At the sound of the voice, Kai Mitarashi turned to see a little girl, no older than three, standing at the doorway. Her big, sparkling eyes looked at him with an adorable expression.
"Oh, it's little Anko. Got it, I'll head over right away," Kai said with a smile as he walked toward her.
Anko tilted her head, blinked her eyes, and added, "Brother, Uncle's face doesn't look very good. You should be careful."
After speaking, she gave Kai a look that clearly said, "I've shared a secret with you, so you owe me a reward."
Kai chuckled helplessly, reached out to pinch Anko's little cheeks, and said with a grin, "Alright, how about I treat little Anko to some dumplings later?"
Anko's eyes lit up. "Really? Then I'll go find Sister Red and eat together!"
With that, she ran off on her short little legs. Kai watched her leave before heading toward the room where Shishio Mitarashi was waiting.
The Main Hall of the Mitarashi Clan
"Uncle Shishio."
Kai greeted the middle-aged shinobi in front of him. His short black hair was tied back with Konoha's forehead protector, and his face carried an unyielding expression. Sitting cross-legged with a straight posture, he exuded an aura of strength that naturally came from a true master.
This man was none other than Shishio Mitarashi, the head of Konoha's ANBU!
"Sit," Shishio said, looking at Kai.
Shishio had high hopes for his nephew. Kai had refined chakra at the age of three—a talent so rare that even in the genius-filled Konoha Village, it was something seen only once in a decade.
Shishio even believed that Kai could be the key to the Mitarashi Clan's resurgence.
But to his dismay, Kai had completely changed after refining chakra. He had put no effort into training, instead spending his days pulling pranks—pranks that often required Shishio himself, the esteemed head of the ANBU, to clean up after him.
Moreover, Kai's maturity was far beyond his years, showing a mental acuity that didn't match his five-year-old appearance. No matter how Shishio tried to threaten or entice him, Kai remained unmoved, leaving Shishio with constant headaches.
Hearing Shishio's words, Kai didn't hesitate and plopped down in front of him. "Uncle Shishio, what's the matter?"
Shishio raised an eyebrow and barked, "You don't know what you've done?"
"I really don't," Kai replied innocently, drawing on his extensive experience as a prankster. He knew better than to admit fault in situations like this.
"On the Hokage Rock, you painted glasses on the First Hokage, added a mustache to the Second Hokage, and drew a turtle on the Third Hokage's face. Wasn't that your doing?" Shishio scolded.
"Turtle? That was clearly a tortoise!" Kai thought to himself but outwardly defended his actions with a serious expression. "Yes, but that was to show my admiration for the Hokage and make them more relatable to the villagers."
Shishio's face darkened further as he continued, "Is that so? Then what about the explicit posters you put up in the Hokage's office?"
Kai straightened his posture and replied, "That was to train my reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance skills."
"And throwing flour at the Hokage during the assembly?"
"That was to hone my ninja tool throwing techniques," Kai responded earnestly.
"What's wrong, Uncle Shishio?" Kai asked, feigning confusion as he watched Shishio's face turn purple with anger.
"So, you're saying you've been training all along?" Shishio countered.
Kai was surprised. Based on his usual experiences, the questioning should have ended by now. Why was there more today?
"Yes," Kai replied, bracing himself.
"In that case, after two years of 'dedicated training,' you must have made great progress. Let's head to the training ground so I can see it for myself," Shishio said, leaving no room for rebuttal as he got up and walked toward the door.
"What's going on? Did I go too far this time and actually anger Uncle Shishio?"
Kai was puzzled but quickly decided, "Forget it. This is a good chance to test how much my strength has grown."
As the head of the ANBU, Shishio Mitarashi held authority over Konoha's military force. His position was even slightly higher than that of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the Hokage's advisors, second only to the Third Hokage himself.
Thus, despite the Mitarashi Clan having only three members, their residence was vast, even including a sizable training ground in the backyard.
This was precisely why Kai could pull off his pranks in the village without fear of consequences.
Standing in the training ground with his arms crossed, Shishio watched Kai with a composed expression.
"Uncle Shishio, I'm going to attack now," Kai said, his excitement barely contained.
"Go ahead. Let me see how much progress your years of 'dedicated' training have brought you," Shishio replied, emphasizing the word "dedicated" with a hint of sarcasm.
"Alright, Uncle Shishio, get ready!"
Before his words had fully left his mouth, Kai dashed forward, charging straight at Shishio.
"Brat, you think you can touch me? You're still—"
Shishio's words trailed off as he noticed Kai's movements, his expression suddenly serious.
Having awakened Ashura's Bloodline, Kai hadn't yet displayed any specific Kekkei Genkai abilities, but his physical prowess was astonishing. He was as strong as an average eleven- or twelve-year-old boy.
Leaf Whirlwind!
Facing Shishio, Kai had no intention of holding back.
After all, Shishio Mitarashi was a bona fide peak Kage-level shinobi, a figure of renown in the ninja world. Even if Kai were ten times stronger, he wouldn't be able to inflict any real harm on him.
Seeing Kai's fierce assault, Shishio was genuinely taken aback. He knew his nephew's usual attitude toward training all too well, yet here Kai was, surprising him with such skill.
In the next moment, Shishio calmly caught Kai's Leaf Whirlwind with one hand.
"Not bad, brat. Your taijutsu is impressive. But you're still far from being able to hurt me," Shishio said, tossing Kai's entire body aside with a flick of his wrist.
Kai flipped twice in midair and landed steadily about ten meters away from Shishio.
"Of course. That was just a warm-up," Kai said with a grin.
Shishio raised an eyebrow and replied, "Oh? Then I'll be waiting to see what's next."
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