Saturday morning arrived like the start of a long raid—quiet, cold, and heavy with expectation.Hanyū Yuuma watched his three disciples gather beneath the trees: Obito, Shisui, and Might Guy.Today's training wouldn't be gentle. It wasn't meant to be.
Obito began with the fundamentals—stance, breath control, joint alignment. Nothing flashy. Nothing that he liked. After an hour, his arms trembled and his face dripped sweat. Yuuma handed him a bottle of water and wiped a streak of sweat from the boy's cheek.
Obito blinked. Suspicious.
Yuuma wasn't usually this considerate.
He took a slow breath. Something was coming. Something terrible.
Yuuma capped the bottle, set it down carefully, and smiled—a soft expression that somehow felt more terrifying than a kunai at the throat.
"Obito," Yuuma said, voice warm like a parent ready to deliver bad news, "you have a lot of potential left untouched."
"No, no, no—I'm pretty sure I've used it all up already, sensei." Obito laughed nervously, wiping a sudden chill from the back of his neck.
"You underestimate yourself."
Yuuma's smile deepened. That was the moment Obito truly panicked.
"How about this," Yuuma continued, "during sparring with Kai:Every time you get hit, you answer one more test question during break.If you don't get hit… your workload lessens."
Obito froze.
This—This was psychological warfare.
"Sensei, if I get hit hundreds of times, you'll be exhausted from making so many questions! I'm only thinking of your health." Obito stammered, desperate.
Yuuma placed a hand over his heart, moved."I'm grateful you care so much about your teacher."
Relief washed over Obito.
Then Yuuma pulled out an enormous stack of test papers.
Dozens. Maybe hundreds.
"I prepared all of these in advance." He said gently."If it's not enough, I can have my Shadow Clones produce more."
Obito's soul left his body.
Might Guy, watching this tragedy unfold, quietly gave Obito a discreet thumbs-up: I will go easy.
Yuuma turned toward Kai.
"Kai. If you don't land your first clean hit…" Yuuma said calmly, "you will answer fifty questions.Every landed strike reduces one question. Maximum reduction is forty."
Kai's face froze.
Obito and Kai exchanged a silent look: We're doomed.
Kai recovered first, blood pumping with youthful fervor."For the sake of youth—I must minimize the damage!"
Obito clutched his head, already seeing a future buried under paper.
The training match began.
Kai blitzed forward with 120% intensity—kicks, feints, and bursts of speed that whipped the air. Obito, forced into a desperate rebellion against academic suffering, unlocked survival instincts he didn't know he had.
He still got hit… a lot.But after a dozen blows, his footwork sharpened. His dodges became cleaner. His steps lighter.
Yuuma nodded quietly.Fear of tests had awakened a new stat: DESPERATION.
When both boys collapsed, drenched in sweat, Yuuma tallied the results:
Obito: hit 30+ times → 30+ questions
Kai: hit ~10 times → 10 questions
It was cruel.It was effective.It was… refined education.
Yuuma watched them with satisfaction."At this rate, defeating Hyūga Kagami won't be a problem."
He sighed a little. If only Nohara Rin had enough talent, he could have used her existence as motivation to push Obito even harder.
He considered Kakashi—another excellent catalyst.Too bad he was already a Chūnin. Untouchable.
After training till noon and eating lunch together, Yuuma left two Shadow Clones behind to continue supervising the boys.The real Yuuma headed to the home of the Third Hokage—his first day tutoring Asuma Sarutobi.
The Hokage himself wasn't home yet.Instead, Yuuma was greeted by a stern woman with a single ponytail.
Sarutobi Biwako.
"Teacher Hanyu, my husband mentioned you. Asuma is waiting in the back. But…"She lowered her voice."He is… difficult. If he misbehaves, come tell me."
Yuuma nodded politely. "I have techniques for rebellious students. Please don't worry."
He walked into the backyard and found a boy of about nine leaning against a tree, chewing grass like a delinquent bandit.
Yuuma activated his Appraisal:
[Name: Sarutobi Asuma][Chakra: 1100][Potential: A+]
A strong foundation—if molded correctly.
Asuma spat out the grass as Yuuma approached.
"You're Hanyū Yuuma? The tutor?" he said lazily."Let me be straight. If you can't help me surpass the old man—the Third—then get lost. No point wasting time."
Yuuma didn't hesitate.
"Of course I can't."
Asuma blinked.
"…Then go."
Yuuma turned around immediately. "I'll inform Lady Biwako you don't require a tutor."
"Eh—hey! Don't go!" Asuma jumped up, panic finally breaking through his fake toughness.Why wasn't this guy following the script?Why didn't he beg to stay?Why didn't he try to convince him?
For the first time, Asuma realized—
This tutor was far more dangerous than expected.