Hagawa didn't linger and left the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore directly. He didn't need to worry about the rest; Tsuchihashi would handle it. He just wondered which author he would find to be the ghostwriter. He thought of Jiraiya, but that was highly unlikely; being a ghostwriter didn't sound good, after all.
Hagawa arrived at Training Ground 4, picked up a wooden sword, and began practicing Konoha-ryū Swordsmanship. An hour later, he finished his training and headed towards the Ninja Academy.
Soon, Hagawa saw Asuma Sarutobi. He was leaning against a tree, hands in his pockets, gazing up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, looking like he had defeated everyone under the heavens.
"You've come," Asuma said, turning his head to look at him.
Hagawa's mouth twitched. What am I supposed to say back? "You shouldn't have come"? You think this is a Wuxia drama?
"I came to remind you not to forget this afternoon's practical combat class," Asuma said, his eyes filled with eager anticipation. He couldn't wait to defeat Hagawa and win back Kurenai's affection.
"I know," Hagawa nodded slightly.
"Good." Asuma abruptly turned his back. "I hope you can give me a good fight then," he said, before coolly walking away with a flick of his head.
Hagawa paid no mind to this little interlude. He arrived at the classroom, greeted Shizune, and began to study.
"Class, please take out your Will of Fire textbooks," Eiichiro said from the front of the room with a smile. "Can anyone tell me what the Will of Fire refers to?"
Many students excitedly raised their hands.
"Obito, you answer," Eiichiro said, picking him after a scan of the room.
"Where the leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, leaves will bud anew!" Obito recited in one breath.
"Correct," Eiichiro said, opening his book. "Today, we will be talking about the new leaves—in other words, you all, the future of Konoha."
Hagawa turned a deaf ear, continuing to work on his math problems. Under his pen, the workbook "screamed provocatively." By the time the morning was over, it was completely filled with answers.
The afternoon was practical combat class. For first-year students, it was mostly just rookie chickens pecking at each other. They hadn't even been taught the three basic Academy jutsu yet, so they could only practice taijutsu and ninja tool throwing. The three basic jutsu would only be taught in the second semester. Although they were the most basic techniques, it still took many people six years to master them.
"Kakashi, I challenge you!" The moment class started, Obito eagerly jumped out. Whether a casual spar happened or not usually depended on Kakashi's mood. Most of the time, it didn't, leaving Obito in a state of impotent rage. But during a practical combat class, Kakashi couldn't easily refuse.
"..." Asuma was a step too slow. He swallowed the challenge he was about to issue, feeling incredibly frustrated. It was even more frustrating watching Hagawa and Kurenai laughing and talking together.
"Kakashi," Eiichiro said with a smile. "Why don't you give the class a demonstration?"
Kakashi calmly walked to the center of the training ground.
"Obito, be careful," Rin said with a helpless tone.
"Don't worry!" Obito said, patting his chest. "I'll go easy on him!" Rin was suddenly at a loss for words. You lose every single time, so who gave you this courage? Why are you so bold?
Obito walked to face Kakashi and formed the Seal of Confrontation. The instant the seal was complete, he charged forward. Kakashi stood his ground and threw a punch. Obito ducked, performed a slide tackle, and aimed for his legs. But Kakashi was faster.
Body Flicker Technique! He launched forward, circling behind Obito, and delivered a direct kick.
Thud.
Obito was sent spinning like a whipped top, rolling across the ground before collapsing, unable to get up.
"Winner, Kakashi Hatake," Eiichiro announced the result without any surprise. Cheers erupted from the sidelines. Kakashi's skill and cool style made him very popular in the class. Although Hagawa was on the rise, he was still in second place, a crucial step behind. After all, no one remembers the runner-up, unless his name is... cough cough.
"Obito, are you okay?" Rin quickly ran over and asked.
"I'm fine!" Obito scrambled up. "I just wasn't in top form today. We'll fight again another day!"
"..." The words of comfort Rin was about to say were immediately swallowed. Why don't you just blame the turf?
"Are there any other challengers? If not, we'll begin the lesson," Eiichiro asked.
"I challenge Hagawa," Asuma said, raising his hand.
Everyone's attention immediately shifted from Kakashi. Asuma Sarutobi, the Hokage's son, had lost to Hagawa once before. This was a grudge match. The students' hearts of gossip were now burning brightly.
"Hagawa," Asuma said, walking to the center of the field with a snort. "The same genjutsu won't work on me twice!"
Hagawa ignored his words and casually formed the Seal of Confrontation. The seal was complete, and the spar began.
Asuma immediately averted his gaze, staring at the ground. Most genjutsu targeted one's vision. The simplest way to deal with it was to not look at the opponent's eyes. By using his peripheral vision and identifying position by sound, his abilities would be affected, but not by much, especially since he had undergone special training for the past half-month.
The sound of something cutting through the air came. It was a kunai. Asuma twisted his body and perfectly dodged it. Two kunai, one on his left and one on his right, stuck into the ground. He glanced at them and a smug look appeared on his face. The sweat of the past half-month had not been in vain.
The tables have turned! Asuma's hands quickly formed seals. He looked at Hagawa's feet and brought his hands together. Wind Release: Gale Palm! A whirlwind shot out from his palms.
However, the next moment, the kunai on the ground flew up as if performing a carp flinch. What's going on? Have the kunai come to life?
Asuma instinctively turned his head, and his eyes suddenly bulged like bronze bells. He saw the faint glint of ninja wires attached to the kunai. Under Hagawa's control, the wires crossed and instantly tangled around him.
Asuma stumbled and fell face-first into the dirt. No! If I fall here, my life is over!
Asuma reacted quickly. Enduring the pain, he scrambled to get up. But what greeted him was a kunai at his neck.
"I..." Asuma's face was flushed red with anger. Why aren't you playing by the rules? You're a genjutsu user, but you're not using genjutsu! You're using kunai like an Uchiha! This is infuriating!
But a loss was a loss. In front of so many classmates, he couldn't be as shameless as Obito and make excuses.
"Winner, Hagawa." Just as he hesitated, Eiichiro announced the result for him. Asuma secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but it was quickly followed by a sense of unwillingness. He had trained specially for half a month, only for it all to be useless. Who could stand that?
[E-Rank Talent Trait 'Shippuden' effect has been upgraded.]
[Wind Release talent increased by 30% from its base level.]
Hagawa looked at the two lines of text that had suddenly appeared and couldn't help but feel pleased.
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