What About You

Thud--!

The Sword Box landed, and Sora Uchiha took out the Kusanagi Sword within. His sleeves swirled with Shuriken and Kunai as he stood in a thunderous stance opposite his instructor.

"Sensei, please go easy on me," he said, pursing his lips. The gentleness in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by the calm of battle.

"That's more like it." The instructor nodded lightly, satisfied with Sora Uchiha's serious demeanor.

The two faced each other, neither making a move, both waiting for the other to reveal an opening.

The wind was calm, the waves were still.

The weather today was excellent. By the lake, besides the willow tree, there were plants Sora Uchiha didn't recognize. The leaves were so lush, creating a patch of darkness there.

Rustle rustle--

The wind picked up, rustling the willow branches and stirring the unknown plants.

Simultaneously, it also signaled the start of Sora Uchiha's assault!

Sora Uchiha moved with lightning speed. He knew there was still a gap between him and a Jonin, and only by taking the initiative could he seize the possibility of victory.

As for the instructor, he stood his ground, a smile on his face, letting Sora Uchiha circle him.

Clink--

A crisp metallic collision sound rang out. It turned out the Shuriken thrown by Sora Uchiha had been blocked by the instructor with a Kunai in return.

Sora Uchiha's gaze remained unfaltering. The moment the Shuriken was thrown, he had already closed the distance. As the instructor blocked the Shuriken with the Kunai, he suddenly erupted, The sword light in his hand was about to strike, followed by an arc of the sword cutting through the air.

Sora Uchiha knew deeply that delaying would only be disadvantageous for him; he had to end this quickly.

Even if you're a Jonin, you'll be sitting down if my Kusanagi Sword hits you!

A flicker of relief flashed in the instructor's eyes. Then, without moving his feet, he tilted his body. The sword light grazed past him along his ninja attire. Immediately, with an extreme curve, he lashed out with a kick, and faintly, a slight sonic boom could be heard.

Sora Uchiha grunted, blocking with the body of his sword held in front of his chest. The next moment, a water vortex swirled up from him, completely engulfing him.

Secret Technique: Water Release.

However, even with the dual force absorption from the sword body and the water vortex, he was still kicked flying.

Mid-air, the water vortex dissipated, and a fireball shot up into the sky from within the vortex.

Raising his left hand, hooking his right hand to form hand seals, Fire Release: Flame Bullet!

A Flame Bullet was spat from the instructor's mouth, colliding directly with the Great Fireball.

Sora Uchiha felt a heat wash over his face. The standard Ninjutsu was too weak for him, so he wasn't surprised at all when his Great Fireball was immediately overpowered by the Flame Bullet.

In an instant, the Flame Bullet and his Great Fireball engulfed him!

"Sora!" Kurenai Yuhi exclaimed.

"What are you worried about? He hasn't even used his Summoning Technique yet," Asuma scoffed, crossing his arms. However, his gaze remained fixed on the fiery light.

As expected, the next moment, a colossal being charged out of the flames. Black and white, it was Sora Uchiha's Summoning: Panda!

At this moment, Sora Uchiha stood atop the Panda's head. Taishan yadian! Simultaneously, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, stunning the instructor.

Using gravity and his own strength, he instantly transformed into an acceleration monster with an unstoppable momentum, dropping down abruptly.

Bang--Crack!

With a ground-shaking tremor, dust billowed everywhere. First, a heavy thudding impact, followed by the crisp, cracking sound of bones hitting the ground! Immediately after, Rumble--!!

A thunderous roar, louder than any thunderclap, exploded! The entire lake seemed to be struck by a giant fist, shaking violently! Waves surged, and soon, a small rainbow unfurled across the lake's surface.

Kurenai Yuhi shielded herself from the water droplets with her sleeve, then quickly looked towards the center of the battle.

As the dust settled, the situation inside became clear. Two figures slowly emerged.

Sora Uchiha was seen raising his hands in surrender, while a sharp Kusanagi Sword was held at his neck. The instructor's eyes held a smile.

And before them stood a giant Panda.

"I surrender, I surrender, I lost." Sora Uchiha raised his hands, his face filled with helplessness.

Yes, he had lost. According to his plan, the lightning strike would cause a stun, the Panda would smash the ground, and the instructor would be KO'd directly.

But the moment he landed the hit, he realized his entire combo had struck a Shadow Clone!

By the time he reacted, the instructor had already emerged from the dirt and was holding his Kusanagi Sword to his neck.

"So cunning, Sensei used a Shadow Clone during the Fire Release clash," he muttered.

"Heh heh, Sora, you're still too green," the instructor said, releasing his grip and returning the Kusanagi Sword to Sora Uchiha.

While his expression remained outwardly calm, his heart was churning with immense waves. If he hadn't been experienced enough to release a Shadow Clone beforehand, he would have lost to that combo just now.

This meant that if Sora Uchiha were a bit more seasoned and had more experience, his strength would already be that of a Jonin.

A Jonin at twelve years old, tsk tsk, that was exceptionally rare even in history.

"Sora! You scared me to death!" At this moment, Kurenai Yuhi jogged over and flung open Sora Uchiha's clothes, This made Sora Uchiha, who was putting away the Kusanagi Sword, turn pale with shock, "Damn it, what a pervert!"

As he said that, he quickly pulled away Kurenai Yuhi's hands, "Stop messing around, there are so many people here. If this gets out, my lifelong reputation will be ruined."

Kurenai Yuhi, her cheeks flushed, mumbled, "What pervert? I was just worried you were injured."

"Cut the crap, I know you too well. You're just lusting after my body."

"Sora!!!"

Asuma, who had intended to check the situation, saw the two "flirting" and quietly walked away, not disturbing the peace.

Lightning Release looked at the two, then glanced at the dejected Asuma, and covered his mouth in shock, as if he had discovered some incredible gossip.

The instructor teacher looked at these students, smiled, and quietly left, planning to return later.

Kurenai Yuhi and Sora Uchiha playfully bickered for a while, and soon they were sitting by the lake. Kurenai Yuhi took off her shoes and socks, revealing her fair, pinkish feet, and gently stirred the lake surface, If Kurenai Yuhi were eighteen, Sora Uchiha would have described her legs as edible. However, Kurenai Yuhi was only thirteen now, still three years away from adulthood, so he felt no desire.

Kurenai Yuhi rested her chin in her hands, a hint of worry in her eyes, and suddenly spoke:

"Sora, I'm going on a mission with the teacher tomorrow. I heard the front lines are in a bad state, with many people dying every day..."

Sora Uchiha noticed that the ripples on the lake stopped when Kurenai Yuhi said this. He turned his head and saw the girl's eyes flickering.

He knew that the girl, who had not experienced the meat grinder of war, was scared. Perhaps she hadn't killed anyone in her graduation year.

"Don't worry, new Chunin won't be assigned overly dangerous missions. Without a Jonin teacher leading, at most it will be a B-rank mission. Even with a Jonin teacher, it would be an A-rank mission. Those high-mortality missions won't fall to you," Sora Uchiha comforted her.

Kurenai Yuhi understood this logic. They were the new generation, so they naturally wouldn't be assigned overly dangerous missions.

She softly hummed, "What about you?"

"What?" Sora Uchiha didn't quite understand.

"You've joined the Anbu. We won't be assigned dangerous missions, so what about you?" Kurenai Yuhi's voice was as gentle as clouds in the sky.

Those red eyes stared directly at Sora Uchiha. Today, red was the color of luck.