After taking down the two most dangerous opponents besides Might Guy, Uchiha Mai swiftly shifted his focus, his crimson eyes flicking toward Nohara Rin.
A girl? So what if she's a girl - anyone blocking my path is going down.
When there is no woman in the heart, the fist strikes like a god!
Because of the angle earlier, Minato, as well as Sarutobi Hiruzen and Fugaku inside the office, hadn't seen Mai's single-tomoe Sharingan.
But the moment he turned his head, everyone saw those crimson eyes clearly - and froze.
Eight years old… and he had already awakened the Sharingan?
"To awaken the Sharingan at such a young age… this Uchiha child's future is limitless," Hiruzen remarked with a sigh of amazement.
"Just good fortune," Fugaku replied modestly. "The age at which an Uchiha awakens their eyes has nothing to do with talent. Besides, he is also a shinobi of Konoha."
Hiruzen believed that explanation. As Hokage, he knew many of the Uchiha clan's hidden truths - everything was documented.
At what age did Uchiha Madara, the man who once rivaled the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, awaken his Sharingan?
Fifteen.
Much later than Mai - and later than Shisui, Itachi, Sasuke, or even Obito.
The idea that awakening early equals great talent was a misconception. Sasuke awakened his eyes at seven - was his talent truly exceptional?
Without Indra's reincarnated chakra, without Itachi paving the way for him step by step, Sasuke would have been nothing more than an ordinary Uchiha.
As for Obito, the so-called dead last - he awakened his Sharingan at twelve after losing his left eye while saving Kakashi, driven by rage and regret, and it was already a double tomoe.
Not long after, upon witnessing Rin's death at Kakashi's hands, he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Judging solely by the Sharingan, Obito was undeniably a genius - just a late bloomer, much like Jiraiya.
So saying that early awakening equals high talent simply wasn't rigorous. Strictly speaking, Uchiha who were both gifted and emotionally sensitive tended to awaken earlier.
A white horse is not a horse.
This was one of the reasons Mai dared to openly display his Sharingan.
Of course, the more important reason was that, in Mai's view, talent and the Sharingan were like good looks - you simply couldn't hide them.
As for Danzo, whom so many transmigrators feared…
First of all, Danzo at this point was far less rampant than during the Shippuden era. Mai knew this firsthand - there were plenty of jōnin in the clan, and rumors always circulated.
Hiruzen was still in his prime. The Uchiha clan was strong and united. The ninja world itself was simmering with tension, ready to erupt into war at any moment.
Under Fugaku's leadership, the Uchiha were tightly knit, and there were plenty within the clan dissatisfied with the village.
You dare lay a hand on one of ours? What - do you think the Uchiha wouldn't dare defect en masse and build a new Konoha?
In the original timeline, Danzo only dared move against Shisui after the Third Shinobi World War had ended, when all the great villages were exhausted and temporarily incapable of further conflict.
Even then, all he did was recruit Shisui into Root.
Only after confirming that the village would not side with the Uchiha in a conflict did Danzo finally reveal his fangs and steal Shisui's eye.
When the overall situation wasn't in his favor, Danzo didn't even dare steal the eyes of dead Uchiha.
So what the hell was there to be afraid of?
Play it safe when things are going well? Hide your strength until the odds turn against you and then crawl forward like a coward?
Without hesitation, Uchiha Mai glared at Nohara Rin and charged straight at her.
The young girl's face instantly turned pale. The delinquent boss of the academy - and even Obito - had been taken down in just two moves, and both looked seriously hurt.
I'm going to get knocked out in one hit, aren't I?
Instinctively, Rin pulled out several shuriken and hurled them at Mai. Her throwing speed, technique, and accuracy were all textbook-perfect.
Mai curled his lips into a grin.
This was like teaching your grandmother how to suck eggs - swinging a broadsword in front of Guan Yu, dancing moonwalks in front of Michael Jackson.
Do you think the name "Uchiha" is just for show?
Shuriken throwing had always been a specialty of the Uchiha clan. The Sharingan's ability to analyze and copy techniques allowed them to elevate it to an art form.
Mai was an unconventional Uchiha. Compared to Itachi or Shisui at the same age in the original timeline, his shuriken skills were far inferior - but among genin, he was still outstanding.
As for chūnin and jōnin… if your specialty was ninja tools, could you really be considered a "proper" chūnin? Even Tenten understood the principle of overwhelming force through sheer volume.
She didn't aim for finesse - she aimed for quantity. Throw enough weapons, and something would hit.
Mai's single-tomoe Sharingan rotated slowly, locking onto every shuriken in midair.
Drawing on years of experience with shuriken throwing, he analyzed their trajectories and speeds in an instant.
In the next moment, as he continued charging forward, Mai twisted his body repeatedly in small, precise motions within a single second, adjusting his steps as if dancing - evading every single shuriken.
His movements were so light and graceful that even Yūhi Kurenai, watching from the sidelines, became completely mesmerized, unaware that she was next in line for a heavy punch.
As expected of the Ninja Academy's Dance King - the man whose entire body was infused with artistic flair, the pioneer of "street dance" and the creator of the shocking "moonwalk."
Even when fighting, he was this visually stunning.
Spin, jump - I close my eyes.
The noise fades away.
Are you intoxicated yet?
Heh. Can't hit me.
After evading all the shuriken, Mai had already closed the distance to Nohara Rin. He showed no mercy just because she was a soft, cute girl.
His left hand clenched into a fist, and Mai Style Ancient Martial Arts · Third Form slammed straight into her abdomen.
The abdomen was one of the body's vital areas, packed with soft tissue and internal organs. A heavy blow there could easily cause serious internal damage.
Rin collapsed to her knees instantly, the air knocked completely out of her lungs. Several seconds later, she barely regained her breath - but the damage left her unable to stand.
Sigh… I was still too soft-hearted, Mai lamented inwardly.
When he fought Asuma and Obito, he went straight for the head. Against a girl, he only hit the abdomen.
That wouldn't do. In the future, men and women alike should be treated equally.
With that thought, Mai turned his gaze toward the next target - Yūhi Kurenai.
The little girl noticed her crush looking at her and smiled sweetly, brushing her hair aside. The moment she sensed the killing intent in his eyes, her smile froze solid.
You're looking at me because you want us to join this blond guy's team together… right?
Kurenai immediately realized that wasn't the case - because Mai was already charging at her with a clenched fist.
At that moment, despair filled her heart.
I… actually lost to a man?
Recently, Mai had been spending a lot of time sparring with Might Guy - truly fighting it out. Guy had even asked Mai to teach him the cross arm lock technique used on him that day, and Mai had shared everything without reservation.
After school, the two often ended up tangled together, exchanging grappling techniques - much to the envy of the academy's girls.
(End of Chapter)
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