Chapter 1: Uchiha Shigeru Is a Drama Queen
"Third Hokage, sending out three Hyūga jōnin—isn't that asking too much?" the head of the Nara clan said.
At the tower within the Forest of Death, the leaders of the major clans had gathered.
The Hyūga clan head sat in his chair with a faint smile, utterly confident.
The jōnin of the Hyūga clan were not comparable to ordinary jōnin—each one was an absolute elite of Konoha.
At close range, they had the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms. At mid-range, the Eight Trigrams Air Palm. For defense, the Eight Trigrams Revolving Heaven.
And with the Byakugan to scout enemies… how could they possibly lose?
Although the Hyūga clan head valued the friendships between the clans, after two years together, it was enough. There was no need to keep sticking together—they weren't looking for marriage partners.
"It's still too early to draw conclusions. Let's wait and see," said calmly, puffing on his pipe as he waited for the outcome.
…
On the other side.
Hyūga Shin stood atop a tree. The three of them took turns observing their surroundings, waiting for the others to arrive.
This trial used an offense-and-defense format, divided into Heaven and Earth scrolls. Each participant carried one scroll—three Heaven Scrolls and ten Earth Scrolls in total.
The failure condition was losing all Heaven Scrolls. Victory only required obtaining a single Earth Scroll.
"Shin, they're just a bunch of kids. We're jōnin after all—this is way too much of an advantage," Hyūga Ri said.
"If the conditions weren't strict, why would the clan head trust them with the young clan heir?"
"Exactly. This is a major matter. If the Byakugan were lost due to incompetence, it would be a disgrace to the entire Hyūga clan," Hyūga Daiki added.
"Then let's teach these brats a lesson."
"They're here."
Hyūga Shin spoke, his Byakugan activated to the maximum. He could see ten figures rapidly approaching.
Through the Byakugan, he confirmed that all ten were real bodies—not shadow clones.
As they drew closer, the three Hyūga jōnin couldn't help but change expressions.
"This…"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Kinoshita Hikaru stood at the center, not rushing to attack. Instead, he spoke:
"From this moment on, the Miracle Squad is officially formed. Bound by bonds—Miracles… will echo throughout the shinobi world."
"Miracles… will echo throughout the shinobi world." ×9
Seeing the three jōnin stunned speechless, Kinoshita Hikaru nodded in satisfaction. At least all those sacrificed brain cells had been worth it.
What he didn't know was that the others were speechless from sheer secondhand embarrassment.
"So… so cringe." (´◑д◐｀)
"You think you've already won? Are you looking down on Hyūga jōnin too much?"
Hyūga Shin roared. If not for the presence of the Hyūga clan's young heir among them, he would have already cursed them for their arrogance.
"Heh. Then let's try it."
The next moment—
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
A fist tore through the air, striking directly at Hyūga Shin. From the left, Minato leapt up, hurling three shuriken mid-air toward Hyūga Daiki. Close behind, Uchiha Shigeru gripped his katana and unleashed a leaping flame slash toward Hyūga Ri.
The attacks arrived in an instant, forcing the three to retreat—
Dividing the battlefield.
Kinoshita Hikaru's fists were coated in Armament Haki, his strikes wide and forceful. Hyūga Shin's taijutsu was exceptional—his stance rooted like a mountain, immovable, his techniques steady and precise as he pressed forward step by step.
Kinoshita Hikaru felt the pressure from a true taijutsu jōnin.
Each clash allowed the opponent to use Gentle Fist techniques to inject chakra into the acupoints of his arms, sending waves of numbness through him.
Hyūga Shin, however, grew increasingly shocked. His tenketsu strikes were being blocked, and the chakra he injected barely took effect—less than ten percent remained.
Compared to their direct, forceful exchange—
Minato Namikaze's battle appeared extraordinarily elegant. Holding a kunai, he engaged Hyūga Daiki with fluid movements. Like a nimble monkey, he evaded danger time and time again by the narrowest margins.
The two sides each tied down their opponents in their own way.
Elsewhere—
Uchiha Shigeru glared indignantly, unable to understand why his teammates had to assist him. Worse, he even had to deliberately expose a flaw to create an opening.
Ridiculous. He could defeat the enemy on his own.
As an Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan, he was clearly the strongest—so why not go assist Kinoshita Hikaru instead?
His swordsmanship was sharp—slashes, cuts, thrusts, parries, lifts, stabs—already showing the bearing of a master. The Uchiha-style sword techniques flowed endlessly in his hands, unpredictable and agile beyond belief as he pressed Hyūga Ri into retreat.
Clang—
As he withdrew his thrust, a brief opening appeared—one so subtle that even he had never noticed it before.
But Hyūga Ri seized it.
A palm struck the flat of the blade. Chakra erupted, knocking the katana flying.
The force sent Shigeru stumbling. Hyūga Ri stepped forward, palm thrusting out, his stance shifting—
The Eight Trigrams Domain expanded.
His pale eyes flickered—the Byakugan activated.
"Eight Trigrams: Sixteen Palms!"
The palm strike unleashed a violent gust, the Eight Trigrams field amplifying it. Chakra clung with a sticky force, fully displaying the terrifying nature of the Gentle Fist.
If it landed, Uchiha Shigeru would instantly lose all combat ability.
Shigeru grinned widely, his movements suddenly exaggerated—completely different from his usual cold demeanor.
So I made a mistake.
Don't panic, Uchiha Shigeru. As long as I act convincingly, they won't notice. (´◑д◐｀)
He threw a punch straight forward, completely ignoring Hyūga Ri's attack—disregarding defense entirely.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
A shadow silently crept forward, about to bind Hyūga Ri—but with the Byakugan, he had already detected Nara Shikaku's attack. At the last possible moment, he withdrew his strike and twisted his body aside.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Core!" Senju Nawaki shouted.
The ground churned like a rising dragon, throwing Hyūga Ri off balance.
"Human Bullet Tank!"
Spinning at incredible speed, the attack slammed forward. At the same time, the shadow clung tightly, restraining Hyūga Ri completely.
At this moment, Hyūga Ri was on the verge of elimination.
Seeing his comrade in danger, Hyūga Daiki attempted to break free from Minato to provide support.
But Minato wouldn't allow it—he tightly entangled him, preventing any escape.
At the critical moment, Hyūga Daiki stomped the ground. Chakra burst from all 360 tenketsu—
"Eight Trigrams: Revolving Heaven!"
The so-called absolute defense forced Minato to retreat instantly.
Hyūga Daiki leapt forward to assist, already preparing to use Revolving Heaven again mid-air—
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
From the shadows, finally seized her chance. Eight chakra chains burst from her body.
Hyūga Daiki's expression changed. Abandoning rescue, he dropped rapidly, landing with force and spinning—
"Eight Trigrams: Revolving Heaven!"
He blocked the attack—but missed the chance to save his teammate.
Hyūga Ri was blasted into the air by the Human Bullet Tank, his defenses completely open. appeared in an instant and snatched the scroll from his waist.
Hyūga Ri… eliminated.
!
All eyes turned to Hyūga Daiki.
He was breathing heavily—clearly, using Revolving Heaven twice in succession had consumed a massive amount of chakra.
Hyūga Daiki cursed inwardly. They had underestimated their opponents. From the very beginning, they had fallen into the enemy's rhythm—losing one member instantly.
"Shin!"
He shouted, moving to regroup.