Chapter 4: A Spark of Mischief

The Hokage Residence.

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a plume of smoke, letting his hand hover over the crystal ball to clear its image.

"First and foremost, I am the Hokage of this village... only then can I be a father to my children," he murmured.

"This kid doesn't know me, yet he grasps the Will of Fire... quite an intriguing little brat."

Just as Uchiha Mirai had guessed, Hiruzen wasn't particularly bothered by the fact that his son Asuma had been beaten up. After all, very little that happened in the village escaped his notice. Yesterday's events were Asuma's faultб if someone managed to teach him a lesson, then so be it.

With that thought, Hiruzen reached over, retrieved a scroll from beside his desk, and wrote down Uchiha Mirai's name. Initially, he had planned for Mirai to join the Konoha Police Force after graduation. Now, he had a different plan: he would keep the boy close, watch him personally.

"Uchiha Mirai, so you think you understand the Will of Fire? Let's see how deeply you truly grasp it."

Hiruzen's gaze grew thoughtful. The Uchiha clan had slowly started fading from the village's inner circles of power, and murmurs of dissent were brewing. It was only a few Uchiha for now, but in the name of preventing the worst, he needed to make preparations. And Uchiha Mirai—he would be his planted seed, a precautionary measure for the future.

Riiiiing!

The class bell signaled the end of the lesson, and the room burst into chatter. Mirai blinked his bleary eyes awake, then walked over to Kurenai's desk.

"Move it!"

Not even looking up, Kurenai was busy packing up her things, assuming it was another annoying classmate. But when the person didn't budge, she finally glanced up and saw Mirai watching her quietly.

"M-Mirai?"

"Sorry, I thought you were... someone else."

Mirai waved his hand dismissively. "No need to explain. Do you want to train with me?"

"Huh?"

Kurenai looked at him in surprise. Mirai, usually a lone wolf, was inviting her to train together? Was she dreaming? Or... did he really feel something for her?

Kurenai's heart started beating faster. Mirai's expression was getting a bit impatient, and she quickly nodded.

"Yes, I'd like that."

"Good. You said you wanted me to make it up to you, right? I've thought of how."

Without waiting for her response, Mirai turned and headed outside. As she followed, Asuma watched them go, his fists clenched.

"Uchiha Mirai... just you wait. I swear I'll make you pay a hundred times over for the humiliation you gave me!"

Walking through Konoha's streets, Mirai led Kurenai to a secluded forest clearing on the village outskirts. A spacious area surrounded by wooden training posts, with a small, crystal-clear stream running nearby.

"Is this where you usually train, Mirai?" Kurenai asked curiously, taking in the serene landscape.

"Yeah."

Mirai cut to the chase, beckoning her with a hand. "Attack me. I want to gauge your strength."

Without further delay, Kurenai readied herself. He'd been experimenting all day but hadn't yet managed to activate his plunder system. After yesterday's incident, Mirai suspected that only through real combat could he unlock rewards. Hence his invitation to Kurenai.

"Well, don't go easy on me," Kurenai replied with a confident grin.

Just a few seconds into their sparring...

[Ding! Congratulations to the host! Reward plundered: +1 to Mental Strength!]

The system's voice echoed in Mirai's mind, and he smirked. He had been right: combat was the key to activating his plunder system.

He felt a refreshing clarity wash over his mind, as if a warm surge had passed through his eyes.

"Mirai... your eyes..." Kurenai gasped.

"Hm?"

Mirai frowned in confusion as Kurenai handed him a small mirror. Glancing at it, he saw his Sharingan had evolved to a two-tomoe form.

"So, mental energy strengthens not only my mind but also boosts my visual prowess... and even speeds up Sharingan recovery time. Nice."

Each evolution of the Sharingan required an adjustment period, during which it couldn't be deactivated. Not that Mirai cared, he gestured for Kurenai to come at him again.

"Come on!"

A few minutes later, Kurenai, eyes red and watery, slumped to the ground.

"No more! I'm done!"

What was this? He'd called it a 'spar,' but it had just been her getting pounded left and right. He showed zero restraint! And he even kept going after she'd clearly lost.

The only reason she hadn't stormed off was because he'd stepped in for her yesterday and treated her to an amazing meal. Otherwise, she would've been long gone.

"A delicate flower that can't withstand hardship will only wither in the night before sunrise," Mirai said nonchalantly. "If you can't handle this, then you might want to reconsider being a ninja."

Drawing on his previous life's experience, he knew better than to coddle her now. That would only make things worse.

"Who says I can't handle it?"

Sniffing, Kurenai rubbed her eyes and shook off her frustration. She hadn't noticed that she'd inadvertently been pulled into his "tough love" routine.

"I'll be waiting for the day you surpass me," Mirai replied with a smirk. "For now, take a break."

Kids who hadn't been through nine years of mandatory schooling were easy to handle. Relieved, Mirai sat down beside her and began mulling over his system. After a dozen rounds of sparring, he had only triggered the plunder system once, which probably meant it had a daily limit.

Well, that meant he couldn't farm rewards constantly through battle—but no matter. Each gain was a permanent boost to his attributes, and that was more than enough for him.

Satisfied, he called up his system's status screen in his mind:

[Name: Uchiha Mirai]

[Physique: 8]

[Mental Strength: 21]

[Chakra: 7]

[Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan]

Nothing was more satisfying than watching his stats steadily climb every day.

"Oh, right, Kurenai. You said you'd thought of how I could make it up to you?"

"Mm-hm." She brightened up at the memory. "I love your cooking! Make me a meal like yesterday's, and I'll forgive you for... you know, the kiss."

Just thinking about yesterday's food made Kurenai's mouth water. There was no resisting it.

"That's all?" Mirai raised an eyebrow.

She nodded vigorously, even swallowing back another drool. Watching her, Mirai couldn't help but feel a mischievous urge. Before she could react, he cupped her chubby cheeks, planting quick kisses on her forehead.

"A week's worth of meals, on me!"

"Hey! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Kurenai sprang up, her face crimson. What was going on in this guy's head?

"That's it, I'm done with you!"

"Oh? Then I guess you don't want any more meals?"

"Skip one, and I'll never forgive you!"

Watching her storm off, Mirai couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Girls really did smell nice.

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