The battle against Mirai Uchiha left Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno completely stunned.
Especially Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha.
Both had always been confident in their strength, yet today they had suffered such a crushing defeat.
Mirai Uchiha hadn't even used any advanced techniques like [Genjutsu], yet she had defeated them effortlessly.
Originally believing they could take her down together, they were now like trapped birds...
This vast gap between expectation and reality left both of them feeling deeply frustrated.
"Alright, I've roughly figured out your three's strength. Let's end the fight here."
After saying that, Mirai released Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno.
Seeing the disappointed expressions on their faces, Kakashi Hatake couldn't help but feel a trace of satisfaction.
Because of their natural talents and backgrounds, Naruto and Sasuke had always been somewhat arrogant. Even Kakashi himself, as their supervising Jonin, hadn't been shown much respect by them.
Letting these two experience some harsh reality should be a good thing.
Thinking about it, Kakashi intentionally asked, "Mirai, do you think they're qualified for S-rank missions now?"
Mirai shook her head. "Leave that until they get stronger."
"Ino, Hinata, Kurotsuchi, let's go."
"Yes."
Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyuga, and Kurotsuchi all wore solemn expressions.
Although Naruto and the others had just lost, the power they displayed was in no way weaker than that of Ino's team.
They had the strongest ninja in the ninja world as their supervising Jonin and could absolutely not allow themselves to be surpassed.
Each silently resolved to train even harder from now on.
Seeing their expressions, Mirai nodded in satisfaction.
He had specifically brought the three of them here today to observe the fight and create some pressure for them.
After all, pressure creates motivation.
After Mirai left, Sasuke Uchiha still sat motionless on the ground.
"Why? Although it was just the simplest illusion technique, I didn't notice it at all..."
Sasuke remained immersed in the previous battle.
Even with his triple-comma Sharingan, he had still lost against genjutsu...
For a ninja from the Uchiha Clan, this was a humiliation!
Seeing Sasuke's state, Kakashi explained, "Mirai's eyes have evolved multiple times. Before him, your triple-comma Sharingan is no different from ordinary eyes."
"Sakura, do you know how to evolve one's eyes into the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Sasuke Uchiha asked.
Kakashi Hatake rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not sure myself, but Mirai definitely knows. You can go ask Itachi Uchiha or Shisui Uchiha."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sasuke Uchiha vanished from the spot.
"Such an impatient guy."
Kakashi shook his head and turned his gaze toward Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno. "You two don't need to worry too much either. Just work harder on your cultivation from now on."
Naruto waved it off casually. "Of course! I'll definitely defeat Uncle Mirai someday. Right now I'm gonna go find my dad and get him to teach me some new ninjutsu."
"Teacher Kakashi, Sakura, see you later."
After Naruto left, Kakashi comforted Sakura a bit before leaving the training ground himself.
Once everyone had gone, Sakura walked home in a daze.
On her way back, dark clouds filled the sky, and soon drizzle began to fall.
Walking through the rain, Sakura felt overwhelmed by frustration.
Her childhood playmate had already become a disciple of Lord Emperor—revered wherever he went.
Both Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had powerful family members they could consult whenever they encountered issues during cultivation, gaining access to rare and potent secret techniques.
But as for her...
She had neither resources nor talent.
Her parents were civilians who weren't even ninjas themselves, working tirelessly for barely enough money just to afford some basic cultivation tools.
If she had been assigned to an ordinary team, it would've been fine, but she had specifically become teammates with Naruto and Sasuke.
From how things went today, she simply couldn't keep up with them at all.
She could already imagine that even during future missions, she'd be the one holding everyone back.
This sense of not fitting in made Sakura feel like she was just there to make up the numbers.
"I really envy them... How wonderful it would be if I could also receive instruction from Lord Emperor..."
Sakura's figure gradually faded into the rainy night.
In the shadows, Kakashi Hatake, holding his Make Out Paradise book, revealed a thoughtful expression.
Wants guidance from that guy Mirai, huh?
Well, aside from that guy Mirai, perhaps Sakura would never have any hope of catching up with Sasuke and Naruto.
Maybe it was time for him, their supervising jonin, to do something about this.
---
At the Uchiha District.
Itachi Uchiha sat alone in the courtyard. When he saw Sasuke Uchiha appear, a slight smile surfaced on his face.
"Back already, Sasuke."
Sasuke Uchiha nodded and quickly walked to his brother's side. "Nisan, does Mirai-dono know the method for evolving one's eyes into Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Itachi Uchiha hesitated briefly before nodding. "Of course I do."
"That's great! I want to ask Mirai-dono to teach me how to evolve my eyes into Mangekyo Sharingan!"
Looking somewhat puzzled, Itachi asked, "Why this sudden desire?"
"Because I want to defeat Mirai-dono and become the strongest warrior in the Uchiha Clan!"
"Nisan, can you please go talk to Shisui Nisan and ask him to help me persuade Mirai-dono about this matter?"
Seeing Sasuke's expression, Itachi Uchiha sighed deeply. "Sasuke, Mirai-dono has already become the symbol of faith for our Uchiha Clan. From now on, you must never show disrespect toward Mirai-dono."
"Especially us..."
Hearing this, Sasuke looked confused. "What do you mean, Nisan?"
"Is it because Mother is Mirai-dono's wife?"
"It's definitely not that," Itachi said solemnly. "We are children of sinners. The fact that we can live in this world is already a mercy from Mirai-dono."
"When you were young, you didn't understand many things, so I should tell you about that person now."
"That person?" Sasuke asked, puzzled. "Who is it?"
Taking a deep breath, Itachi said gravely, "Our father — Fugaku Uchiha!"
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