Five-Five Kai's Lifelong Enemy: Illusion Arts

Asuma looked displeased. "Newbie, what do you want?"

However, Kakashi completely ignored his presence, only looking at Soseki. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Hatake Kakashi."

Soseki smiled gently. "My name is Shimizu Soseki. Nice to meet you, please guide me."

Kakashi nodded. "Okay, right now."

The surrounding people looked confused. Had they time-traveled? It felt like a piece of dialogue was missing.

Even Soseki was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. So he's a social idiot who completely lacks social skills and pleasantries?

Of course, there's also the arrogance that many geniuses possess.

Asuma, standing nearby, understood and asked with a cold face, "Are you saying you want to guide Soseki?"

Kakashi's eyes were confused. "Didn't he just say he'd guide me?"

Asuma was taken aback, unable to tell if this guy was arrogant or genuinely foolish.

Soseki smiled helplessly. "I'd be happy to accept your guidance, but I already have plans with a friend today. Let's do it next time."

"Is that so? I understand..." Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, saying with a hint of arrogance, "I'll try to finish the fight within a minute."

Asuma looked at him with pity. This kid really is that foolish.

As for the reactions of the surrounding crowd—

"Whoa, I didn't expect this white-haired kid to be so self-aware."

"No, this guy saw Shūnen Uchiha's performance and still thinks he can last a minute. He's clearly just arrogant!"

"Oh, so that's how it is."

"Hey, are this year's rookies all this conceited?"

Kakashi felt a surge of frustration building in his chest. He wasn't someone who liked to show off. While he was indeed challenged and eager to fight, he was more motivated by his father's evaluation.

But in the mouths of these scoundrels, it turned into him wanting to lose the fight within a minute?

What was even more infuriating was that losing the fight within a minute was considered him being arrogant?

"Perhaps this is what Jiraiya-sama mentioned in his 'Tale of the Underdog'—that the scorn of those around you becomes the source of the protagonist's growth." Kakashi recalled the passages in the book about the last-place finisher turning things around, and his previously calm heart began to stir restlessly.

"Since you've requested it like this, then I have no choice but to agree," Soseki said with a light chuckle, unbothered by the other's rudeness.

Seeing this, the little gamblers became excited again.

"Awoo, place your bets, place your bets..."

Obito shamelessly leaned next to Rin. "Rin, what do you think I should bet on this time?"

Before Rin could speak, Shūnen shook his head with a "tsk tsk" nearby. "Do you guys remember what I said before? Before awakening the Sharingan, I couldn't even resist Soseki."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Obito asked, confused.

Shūnen sighed and looked at Kakashi with pity in his eyes. "Let's just say Taijutsu is actually Soseki's weakest area."

Obito was stunned, then pointed at the ravaged forest, which looked like a hurricane had passed through, and exclaimed, "This is his weakest?"

In the forest, Soseki gently brushed fallen leaves off his shoulder. "Classmate Kakashi, are you ready?"

Kakashi assumed an offensive stance. "Bring it on."

The moment the words fell, the fallen leaves in mid-air began to dance, swirling down and captivating Kakashi's attention.

Soseki walked slowly, brushing past Kakashi. "Excuse me, I'm in a hurry. As an apology, allow me to give you a spring in return."

After speaking, Soseki walked towards the outside, while Kakashi stood still as if lost in thought.

Seeing this, Obito, who was beside them, snapped out of his stupor and asked, "What's going on? Did Kakashi fall asleep?"

"It's Illusion Arts!" Shūnen's voice was filled with admiration and reverence. "This is Soseki's true strength!"

"Amazing!" Obito was momentarily stunned, then inexplicably excited. "Rin is the best! She definitely pulled me into the Psychology Club on purpose to get the upperclassman's attention, so she could ask him about Illusion Arts!"

Just as Obito was lost in his pleasant fantasies again, bursts of cheers suddenly erupted from the surroundings.

"Wow! Soseki-kun is so elegant and gentle!"

"How cruel, couldn't that newbie last any longer?"

"Exactly, I wanted to admire Soseki-kun's fight for a bit longer!"

"So painful, I think I've contracted a disease where I get a headache if I can't see Soseki."

"Mmm, I think I'm sick too. I have to go to the Psychology Club to see the upperclassman tomorrow."

"Damn it, I got sick first..."

Hearing these sounds of admiration and longing, Obito's small face crumpled. "It seems a bit difficult to get the upperclassman's attention!"

In the Konoha marketplace.

"This is Thunder Fang Refined Iron from our Land of Lightning's Cloud Mist Plateau, constantly tempered by lightning. It has excellent conductivity for lightning-style Chakra. It usually costs at least a hundred thousand ryo, but we're having a huge discount sale now..."

"Top-grade Wagyu from the Land of Lightning, truly amazing!"

"This is Cloud Village's specialty, the fine wine Four-Bushel Barrel. Even the Raikage says it's good!"

"The Raikage says it's good?" Asuma stood before a stall, his eyes gleaming with interest, craning his neck to sniff the air.

"Go on, go on, you brats, don't cause trouble." The stall owner clearly didn't think two children could afford anything and waved them away dismissively.

"Hmph! I don't want it even if you gave it to me," Asuma's pride flared up, and he pretended to be disgusted, turning to leave.

Soseki followed behind him, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over the surrounding crowd from time to time.

"Ah, this is boring." Asuma's interest didn't last long, and he quickly lost enthusiasm. "Oh right, Soseki, you've been looking around since a while ago. Are you looking to buy something? Don't worry, I'll treat!"

Soseki merely shook his head slightly at Asuma's showy display. "What I'm interested in isn't their merchandise, but their eyes!"

Asuma trembled and lowered his voice, asking, "Soseki, are you going to gouge their eyes out?"

Soseki couldn't help but chuckle. "I didn't think of that."

"But you just said..."

"I mean the information conveyed by their eyes."

Asuma suddenly turned and stared intently into an adult's eyes. When the person noticed, he excitedly turned back and said, "I saw it, there's eye gunk! He definitely didn't wash his face this morning!"

Soseki felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Alright, that's also information conveyed by the eyes, but what I'm truly interested in is the genuine emotions they can convey."

Before Asuma could reply, Soseki continued, "When I was still in the hospital, I discovered that many adults like to wear masks on their faces."

Asuma asked doubtfully, "Masks? Are there?"

"A disguise that conceals one's true thoughts is a mask."

"I get it! It's like how the old man likes watching women bathe, but he won't go directly to the bathhouse to do it, instead hiding at home to peep..."

"Ahem!"

Thanks to Shiyuxinghun for the 100 reward, Your Father at Home for the 100 reward, Only I Am Tao Ge for the 100 reward, and Sleeping in Bubbles for the 100 reward. Today I saw a piece of news that the author of "Sword Dao Supreme," Jian You Taixu, has passed away. It's a bit sad. "Sword Dao Supreme" was a book I followed every day after school and during dinner in high school. Alas, my condolences to the great author.