Brat, Asuma

Although the graduation requirements became stricter after forming three-person teams, their overall strength increased considerably.

Tōka and Gai, the two best friends, naturally teamed up together. As for the third person...

"Tōka, do we still need to find another teammate?" Gai asked.

"Don't rush." Tōka narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the crowd, quietly considering his options.

With their strength, this exam would be easy.

However, Tōka did not want to reveal the power of the All-Killing Ash Bones. It was his trump card and could not be used lightly unless it was a critical moment.

All in all, Tōka was still too weak.

"We should find another teammate." Tōka made up his mind.

"Who should we find?" Gai asked with a troubled expression. Aside from Kakashi, he was not particularly close to anyone else. At most, they were acquaintances.

Obito, Rin, Asuma, Kurenai...

Gai was doing well just to remember everyone else's names.

"Let me think..." Tōka considered the team composition.

Tōka and Gai were both taijutsu types. Tōka was better off, since he could barely be considered capable of using ninjutsu.

As for genjutsu? Neither of them knew the first thing about it.

Medical Ninjutsu? Something like that was completely beyond a simple-minded guy like Gai.

And Tōka had only been exposed to chakra for half a year, so naturally he could not know it either.

"The third person should preferably be a support-type medical ninja, or perhaps someone specializing in genjutsu or ninjutsu," Tōka muttered.

Before Tōka had even finished speaking, a girl's faint fragrance slipped into his nostrils like a little snake.

Then a crisp female voice rang out beside his ear.

"Then I'll do it, little brother Tōka."

Tōka turned around and saw Kurenai smiling at him.

Her? Her genjutsu was excellent, but wasn't she Asuma's childhood sweetheart?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Tōka spotted Asuma hurrying after them, glaring at him with a gloomy expression.

His blazing gaze looked as if it wanted to devour Tōka whole!

"That would work." Tōka curled his lips, a hint of amusement entering his eyes.

Building happiness on someone else's pain—how could he possibly miss out on such a kind and charitable deed?

Since the little couple was having a disagreement, he did not mind adding fuel to the fire.

"Kurenai, don't be willful. This exam is very dangerous," Asuma said seriously.

The others would have been one thing, but this team had Gai, the dead last, and six-year-old Tōka, whose grades were merely nominal.

Strictly speaking, Tōka was even worse than Gai, the dead last!

"Hmph, it's none of your business. I'm joining their group no matter what!" Kurenai puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away.

She looked like she was throwing a tantrum. Tōka gave a mischievous smile and shot Gai a look, signaling him to follow.

Then Tōka headed toward Furuya Daisuke, intending to tell the teacher that their team members had been decided.

When Kurenai saw that Tōka and Gai had already left, she immediately took off after them.

"Damn it! I'll make you pay this time!"

A blaze flared in Asuma's eyes as he directed all of Kurenai's dissatisfaction with him toward Tōka and Gai.

Gai was, after all, a classmate he had grown up with, so Asuma did not hate him that much.

Tōka, on the other hand, had successfully gotten caught in the crossfire.

Very quickly, the fifty-one students finished forming teams.

"Since everyone is ready, then..."

"The exam begins!!"

At Furuya Daisuke's command, everyone dashed out with swishes, heading straight for the mist-shrouded Valley.

As he watched their retreating figures, a trace of approval flashed through Furuya Daisuke's eyes.

Kids, you passed the first round of testing. Don't disappoint me in what comes next!

"I'll leave the children's safety to you all." Furuya Daisuke withdrew his gaze and spoke inexplicably to the air.

Buzz!!

An eerie ripple of chakra passed through the air. As if responding to Furuya Daisuke, twenty black shadows swept past with a whoosh.

They were Anbu members directly under the Hokage's command!

The Third Hokage could not possibly neglect Konoha's future.

Especially during such a chaotic time of war, when they were conducting such a dangerous graduation exam.

Not to mention that Sarutobi Asuma, the Third Hokage's son, was among them. It would have made no sense for no one to be protecting them in secret.

The Valley was not large, only about ten li across. From afar, it looked like a hazy expanse of mist.

Only upon getting closer did they discover how strange the temperature was there. The layers of temperature were clearly defined, naturally creating a vast amount of vapor that blanketed the entire Valley.

It was difficult to see far ahead. Only the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was useful in such conditions.

Tōka, Gai, and Kurenai crouched in a patch of grass outside the Valley entrance.

"Tōka, do you have a strategy?" Though Gai was older than Tōka, he had always listened to him.

Kurenai glanced at this strange group in surprise. She had thought Tōka was merely dead weight following Gai around.

Unexpectedly, Gai had subtly treated Tōka as their leader the entire way.

