'Who would have thought that the Old Man actually wouldn't assign Kurenai and me to the same squad? He directly nipped my budding puppy love in the bud!' Asuma Sarutobi fumed internally.
If his father, the Third Hokage, had just assigned him and Kurenai together, the person standing next to her, training with her right now, would be him!
The more Asuma thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.
"Kurenai, are you free tomorrow? I'll be stationed here for a few days," Asuma asked, having rehearsed the casual line in his head for ten minutes before approaching them.
"I don't have the time," Kurenai refused instantly, without even looking at him.
"It's fine. No rush," Asuma forced a smile, assuming she had some urgent camp duty. He had to show composure; he couldn't appear desperate. "What about the day after tomorrow?"
"I'm not."
Asuma's expression slipped slightly. He asked with a hint of desperate hope, "Two days after tomorrow?"
"Still no."
Kurenai delivered a merciless triple rejection.
Asuma was completely dumbfounded. What kind of assignment took three solid days? Was she going on a deep-cover reconnaissance mission?
"Kurenai... are you going on a mission?" Asuma asked, genuinely puzzled.
"No," Kurenai replied matter-of-factly, tying her dark hair back. "I'm going to accompany Kiyohara for training."
Hanging around a genius who learned techniques in ten seconds obviously made her own training infinitely more efficient.
Upon hearing this, Asuma felt as if he had been struck by a Lightning Release jutsu.
His composure shattered in an instant. His face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated pain.
'So the reason she doesn't have time for me... is because of Kiyohara?!'
"Ahem!" Asuma aggressively took his hands out of his pockets, eager to show off his pedigree. "Kurenai, I've mastered quite a few new jutsu recently."
He puffed his chest out. "Our Sarutobi Clan is a great clan. Our Fire Release ninjutsu is no weaker than the Uchiha Clan's!"
He said it with immense pride. Although his latent talent leaned toward Wind Release, he still carried the prestigious, high-level Fire jutsu passed down directly from the Third Hokage.
"Oh?" Kurenai finally looked at him. "Then how is your Genjutsu training going since graduation?"
"Uh—well—that's—" Asuma stammered, scratching the back of his head furiously.
He was absolutely terrible at Genjutsu.
"And does Kiyohara know any?" Asuma pointed an accusatory finger at his rival. He had heard the camp rumors that Kiyohara had awakened a Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, but that had absolutely nothing to do with the delicate Yin Release required for illusions.
"Of course Kiyohara does," Kurenai scoffed, immediately listing the Genjutsu concepts Kiyohara had seamlessly picked up, adding that he learned them with terrifying speed.
Hearing this, Asuma stubbornly claimed he could do it too.
Seeing his bravado, Kurenai recited the exact same theoretical scroll for the D-Rank Gen-Light Technique that she had given Kiyohara.
Asuma listened once and remained completely bewildered.
Kurenai sighed and repeated it several more times. Asuma finally understood the theory, but when he tried to mold his chakra, absolutely nothing happened.
"Asuma, everyone has different areas of expertise," Kiyohara said, shaking his head with a faint smile.
In the official databooks of his past life, Asuma's elemental affinities were strictly Fire and Wind. He lacked the Yin Release chakra required to cast illusions, and he rarely showed any proficiency in Genjutsu throughout his entire life.
This was normal. Every ninja had a specific focus. Anomalies like Kiyohara, who possessed a monstrous, multi-disciplinary arsenal thanks to his future selves, were one in a million.
"We're heading off now, Asuma," Kurenai waved dismissively, turning and walking back toward the tents.
Asuma wanted to invite her to join him for dinner, but he didn't know the first thing about Genjutsu. Staying with Kiyohara meant she could constantly exchange high-level theoretical notes.
"See you next time, Asuma," Kiyohara said, offering a polite nod before following Kurenai.
Honestly, Kiyohara thought Asuma was a decent guy. It was just a pity that he was currently an arrogant, hot-headed teenager crazy in love. He was far more rebellious than the average Konoha shinobi; it would take him leaving the village to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, settling down for a few years, and experiencing the true hardships of life before he became the mature, reliable bearded man from the canon.
