"Asuma!"
"Has Asuma lost his mind? He actually dared to swing at Youyu?"
"He's definitely going to get cut down. What do we do?"
…
The moment Asuma charged at Youyu, the class erupted in chaos.
Who was Youyu?
He was the monster who had gravely injured their previous teacher with a single strike.
Even Kakashi Hatake—the son of the White Fang of Konoha, hailed as one of the greatest prodigies in Academy history—had once suffered a crushing defeat at Youyu's hands.
Asuma might be the Third Hokage's son, but in terms of strength, he wasn't fit to carry Youyu's shoes.
"This is bad!"
Tanaka Shuichi instantly panicked when he saw the danger in Youyu's eyes.
If Youyu killed Asuma, how was he supposed to explain that to the Third Hokage?
"Hm?"
Youyu narrowed his eyes and reached for a sword beside him.
The blade was about eighty centimeters long and one point six centimeters wide—a standard Japanese katana.
Hum—
"T-This is…?"
Tanaka Shuichi stopped in his tracks just as he was about to intervene, his expression changing completely.
The moment Youyu's hand closed around the hilt, his entire aura shifted.
Just a second ago, he had seemed like nothing more than a little drunkard obsessed with alcohol.
But now, he looked like a terrifying demon.
Under Youyu's gaze, Asuma's charge froze mid-step. His slightly too-old-looking face was now filled with terror.
From Asuma's point of view, Youyu looked like a demon straight out of hell. Under that demonic stare, he felt like prey laid out on a chopping block, with nowhere left to run.
Swish—
"Don't! Youyu!"
Under Tanaka Shuichi's horrified gaze, Youyu gripped the hilt and slashed hard toward Asuma.
"I-It's over!"
Asuma's eyes were filled with terror as cold sweat drenched his body.
At that moment, regret overwhelmed him.
Why had he let impulse get the better of him just because Youyu had pulled Kurenai into his arms?
He had known full well that Youyu was a terrifying monster. He knew he stood no chance.
"Am… am I going to die?"
Asuma shut his eyes in despair.
And then—
He felt pain.
Splurt!
Right before the horrified eyes of the entire class, Asuma was cut clean in half, blood spraying everywhere.
"Ahhh!!!"
"Asuma?!"
"It's over—Asuma's been cut down by Youyu!!!"
…
The entire classroom descended into panic, everyone staring at Youyu in sheer horror.
Crack.
Gulp—gulp—gulp—ha!
Youyu held the hilt in his right hand while gripping the bottle Kurenai had given him in his left. He bit off the cap with a light snap and took a hearty drink.
"Are you all drunk? I never even drew the blade."
His face was once again full of drunken laziness as he laughed aloud.
"Ah? W-What…?"
The students rubbed their eyes and looked again.
Sure enough, the sword in Youyu's hand was still sheathed.
And Asuma… was completely unharmed.
"H-How is that possible? I clearly saw…"
Tanaka Shuichi rubbed his eyes furiously, his face full of disbelief.
He swore he hadn't seen wrong. From his point of view, Youyu had cut Asuma clean in half, blood spraying all over the place.
And judging by the class's reaction, everyone had seen the same thing.
But now?
Youyu's sword had never left the sheath, and Asuma didn't have a scratch on him.
"C-Could it be… genjutsu?"
Tanaka Shuichi looked at Youyu in utter shock.
That was the only explanation he could come up with.
But Youyu was only eight years old.
And he was already monstrously gifted in swordsmanship.
Now even his illusions were strong enough to trap an elite Chunin like him?
But could someone really use genjutsu while drunk?!
If Youyu knew what Tanaka Shuichi was thinking, he would probably laugh out loud and pour himself another drink.
That wasn't genjutsu at all.
It was the fusion of sword intent and killing pressure.
"I… I'm alive?"
Asuma opened his eyes and stared at his own hands in disbelief, his whole body limp on the floor.
Just now, he had truly felt himself being cut down.
That pain, that despair, that certainty of death—it all felt real.
So why…?
Gulp—gulp—gulp—ha!
Youyu drank from his bottle again and let out a satisfied breath.
"Ding! Host has shocked the entire room while drunk. Reward: Black Blade, Shusui! Reward has been stored in the host's home."
The system's voice echoed inside Youyu's head.
"A sword? Nice. Shusui… that name sounds familiar. What was it again?"
His drunken eyes turned thoughtful.
But after less than two seconds—
"Who cares? Why waste brainpower on things like that when I could be drinking?"
He immediately stopped thinking about it.
"Hey, you bastard, get out of my sight. Just looking at you is killing my appetite for drinking."
Youyu glanced at Asuma, still sprawled in front of him, and waved him off in disgust.
"If you don't leave, I'll cut you down."
The moment Asuma heard that, terror flooded his eyes again.
A surge of strength came from nowhere. He jerked upright from the floor and scrambled back to his seat on all fours.
…
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