Chapter 110: Tsunade: "You're a Greedy Kid" (Part 2)
Outside Tsunade's house, a group of people trained as they always did. Asuma Sarutobi glanced at Kurenai Yuhi, then moved to the side to practice his Wind Style.
It wasn't because he still had feelings for her, but because he was unwilling to accept his loss to her. If the skill gap had been huge, he would have been fine with it, but the difference was so small.
A loss was a loss, and he had no excuses. All he could do was train harder.
Kurenai had already mastered many Water Style ninjutsu. After getting permission from Kōsuke Maruboshi, she was able to make time to train with Hoshikawa and the others.
Rin Nohara stood in front of a table, hands extended, healing a fish that had passed out. After a year of chakra control training, she had finally reached the standard for learning medical ninjutsu. Hoshikawa didn't hold back and started teaching her by treating the fish.
The reason was simple. He had already decided to choose Rin as his teammate. When he graduated, he guessed that, given Tsunade's personality, she would likely have him substitute teach. Since that was the case, he might as well take the initiative and teach her in advance to save time.
Obito Uchiha watched from the side until Rin chased him away, and then he went to practice his Fire Style.
Kakashi Hatake was practicing his Lightning Style nearby. Shisui Uchiha was late today, so there was no one to spar with him in kenjutsu. Hoshikawa could have, but he declined because he also wanted to practice his Lightning Style.
"I'm late, my apologies." An hour later, Shisui Uchiha finally arrived.
"No worries," Hoshikawa said, shaking his head. "Did your class have an extra mission today? You're so late."
"No," Shisui said, just as he was about to explain. He paused, then smiled. "If we spar, you'll know why." He and Hoshikawa hadn't sparred in a while, and he was eager to get started. While he wasn't a typical Uchiha, he still had his pride or rather, his pride far exceeded that of other Uchiha. The Mangekyō Sharingan was the "eye that reflects the heart." Shisui's Kotoamatsukami meant he wanted to modify and control the will of others.
"Alright, let's go," Hoshikawa said, raising an eyebrow and suppressing his curiosity.
"Be careful," Shisui said, drawing his ninja blade and rushing toward Hoshikawa . A dazzling flash of a blade followed, sharp and brilliant.
Hoshikawa thought, This is even more pressure than facing Samui. He flicked his wrist, and his katana blocked Shisui's ninja blade.
Clang, clang, clang!
The two were locked in combat, their blades a blur of light and shadow, creating shockwaves.
"Shisui's kenjutsu has improved a lot." Kakashi naturally stopped his training. Aside from Rin, who couldn't be distracted, Kurenai, Obito, and Asuma all chose to watch.
"It's the Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu!" Obito exclaimed in awe. "I never thought Shisui had trained it to this level."
"Why don't I ever see you use it?" Kakashi asked a probing question.
"I—I don't need to!" Obito's expression stiffened. "My Fire Style is enough!"
"Just watch the match; I feel like something big is about to happen!" Asuma said, warning them.
Shisui pulled back his blade, retreated a few steps, and created some distance. Hoshikawa 's heart stirred, and he didn't pursue, waiting in place.
Uchiha-Style: Phoenix Fire Dance!
Fire erupted. Shisui's ninja blade was suddenly wreathed in flames, and a wave of heat swept over them, engulfing the entire blade. The next second, his body vanished.
The blade of fire instantly appeared above Hoshikawa 's head. Where it passed, the intense heat warped the air.
Hoshikawa 's reaction was swift. He flicked his Raiken, and lightning flashed. The fiery blade and the lightning blade clashed, creating a metallic clang. Just then, the flames flickered, and a gust of wind formed. Shisui twisted his hands, and the fiery blade detached from his ninja blade, flying toward Hoshikawa .
Body Flicker Jutsu!
In the nick of time, Hoshikawa 's feet shot out chakra, and he quickly retreated. But the fiery blade followed him like a shadow.
"Is he going to win?" Obito's heart was in his throat. Even though it wasn't him fighting Hoshikawa , it was still a fellow Uchiha. If Shisui won, it would be a form of release for his personal demon. After all, Hoshikawa had held the top spot for so long that Obito wasn't even sure he could beat him after awakening his Sharingan.
"It won't be that easy," Kurenai huffed. "Hoshikawa hasn't even used any ninjutsu yet."
Obito was about to retort when he saw a change on the field. Unable to dodge the fiery blade, Hoshikawa raised his left hand without hesitation.
Rasengan!
Chakra surged rapidly, forming a blue orb in his palm. The fiery blade collided with the Rasengan and was instantly sucked into the vortex, then pulverized. The crimson flames disintegrated and turned into a heatwave.
"What?!" Obito's eyes widened.
"What is that jutsu? I've never seen it before," Asuma said, both surprised and confused. This Hoshikawa guy is so talented and strong, but he's secretly holding out on us? Are you even human?!
