Naruto: Saving the Uchiha by Starting with the Plunder System Chapter 40

But even now, he still could not use the Flying Thunder God Technique as smoothly as Minato Namikaze did.

Every time he teleported using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he needed a certain amount of reaction time to assess the positions of both friend and foe before deciding on his next attack.

Although that time was very short and had little impact when facing weaker ninja.

Uchiha Mirai knew that once he had to face opponents at Kage level or above, that sense of delay would strip the Flying Thunder God Technique of the unpredictability it was meant to have.

In battles between experts, even the slightest difference could be magnified without limit.

This was a flaw Uchiha Mirai absolutely did not want to see.

"Looks like improving my reaction speed through training alone is impossible."

"In that case, I can only go to Minato Namikaze."

Uchiha Mirai muttered.

Now, he could only pray that Minato Namikaze possessed some kind of special physique as well.

Otherwise... even with the Plunder System, improving his reaction speed would not be realistic.

"Mirai, you're here?"

Seeing the lunchbox in Uchiha Mirai's hand, Kushina Uzumaki's face broke into an enthusiastic smile.

At first, she had been quite dissatisfied that Uchiha Mirai took up Minato's time every day.

After all, Minato often had to leave on missions, so the two of them already had little time together.

But ever since she had tasted the food Uchiha Mirai cooked himself, Kushina Uzumaki's attitude had taken a complete one-eighty.

There was no helping it.

The novel foods Uchiha Mirai brought were simply too delicious for her to refuse.

"Kushina, watch your expression."

"Drooling over food isn't very ladylike."

Hearing Uchiha Mirai's words, Kushina Uzumaki gave a light snort. "You should be saying that to your little girlfriend."

She snatched the lunchbox from Uchiha Mirai's hand and turned to call out, "Minato!"

"Coming."

Minato Namikaze ran out of the room and said to Kushina Uzumaki, "Kushina, don't forget to save some food for me this time."

"I know. The last few times, I just got distracted reading a novel."

Seeing Kushina Uzumaki's impatient expression, Minato Namikaze placed a hand on Uchiha Mirai's shoulder. "Mirai, let's make this quick today. Otherwise, I'll go hungry again later."

With that, he directly activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and brought Uchiha Mirai to their usual training ground.

Without any unnecessary words, the two began fighting at once.

As soon as half an hour passed, Minato Namikaze immediately stopped their spar.

"Mirai, that's enough for today. I'm heading back first."

Watching Minato Namikaze vanish from the spot, Uchiha Mirai's mouth twitched.

This guy really moved smoothly.

But Uchiha Mirai was not unhappy about it.

After all... every time Minato Namikaze sparred with him, he gave it his all.

Being able to fight such a powerful opponent every day was also tremendously helpful to his improvement in every aspect.

Just then, a system notification rang out in Uchiha Mirai's mind.

Ding! Congratulations, Host, on successfully plundering the reward: Limit Reaction Nerves!

Uchiha Mirai's expression immediately turned excited.

Limit Reaction Nerves?

What he wanted had finally arrived!

His guess had been correct. Minato Namikaze's physique must also have been a special one similar to a "Sage Body," which was why he could plunder it as his own ability through the Plunder System in the form of a battle reward.

Uchiha Mirai looked at his status panel.

Name: Uchiha Mirai

Physique: 215

Mental Power: 207

Chakra: 210

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan! Magnet Release: Gold Dust!

Ninjutsu: ...

Other: ... Reaper Death Seal, Four Symbols Seal, Eight Gates Formation Technique, Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Eight Trigrams Seal, Adamantine Sealing Chains, Contract Seal, Uzumaki Sage Body, Limit Reaction Nerves!

Looking at the densely packed status panel, Uchiha Mirai nodded in satisfaction.

Besides the newly acquired "Limit Reaction Nerves," during the time since the Chunin Exams ended, he had also plundered quite a few rewards from Minato Namikaze.

Most of them were Sealing Jutsu, making it quite a fruitful haul.

In this world, Sealing Jutsu was an extremely unique thing. There was almost nothing it could not seal.

Amaterasu flames, tailed beasts, dragon veins, ninja resurrected through Impure World Reincarnation—even someone as powerful as Kaguya Otsutsuki could be subdued by Sealing Jutsu.

It could be said... any Sealing Jutsu was exceptionally precious.

