai and Uchiha Itachi's fight intently. Compared to this battle, the earlier matches between the students seemed more like children playing house.

"Clang!" Their Kunai collided, and the two sprang backward. As they retreated through the air, both threw the Kunai in their hands at each other.

"Clang!" The tips of the two Kunai struck, and they fell to the ground together.

Mirai and Uchiha Itachi began forming Hand Seals at incredible speed: Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. They completed all six seals in an instant.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Mirai and Uchiha Itachi called out the names of their techniques almost simultaneously.

The flames pouring from their mouths quickly formed enormous fireballs about three meters in diameter, radiating intense heat.

"Whoosh!" The fireballs flew toward each other.

"Boom! Boom!" They collided between the two, and the clash of ninjutsu triggered an explosion. A large crater, scorched by the flames, appeared in the ground between them, shrouded in smoke. Yet Mirai and Uchiha Itachi did not stop.

Uchiha Itachi drew three Kunai in each hand. They traced astonishing arcs through the air, cutting through the smoke as they flew toward Mirai.

"Thud, thud, thud!" Every Kunai struck Mirai's body, and blood sprayed out. Many of the students cried out in alarm at the sight.

"Poof!" A cloud of smoke burst from Mirai's body, and a wooden post appeared where he had been, with six Kunai stuck in it. It was the Substitution Technique, something they had learned at school. But using it so that no one noticed was far beyond what most students there could manage.

Uchiha Itachi grew wary. "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" Mirai's voice rang out from within the smoke. One fireball after another burst from the cloud and surrounded Uchiha Itachi. His expression changed, and he quickly dashed in one direction.

Mirai's Phoenix Sage Fire chased after him, and all the flames struck Uchiha Itachi. The students cried out in alarm once more.

"Poof!" A piece of wood appeared, engulfed in flames. It was another Substitution Technique. The smoke cleared completely, revealing both fighters to everyone. Uchiha Itachi attacked first.

He moved incredibly fast, reaching Mirai in an instant. Mirai raised his arms to block, but at nearly the same moment, another Uchiha Itachi appeared behind him and struck at his back.

When Uchiha Itachi hit Mirai, his expression changed. It did not feel like he had struck a real body. It was the Clone Technique. Mirai appeared behind Uchiha Itachi and attacked him in turn.

But this time, Mirai did not feel a real body either. Then he heard the whistle of Shuriken cutting through the air behind him. "Poof!" Mirai's body turned into another wooden post. He had used the Substitution Technique to evade the attack. Itachi's Kunai and Shuriken were the greatest threat to Mirai. He was not confident he could block them all. Even with his Sharingan, it was hard to read the changing trajectories of Itachi's Kunai and Shuriken. So he had to keep Uchiha Itachi in sight, watching his movements to anticipate his attacks.

"Clang!" The two clashed once more, then stopped for the moment, staring intently at each other as they steadied themselves and searched for an opening before the next attack. Their brief pause allowed the students, who had been holding their breath, to relax a little.

Even Sato, who had initially held a grudge against Mirai, no longer thought about getting revenge. Mirai was already so much stronger than him. Sato had thought they were about evenly matched, and now he understood why Mirai had never taken him seriously.

Their homeroom teacher, Nakamura Hino, wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was delighted to see his students so talented, but the strength the two boys had just displayed seemed almost beyond belief.

At that pace, even an ordinary Chunin would have trouble matching them. Their Shuriken and Kunai throws, their use of basic ninjutsu, and their powerful Fire Release techniques all left him feeling ashamed. His students seemed to be even stronger than he was.