Is Sora Strong?

"He's a kid from the Uchiha clan."

Jiraiya was quite surprised.

An Uchiha?

If he remembered correctly, hadn't the clan been wiped out overnight?

He thought two young survivors were still in the village.

But judging by the timing, they should both still be Genin.

Could those two be like Naruto, daring to paint Kage Rock?

Asuma smiled wryly.

"Haha, don't jump to conclusions. He didn't get into trouble. That kid's just a little too much of a genius. Put it this way: during the Chunin Exams, he drove Orochimaru off all by himself!"

"What?"

Jiraiya's mouth fell open, his eyes nearly bulging out.

What was going on?

A Genin had driven Orochimaru away?

Jiraiya was baffled. Before returning this time, he'd heard that Orochimaru had paid the village a visit.

But he'd always assumed Orochimaru had been driven off by the Hokage and the others.

And now they were telling him a Genin had done it?

Was that even possible?

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. He'd clearly guessed what Jiraiya was thinking.

"Of course you don't believe it... We didn't believe it at first either, but that's what happened. The kid used either his Sharingan or some kind of contraption. Either way, he kept Orochimaru on the defensive."

"Of course, I know Orochimaru probably wasn't going all out. He was there to launch a sneak attack, after all, and couldn't come at us openly."

"Still, it's incredible. Orochimaru was one of the Konoha Sannin, famous even in the previous era."

Jiraiya was completely dumbfounded.

"Sensei, who is this kid? Could you introduce me? Maybe I could take him on as my student."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.

"You probably haven't met him. But the kid's terribly proud. Kakashi invited him before, and he turned him down. And he doesn't seem interested in training. The exams are coming up soon, too."

"Anbu reported that he's been busy setting up some kind of general store!"

As he spoke, even the Hokage couldn't help laughing.

They'd never seen such an eccentric kid.

Jiraiya blinked hard.

"No way... Could someone like that really come from Konoha?"

"I've got to meet him if I get the chance."

Then Jiraiya suddenly grew excited.

"Doesn't this mean our village has at least two guaranteed spots in the exams?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Not necessarily. Sasuke's a pure-blooded Uchiha, so he should be fine. But Uchiha Sora is different. His strength lies in catching people off guard and using unconventional tricks."

"So when it comes to a real fight, one-on-one, he might not win."

Asuma added gravely, "That's right. From what I've observed, his weapons seem to have a cooldown. That thing like a flying shuttle, only smaller, is one thing. But the explosive one should be easy enough to defend against."

"Orochimaru was only hit because he was caught off guard."

Even the Hokage wasn't convinced.

"Exactly. And everyone has to attack at least once in the tournament. Once he makes a move, his opponents will be ready for it."

"If those are his only tricks, most shinobi should be able to handle them."

Hearing that, Jiraiya scratched his head.

"So Uchiha Sora is basically like Orochimaru back in the day, then."

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"In what way?"

Jiraiya chuckled.

"We all put our faith in ninjutsu. Orochimaru was the only one who liked tinkering with things and putting his faith in technology!"

Everyone fell silent.

Kakashi stepped forward.

"Come on. The exams are less than two weeks away. We should focus on training our own students."

Jiraiya was reluctant, but he knew their mission came first.

And so, they all left.

Only after they were gone did the Hokage frown and gaze through the window at the street nearby, a wry smile on his face.

The general store had clearly finished renovations.

"If that kid really makes something of himself one day, I hope he doesn't end up like Itachi Uchiha."

"Though I doubt he will. He doesn't have the kind of power the Uchiha are known for."

Time passed slowly.

Kakashi, Jiraiya, and the others began a half-month of grueling training with their respective students.

It might not have seemed like much time, but under the guidance of such renowned teachers, everyone made rapid progress.

In Konoha, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had just finished a training session. Exhausted, they lay sprawled on the ground.

"Seriously! Is all this training even going to help? If we run into Sora, won't he just knock us flat?"

Ino was still discouraged. Ever since their last encounter—and especially after learning that the strange man had been Orochimaru—she'd been terrified of Uchiha Sora.

After all, someone who wasn't even a Chunin had driven off one of the legendary Sannin! How absurd was that?

Choji's scalp prickled.

"Thank goodness we didn't push him too far back then. If we'd made him angry and he'd done that to us a few times, I couldn't have handled those explosions!"

Only Shikamaru furrowed his brow. He gazed at the sky, then his eyes gradually lit up.

"I've got it!"

Choji and Ino looked at him in confusion.

"What have you got?"

Shikamaru chuckled, looking mysterious.

"To deal with Uchiha Sora, we should fight him up close. Have you noticed? He seems to only be able to attack from a distance."

Choji's face brightened.

"Whoa! Now that you mention it, that's true. Both that weird explosion and the strange weapon he used before were long-range attacks!"

"So if we get close, he won't be able to do anything!"

Ino's eyes lit up too.

"Really? But wouldn't he prepare a defense against that? Like stopping us from getting close in the first place?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah, that's the problem. He's an Uchiha, after all. We saw it during the fight—he really did awaken his Sharingan!"

"Fighting him up close when he has the Sharingan will be tough. But don't worry. Seven steps away, his strange weapon is fast. Within seven steps, our weapons should be faster, right?"

Everyone nodded in amazement.

"Got it! We'll get right up close to him and strike at his weak points!"

Choji clenched his fists and shadowboxed.

"Sasuke, watch closely. They say a gun is fast from seven steps away, but within seven steps, it's both accurate and fast!"

As he spoke, Uchiha Sora fired several shots, turning the Kunai Sasuke had tossed in front of the mirror into a pile of pincushions.

Sasuke panted heavily.

"Bro, this weapon you call a gun is incredible! With the Sharingan slowing everything down, it's like you can hit anything you aim at!"

Uchiha Sora chuckled and reloaded the AK-47 in his hands.

"Exactly! This is what American-style Iaijutsu is all about!"