Minato and Kushina were both ninjas adept at using Wind Style. Genetically speaking, there was a high probability that Mirai would inherently possess Wind-natured chakra.
In reality, she did possess Wind-natured chakra, but innate gifts sometimes couldn't compete with brutal, rigorous postnatal training. Did people really think this child had been electrocuted for five years for nothing?
It made perfect sense that Mirai's adaptability and proficiency with Lightning Style were stronger than her Wind Style... It couldn't be helped. After all, Hagoromo's specialty was Lightning Style. The student he taught would naturally focus on Lightning Style as well.
In terms of physical adaptability, Mirai was more outstanding with Lightning Style.
Holding Hagoromo's long sword at a slant, she charged toward the first person.
Facing such an overconfident "enemy," even though the two ninjas found it laughable, they wouldn't hold back. During a mission, people were divided into two categories: those who should be killed and those who shouldn't. This categorization had nothing to do with age or gender.
When Mirai reached the first enemy, with a flick of her wrist, she slashed the long sword upward toward his chest.
But the opponent simply used a kunai to block, easily deflecting Mirai's attack... Let alone gender differences, the gap in physical strength caused by age was simply insurmountable at this point.
However, it was as if this situation had already been anticipated in Mirai's little head. Using the repulsive force from the deflection, she shifted her body sideways. In that instant, she clamped the sword between her palms and wove the "Ox" hand sign with both hands.
To use Lightning Style of that intensity without weaving signs like Hagoromo did was incredibly difficult. Even Mirai, who had been continuously electrocuted for five years and "nurtured" from infancy, couldn't do it.
But this couldn't negate her aptitude and talent. In fact, she was already doing exceedingly well. By condensing it down to just a single hand sign, she could activate the Chidori Current.
The correct name for this modified version should be: Chidori Current, Hago-30, mkk.
Mirai bypassed the first enemy and turned her attack toward the second.
Stimulated by the Lightning Style, her speed, power, and even lethality were completely different from a moment ago. The sudden acceleration of the rhythm didn't even give the opponent time to react properly.
But Mirai was still a child, after all. When using the Chidori, she faced a problem similar to Kakashi's... an overemphasis on linear thrusting.
Or rather, this was an inherent flaw of this high-speed Lightning Style itself. During its execution, it was very difficult for Mirai to maintain bodily flexibility. At her current age, she couldn't even manage precise targeting and landing a clean hit.
It wasn't that Hagoromo hadn't clearly explained this when teaching her the jutsu; it was just that many things had to be experienced before they could be truly etched into one's memory.
Furthermore, this was Mirai's first time facing enemies. She had absolutely no experience to speak of and was entirely mechanically executing the things Hagoromo had taught her.
Thanks to the suddenness of the Chidori, she did manage to slash the enemy, but the cut was shallow and off-target.
The severe pain caused the ninja to react rapidly, his short sword thrusting toward Mirai's neck.
As for the first ninja, he had already turned back around, a Water Style jutsu ready to fire.
And then...
They both instantly collapsed onto the ground.
Were these two ninjas shut-in otaku? In a battle with a little girl, did they only focus their attention on the little girl? Didn't they see the white-haired guy standing behind her—someone with an S-class danger level and an "over" capture level?
Even using his weakest area, genjutsu, Hagoromo could easily put them down.
Perhaps realizing she hadn't done well, and furthermore because she had actually slashed someone, making the scene a bit bloody... the smell stimulating her nose and the crimson color stimulating her vision made the young girl extremely uncomfortable.
So, dragging Hagoromo's sword on the ground with one hand and continuously rubbing her eyes with the other, Mirai trotted back.
Feeling lost and panicked, she needed to return to the safest place, so she ran back to Hagoromo's side.
Seeing this situation, Hagoromo immediately understood: Crap, this kid is going to cry.
"Mirai, for your first battle, you did great... Much better than I did back then. The first time I fought an enemy, I got stabbed with two holes."
What else could Hagoromo say? He hurriedly tried to comfort her. Honestly, he had long forgotten what his own first battle was like.
"Really?"
"Of course it's true."
In a sense, this was self-deprecation.
