Asuma understood this too, but he still felt wronged and shot Seiki a resentful glance.
That's when he realized—much to his surprise—that Seiki was just sitting there, calmly reading a book.
Seeing this, Asuma stomped forward, furious as he snapped, "Our battle's about to start, and you're still sitting here reading? Don't you even care enough to act nervous?"
Seiki let out a slightly helpless sigh as he closed the book. "It's precisely because you're so strong, Asuma, that I'm seizing every opportunity to improve myself!"
"Huh? Is that really how it is? Ahahaha, well, I guess I'm not that impressive after all!" Asuma chuckled smugly before asking, "But what good will reading do you now? You can't possibly memorize everything at this point anyway!"
"Why wouldn't there be enough time?" Seiki asked with a puzzled expression.
Asuma twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth. "You mean to say you can memorize everything from just one read-through?"
"Of course! Shouldn't someone like us be able to do that easily?" Seiki nodded matter-of-factly, then tilted his head curiously. "Can't you do that, Asuma?"
Though he'd already sown plenty of self-doubt in Asuma's mind, this time it was genuine—he carried the gift of photographic memory from his past life, after all.
It was precisely thanks to this gift that he could keep track of every detail of this world—even after being reborn into it years ago.
Asuma's mouth dropped open instinctively, his throat suddenly dry—he couldn't do it. Not at all.
Wait… am I not actually a genius after all? Thinking this, Asuma's eyes began to glisten slightly.
Noticing Asuma beginning to question his worth, Seiki smiled and started walking outside. "Come on, Asuma! I've been dying to fight you for ages!"
Asuma nodded silently, following along with heavy steps.
...
On the school playground, quite a number of teachers and senior students had already gathered.
Most saw it as nothing more than a kids' game, but the fact that the Hokage's son was involved definitely caught their attention.
"Such a bunch of restless brats. We weren't this childish back in our days."
"Hey, you're only six yourself—you don't need to sound so old!"
"Cough cough... There are freshmen around; don't ruin my authority as an upperclassman!"
The students weren't the only ones whispering among themselves—teachers across different grades were quietly chatting too.
"Tsk tsk, since when have fights between two newbies become must-see events? Let's just hope this doesn't get too embarrassing."
"What's so exciting about a fight between a couple of rookies? Just exchanging spit? At best, maybe some chakra-infused saliva?"
"Normally, being able to learn chakra control within half a month is considered pretty decent. But don't forget, this Asuma Sarutobi is the Hokage's son!"
"Exactly, geniuses break the rules. Yamakei, stop pretending you're not listening. As their teacher, you should know them best."
Kei Yamakei smiled slightly. "Asuma is indeed a genius. He could already skillfully use [Body Replacement Technique] when he entered the academy. Now, he might have even learned more than one D-rank ninjutsu."
"You're joking, right? So he's already at graduation level?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Becoming a ninja isn't just about knowing [Body Replacement Technique]; technique and experience are also crucial components. Still, this level of talent is truly astonishing!"
"No wonder he's the Hokage's son. Looks like Konoha's got another Orochimaru-level genius on its hands."
At that moment, a cheerful laugh came from behind them.
"Haha, you guys better not start praising him to high heaven! Compared to Orochimaru, he still has a long way to go!"
Everyone turned around in shock to see the Third Hokage standing there casually dressed.
"Ho...Hokage-sama! You actually came here too!"
The Third waved his hand with a smile. "I'm not here as the Hokage today. Just regard me as an ordinary student's parent."
Despite those words, the few teachers standing beside the Third still felt waves of pressure.
Fortunately, Seiki appeared just in time and walked into the arena, shifting the Third's attention elsewhere, finally easing the vague pressure everyone felt.
"Seiki, I know you're strong. In this entire school, only you are worthy of being my rival!" Asuma shouted with intense seriousness, completely ignoring his own embarrassment. "Come on, let these people witness our strength!"
Hiss! ...Everyone shivered involuntarily. Where was this overwhelming sense of shame coming from?
Many teachers shot a quick glance toward The Third. Kids tend to copy their parents—maybe the Hokage acts like this at home too?
The Third stiffened as he held his pipe, starting to doubt whether coming here today had been the right decision.
Seiki, on the other hand, formed the "Mark of Opposition" seal with both hands, his eyes determined. "Asuma-san, I'll begin now!"
Asuma also formed the "Mark of Opposition." "Come!"
As soon as the words were out, Asuma leaned forward and straightened his arms backward, rushing forward toward the opponent like a short sprint.
Seiki quickly retreated backward, his right hand swiftly pulling out four shuriken from the pouch on his waist and placing them between his fingers. Focusing intently on Asuma's feet, he predicted his next movement.
Then—Whoosh!
All four shuriken flew simultaneously, piercing through the air, aiming directly at Asuma's shoulders and ankles.
Asuma's fast-running figure hesitated momentarily and forcibly changed direction, jumping to the left. But before he could even relax, a sudden low whistling sound startled him.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted another flurry of shuriken heading straight for him—as if he'd run right into them on purpose.
"He predicted my move! That throwing precision—only Seiki could pull it off!" Asuma marveled inwardly. Despite having greater physical strength and chakra than Seiki, he was the one who first fell into danger.
"But this level of throwing skill doesn't count as ninjutsu! Let me show you how real ninjutsu should be used!"
Asuma didn't dodge or sidestep at all. He stood his ground and met the attack head-on.
Bang—clink! Clink! Clink! Clink!
Smoke filled the air, and in the place where Asuma had stood moments ago, only a piece of rubble remained.
As soon as he hit the ground, Asuma shot forward without hesitation. Keeping an eye on Seiki's waist, he shouted, "Looks like you've already used up all your shuriken from your tool pouch. So tell me, what will you do next, Seiki?"
"Damn! To use the Substitution Jutsu so skillfully... Wait, is that—?"
"Ah! Watch out!"
Hearing the alarmed shouts, Asuma automatically turned his head back. A cold gleam suddenly flared within his vision.
What the— His pupils sharply contracted. With no time for hand seals, he could only hastily roll to one side.
But he still wasn't quite fast enough. Several drops of blood flew off from his cheek where the cold light had grazed him.
Asuma didn't even have time to register the stinging pain in his cheek before looking up with astonishment.
There, standing opposite him, was Seiki quietly rooted in place. His right arm lifted slightly, four spinning shuriken whirling around him midair.
Almost invisible Chakra Threads linked the blades to his fingertips.
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