In terms of strength, Gai could easily crush Tōka as long as Tōka did not use the All-Killing Ash Bones.

However, without absolute strength, strategy was even more important.

"There are two plans. We can charge straight in and fire the first shot," Tōka said after pondering for a moment.

That would force the other teams hidden in the shadows to engage as well.

It would directly push the battle into its fiercest stage.

The advantage was that they could end things quickly. It would depend on which side was stronger, a contest of raw strength.

The disadvantage was that they had absolutely no intelligence—the enemy's numbers, strength, and defensive layout.

When they knew nothing at all, it could very easily result in immeasurable losses.

Seeing that neither of them spoke, Tōka quietly nodded. They were indeed kids from Konoha's Elite Class.

They understood that this method could very likely cost them many companions, so they did not choose it.

"The second option is to infiltrate in secret. While gathering intelligence, we can see if we can pick up a few heads," Tōka said with a faint smile, as if killing people was nothing at all.

Gai and Kurenai's expressions changed, especially when they heard the word "heads."

Tōka's meaning was simple: infiltrate, assassinate, and withdraw quietly.

The advantage was a greater chance of survival. The disadvantage was equally obvious—if another team was exposed, they would definitely be dragged into it.

Though the fifty-one people had seemingly been divided into seventeen teams, they were still one whole.

Pull one hair, and the entire body moved.

Once one person from one team was exposed, no one else would be able to remain hidden.

Tōka's first plan seemed reckless, but it actually put the initiative in his own hands.

The second plan seemed easy, but it concealed danger.

Because one could never know when some useless teammate would show up.

"Let's infiltrate in secret." Kurenai hesitated for a moment. If they fought head-on, her genjutsu would be less effective.

"Alright." Tōka looked at Gai. Seeing that he had no objections, he nodded.

With the three of them in agreement, they swiftly rushed into the Valley.

The mist was the Valley's natural camouflage, and it was also natural camouflage for infiltrators.

The team lacked a sensory type, but that was no problem. The stamina of two taijutsu practitioners was no joke!

If they could not use their eyes and ears to find the intelligence they needed...

Then they would use their legs and run for it.

"Teacher Daisuke deliberately led us in circles through the forest to drain our stamina."

Tōka and the other two crouched beneath a low rock in the Valley. Dense plants taller than their heads surrounded them, making it easy to conceal themselves.

It was like having already gone through one major battle on the battlefield, only to face another operation afterward.

Clearly, the Ninja Academy had turned the Elite Class graduation exam into a miniature war.

"How about this? Gai and I will take turns gathering intelligence. Kurenai, you'll be responsible for defending the area around us," Tōka said after some thought.

Tōka and Gai were taijutsu practitioners, while Kurenai's genjutsu was powerful enough to set up a safe zone.

That way, the three of them could take turns resting.

By the time their stamina had mostly recovered, they would have gathered enough intelligence as well.

"No problem," Gai said directly.

"No problem for me either." Kurenai nodded.

"I imagine the other teams are also lying low and recovering their stamina," Tōka said in a low voice. "Then... let's begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gai instantly rushed out of the camp.

Of the three, Gai had the best stamina. The first round of intelligence gathering would be preliminary reconnaissance.

There was only one objective: determine the enemy's location.

The time limit was no more than ten minutes!

With Gai's speed, ten minutes was enough for him to make a round of the Valley.

Kurenai also began her task, setting up a trigger-type technique at the camp entrance: the Fox Mind Technique.

Once someone entered the genjutsu's range, the technique would activate automatically.

Kurenai would also know immediately that her technique had been triggered.

It was equivalent to a warning line protecting the camp.

After finishing everything, Kurenai quickly returned beneath the low rock and sat beside Tōka.

She quietly observed him. "You've changed a lot over the past half year!"

His body had become much sturdier. He no longer looked soft and weak like when she had first met him, like some little girl.

"Yeah, I've been studying taijutsu with Gai." Tōka swung his arm and looked at it. Light tan skin was the color of health.

His arm had also grown much thicker, no longer like a bamboo skewer.

"Studying taijutsu with Gai?" Kurenai did not know Gai well. She only knew a little more about him than ordinary classmates did, because of his reputation as the dead last.

He had no talent for ninjutsu or genjutsu.

He had even entered the Ninja Academy as an exception. Kurenai had never understood why he had been assigned to the Elite Class.

"Big sis, don't underestimate Gai." Tōka naturally knew what Kurenai was thinking. He chuckled but did not explain.

"What was that supposed to mean?!" Kurenai pouted unhappily, feeling as though she had been looked down on.

He definitely had! He had absolutely looked down on her!

The atmosphere fell into an awkward silence.