Hagoromo took back the sword from Mirai's hand, then used his sleeve to wipe away a trace of blood that had splattered onto her face. After some head-patting, self-deprecation, and comforting, her mood finally eased a bit.
To begin with, this wasn't a job a child should be doing.
"Then what about the enemies?"
After calming down, Mirai was still thinking about the enemies, though she ultimately didn't turn around to look at the two men.
To be honest, the reason Hagoromo cast a genjutsu instead of finishing them himself was out of a rather cliché desire to have Mirai deal the finishing blow. But looking at it now, forget it. Just let those two idiots lie there; if they didn't freeze to death, they could consider themselves lucky.
So if you were to say Hagoromo was soft-hearted, thinking about the things he had done would make that statement feel incredibly hypocritical. But at moments like this, he really couldn't bring himself to be ruthless.
For Mirai, the things she couldn't do at this age she would gradually learn to do later. There was no need to force it—this was how Hagoromo convinced himself.
He couldn't bear to do it, what could he say? Didn't he see the kid holding back her tears? What if she actually started crying?
"I've already taken care of the enemies... Let's go look at that special chakra you mentioned."
Hagoromo said, essentially changing the subject... Mirai's slash had hit the second enemy's thigh, and right now the guy was merrily bleeding out into the snow. Hagoromo indeed didn't deliver a finishing blow, but expecting him to save them was out of the question.
The person the two Kirigakure ninjas were hunting was a dirty little kid. He looked about seven or eight years old, barefoot, wearing filthy and thin clothes.
Surprisingly, he hadn't chosen to run away just now, but stayed frozen in place.
First, it all happened too fast. Second, a child's intuition is sometimes very accurate. Facing this smiling, white-haired man who so clearly doted on the little red-haired girl, he purely felt that it was better not to run.
"Is there something special about this child?"
"Anyway, the chakra is just different."
Hagoromo didn't see anything different, so Mirai confirmed it again.
Thus, he reached out to the child before him in an inviting gesture and casually said, "Please, begin your performance."
Hagoromo's words seemed to carry magic; he had used a genjutsu again.
The child's hands faced each other across an empty space. Without him weaving any signs, an ice crystal hovered between his palms.
So it was a Kekkei Genkai. This helped Hagoromo understand why the Kirigakure ninjas were hunting him.
Ninjas with bloodline limits are born capable of wielding greater power than ordinary ninjas, so they are often viewed as monsters, feared, and envied. And in Kirigakure, there had always been a tradition of hostility toward bloodline ninjas... Mei Terumi had come to power seven years ago. At that time, this child in front of him had probably just been born. The Ice Style clan had been eradicated during the Third Mizukage's reign.
The Fourth Mizukage indeed wanted to change this, but public opinion could only be guided step by step. A Kage couldn't decide everything with just a word. She might have been able to save the Kaguya clan, but nothing could be done about what had already happened.
In reality, ascending to power didn't equal truly grasping it. It was only in the last year or two that Mei Terumi had finally secured what she was supposed to have. Looking at it now, she still couldn't completely control everyone in Kirigakure.
Assassinating bloodline ninjas didn't align with the Fourth Mizukage's current policies, so it was hard to say if those two ninjas were sent by her.
Ice Style?
Hagoromo saw the hidden talent within this child.
Perhaps, one day, this child would be able to use a move like Daiguren Hyorinmaru...
A ninja with talent and growth potential... Hagoromo didn't need this child to do anything for him, but he needed this child to do something for Mirai.
"What's your name?"
"Haku? Just Haku?"
Yes, just Haku.
"How about being called Minazuki Haku from now on?"
"Hagoromo, Hagoromo, don't just randomly give people names. It's Kannazuki right now."
Mirai put on a look as if saying, don't spout nonsense. She thought she had grasped Hagoromo's naming convention... It seemed Mirai had already tossed the previous incident to the back of her mind. This kid was definitely going to grow up a bit carefree.
Hagoromo was indeed naming him randomly. Minazuki was the sixth lunar month. Right now, it was October, Kannazuki, so it only made sense for it to snow if it was "strange", not bizarre.
Strange, why did I blurt out Minazuki?
He should think about whether, in his past life, he had compared Aokiji with someone from Naruto in an analysis.