Mera Mera no Mi

Itachi regained his composure, forcibly suppressing the joy brought on by the sweets.

He was actually quite conceited. He could tolerate being weaker than Shisui; after all, Shisui was his mentor and childhood friend, and the two had grown up together with a deep bond.

He could also accept having lower damage output than Tsunade, given the age gap between them—the difference in training time was not something that could be easily overcome.

However, being outdone by Kakashi was something he found difficult to stomach.

Both were hailed as geniuses, both had graduated from the academy early, both had seen the battlefield, and both were now in the Anbu.

Why was he stronger than me?

His gaze sharpened, locking onto Zhou Cheng.

Seeing the look in Itachi's eyes, Zhou Cheng was overjoyed. Good, be serious! Attack with everything you've got!

It would be best if you activated your Mangekyo right now and hit me with an Amaterasu.

Itachi activated his Sharingan and began weaving hand signs at lightning speed. Going all out, his speed was even faster than usual, blurring into afterimages.

Zhou Cheng raised an eyebrow at the sight. That hand-sign speed—not bad!

Sasuke and Shisui both wore expressions of shock. So his hand-sign speed is actually this fast!

The others were momentarily stunned as well; this speed was bordering on the absurd.

"It's a good thing Itachi is one of our own. If he were an enemy, by the time I finished the signs for one jutsu, he would have already cast two!"

"In a situation like this, what choice is there besides running?"

Iruka's mouth hung slightly open, his mind blank.

Is this what it means to be a genius of the Uchiha?

With hand-sign speed like that, even as a Chunin, I can't even hope to catch up!

Kakashi's visible eye held a look of surprise.

Such speed in weaving signs—it's on par with mine, and he hasn't even fully tapped into his Sharingan yet!

Naruto rubbed his eyes, his expression one of disbelief.

How can his hand-sign speed be that fast?

Is this what a powerful ninja is like?

Immediately, his eyes filled with determination. I am the man who will become Hokage, and I always keep my word!

"Fire Style: Great Flame Barrage Jutsu!"

He spat out a massive volume of flame, which coalesced into a fireball over seven or eight meters wide, hurtling toward Zhou Cheng.

Is that it?

What's the difference between this and what he just did?

The next second, a second fireball formed and launched at Zhou Cheng.

Then came the third!

Three fireballs shot toward Zhou Cheng from different directions, striking him simultaneously.

He applied shurikenjutsu techniques to his ninjutsu—he truly is a peerless genius!

Below the Arena, everyone gasped in awe.

"I've learned something new today. I've heard of the Great Fireball Barrage, but I've never heard of anyone capable of a Great Flame Barrage."

"And each fireball is so massive! It's too late to start weaving signs for a defensive jutsu now. Aside from dodging, I can't think of any way to come out of this unscathed."

"Zhou Cheng is finished!"

Another group scoffed at such a notion. You think a jutsu like that could hurt Mr. Zhou Cheng?

Delusional!

Naruto grew anxious. He can't get hurt! I haven't gotten my Blind Box yet, and I haven't pulled anything that can make me stronger!

The massive flames instantly swallowed Zhou Cheng, followed by three explosions as the fireballs detonated in succession.

The blasts shook the entire plaza, and the Arena trembled violently, looking as if it were about to fall apart.

A massive wave of heat from the explosion swept across the area, knocking everyone in the front row to the ground.

Those in the back raised their hands to shield themselves from the scorching blast, their hair and clothes whipping wildly in the wind.

Kakashi and Tsunade stood calmly with their arms crossed; a blast of this magnitude wasn't enough to make them react.

Once the heat wave subsided, everyone looked up at the Arena to see the result.

The next second, they all widened their eyes, frozen in place.

Zhou Cheng stood there with his arms crossed, completely unharmed. Not even a single thread of his clothing was damaged.

Hiss!

Another collective gasp of cold air echoed from beneath the Arena.

My god, even an attack like that couldn't hurt him?

Was he a man or a monster?

Iruka and Naruto stood as if turned to stone, their scalps tingling with sheer disbelief.

The way Naruto looked at Zhou Cheng had changed; if I can get him to be my teacher, I'll definitely become even stronger than Sasuke!

A string of numbers floated above Zhou Cheng's head: -15689.

[Damage dealt: 15,689 points]
[Shield remaining HP: 9,999,999,946,073]
[Damage Rank: Purple]
[Reward obtained: Purple Blind Box]

Whoosh!

The entire crowd beneath the arena erupted in an uproar!

Breaking ten thousand damage, a Purple damage rank.

Having watched for several days, they knew that any Purple Blind Box could yield a rare, peerless treasure!

All eyes burned with intensity as they looked at Itachi, eagerly anticipating his reward!

Sasuke and Shisui also wore smiles; it was purple!

I hope he pulls something good!

A sudden, inexplicable sense of crisis gripped Kakashi's heart. This kid, his talent is on par with mine!

Tsunade sighed with a mix of emotions. He's a good seed, but it's a pity he's a member of the Uchiha Clan.

"This is your reward, catch!"

Zhou Cheng's mouth curled into a grin he couldn't suppress even with an AK; as long as everyone could break ten thousand damage per attack, he would be more than satisfied!

Itachi took the blind box with a calm expression, though his heart was brimming with joy.

Purple! I hope I can pull something valuable!

He opened the blind box to find a strange-looking fruit resting inside. The fruit was wreathed in scorching flames, appearing as if it were composed of countless flickers of fire.

[Unawakened Flame-Flame Fruit x1]
[A Devil Fruit from the One Piece World; grants special powers upon consumption]
[Capable of creating flames reaching temperatures of ten thousand degrees and allows the user to turn their body into an elemental form. Weakness: extinguished by large quantities of water]
[Host received a critical hit reward: Awakened Flame-Flame Fruit x1]
[Flame temperature has no upper limit; the user can even become the flames themselves. Ordinary physical attacks are ineffective. A true Flame Emperor.]

Zhou Cheng's mouth curled upward uncontrollably; forget an AK, not even an RPG could suppress his grin.

He had actually pulled a Devil Fruit!

With this, Itachi's strength would see a massive surge.

Itachi took out the Flame-Flame Fruit, an inexplicable light in his eyes. A fruit I've never seen before!

He could sense the immense energy contained within it.

He looked at Zhou Cheng, waiting for an explanation.

Zhou Cheng smiled faintly; he couldn't afford to lose his cool factor!

"Congratulations, Itachi, you've obtained something extraordinary!"

"This thing is called the Flame-Flame Fruit. Once consumed, you can create flames out of thin air and even turn parts of your body into fire!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting into massive gasps of shock.

"Create flames out of thin air? Without using hand seals?"

"And turning the body into fire? How is that possible!"

Even Kakashi and Tsunade wore expressions of disbelief.

How could such a fruit exist in this world?

Itachi stared intently at Zhou Cheng's face, hoping to find some clue, but after a long while, he found nothing.

"Senior, are you telling the truth?"

"You're sure you aren't joking?"

Zhou Cheng continued to smile faintly. Even if you don't believe me, you have to believe the system!

"If you don't believe it, then give it to someone who does!"

Zhou Cheng decided to goad Itachi.

Itachi hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and took a bite!