Mera Mera no Mi

Itachi regained his composure, forcibly suppressing the joy the sweets had brought him.

He was actually quite proud. He could accept being weaker than Shisui, since Shisui was both his mentor and childhood friend. They had grown up together and shared a deep bond.

He could also accept dealing less damage than Tsunade. Their age difference was obvious, and the gap in training time wasn't something he could easily overcome.

But he wasn't willing to be outdone by Kakashi.

They had both been hailed as geniuses, graduated from the Academy early, fought on the battlefield, and now served in the Anbu.

What made him stronger than me?

Itachi's gaze sharpened as he stared intently at Zhou Cheng.

Seeing Itachi's expression, Zhou Cheng was delighted. Good, take this seriously and attack with everything you've got!

Better yet, awaken your Mangekyo right now and hit me with Amaterasu.

Itachi activated his Sharingan and began forming Hand Seals at lightning speed. With all his strength, he moved far faster than usual, his hands nearly blurring.

Zhou Cheng raised an eyebrow. That's some impressive speed!

Sasuke and Shisui both looked astonished. So his Hand Seals were that fast!

Everyone else was stunned too. That speed was ridiculous!

"Good thing Itachi's one of ours. If he were an enemy, by the time I finished the Hand Seals for one jutsu, he'd have already performed two!"

"In that situation, what could you do besides run?"

Iruka's mouth hung open as he stared blankly.

He truly was a genius of the Uchiha Clan.

Even as a Chunin, I can't keep up with that speed!

Kakashi's visible eye filled with surprise.

His Hand Seal speed was on par with mine, and he hadn't even activated his Sharingan!

Naruto rubbed his eyes, looking incredulous.

How could anyone form Hand Seals that fast?

Was this what a powerful ninja was like?

Then determination appeared in his eyes. I'm going to be Hokage, and I'll do what I say!

"Fire Style: Great Flame Barrage!"

He spewed out a vast amount of fire, which gathered into a fireball more than seven or eight meters across and shot toward Zhou Cheng.

That's it?

How was that any different from the last one?

A second fireball formed the next moment and shot toward Zhou Cheng.

Then came a third!

The three fireballs flew at Zhou Cheng from different directions, striking him all at once.

He'd incorporated shuriken-throwing techniques into his ninjutsu. What a peerless genius!

Everyone beneath the Arena gasped in amazement.

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

"And every fireball is enormous. There's no time to form the Hand Seals for a defensive jutsu now. Besides dodging, I can't think of any way to come out of this unscathed."

"That's it for Zhou Cheng!"

Another group scoffed at the idea. A jutsu like that was supposed to hurt Mr. Zhou Cheng?

Keep dreaming!

Naruto panicked. He couldn't get hurt! I haven't gotten my Blind Box yet, or opened anything that can make me stronger!

The massive flames swallowed Zhou Cheng in an instant, then erupted in three successive explosions as each fireball burst.

The explosions shook the entire plaza, and the Arena shuddered violently, looking ready to collapse.

The scorching Heat Wave swept outward, knocking everyone in the front rows to the ground.

Those farther back raised their hands to shield themselves from the searing blast. Their hair and clothes whipped violently in the gale.

Kakashi and Tsunade stood motionless with their arms crossed. The blast wasn't strong enough to make them react.

When the Heat Wave passed, everyone looked up at the Arena to see the result.

The next moment, their eyes widened, and they froze in place.

Zhou Cheng stood calmly with his arms crossed, completely unharmed. Even his clothes were untouched.

Hiss!

The crowd beneath the Arena drew another collective breath.

Good heavens! An attack like that couldn't even hurt him?

Was he human or a monster?

Iruka and Naruto stood as if turned to stone, their scalps tingling!

Naruto looked at Zhou Cheng differently now. If I can get him to be my teacher, I'll definitely become stronger than Sasuke!

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

[Damage dealt: 15689]

[Shield HP remaining: 9,999,999,946,073]

[Damage rating: Purple]

[Reward received: Purple Blind Box]

The Arena erupted!

Over ten thousand damage—Purple-rated!

From watching over the past few days, they knew that Purple Blind Boxes could yield rare treasures!

Every gaze fixed eagerly on Itachi, anticipating his reward!

Sasuke and Shisui smiled too. Purple!

Hopefully, he'd get something good!

Kakashi felt an inexplicable sense of danger. That kid's talent was every bit as good as mine!

Tsunade sighed. He was a fine prospect, but it was a shame he belonged to the Uchiha Clan.

"Here's your reward. Catch!"

Zhou Cheng could barely keep his grin down. If everyone could deal over ten thousand damage with each attack, I'd be more than satisfied!

Itachi took the Blind Box with an air of calm, but inside he was overjoyed.

Purple! Hopefully, it would contain something valuable!

He opened the Blind Box. Inside lay an oddly shaped fruit, its surface wreathed in blazing flames. It looked as if it were made of countless tongues of fire.

[Unawakened Mera Mera no Mi x1]

[A Devil Fruit from the One Piece World. Consuming it grants special powers.]

[Can produce flames with temperatures of over ten thousand degrees and turn the body into an element. Its weakness is that a large amount of water can extinguish it.]

[Host received a critical reward: Awakened Flame-Flame Fruit x1]

[The flames have no upper temperature limit. The user can even become fire itself, rendering ordinary physical attacks ineffective. A true Flame Emperor.]

Zhou Cheng's grin stretched wider and wider. Not even an RPG could make him keep it down.

He'd actually gotten a Devil Fruit!

Itachi's strength was about to increase dramatically.

Itachi took out the Mera Mera no Mi, a strange light in his eyes. He'd never seen a fruit like it!

He could sense the immense energy inside it.

He looked at Zhou Cheng, waiting for him to explain.

Zhou Cheng smiled faintly. He couldn't let his image slip!

"Congratulations, Itachi. You've obtained something incredible!"

"This is called the Mera Mera no Mi. After eating it, you can produce fire out of thin air and even turn parts of your body into flames!"

The entire crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into shocked cries.

"Produce fire out of thin air? Without Hand Seals?"

"And you can turn your body into flames? How is that possible?"

Even Kakashi and Tsunade looked unconvinced.

How could a fruit like that exist in the world?

Itachi stared intently at Zhou Cheng's face, hoping to detect some hint, but after studying him for a long while, he found nothing.

"Senior, is what you said true?"

"You're not joking?"

Zhou Cheng kept smiling faintly. Whether you believed it or not, the system said it was true!

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

Zhou Cheng decided to provoke Itachi a little.

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