Chapter 239: Accepting a Disciple, Not a Machine
"Ha? There's no need for that, right?"
Kakashi Hatake wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead, clearly flustered by Uchiha Mirai's sudden invitation to spar.
Mirai's smile remained unchanged. "You just mentioned how we used to spar back in the day. I'm itching for a fight. Let's go."
Without waiting for a reply, Mirai turned and headed for the door.
Left with no choice, Kakashi stood and followed him.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi exchanged glances, excitement flashing across their faces.
Who would've thought that today of all days, they'd have the rare chance to witness the Fourth Hokage in action?
Led by Mirai, the group quickly arrived at a secluded training ground in Konoha.
As Mirai and Kakashi stepped into the center of the field, Izumi couldn't help but ask,
"Itachi, who do you think will win this spar?"
Itachi replied without hesitation, "Of course, Hokage-sama will win. The Uchiha clan is the strongest, after all."
Izumi pouted. "But... didn't Kakashi-senpai just say earlier that the Fourth Hokage isn't as strong as him?"
Hearing this, Itachi allowed himself a faint smile.
"Izumi, those claims were probably made up by Kakashi-senpai."
"Huh?" Izumi blinked in surprise. "How can you tell, Itachi?"
Itachi chuckled softly. "From Kakashi-senpai's reaction just now when he saw Hokage-sama, it was obvious."
"Besides, I once trained under Shisui-senpai for a time. According to him, Hokage-sama is far from what Kakashi-senpai described."
"That said, Kakashi-senpai is indeed strong. The battle ahead will definitely be worth watching."
While the two conversed, Mirai motioned for Kakashi to make the first move.
"Kakashi, don't say I didn't give you a chance. You go first."
Kakashi's fighting spirit flared. He drew a short blade from his back, his body vanishing in a flash of white light.
Swish!
In an instant, Kakashi's blade filled the air with cold, slicing light, his strike closing in on Mirai with deadly precision.
"Not bad," Mirai said approvingly.
Thanks to Mirai's influence, Kakashi had not fallen into the complacency of the original timeline. Instead, he continued honing the Hatake clan's kenjutsu.
Though he no longer had the aid of the Sharingan, his skills had reached the level of an elite Jonin.
But against Mirai, this was far from enough.
Mirai opened his palm, and a white bone blade materialized in his hand.
Clang!
With a crisp sound, Kakashi's attack was effortlessly parried.
Kakashi's kenjutsu was fierce and relentless, his strikes leaving no room to breathe.
Yet Mirai met each attack with ease, his movements smooth and unhurried.
"Is that all you've got?" Mirai taunted.
"Damn it!" Kakashi gritted his teeth.
Initially, he had hoped to impress the younger generation and establish himself as a role model. But Mirai had thoroughly ruined that plan.
And now, this guy had the audacity to humiliate him further?
No way. Kakashi resolved to regain some dignity.
While attacking, he shot back verbally, "Mirai, sure, you're stronger now, but back in the Academy, you couldn't even hold a candle to me!"
"I was the first ninja prodigy to break the Academy's records!"
"You were just one of my many defeated opponents!"
Mirai's lips curled into a teasing grin. "Hahaha... Keep talking, Kakashi. Keep dancing for me, keep entertaining me."
"Kakashi, watching you weaklings seethe with jealousy while throwing empty words is one of the few joys I have left."
"Damn it!" Kakashi felt like his lungs were about to explode. Why did Mirai feel even more insufferable than before?
Couldn't he at least teach him something useful?!
"Eight Gates: Sixth Gate—Gate of Joy, open!"
A surge of green energy engulfed Kakashi, his chakra roaring wildly as his speed increased dramatically.
From a distance, both Izumi and Itachi activated their Sharingan, barely able to track the movements of Kakashi and Mirai.
"The Eight Gates, huh..."
With the power of the Eight Gates combined with his deadly kenjutsu, Kakashi had reached a level comparable to Kage-tier fighters.
Mirai smirked, satisfied that Kakashi had pushed himself to his limit. There was no need to drag this out any longer.
He raised his arm and uttered softly, "Shinra Tensei."
The overwhelming repulsive force struck Kakashi instantly, flinging him across the training ground.
He skidded for dozens of meters before crashing into the edge of the training area, finally coming to a halt.
As Kakashi lay motionless, utterly defeated, Mirai offered his concise evaluation: "Unworthy."
The words echoed in the training ground. Combined with Mirai's earlier mention of "accepting a disciple," Kakashi's eyes rolled back as he passed out from sheer frustration.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host! You have successfully plundered the Hatake Kenjutsu! ]
Mirai's lips quirked upward.
Kakashi, remember, I will always be the mountain you can never overcome.
This is what true bonds are made of.
After thoroughly putting Kakashi in his place, Mirai felt his mood improve significantly.
Turning to Itachi, who was still stunned, Mirai said, "Itachi, take Kakashi to the hospital."
"Yes!"
Itachi immediately created a shadow clone to carry Kakashi off the training ground.
Mirai walked over to Izumi and said, "You're Izumi, right? If I remember correctly, your grandfather is Hokuto?"
Izumi nodded nervously. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
Then, bowing respectfully, she said, "It's an honor to meet you."
Mirai waved a hand dismissively. "No need to be so formal. Your grandfather and I go way back."
Seeing Mirai's gentle demeanor, Izumi relaxed slightly.
"Grandfather often spoke of you, Hokage-sama. He said you're the hero who saved the Uchiha clan."
"Thanks to you, my mother and I were able to move back to the Uchiha district."
Mirai nodded. "Let's walk and talk."
"Yes, sir."
As Mirai observed Izumi's obedient demeanor, a faint smile crossed his face.
The ninja world is full of promising little ones, he mused.
Itachi, from now on, I'll take good care of Izumi for you.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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