Asuma was left standing alone on the dirt path.
He wanted to chase after them, but he didn't know how to restart the conversation. He felt a suffocating tightness in his chest and irritably scratched his messy hair.
'No. I have to go learn some Genjutsu too!' Asuma resolved furiously. He believed that as long as he grinded hard enough, he would eventually see results. 'I can't let Kiyohara be alone with Kurenai every day! Damn it... if only I had his looks, I wouldn't be this worried!'
Ten days passed.
On the eastern perimeter of the Konoha camp, a massive wave of reinforcements arrived.
A highly disciplined battalion of ninja wearing the iconic red-and-white fan crest marched into the compound, led by the sharp-eyed Jonin, Uchiha Yakushi.
"Finally here," Nara Shikaku, the tactical commander of the camp, hurried over to negotiate the handover.
The Hidden Mist would inevitably launch a mainland invasion sooner or later. To prevent the enemy from penetrating too deeply into the Land of Fire, the Konoha High Command had mobilized the Uchiha Clan Police Force to stabilize the eastern front.
While the two commanders were discussing logistics, the rest of the Uchiha battalion broke formation to set up their tents.
Among the proud, aloof Uchiha warriors was a ninja who was noticeably shorter and younger than the rest. Unlike Yakushi's sharp, hawk-like gaze, this boy's dark eyes were gentle, carrying a hint of profound, early maturity.
Uchiha Shisui.
"Brother Tetsuho, the atmosphere at the front lines is indeed different," Shisui said softly, his tone very sincere. "With your abilities, you will surely make great contributions here."
Hearing this, Uchiha Tetsuho smiled, puffing his chest out in satisfaction.
He patted the younger boy hard on the shoulder. "Shisui, hearing a prodigy like you say that makes me feel very good."
Then, Tetsuho changed the subject, deliberately straightening his face.
"However, just saying it isn't enough. If you don't show some actual gesture of respect, I won't be too happy."
Shisui blinked his clear, large eyes, slightly confused. "A gesture? What kind of gesture does Brother Tetsuho need?"
He truly respected Tetsuho. Ever since Shisui's father's chronic war injuries flared up, leaving him bedridden, the heavy burden of supporting the family had fallen entirely on Shisui's young shoulders. As his older clan brother, Tetsuho had helped him significantly with finances and supplies, both openly and secretly. Shisui always kept that kindness locked in his heart.
Seeing that the boy didn't understand, Tetsuho stopped beating around the bush. He lowered his voice, looking dead serious.
"It's about the boy named Kiyohara."
"Kiyohara?" Shisui tilted his head.
"Losing to him in the Chunin Exams has always been a knot in my heart," Tetsuho admitted bitterly. "Now that the rumors say he actually possesses a Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai... heh. I actually feel a lot comforted. Losing to a genetic freak isn't too embarrassing, right?"
Tetsuho seemed to be asking Shisui, yet also trying to convince his own bruised ego.
But his tone immediately hardened, carrying the heavy, suffocating pride of the Uchiha Clan.
"However, the glory of the Uchiha cannot be slighted. Shisui, I can tell that you are destined for great things. You are a true genius. You will be a pillar of our clan!" Tetsuho stared intensely at the young boy. "Help me. Help the Uchiha. Find him, and defeat him head-on. How about it?"
Shisui frowned slightly. By his very nature, he deeply disliked unnecessary conflict. He preferred to convince others with reason and compassion, not violence.
But looking at the rare, desperate plea in Tetsuho's eyes, and remembering the food and medicine Tetsuho had bought for his crippled father... Shisui found it incredibly difficult to refuse.
He pondered for a moment, then finally nodded.
"I understand, Brother Tetsuho. Since it's just a sparring match, I will challenge him. But we stop when the point is made."
"Good! It's a deal!" Tetsuho's face instantly cleared up, and he slapped Shisui on the back with a wide grin.
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