When Mirai heard this, he didn't answer right away. He looked up at the sky. It was nearly noon, and if they fought one after another, they would probably run late for lunch. With that in mind, Mirai lowered his head, glanced at Minato Namikaze, then looked at the others who weren't planning to fight. "To save time, you should all come at me together. I'll judge during the fight whether you're qualified to become ninja!"
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and Mirai's long hair fluttered slightly. Everyone was dumbstruck. They hadn't expected Mirai to want to take on so many people at once.
"Oh? Is that the kid they call Konoha's greatest genius? He's got some nerve!"
In the forest not far away, the Third Hokage and Jiraiya stood on a tree branch. Jiraiya was watching the scene at the Training Ground through a pair of binoculars. After three years, Jiraiya had finished his travels and returned to Konoha a while ago. He'd also heard rumors about Mirai and had been curious about him ever since.
"Heh, this child is much stronger than you, Orochimaru, and Tsunade were back then!" The Third Hokage smiled, then narrowed his eyes and let the smile fade. After a moment's thought, he continued, "Still, this child is very proud and remarkably mature. He sees through a lot of things. I'm afraid his heart isn't entirely with Konoha!"
"Old man, you're overthinking it. He's only nine years old. Besides, if everyone calls him Konoha's greatest genius, of course he'll be proud. Isn't that only natural?" Jiraiya curled his lip and lowered the binoculars, looking at the Third Hokage with displeasure. This was what he disliked about the Third Hokage: even if it was for Konoha's sake, he shouldn't go around suspecting people—especially when the person in question was just a nine-year-old kid.
"Hmm, perhaps I am overthinking it. The child hasn't done anything wrong so far." The Third Hokage heard the displeasure in Jiraiya's voice and nodded awkwardly. He was very fond of his three students. Unlike Mirai, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had both been orphaned by war, while Tsunade's grandfather was also his teacher. So those three were his true disciples, something Mirai could never be.
"I just hope this child doesn't become another Madara Uchiha!"
"Uchiha Mirai, aren't you being a little too arrogant? You think you can beat all of us by yourself?"
The Training Ground had erupted into commotion. Minato Namikaze and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were keeping their composure, but the Hyuga brothers and Uchiha Fugaku had lost theirs. It was Hizashi Hyuga who spoke. The two brothers looked furious, glaring with anger, while Uchiha Fugaku's face had darkened. Uchiha Mikoto, on the other hand, was confused. She didn't understand why the Hyuga brothers and Uchiha Fugaku looked so upset. In her eyes, Mirai really was that strong.
"Enough talk. We'll see whether you have what it takes. Beating me isn't a requirement for becoming ninja, but if you can't, you might lose your chance to advance!" Mirai gave the Hyuga brothers a casual glance. His scarlet Sharingan showed no hint of emotion.
"Fine. Today, I'll see how strong you've become over these past three years!" Hizashi Hyuga snorted. He had never gotten over being defeated by Mirai at the Academy. Now, hearing what Mirai had said, he could no longer hold back. He assumed the Eight Trigrams Palms stance and charged at Mirai.
"Hizashi, be careful!" Hiashi Hyuga was startled. It was already too late to stop him, so he warned his brother as he hurried after him.
Smack! Smack! Thud!
After only a few brief exchanges, Mirai grabbed each of the Hyuga brothers by the head and slammed them into the ground. The tremendous force sent dirt flying. Hizashi Hyuga and Hiashi Hyuga rolled their eyes back and passed out.
"The Hyuga Clan is renowned for its Taijutsu, but your half-baked Eight Trigrams Palms are still far too crude!" Mirai got to his feet and looked at the others who hadn't joined in. "I told you: if you don't attack together, you won't have a chance!"
Two elite Genin had been taken out in mere seconds. The others who hadn't fought were immediately alarmed, and Minato Namikaze's expression darkened. He had thought the gap between them had narrowed over the past three years, but now it seemed to have grown even wider.
"He's amazing! Just as I expected of big brother Mirai!" Uchiha Mikoto seemed not to have grasped the situation and actually cheered softly.
"Damn it, Mirai's gotten so strong!" Uchiha Fugaku looked glum. He hadn't expected the gap between people who had grown up together to be so enormous.
This time, the others didn't need Mirai to tell them what to do. They all began to move, having decided to join forces. What had just happened made it perfectly clear that Mirai could instantly defeat any one of them.
"Multi-Size Technique!" Choza Akimichi made the first move. One chubby arm grew to the size of a giant's, and he threw a punch at Mirai.
As Choza Akimichi attacked, Shikaku Nara slipped behind him, while Inoichi Yamanaka moved around in search of an opening. Uchiha Fugaku didn't want to team up with anyone, but afraid that Mirai would take him out in an instant, he had no choice but to join the others' attack. He circled around behind Mirai and began forming Hand Seals for the Great Fireball Technique. In the three years since then, both Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto had mastered the technique.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Minato Namikaze was clever. He knew that a single-target Ninjutsu wouldn't do much damage to Mirai, so as Uchiha Fugaku launched his Great Fireball Technique, Minato immediately moved in front of him and added a C-rank Wind Release. The fire caught the wind, and the Great Fireball's power suddenly doubled.
"Interesting!" Mirai turned around and leaped backward several times, dodging Shikaku Nara's Shadow Possession Technique. Then he quickly formed Hand Seals. At his current speed, he could make at least five seals a second. In the blink of an eye, he completed the sequence. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
It was the same Great Fireball, but Mirai's was many times more powerful than Uchiha Fugaku's. His fireball was at least a meter and a half across, while Uchiha Fugaku's hadn't even reached a meter. Fortunately, Minato Namikaze's Wind Release strengthened Fugaku's fireball. The two clashed with a deafening explosion and canceled each other out, as thick smoke billowed across the area.
"He's coming!"
A pair of scarlet eyes raced through the smoke. Uchiha Fugaku's expression changed, and Minato Namikaze spotted them too. Realizing that Mirai was closing in, they immediately sprang backward.
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