Uchiha Itachi's eyes widened. He never imagined he would witness Lord Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, arguing with Shimura Danzō, the leader of the Root.
And the reason they were arguing was him and Uchiha Gray.
He quickly realized that he was only a secondary reason. The real reason the two were arguing was Uchiha Gray!
The strength and speed Uchiha Gray had just displayed were so incredible that all Itachi had seen was an afterimage!
That meant Uchiha Gray could kill him in an instant if he wanted to, and Itachi would have no way to fight back.
The dogs fought among themselves, leaving nothing but fur.
Uchiha Gray looked just as shocked, but inwardly he chuckled. The Leaf of this era was like an aging man, struggling to raise a group of children who hadn't grown up yet.
Then a strong young man had come along and bullied him. Naturally, after being bullied, the old man desperately wanted the children to grow up as quickly as possible.
That was exactly how Sarutobi Hiruzen felt now.
After experiencing Cloud Hidden's aggression and arrogance, Sarutobi Hiruzen wished he could have a powerful ninja right away to help prop up the Leaf.
"You both performed exceptionally well!" Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to them, his face full of warmth.
"Next, it's time for the two of you to fight." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled kindly, but his words were full of nudging and provocation.
"You're both the most talented Uchiha of this generation. Now, prove which of you is the strongest!"
"Who is the most gifted genius in the Uchiha Clan? Uchiha Gray or Uchiha Itachi?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured as if without thinking, but in an instant, Itachi's eyes filled with fighting spirit.
"Take a half-hour break. After that, Uchiha Gray and Uchiha Itachi will begin their match!"
This would let them recover to their best condition.
It would also allow him to see the full extent of their abilities more clearly.
Uchiha Gray sneered inwardly.
As expected of the most skilled politician in the Naruto world—he was meticulous.
Half an hour later.
Uchiha Gray was the first to stand. Uchiha Itachi followed right behind him.
They looked at each other, then launched into action without even waiting for the referee to say anything.
Itachi's eyes were full of caution.
From Uchiha Gray's earlier fight, he had already realized that Gray was nothing like the ordinary boy he seemed to be.
Uchiha Gray was powerful—strong enough to rival an Elite Chunin!
If Itachi wasn't careful, he would lose the ability to fight in an instant!
"Uchiha Itachi, just how strong are you at eight years old?"
Uchiha Gray's lips curved into a smile.
With the Glint-Glint Fruit's full-power template, he would have at least the strength of an Elite Jonin!
By then, even against Uchiha Itachi with the Mangekyō Sharingan, he would be able to escape unharmed.
But if he could get a better grasp of Itachi's fighting methods and style ahead of time, it would make his plans much easier later.
"Shuriken!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The air whistled.
Itachi struck first, sending the Shuriken in his hand hurtling toward Uchiha Gray!
They changed direction in midair, leaving no chance to prepare for them in advance. In an instant, they had Gray caught in a pincer attack!
Uchiha Gray chuckled. The Uchiha Clan's Shuriken-throwing technique was indeed powerful, but it was also easy to counter.
All he had to do was change direction the instant his opponent threw the Shuriken.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Uchiha Gray blurred out of sight and reappeared three meters away, front left.
Every Shuriken missed!
Itachi had never expected the Shuriken alone to defeat Uchiha Gray.
So, with astonishing hand speed, he performed a ninjutsu: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Before Uchiha Gray could regain his footing, Itachi had already predicted where he would land!
This was the genius who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at thirteen. Uchiha Gray couldn't help admiring him.
That kind of perception was beyond what ordinary ninja could ever hope to achieve in their lifetimes.
A hint of disdain flashed in Uchiha Gray's eyes. But so what if Itachi had such sharp instincts? They were completely useless against him!
A gigantic fireball, radiating scorching heat, engulfed Uchiha Gray completely.
When the fireball died down, Itachi stared intently at the spot where the heat had faded. His eyes narrowed.
"How is that possible?"
Uchiha Gray was nowhere to be seen, and his figure had disappeared from the entire Training Ground.
Was he right beside him?
Itachi broke into a cold sweat and whipped his gaze around—above, below, left, right, or...
Before he could turn around, a cold voice rang out. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Gray chuckled inwardly. Uchiha Itachi, let me show you what a real Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique looks like!
Itachi's heart gave a jolt.
In just a few seconds, Uchiha Gray had not only vanished from his sight, but had also performed the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique with incredible hand speed!
Just how sharp were his instincts, and how fast were his reactions?
"I can just barely dodge it!"
No matter how strong Uchiha Gray was, he was still only eight years old, and his chakra reserves had to be quite low.
So the Great Fireball could be no more than three meters across. With Itachi's speed, he could definitely dodge it!
But in the next instant, he felt scorching heat behind him, like molten lava!
He spun around, and the sight before him left him utterly stunned!
A gigantic fireball, more than ten meters high, blotted out the sky and covered the entire Training Ground.
It was like the wrath of heaven, the end of the world!
Through the edge of the fireball, he saw Uchiha Gray's face. He was panting heavily, but his expression was resolute.
Itachi was horrified!
He had thought his assessment of Uchiha Gray was already absurdly high.
But he hadn't expected Gray to shatter his expectations all over again!
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were utterly shocked.
Uchiha Gray was no longer just a student at the Ninja Academy. He clearly had as much chakra as an Elite Chunin.
Gray himself might not even realize how vast and pure his chakra reserves were!
That was why his ninjutsu were so powerful. If Uchiha Itachi were hit by the Great Fireball Technique, he might really die!
Sarutobi Hiruzen leaped to his feet, ready to use Water Release Ninjutsu.
But suddenly, his hands stopped.
Before his eyes, Uchiha Gray's figure vanished in a flash of golden light, charging straight toward Uchiha Itachi.
Everyone saw it clearly.
Uchiha Gray was going to save Uchiha Itachi!
To everyone's astonishment, Uchiha Gray outran the Great Fireball Technique and grabbed the still-stunned Itachi.
The two of them tumbled helplessly across the ground!
The fireball exploded behind them, and in an instant, the earth seemed to split apart.
A tenth of the Training Ground was blasted to pieces!
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