Ninjutsu Duel

The challenge continued, and the final result was as expected: only Mirai and Uchiha Itachi remained. Mirai and Uchiha Itachi had sparred in private many times, but they had never faced off in front of others.

The students in the class were unsure who was truly stronger. Itachi rarely spoke and was quite aloof in his daily life; aside from Mirai and a few others, he rarely interacted with the rest of his classmates.

However, in terms of strength, he was top-tier. Even the other students in the class acknowledged that Uchiha Itachi was formidable, as he was, after all, the child of the Uchiha clan head.

Nakamura Hino looked at Mirai and Uchiha Itachi and said, "You may begin."

Mirai and Uchiha Itachi stood face to face without saying a word. Both were very familiar with each other, so there was no need for pleasantries. Almost the moment their homeroom teacher, Nakamura, gave the signal, they began.

The two launched their attacks instantly, rushing toward each other at a speed several grades higher than the other students. Even Nakamura Hino was startled when he saw it.

He was an elite Chunin-level ninja. Although he was primarily responsible for teaching now and rarely engaged in combat, causing his skills to decline slightly, the speed displayed by Mirai and Uchiha Itachi was already on par with his own.

Beads of sweat seeped onto Nakamura Hino's forehead. The more he watched the battle between Mirai and Uchiha Itachi, the more alarmed he became. The other students were already dumbfounded by the spectacle.

To these children, the speed of the two was so fast that they could barely make out afterimages. The two black figures collided repeatedly, the sound of kunai clashing ringing out.

The Third Hokage and Namikaze Minato also watched the battle between Mirai and Uchiha Itachi intently. Seeing their fight, the previous bouts between the other students seemed more like children playing house.

"Clang!" After their kunai clashed, both figures retreated rapidly. While flying backward, both of them threw the kunai from their hands at each other in mid-air.

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

Mirai and Uchiha Itachi both began to weave hand seals rapidly: Rat-Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger. Their speed was incredible; the two completed the six seals in an instant.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Mirai and Uchiha Itachi shouted the name of the jutsu simultaneously.

The flames spewed from their mouths quickly formed a massive fireball about three meters in diameter, radiating intense heat.

"Whoosh!" The fireballs flew toward each other.

"Boom!" The fireballs collided between them. The clash of jutsu caused an explosion, leaving a scorched crater in the ground. Smoke billowed, but Mirai and Uchiha Itachi did not stop.

Uchiha Itachi pulled three kunai from each hand, tracing incredible arcs through the air to bypass the smoke and strike at Mirai.

"Thud, thud, thud!" Several kunai pierced Mirai's body, and blood splattered. Seeing this, many students couldn't help but gasp.

"Poof!" Mirai's body erupted into a cloud of smoke, and a wooden log appeared in his place, pinned with six kunai. It was the Substitution Technique learned at school, but the ability to use it so seamlessly that no one noticed was far beyond the other students present.

Uchiha Itachi began to stay alert. "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" Mirai's voice rang out from within the smoke. Individual fireballs emerged, surrounding Uchiha Itachi. Itachi's expression shifted, and he quickly bolted in one direction.

Mirai's Phoenix Sage Fire tracked him relentlessly. "Boom, boom!" The flames struck Uchiha Itachi, and all the students gasped once more.

"Poof!" A log burning with flames appeared—another Substitution Technique. The smoke cleared completely, revealing the two figures to everyone's view. Uchiha Itachi launched the first attack.

Moving with extreme speed, he arrived in front of Mirai in an instant. Mirai moved to block, but almost simultaneously, another Uchiha Itachi appeared behind him, launching an attack on his back.

After Uchiha Itachi struck Mirai's body, his expression changed, for it didn't feel like he had hit a solid target—it was a Clone Technique. Mirai's figure also appeared behind Uchiha Itachi, launching an attack of his own.

Yet, this time, Mirai didn't feel a solid target either, and the sound of shuriken cutting through the air came from behind him. "Poof!" Mirai's body turned into a log again; he had used the Substitution Technique to dodge the attack. To Mirai, Itachi's kunai and shuriken were the greatest threats. He didn't have enough confidence to block them all, and even with the Sharingan, it was difficult to discern the trajectory changes of Itachi's weapons. Therefore, he had to keep Uchiha Itachi in his line of sight to anticipate his moves based on his physical actions.

"Clang!" After another clash, the two paused, staring intently at each other. They adjusted their states, searching for openings and preparing for the next round. Their temporary pause allowed the tense students to finally relax slightly.

Sato, who had initially held a grudge against Mirai, no longer thought about how to get revenge. It turned out the other boy was already far stronger than him. He had mistakenly thought they were on the same level, and he couldn't blame Mirai for not taking him seriously.

Their homeroom teacher, Nakamura Hino, wiped the sweat from his forehead. While he was happy that his students were so exceptional, the strength these two children had displayed seemed almost monstrous.

The changes in the rhythm of this battle were such that even an average Chunin would be no match for them. Whether it was the throwing of shuriken and kunai, the application of basic ninjutsu, or the destructive Fire Style techniques, it all made him, the teacher, feel ashamed. It seemed his own strength was not even as great as his students'.