Provoking Trouble

(Chapter 4: Provocation)

Almost as soon as Mirai finished speaking, a middle-aged man appeared at the front of the classroom. Mirai had seen him a few times; he seemed to be the homeroom teacher for the third-year students. The classroom fell silent the moment this man stood on the podium.

"Alright, this is the ninja graduation examination. Passing this exam means you will become new genin. However, because you may be assigned dangerous missions following this assessment, this year's exam is relatively strict. You need to possess the corresponding strength. I trust you have all learned a great deal during your years at the Ninja Academy, so show it all during this exam. Follow me; I will take you to the testing grounds."

The teacher turned and walked out as soon as he finished speaking, and the students behind him followed toward the door. Mirai and his two companions walked at the very back.

"Sora, why did you apply to take the exam too?" Mirai asked Mikazuki Sora.

"Why shouldn't I be allowed to apply?" Mikazuki Sora tilted her head and asked Mirai in return.

"Uh... no, it's just that your strength isn't quite there yet. Taking the exam now is a bit too much of a stretch."

Mikazuki Sora nodded and said, "Oh! I just want to know the difficulty of the exam. You and Itachi will become ninjas soon. Even if I don't pass this time, I will definitely pass the next. I want to become a ninja and catch up to your footsteps."

Hearing Mikazuki Sora's words, Mirai realized that this girl also had a very strong-willed personality. Mirai flashed a smile and said, "That's the spirit. With your strength, even if you don't pass this time, you will definitely become a ninja the next time."

Suddenly, a mocking voice rang out from the side: "Ha! Guess what I just heard? Three first-year brats are spouting nonsense about definitely passing the exam. Are brats these days really this arrogant?"

Upon hearing this, Mirai and the others turned their gaze toward the source of the sound. A guy with blue hair appeared there; he looked like a delinquent and was likely a third-year student.

Seeing Mirai and the others looking at him, the guy became even more arrogant. "I've been hearing you lot chattering away since just now, acting as if you're the best. You're just a bunch of first-year brats, don't get so cocky!"

The guy spoke loudly, naturally drawing the attention of other students, who all turned their gazes over. Everyone here was either a second-year or a third-year student. The third-years were facing graduation and, under normal circumstances, would have a team leader assigned to determine their eligibility.

However, the rules had changed suddenly this year. Because almost all available ninjas had been dispatched on missions, the only ones left in the village were basic defensive forces. There were no ninjas available to lead teams; one couldn't exactly ask the Third Hokage or the high-ranking officials of Konoha to lead students.

The second-years had also finished their curriculum and were preparing to advance to the third year. Mirai and his group were only first-years. The words they had just spoken sounded as if Mirai and Itachi were certain they could pass the exam and become genin, which was a slap in the face to the second and third-year students who were feeling insecure about the exam.

They all looked at Mirai, Itachi, and Mikazuki Sora with expressions of disdain, mocking them quietly. Uchiha Itachi chose to ignore their gazes; the only people who could truly command his attention were those he was familiar with.

Mikazuki Sora wanted to say something. Having spent so much time with Hyuga Hiben, her emotions were inevitably influenced by her. If Hiben were here, she would have already retorted.

Mirai tugged on Mikazuki Sora's arm and smiled, saying, "Don't mind what others say. Let them mock if they want. If a dog bites you, you don't bite it back, do you?"

Mikazuki Sora laughed at Mirai's words, and Uchiha Itachi's shoulders and expression shifted slightly. When spending time with Mirai, strange phrases would always pop up; they had no idea where Mirai learned them.

Hearing Mirai's words, the expressions on many students' faces froze and turned ugly. It wasn't just the blue-haired delinquent who had spoken; many other students in the crowd were also mocking Mirai and his group for being overconfident, and Mirai's words had insulted them all as well.

"Bastard! What did you say! How dare you insult me! You're just a first-year brat. It looks like I need to teach you how to respect your seniors before the exam!" As he spoke, the blue-haired delinquent cracked his knuckles, making a loud popping sound.

"Sure, if you want to be disqualified right here, I don't mind," Mirai said with a smile, spreading his hands.

"Fine! You've got guts! You won't even need to take the exam; I'll show you the gap between a first-year and a third-year!" He clenched his fist and charged at Mirai. Mirai stood still, a smile remaining on his face.

Just as the fist was about to strike his face, Mirai took a step back, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth. Seeing his punch miss, the guy immediately raised his leg to kick Mirai. Mirai shifted to the right and dodged the attack again. Dodging the attacks twice in a row with such ease naturally shocked the second and third-year students.

Suddenly, a stern voice rang out: "Enough! Stop! If you continue to stir up trouble, your eligibility for the exam will be revoked!"

The blue-haired guy stopped upon hearing this. From any angle, it looked like he was bullying others one-sidedly. He glared at Mirai and said, "Brat! Consider yourself lucky. Don't let me run into you during the exam, or I'll definitely make you suffer."

"You're welcome to try," Mirai said with a smile.

"Tch!" He turned and continued walking forward, as did Mirai and the others.

Mikazuki Sora asked Mirai, "Mirai, why didn't you teach him a lesson? I could see he was clearly looking for trouble."

"There's no need to waste energy before the exam, and just like I said, there's no need to bite back."

The blue-haired guy walking in front clenched his fists upon hearing this, clearly infuriated by Mirai's words, and vowed to himself that he would teach Mirai a lesson later.