Psychological Suggestion

"Is that... Chakra Threads?"

"He's actually using a Puppet Master's techniques on his tools—has his chakra control reached that level already?"

"An ordinary Puppet Master couldn't pull this off."

"True. To keep the shuriken's speed while avoiding Asuma's detection requires an incredibly high degree of chakra control!"

Everyone was deeply surprised. Whether it was Soseki's almost precognitive Throwing Techniques or Asuma's fluid Substitution Technique, both displayed skills far beyond any newcomer—and even most veterans.

If that was still within their tolerance, what Soseki was showing now was outright shocking. In terms of pure chakra control difficulty, this technique was no less impressive than a C-rank ninjutsu.

"I lost. If I hadn't heard their voices, I'd have been out of the fight already." Asuma wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand, his voice sounding drained.

Hearing Asuma say this, many around them looked embarrassed. The Third Hokage hadn't said a word, clearly trusting Soseki's control.

But their instinctive reactions had ruined Soseki's plan.

"Don't worry about it. External factors are always part of a battle. Besides, what kind of fight has no variables or surprises?" Soseki smiled faintly, unruffled by the outside interference.

Asuma took a deep breath and stopped hesitating. "I understand. The only way to truly respect you is to give it my all!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Asuma charged straight at Soseki. At the same time, the shuriken circling Soseki shot forward violently.

There weren't many shuriken, but under Soseki's control, they took on the force of a raging storm.

Asuma dared not dodge—couldn't dodge. Even if his stamina and chakra reserves surpassed Soseki's, once he fell into a chase, the only outcome waiting for him was defeat.

He had to fight head-on!

Asuma swung his Chakra Blade in both hands, deflecting the shuriken in rapid succession.

Clink, clink, clink—shiiing!

Though Asuma was quick, Soseki's angles were too precise—either in Asuma's blind spots or attacking two opposite directions at once.

Asuma struggled to parry, and before he even reached Soseki, several cuts had already been slashed across his body.

But he didn't retreat. Instead, he pressed forward even more aggressively.

"Not using Substitution Technique—saving chakra for something more critical?" Soseki narrowed his eyes. Instead of kiting with guerrilla tactics, he pulled a kunai from his tool pouch and took a defensive stance.

He wasn't fooled by the surface. His current advantage came purely from Asuma's inexperience, caught off guard by this novel fighting style.

But once the opponent adapted, the weakness of this method became clear—lack of power!

After all, the shuriken were controlled by Chakra Threads; it was hard to maintain their initial momentum.

So even though Asuma had been cut several times, he was still charging forward energetically.

Soseki knew that with his undernourished body, if he fell into a prolonged guerrilla fight, he'd likely be worn down.

"I have to keep applying psychological pressure." Though he was already losing ground, Soseki didn't back down. Instead, he deliberately acted as if victory was certain, standing his ground and waiting for Asuma's attack.

These past days, Asuma had been constantly reinforced with the idea that Soseki—his "rival"—was nearly all-powerful. From chakra refinement to photographic memory to total battlefield suppression, every experience cemented that belief.

So when Asuma saw Soseki's stance, he instinctively felt he'd been seen through and couldn't help but launch his prepared ninjutsu early.

"Clone Technique!"

With a "bang," three Asumas surrounded Soseki at once.

Clone Technique clones had no substance, but Asuma had timed it right after a round of shuriken attacks, making it impossible for Soseki to test which was real with his projectiles.

Yet Soseki didn't hesitate for even a moment. His eyes firm, he thrust the kunai straight at the Asuma on the left.

His perception was already strong, and on top of that, he'd been closely watching Asuma's every move after reading his intent.

"What? How is he this fast?" Asuma's heart jolted as he hurriedly raised his arm to block.

But with a prepared mind against an unprepared one, Soseki's attack wasn't so easy to stop. The kunai slithered like a snake, wrapping around Asuma's arm and stabbing toward his shoulder.

"I have to go all in!" Though he lacked real combat experience, Asuma had been trained by a Special Jonin and knew retreat wasn't an option now. Gritting his teeth, he made no attempt to defend and instead swung his Chakra Blade forward.

Riiip~

A hole tore open in Asuma's left shoulder, blood spurting out. Soseki, having seized the initiative, only got a shallow cut across his chest, but his weaker constitution left his face pale.

Seeing this, Yagami Kei asked uneasily, "Lord Hokage, should we stop them?"

The Third Hokage raised his hand gently. "Since they chose this path, they must be prepared to bleed... or even die in battle."

"And..." The Third's eyes held a hint of amusement.

"And what?" Yagami Kei asked, confused.

"Heh. Keep watching. This fight might be more interesting than you think."

In the arena, after a brief pause, the two lunged at each other again fiercely.

Asuma pressed his advantage with brute physical skill, while Soseki controlled the shuriken to harass him and seized every opening for a sharp kunai strike.

After just a few exchanges, the blood and grime on both of them had multiplied.

Yet neither showed any sign of distress. Their eyes locked on each other, as if the injured weren't themselves.

The onlookers' expressions grew serious. It wasn't just the impressive strength on display—the sheer endurance of pain alone was enough to command respect.

"Still, the scales are tipping toward Asuma." Everyone understood this, but they didn't think less of Soseki. If anything, they valued him even more.

For a ninja not specialized in taijutsu, relying on physical strength to win was hardly something worth boasting about.

Not to mention, Soseki was at a physical disadvantage precisely because of malnutrition.

In their eyes, Soseki, who had displayed astonishing combat techniques and chakra control, was the true victor of this battle.

But just as everyone thought the fight was about to end, Soseki suddenly bit his kunai between his teeth, then formed hand seals at lightning speed, completing the jutsu in less than a second.

"So fast!" That thought flashed through everyone's minds. Though Soseki's seals weren't many, completing them within a single second was still something most couldn't achieve.

But what use was using a jutsu now? they wondered. Then they saw Soseki, his right hand placed over the wound, his complexion visibly flushing with color, and even the injury on his chest healing at a remarkable speed.

"Th-this is the Healing Technique?!"

"Even the Mystical Palm Technique couldn't have an effect like this!"

Not just the students, even the teachers couldn't understand. "Lord Hokage, what exactly is this?"

The Third Hokage smiled faintly. "Don't doubt your eyes. This is the Healing Technique."

"But how can the Healing Technique have such an effect?"

"And you call yourselves teachers!" The Third Hokage shook his head with a scolding laugh. "Can't you even see what your student's true condition is?"