"I don't know," Kakashi said, his expression grim as he shook his head. The immense power of the Rasengan put a lot of pressure on him. He realized that none of the ninjutsu he had learned could counter it.
"It's the Rasengan," Kurenai said happily. "It's a jutsu Minato-senpai created." She had known about it since Hoshikawa started learning it, but she hadn't found an opportunity to say anything. Now that she finally could, she felt a sense of pride. No one knew Hoshikawa better than she did!
Rin subconsciously glanced at her, feeling a hint of envy. Although she often discussed medical ninjutsu with Hoshikawa , she wasn't as close to him as Kurenai was.
"I'm still not as good as Hoshikawa -senpai," Shisui said, putting away his ninja blade. "This is a new technique I just mastered today, the Uchiha-Style: Phoenix Fire Dance."
"Did you create it?" Hoshikawa asked, a little curious. In his memory, no one besides Shisui had ever used the Uchiha-Style: Phoenix Fire Dance.
"Sort of," Shisui explained. "I added Wind and Fire Style to my Uchiha-Style Kenjutsu."
"Then you're better than me," Hoshikawa said honestly. "I learned this Rasengan from Minato-senpai." Since Kushina Uzumaki was the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, he just said Minato Namikaze.
"That's an A-rank jutsu, isn't it?" Shisui said, his expression serious. "I haven't learned a single A-rank jutsu yet. Hoshikawa -senpai is still better."
He created it? Kakashi's heart skipped a beat, and he fell into deep thought.
"What a freak!" Asuma couldn't help but complain. For a long time, he had considered himself a genius on par with Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he now knew that was just wishful thinking.
"They're both freaks," Kakashi added.
Obito gritted his teeth in frustration. Hoshikawa had stolen the spotlight again! He subconsciously glanced at Rin and saw her looking at Hoshikawa instead of the fish she was supposed to be treating.
Aaaah!
Obito felt a powerful emotion welling up in his eyes, making them feel like they were about to burst. Half a tomoe appeared and then vanished, as if it were a hallucination. He was too angry to notice.
Hoshikawa noticed it and then looked back at Shisui. "Want to go again?"
Shisui waved his hand. "No, no more." He had been full of confidence after creating the Uchiha-Style: Phoenix Fire Dance, only to have it easily defeated by the Rasengan. Without a new jutsu, there was no point in continuing to fight. Shisui guessed he might have a chance to beat Hoshikawa after awakening his two-tomoe Sharingan, but even that wasn't a sure thing. His three-tomoe Sharingan would definitely win, but that was too far away.
"Then let's make the most of our time and continue training," Hoshikawa said, sheathing his katana.
"Shisui," Kakashi said. "Spar with me." He had seen the power of the Uchiha-Style: Phoenix Fire Dance and wanted to test it himself. Hoshikawa had already broken it, so if he couldn't, it would mean another loss to him.
"By all means." Shisui nodded. Sparring with Kakashi was part of his training routine anyway.
Seeing this, Kurenai and the others stopped spectating and returned to their training. The group training session ended as night fell.
Hoshikawa sat on the sofa, waiting for Tsunade to return. Soon, the sound of a door opening could be heard. He turned his head and looked at the entryway. A pair of fair, delicate feet came into view. Hoshikawa noticed the anklet on her left ankle; he had bought it for her.
"How was your exam today?" Tsunade asked, looking down at him.
"First place," Hoshikawa said casually. "Nothing new."
"Not bad," Tsunade said, sitting down and crossing her legs. "You didn't embarrass me."
"When have I ever embarrassed you?" Hoshikawa 's eyes fell on her crossed leg, where the anklet swayed, catching the light.
"You haven't, I guess." Tsunade blinked. "Even so, you shouldn't get cocky. Never underestimate any ninja."
"Mhm." Hoshikawa suddenly remembered something. "How about I graduate next year?"
"Graduate?" Tsunade was taken aback. "You're not going to do your last year?"
"There's no need," Hoshikawa said, shaking his head. "It's better to use that time for more missions. It's more useful."
"You're right," Tsunade agreed, thinking of the possible war on the horizon. "Next year it is."
"Can you help me choose my teammates?" Hoshikawa asked directly. "I want to choose Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara."
"You're a greedy kid," Tsunade said, glaring at him.
"That's slander!" Hoshikawa said, sounding righteous. "I've given this a lot of careful thought!"
"Oh really?" Tsunade didn't believe him for a second. "Wouldn't it be better to choose Kakashi or Asuma?"
"They're not medical ninjas," Hoshikawa said, shaking his head. "There won't be anything for the sensei to teach me then."
"What kind of twisted logic is that?" Tsunade raised her foot and poked him with it. "Are you underestimating me? There's no student I can't teach!"
"Sensei, please, just help me this once!" Hoshikawa was quick and hugged her leg.
"I didn't say no," Tsunade said, stepping on his leg. "Let go. Now go make some food."
............
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