The battle with Uchiha Mirai left Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura completely dumbfounded.
Especially Naruto and Sasuke.
The two of them had always been confident in their strength—but today, they'd been utterly crushed.
Mirai hadn't even used any particularly special powers. He defeated them with ease, like it was nothing.
They had thought they could at least put up a decent fight if they teamed up, but in the end, Mirai had tossed them into a cage like they were helpless little chicks...
The sheer gap in ability was hard to accept. Both boys were left frustrated and dejected.
"All right," Mirai said flatly. "I've seen enough. I have a good grasp of your capabilities now. Let's call it here."
With that, he released the three of them from the cage.
Looking at their downcast expressions, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Hatake Kakashi's mouth.
Due to their backgrounds and natural talent, Naruto and Sasuke had always been a bit arrogant. Even he, their Jonin instructor, hadn't earned their full respect.
Maybe now, having gotten a taste of reality, they'd start to see things differently. And that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Thinking this, Kakashi deliberately turned to Mirai and asked,
"So, Mirai… do you think they're qualified to take on S-rank missions yet?"
Mirai shook his head. "Not yet. Let's revisit that when they're stronger."
"Ino, Hinata, Kurotsuchi—let's go."
"Yes, sir."
Yamanaka Ino, Hyuga Hinata, and Kurotsuchi all wore serious expressions.
Even though Naruto and Sasuke had just lost, the strength they'd shown wasn't any weaker than their own.
The three girls had the strongest ninja in the world as their instructor. They couldn't afford to let anyone surpass them.
Silently, all three of them made the same resolution—they'd train even harder from now on.
Mirai noticed their determination and nodded in satisfaction.
That was exactly why he'd brought them here to watch the match—to give them pressure, because pressure leads to motivation.
...
After Mirai left, Uchiha Sasuke remained slumped on the ground, completely defeated.
"How... how did I fall for such a basic genjutsu without even realizing it...?"
He couldn't shake the memory of the fight.
He had the three-tomoe Sharingan. Losing to a genjutsu was utterly humiliating—for an Uchiha, it was downright shameful.
Kakashi approached him and offered an explanation.
"Mirai's eyes have evolved far beyond yours. To him, your three-tomoe Sharingan might as well be ordinary eyes."
Sasuke looked up. "Kakashi, do you know how to evolve the Sharingan into a Mangekyō?"
Kakashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I'm not entirely sure. But Mirai definitely knows. You could ask Uchiha Itachi or Shisui."
The moment the words left Kakashi's mouth, Sasuke vanished in a blur.
"Impatient as ever," Kakashi muttered, shaking his head. He turned to Naruto and Sakura. "Don't let it get to you. Just keep training harder from here on."
Naruto grinned. "Of course! I'm gonna beat him someday. I'll go find Dad right now and have him teach me a new jutsu!"
"Kakashi-sensei, Sakura—see you!"
After Naruto left, Kakashi offered Sakura a few words of comfort, then exited the training ground as well.
...
When everyone was gone, Haruno Sakura slowly started walking home, her steps heavy with defeat.
Clouds filled the sky, and before long, a light drizzle began to fall.
She didn't bother finding shelter—she just walked in the rain, heart filled with frustration and helplessness.
Her childhood friends had become disciples of the great Emperor Mirai—respected wherever they went.
Naruto and Sasuke both had powerful relatives they could turn to, people who could guide their training and even hand down rare and powerful secret techniques.
But her?
She had nothing.
No resources. No talent.
Her parents weren't even ninja. They were ordinary civilians, scraping by on meager salaries while doing their best to buy her training supplies.
It would've been fine if she'd been placed on an average team. But instead, she was paired with Naruto and Sasuke.
And today's battle made it painfully clear—she couldn't keep up with either of them.
She could already see the future. On every mission, she'd be the one dragging them down.
She didn't belong. She was just there to make up the numbers.
"I really envy them... If only I could be taught by the Emperor too..."
Her figure slowly disappeared into the rainy mist.
From a hidden spot nearby, Kakashi watched silently, his trusty copy of Icha Icha Paradise in hand. His gaze was thoughtful.
So she wanted to be trained by Mirai, huh?
Well, that made sense. Without Mirai, Sakura probably wouldn't ever catch up to Naruto and Sasuke.
Maybe... it was time for him, her instructor, to take some action.
...
Uchiha Compound
Uchiha Itachi sat alone in the courtyard. When Sasuke appeared, he gave him a warm smile.
"Sasuke. You're back."
Sasuke nodded and hurried over. "Nii-san, does Lord Mirai know how to evolve the Sharingan into the Mangekyō?"
Itachi blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Of course he does."
"That's great! I want to ask him how. I want to evolve my eyes into the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden interest?"
"Because I want to defeat Lord Mirai and become the strongest Uchiha!"
"Nii-san, could you ask Shisui for me? Maybe he could help convince Lord Mirai to tell me."
Itachi sighed. "Sasuke... Lord Mirai is already the Uchiha clan's guiding light. You must never speak disrespectfully of him again."
"Especially us..."
Sasuke frowned. "Nii-san, what do you mean?"
"Is it because Mom is Lord Mirai's wife?"
"No," Itachi said seriously. "It's because we're the children of sinners. The fact that we're even alive is a mercy granted by Lord Mirai."
"You were too young back then to understand, but now... it's time I told you about that man."
"That man?" Sasuke asked, confused. "Who?"
Itachi took a deep breath, his tone grave.
"Our father—Uchiha Fugaku."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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