Asuma looked displeased. "Newbie, what are you trying to do?"
Yet Kakashi completely ignored him and merely looked at Soseki. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Kakashi Hatake."
Soseki smiled gently. "I'm Shimizu Soseki. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Kakashi nodded. "Good. Right now."
Everyone around them looked confused. Had they somehow traveled through time? Why did it feel like part of the conversation was missing?
Even Soseki was stunned for a moment before chuckling softly. So he was a social idiot who completely failed to understand pleasantries and polite conversation?
Of course, he also had the pride common to geniuses.
Asuma understood as well and asked coldly, "You mean you want to give Soseki pointers?"
Kakashi looked puzzled. "Didn't he ask me to give him pointers?"
Asuma froze, unable to tell whether this guy was arrogant or genuinely dumb.
Soseki smiled helplessly. "I'd be happy to accept your guidance, but I already made plans with a friend today. Let's wait until next time."
"Is that so? I understand..." Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, then said with a hint of arrogance, "I'll do my best to finish the battle within a minute."
Asuma looked at him sympathetically. This kid really was dumb.
As for everyone around them—
"Huh? I didn't expect this white-haired brat to be so self-aware."
"No, he saw how Uchiha Shūnen performed and still thinks he can last a minute. He's obviously incredibly arrogant!"
"Oh, so that's what it means."
"Geez, are all this year's newcomers this full of themselves?"
Kakashi felt a surge of frustration lodge in his chest. He was not someone who liked showing off. The reason he had challenged Soseki this time, aside from having his fighting spirit genuinely stirred, was because he refused to accept his father's assessment.
But how had it become, in these bastards' mouths, that he wanted to lose within a minute?
Even worse, losing within a minute counted as arrogance?
"Perhaps this is what Lord Jiraiya mentioned in Tale of the Ninja's Revenge: the contempt of those around you can instead become the source of the protagonist's growth." Recalling the underdog's comeback scenes from the book, Kakashi's once-cold heart began to stir restlessly.
"Since that's what you requested, I suppose I have no choice but to agree." Soseki chuckled, unconcerned by the other boy's rudeness.
Seeing this, the little gambling addicts became excited again.
"Awoo! Open the betting, open the betting..."
Obito sidled up to Rin shamelessly. "Rin, what do you think I should bet on this time?"
Before Rin could answer, Shūnen clicked his tongue and shook his head beside them. "Do you remember what I said before? Before I awakened the Sharingan, I didn't even have the ability to resist in front of Soseki."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Obito asked in confusion.
Shūnen sighed, his eyes full of sympathy as he looked at Kakashi. "Put it this way: taijutsu is actually Soseki's weakest area."
Obito froze and pointed at the devastation in the forest, as though a hurricane had swept through it. "You call that his weakest?"
In the forest, Soseki gently brushed a fallen leaf from his shoulder. "Kakashi, are you ready?"
Kakashi assumed an attacking stance. "Come."
The instant his words fell, the leaves in the air began to dance, fluttering down and drawing Kakashi's attention along with them.
Soseki walked forward slowly, passing Kakashi shoulder to shoulder. "Sorry, but I'm in a hurry. As an apology, let me return a spring to you."
With that, Soseki walked toward the outside world, while Kakashi stood rooted to the spot as though he had lost himself in thought.
Seeing this, Obito snapped out of his daze and asked, "What's going on? Did that guy Kakashi fall asleep?"
"It's Genjutsu!" Shūnen's voice was filled with awe and admiration. "This is Soseki's true strength!"
"That's amazing!" Obito was briefly lost in a trance, then inexplicably grew excited. "Rin is the best! She must have deliberately pulled me into the Psychology Club to get the upperclassman's attention, so I could ask him to teach me Genjutsu!"
Just as Obito sank into his beautiful fantasies once more, wave after wave of cheers suddenly erupted around him.
"Wow! Soseki-kun is so elegant, so gentle!"
"How cruel! Couldn't that newcomer have lasted a little longer?"
"Exactly! I wanted to admire Soseki-kun's battle for a while longer!"
"This is awful! I think I've caught some disease that gives me headaches whenever I can't see Soseki!"
"Mmm, I think I'm sick too. No, tomorrow I'm going to the Psychology Club to have the upperclassman treat me."
"Damn it, I was the one who got sick first..."
Hearing those adoring, worshipful voices, Obito's little face fell. "Getting the upperclassman's attention looks kind of difficult!"
At the Leaf Village market.
"This is Thunder Fang Refined Iron from our Cloud Mist Plateau in the Land of Lightning, tempered by lightning year-round. It has exceptional Lightning-nature Chakra conductivity. It normally costs no less than a hundred thousand ryō, but we're holding a special grand opening sale right now..."
"Top-grade wagyu from the Land of Lightning—real beef!"
"This is Four-Bushel Barrel, our specialty liquor from the Hidden Cloud. Even Lord Raikage says it's good!"
"Even the Raikage says it's good?" Asuma stood before a stall, his eyes eager as he stretched his neck to sniff inside.
"Get lost, get lost. Brats like you, don't come over here and make trouble." The stall owner clearly did not think two children had any purchasing power and waved them off dismissively.
"Hmph! I wouldn't want it even if you gave it to me." Asuma's pride flared up, and he deliberately turned away in disdain.
Soseki followed behind him, his scrutinizing gaze occasionally sweeping over the people around them.
"Ah, this is boring." Asuma's interest did not last long, and he soon lost enthusiasm. "By the way, Soseki, you've been looking around since earlier. Do you want to buy something? It's fine, I'll treat you!"
In response to Asuma's wealthy-young-master act, Soseki merely shook his head lightly. "What interests me isn't their merchandise, but their eyes."
Asuma shuddered and lowered his voice. "Soseki, you want to dig out their eyes?"
Soseki could not help laughing. "I never thought that."
"Then why did you just say..."
"I meant the information conveyed through their eyes."
Asuma suddenly turned around and stared into an adult's eyes for a long while. Only after the man noticed did he turn back excitedly. "I saw it! There's eye gunk. He must not have washed his face this morning!"
Soseki did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Well, that does count as information conveyed through the eyes, but what I truly care about is the real emotions their eyes can convey."
Without waiting for Asuma to speak, Soseki continued, "I noticed it while I was still in the hospital. Many adults like to wear masks on their faces."
Asuma asked in confusion, "Masks? Do they?"
"A disguise used to hide one's true thoughts is a mask."
"I get it. Like how the old man clearly likes watching women bathe, but refuses to go directly to the bathhouse. Instead, he hides at home and peeps..."
"Cough, cough!"
Thanks to Shiyu Xinghun for the 100 tip, Your Old Father at Home for the 100 tip, Only Me Brother Tao for the 100 tip, and Sleeping in Bubbles for the 100 tip. Today I came across news that Jian You Taixu, the author of Sword Path's Supreme, had passed away. It left me a little sad. Sword Path's Supreme was a novel I followed every day after class and dinner back in high school. Sigh, may the great author rest in peace.
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