Cherreads

Chapter 373 - Chapter 373: Squad Battle

After pulling Hinata Hyuga, Kurotsuchi, and Ino Yamanaka into a genjutsu, Uchiha Mirai began weaving their illusionary world.

His goal was simple: to give the three of them extensive battle experience and help them build synergy within the genjutsu world.

Unnecessary elements were omitted—only endless training and combat awaited them in this illusionary realm.

...

Meanwhile, after Naruto Uzumaki's enthusiastic declaration, Kakashi Hatake announced that the trio had successfully passed his test.

Under Kakashi's lead, the three approached Uchiha Mirai, excitement written all over their faces.

"Uncle Mirai! I passed Kakashi-sensei's test! I'm officially a ninja now, so you'd better watch out! I'll surpass you in no time!" Naruto exclaimed, practically radiating energy.

Mirai chuckled at his enthusiasm. "How about you try defeating my students first?"

"Your students?" Naruto turned to look at the three girls, who remained motionless as if in a trance. His brow furrowed. "Uncle Mirai, what's wrong with them?"

"They're under a genjutsu," Sasuke Uchiha answered in a serious tone.

"Genjutsu?!" Naruto's confusion deepened. He turned to Mirai. "What are you doing to them?"

Mirai responded casually, "Just letting them train in the genjutsu world for a bit."

At his words, not only Naruto and Sasuke but even Kakashi frowned slightly.

"Training inside a genjutsu?"

Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. "Mirai, you always come up with the strangest ideas."

Then, a competitive glint flashed in his eye. "You may be strong, but when it comes to teaching students, I won't lose to you."

Mirai smirked. "Kakashi, how about we put our students to the test?"

Kakashi's eyes lit up. "Sounds good. Loser treats the winner to barbecue."

Hearing their senseis place a bet, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all got fired up.

Even if it was just a simple meal, this was about their honor as newly minted ninjas.

This was a battle they could not afford to lose!

Even Kakashi felt an extra sense of motivation—after all, he couldn't lose to Mirai in everything, could he?

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and even Kakashi himself were now eager to prove themselves.

Seeing the fiery determination in their eyes, Mirai spoke calmly. "Hold on a moment."

As he finished, his Sharingan spun wildly.

Originally, he had only intended for Hinata, Ino, and Kurotsuchi to gain some experience in the genjutsu world. But now, it seemed a little extra push was needed.

The Kurama Clan's bloodline limit allowed them to project experiences from the genjutsu world into reality—this was the perfect opportunity to test it.

...

Inside the Genjutsu World

Hinata, Ino, and Kurotsuchi remained unaware of the passage of time.

Within the illusion, they trained, fought, and coordinated endlessly...

Year after year.

A full three years passed inside the genjutsu world, drastically improving their skills.

Suddenly, their vision blurred. A moment later, they found themselves back in reality.

"What just... happened?"

"That was a genjutsu?!"

Memories of their experiences gradually surfaced, and they began to grasp just how surreal their situation had been.

They had fought tirelessly for three years, engaging in constant battles with various enemies, never resting.

If that had been reality, they would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

"Mirai-sensei, we..."

Seeing their confusion, Mirai simply waved his hand.

"Kakashi brought his students to challenge me. You three handle them for me."

At his words, Hinata, Ino, and Kurotsuchi turned toward Naruto and his team.

The transition back to reality left them momentarily dazed.

Naruto laughed confidently, pointing at Mirai. "Uncle Mirai, if your so-called training only lasted a few minutes, then today's barbecue is on you!"

Sasuke smirked as well.

Back at the Academy, Hinata, Ino, and Kurotsuchi had never been particularly strong.

This match would be an easy win.

Even Sakura, after analyzing both teams, was filled with confidence.

She and Ino were evenly matched, but Naruto and Sasuke could easily overpower Kurotsuchi and Hinata.

No matter how she looked at it, losing was out of the question.

It seemed even Mirai wasn't infallible.

However, upon hearing the full story, Hinata, Ino, and Kurotsuchi couldn't help but look slightly hesitant.

"Mirai-sensei, Naruto and Sasuke are really strong..."

Mirai waved his hand dismissively. "The moment you were chosen as my students, you were already leagues ahead of the others."

"Recall your experiences in the genjutsu world. You should have no trouble winning this match."

Seeing Mirai's unwavering confidence, the three girls hesitated for only a moment before nodding.

As they took a deep breath and adjusted to their real bodies, they suddenly noticed something shocking—their chakra reserves had increased significantly.

And all the skills they had honed within the genjutsu world were vividly imprinted in their minds, as if they had actually lived through those years of training.

Even the smallest details were perfectly retained.

This...

Their training in the genjutsu world had actually translated into real power?!

Ecstatic, they glanced at Mirai, whose encouraging smile fueled their determination.

"Let's do this!"

As Kurotsuchi, Ino, and Hinata stepped into the training ground's center, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura followed suit.

Sitting beside Mirai, Kakashi grinned smugly. "Mirai, you're definitely losing this time."

"No matter how strong you are, there's no way you turned them into real threats in just a few hours."

"When it comes to being a teacher, I've got you beat."

Mirai responded with only a faint smile.

"Kakashi, no need to rush. You'll see soon enough."

Then, he added, "Besides..."

"Those who lose to me are never my rivals."

"You've spent all this time trying to catch up to me, but you don't realize—time only widens the gap between us."

Hearing this, Kakashi wordlessly pulled out his notebook and scribbled down the line.

Not bad. He could use this to one-up Guy next time.

As the two continued their banter, the battle in the training ground had already begun.

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

+80 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo

More Chapters