Asuma clenched his fists.
"No. Even if we never paid you, that money is still ours. How can you say I 'made money'?"His voice trembled with the anger of a kid trying very hard to sound grown-up.
Yuuma smiled as if he were grading homework."You're pretty sharp."
Being praised only made Asuma more uncomfortable.
"Whatever. Go tell the old man I'm done. I don't need a tutor."He leaned back against a tree, arms crossed.
Yuuma shrugged."If you don't want lessons, you can refuse. Just tell the Third Hokage yourself."
"You think I'm stupid?" Asuma snorted. "If I do that, I get blamed."
He wasn't afraid of his father.He was afraid of his mother.
Yuuma nodded inwardly. He might be nine, but he's not that dumb.
"Why hate tutoring so much?" Yuuma asked, not pushing training yet, just… peeling the shell.
"You wouldn't get it," Asuma muttered, chin raised in pretend maturity.
Yuuma didn't look away. "Because it's another thing your father decided for you. Not something you chose."
Asuma froze.
Yuuma continued, tone calm but precise—like a scalpel.
"You work hard. You have talent. But every time you succeed, people say the same thing: 'As expected of the Hokage's son.' Your effort gets erased. And if you slip once, it becomes 'He's falling behind—how shameful for the Hokage's household.'"
Asuma's throat tightened.His fingers trembled.This was something he'd never said out loud. Not once.
"No idea what you're talking about," Asuma lied badly, face pale.
Yuuma's voice stayed calm.
"If you want to prove yourself… get stronger. That's the only language this world understands. You can't stand out right now, Asuma. You're not excellent yet."
Those words hit Asuma like a kunai to the chest.
He exploded."When I was at the Academy, I was first place every year! How is that not excellent?!"
Yuuma lightly shook his head.
"If I pick a kid who just started the Academy… I doubt you could beat him."
Asuma laughed in disbelief."Go ahead. Bring him. If I lose, I'll do whatever you say. If I win, you quit tutoring me."
"Deal," Yuuma said instantly.
He summoned a shadow clone.
Moments later, the clone returned with a small boy—calm eyes, short hair, quiet presence.
Uchiha Shisui.
Yuuma gestured."Asuma, fresh Genin, just graduated.Shisui, six years old, first-year Academy student."
Asuma narrowed his eyes. Kid looks normal enough…
He pointed at Shisui."Hey. If you can't handle it, admit defeat early. I won't hold back."
Shisui bowed politely."I'll be careful, Sarutobi-senpai."
Yuuma stepped back."Begin."
Asuma shot forward instantly. Fast, confident, trained.
Shisui stepped into his space—smooth, effortless—and the two exchanged blows.
Asuma's height and strength meant nothing.
Because Shisui read every move like he'd seen it before.
After only a few exchanges, Shisui slipped inside Asuma's guard—
Konoha Whirlwind.
His kick slammed Asuma back three meters.
The boy skidded across dirt, shocked.
Shisui stood still, not chasing.Because Yuuma had given him one order:
Defeat him in every category.
Asuma's face turned bright red.He felt humiliated—even with only one witness.
He lunged in desperation.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Technique!"
A large blast of fire erupted outward.
Shisui didn't hesitate.His expression didn't even change.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."
Shisui's fire jutsu consumed Asuma's flames instantly and surged forward in a roaring mass.
Asuma froze.
His fire—overpowered.
His taijutsu—countered.
His pride—cracked.
…Am I nothing but the Third Hokage's son?
The reality hit him harder than the flames.
The fireball raced toward him. Too fast to dodge. Too fast to think.
Heat washed over him—
—and a wall of water exploded upward.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall."
Yuuma stood between them, expression unreadable.
Asuma swallowed, trembling.
"Teacher…"