"Now that I've gotten the reward I wanted, I should head to the clan compound and experience it for myself."

Uchiha Mirai chuckled softly and headed toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

Uchiha Mirai's figure flickered continuously through the dense forest, vanishing immediately after each appearance.

At the same time, wherever he vanished, the trunks of the trees bore marks of having been struck at the exact same height.

After a long while, Uchiha Mirai stopped. Looking at his handiwork, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

After gaining the "Limit Reaction Nerves," his reaction speed had become outrageously fast.

The sluggish sensation he had originally felt when using the Flying Thunder God Technique had completely vanished, and the technique now flowed with unbelievable smoothness.

Moreover... the Limit Reaction Nerves did not merely make the Flying Thunder God Technique easier to use.

Combined with the Three Tomoe Sharingan's powerful dynamic vision, he could unleash all sorts of attacks with ease even while moving at high speed.

Uchiha Mirai felt that he was terrifyingly powerful now.

Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair in high spirits, puffing out clouds of smoke one after another.

Before him was intelligence that had just arrived from the front lines.

Kumogakure's Third Raikage had died in Iwagakure.

It was said that he had been besieged by tens of thousands of ninja led by the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. After holding out for three days and three nights, he had died of exhaustion.

According to the intelligence, the Third Raikage had led several elite ninja in a decapitation squad, intending to launch a surprise attack on Iwagakure.

However, because the information had leaked, he was ambushed by Ōnoki. In order to protect his subordinates and let them escape, he had chosen to stay behind alone and cover their retreat.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had only one assessment of this—reckless fool!

It Was Simple—He Just Needed to Kill More Than Them

"Hmph! Those people from Kumogakure are all brainless reckless fools."

Hiruzen Sarutobi snorted.

Back then, his teacher Tobirama Senju had made the same choice as the Third Raikage. To protect them, he had voluntarily stayed behind to cover their retreat, ultimately dying at the hands of Kinkaku and Silver Cloud, the two Rogue Ninja from Kumogakure.

That act had once left a deep impression on him, but Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer agreed with it.

As he grew older, his views on many matters had changed drastically.

A Kage was the soul of a village and should remain in the center to oversee it. How could he personally put himself in danger?

A reckless fool like the Third Raikage, who acted without considering the consequences, simply did not understand politics.

Now that he was dead, Kumogakure was probably already in complete chaos, wasn't it?

If it had been him, he absolutely would not have made the same choice.

Still, this was good too. With Kumogakure and Iwagakure fighting each other, Konoha could reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

Just then, there was a sudden knock on the office door.

"Come in."

"Hokage, this is bad!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned as he looked at the Anbu who rushed in. "What is it?"

"Kumogakure's ninja have attacked our frontline camp!"

"What?!"

Hearing the Anbu's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled and immediately rose from his seat.

"Hokage, this is an urgent report from the front lines."

Taking the intelligence scroll from the Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened and brightened unpredictably.

Though he found such intelligence utterly absurd, he also knew that no one would joke with him about something like this.

"What the hell is inside those idiots' heads?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was so furious that he nearly coughed up blood. This was completely different from what he had expected.

The Third Raikage had died at the hands of Iwagakure's ninja. By all logic, shouldn't you people from Kumogakure be seeking revenge on Iwagakure?

Why were you attacking Konoha instead?!

Did they think he was easy to bully?

"Go. Bring Orochimaru here."

"Yes!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his throbbing head, a sense of helplessness rising within him.

The war with Sunagakure was already enough of a headache, and now Kumogakure had joined in...

In the shadows, Iwagakure and Kirigakure were watching them like tigers stalking prey.

If another great war erupted in the Shinobi World, could Konoha still hold on as it had before, surrounded and attacked by the other villages?

Three days later.

After receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders, Uchiha Mirai set off for the Kumogakure battlefield that very day.

During that time, Uchiha Tajima had specifically sought him out, even offering to surrender a portion of the Uchiha Clan's interests in exchange for keeping Uchiha Mirai in the village.

The terms were tempting enough that even Hiruzen Sarutobi had been moved.

Yet Uchiha Mirai firmly refused, insisting on going to the Kumogakure battlefield.

That eagerness made Hiruzen Sarutobi even more confident in his plan.

That was a meat grinder where one careless mistake could cost a life!

No shinobi would ever want to seek thrills on a battlefield.