Tōka closed his eyes to rest while Kurenai sulked by herself.

The ten-minute break passed in the blink of an eye.

Gai had returned.

"How was it?" Tōka asked.

"I've roughly located the enemy," Gai said with a nod.

"There's a patch of high ground in the middle of the Valley. There are two visible sentries, one in front and one behind, and a concealed sentry in the middle."

"They're this cautious? Three guard posts?" Tōka narrowed his eyes slightly. Why did this not feel like bandits, but rather a military fortress?

The terrain gave them the high ground, while the Visible Sentries and hidden sentry covered each other.

Still, this information was enough.

Tōka gave the two of them a faint nod, then shot out of the camp with a swish.

After ten minutes of rest, Tōka had recovered much of his stamina.

His task was to determine the enemy's numbers and strength.

If possible, he would bring back three heads to complete the assignment.

The time limit was twenty minutes!!

The sun was directly overhead at noon, its golden light illuminating the earth. It was truly not a good time for infiltration.

However, this Valley was different.

For some reason, the climate here was extremely strange, with clearly defined layers of temperature.

The higher one went, the colder it became. Heat from underground rose upward, cooled, and turned into drifting clouds of mist.

Jagged rocks rose everywhere, and weeds grew wildly. Through the haze, Tōka found the Mountain Fortress on the high ground at the center of the Valley.

Just as he was considering how to avoid the sentries and infiltrate the Mountain Fortress...

An untimely cold laugh rang out behind Tōka.

"Hmph, so it really was this brat!" Asuma crossed his arms arrogantly and stared coldly at Tōka.

Two teammates stood behind him: Ibiki and Mizuki.

Tōka narrowed his eyes at Asuma and quietly shifted a step, turning his body sideways toward him.

Asuma would never forget how Tōka had humiliated him on the first day of class, especially since it had happened in front of Kurenai!

"Brat, I'll teach you a proper lesson today!"

"Asuma, don't mess around. We're still taking the exam," Ibiki said with a frown.

"What does it matter? This is called friendly interaction between classmates."

Mizuki wore a smiling expression, clearly eager for chaos to erupt.

Sarutobi Asuma was the Hokage's son. Even if he made a mistake, it would be raised high and brought down lightly.

"But the Enemy Fortress is nearby. If we're discovered..." Ibiki's frown deepened.

"Hmph, coward. If you're scared, you can leave on your own!" Asuma shot Ibiki a displeased glance.

Today, he was definitely going to teach this little runt a proper lesson. How dare he steal the great Asuma's girlfriend!

The flames of anger burned away Asuma's reason.

Bang!

Asuma crouched, crushing a clod of earth beneath his foot as he shot toward Tōka like an arrow.

As a descendant of the Sarutobi clan, Asuma's taijutsu might not have matched Gai's, but it was still exceptionally strong!

Tōka's gaze sharpened. This time, Asuma was truly enraged, showing no mercy at all.

The moment he struck, a shrill gust of force howled toward him, tightening the skin on his face.

Smack!!

Tōka moved swiftly, extending a palm to block Asuma's fist before suddenly lifting it upward.

Asuma could use his advantage in height, but couldn't Tōka use the advantage of being shorter?

Shorter body, lower center of gravity, steadier footing!

Tōka's palm knocked aside Asuma's attack.

Asuma's body had already been suspended in midair. With nowhere to brace himself, Tōka's upward shove sent him tumbling right over Tōka.

Beating a dog while it was down was Tōka's only thought right now.

As their bodies crossed, Tōka suddenly leaped up and swept out a whipping kick.

Bang!

His foot struck Asuma squarely in the butt. Asuma, who had been flying forward, suddenly felt an immense force from below.

His descending body abruptly halted, then he was launched through the air and crashed into a pile of grass ahead.

This was the advantage of Tōka's physical constitution. Though sealed for a thousand years, he had also been nurtured for a thousand years.

After half a year of training, he had fully brought out his body's agility and flexibility.

In close-quarters combat, Tōka would not be afraid even when facing Gai.

"Bastard! Get back here!" Asuma climbed out of the weeds with several blades of dried grass stuck atop his head.

Tōka, who had turned to leave, felt helpless when he heard that furious shout.

What a brat. He and Kurenai had absolutely nothing to do with each other.

Even Gai and Kurenai had spoken more than Tōka and Kurenai ever had!

The mature Uncle Asuma was much cuter...

Tōka stared expressionlessly at Asuma, a flicker of killing intent passing through his heart.

He was not a good person, and he disliked unreasonable people even more.

Especially people who dragged others into danger like this for some inexplicable reason.

Tōka could ignore it when it happened to someone else, but when he himself became the target of misplaced anger...

Heh heh... (To be continued)