Not Bad, Not Bad

(Chapter Seven: Not Bad, Not Bad)

The three of them froze when they heard Mirai's words. They clearly hadn't expected him to say something like that in front of three upperclassmen. Was this kid crazy?

"Kid, you—you want to steal our scrolls?"

"You're all trying to steal my scroll. Why can't I steal yours? There's no rule in this world that says you can't take back what's been stolen from you."

"Isn't this the kid who just said he was sure to pass the exam?"

"So it's you. No wonder you're so cocky. A lowly first-year thinks he can steal scrolls from third-years."

"Fine! You've got guts, kid. Let's see how you plan to take our scrolls. Let's all get him and teach this little brat a lesson!"

The three of them charged at Mirai. The boy in front clenched his fist and aimed a punch at Mirai's face. Before, Mirai might have thought that speed was incredible, and he might not have reacted in time. But to him now, it was painfully slow. His experience seemed to have grown considerably after fighting a strong opponent.

Mirai held out both hands, catching the boy's wrist with his right hand and his forearm with his left. Using the boy's own momentum, he bent his arm, and the boy's fist slammed into his own chest.

The sudden impact made the boy's face turn red and left him struggling to breathe. He staggered backward from the blow.

The other two reached Mirai at the same time and punched at him from either side. Mirai caught both fists and slammed them into each other.

"Ah!" Both boys cried out in pain. Mirai kicked each of them in the chest, sending them flying.

They hit the ground with two thuds, their faces twisting slightly in pain. Mirai, however, looked a little dazed. He'd just realized that Sleight of Hand seemed to help with more than Hand Seals. Even in that fight, his hands had reacted nimbly to the fists coming at him, countering them as quickly as possible.

Perhaps his hands hadn't grown stronger, but their dexterity had improved tremendously. It was like the Nine Yang Divine Skill and Dugu Nine Swords. It seemed he'd have to experiment with how best to use his hands from now on.

Seeing Mirai stare at his hands instead of paying them any attention, the three grew furious. "Take him down!"

Each of them pulled out several Shuriken and hurled them at Mirai. He stood still, his hands darting rapidly before him. In an instant, all the Shuriken that had been flying toward him vanished.

Several Shuriken now rested in Mirai's hands. He'd caught them with his quick, nimble fingers, and it hadn't even felt difficult. Of course, these boys hadn't infused their Shuriken with chakra to increase their power. Otherwise, catching them might have injured him. Mirai's lips curled slightly. It seemed he should think more about how to make use of his nimble hands.

Seeing Mirai smirk, the three thought he was mocking them. Their expressions twisted with rage. "You bastard! How dare you laugh at us? We'll show you what we can do!"

One of them pulled out a Kunai and threw it at Mirai. A burning strip of paper was tied to its end—it was a Paper Bomb. Mirai didn't dare catch that. He formed a Hand Seal and used the Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from the spot.

"Boom—!" The explosion shook the ground, blasting a deep crater into it. Smoke billowed from the spot where Mirai had been standing.

"Did it blow him up?"

"Probably not. It was only one Paper Bomb. It could've seriously injured him, but it shouldn't have killed him."

"Hmph! If he was afraid of dying, he shouldn't have become a ninja. This exam doesn't forbid bringing Paper Bombs. They're ninja tools. If he died, that would just mean he was weak."

Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. "Oh? So that's the excuse you came up with for me. Thanks for thinking of one."

Mirai's voice made the three jump. They turned around and saw him standing a short distance behind them, completely unharmed.

"How is that possible? You were standing right there. How did you escape without getting hurt?"

"Why are you asking? If I'm unharmed, obviously I dodged the blast. Aren't you third-year seniors? How do you not even know that?"

"Damn you! Die!" The boy threw two more Kunai, both tied to Paper Bombs. Mirai pursed his lips. This guy must be rich. Paper Bombs were expensive. Wasn't it a waste to use them like this? He'd spent a fortune on those ten Paper Bombs, and watching this guy waste his made him wince. Paper Bombs were single-use, after all.

Wait... He was here to rob them, wasn't he? He didn't have to limit himself to their scrolls. He could take their Paper Bombs, Shuriken, Kunai, and all the rest, too.

"Stop! Those things are mine! You can't waste them!" Mirai threw one of the Shuriken he'd caught earlier.

"Clang!" The Shuriken struck the Kunai squarely, stopping it in its tracks.

"Boom!" The Paper Bombs exploded between them. Mirai dashed toward the three. At this point, throwing Shuriken was pointless, so they all drew Kunai and met him head-on.

"Clang, clang!" The Kunai clashed. Thanks to his superb technique and nimble hands, Mirai held his own against all three, while they struggled to keep up.

Mirai threw off their rhythm with his attacks, then spun into a huge kick, striking all three in the face. They all passed out. Mirai let out a breath. He'd been using them for practice the whole time, and his nimble hands really did give him an advantage in a Kunai clash. If he'd wanted to, he could even have slit all three of their throats in an instant. But they weren't his enemies, so there was no need to go that far.

Mirai hurried over and opened their ninja tool pouches. Each one contained three Kunai, several Shuriken, and a few Paper Bombs. Altogether, they had ten Paper Bombs.

Mirai smiled with satisfaction and nodded. "Not bad, not bad. This is almost enough to cover a month's worth of meals. I'll save some money now. Heh."