Kurenai's Overheated Asuma, Practical Training

The guard led the three of them through the Uchiha compound, soon arriving at a secluded training ground. After asking the trio to wait for a moment, he went to notify Mikoto Uchiha.

Left to their own devices, the three began to survey the surroundings of the training ground.

Clean ground, neatly trimmed lawns, a spacious field flanked by target dummies and weapon racks—the facilities were fully equipped.

It was far better than the school playground, and the small courtyard of the Nebula Kotetsu family home couldn't even compare.

"Hmph," a scoff sounded from not far away.

Nebula Kotetsu didn't need to turn around to know it must be that guy, Asuma Sarutobi.

"Asuma," Kurenai Yuhi whispered a warning.

Asuma Sarutobi, however, remained indifferent.

Watching Nebula Kotetsu look around with undisguised curiosity, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disdain.

What a country bumpkin.

Seeing him act this way, Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Regardless of anything else, Nebula Kotetsu was their teammate now, and she didn't like Asuma Sarutobi's attitude.

Just as she was about to dissuade him, Nebula Kotetsu's voice rang out from nearby.

"Kurenai, you don't need to persuade him."

"Let him laugh," he said, continuing to inspect the environment.

"If a young master born into a great clan with a high-ranking father doesn't rely on the shade of his predecessor to mock a poor teammate of humble origins who hasn't seen the world, how else could he show off his superiority in front of his crush?"

"It certainly couldn't be through mediocre combat strength or pathetic tactical planning, could it?"

Asuma Sarutobi's eyes widened instantly, his breathing turning heavy and ragged.

Kurenai Yuhi's small mouth hung slightly open, her eyes filled with shock.

No way...

Did he really just open with his ultimate move right to his face?

As a long-time friend of Asuma, she knew all too well the lethality of Nebula Kotetsu's words.

"Born into a great clan with a high-ranking father" touched upon the background Asuma Sarutobi hated being mentioned most.

"Mocking a poor teammate who hasn't seen the world" attacked his character.

"Mediocre combat strength and pathetic tactical planning" referred to his performance in yesterday's assessment.

In just a few short sentences, he had disparaged almost every aspect of Asuma Sarutobi that could be insulted.

If she weren't Asuma Sarutobi's friend, Kurenai Yuhi would have wanted to applaud Nebula Kotetsu.

She wasn't sure about this teammate's character yet, but his tongue was truly sharp.

"Nebula Kotetsu! What do you mean by that!?" Asuma Sarutobi roared with fury.

"What could I possibly mean?" Nebula Kotetsu withdrew his curious gaze and looked at Asuma Sarutobi, explaining patiently.

"Can't you tell? I'm insulting you."

Asuma Sarutobi: "!!!"

To be honest, he was so angry he felt dazed.

In the past, he had only heard that Nebula Kotetsu was a superficial guy with a pretty face, and that girls would swarm to fawn over his shallow appearance, but he had never heard that the guy's tongue was this venomous!

He couldn't take even the slightest grievance; every retort struck him squarely in the face.

"Nebula Kotetsu!"

"I challenge you!!"

"Oh?" Nebula Kotetsu asked with composure. "Do you think you're stronger than me?"

Asuma Sarutobi retorted heatedly, "Obviously!"

Nebula Kotetsu: "Then why should I accept your challenge?"

"Do you only challenge those you think you can defeat just to gain a sense of presence and satisfy your vanity?"

Asuma Sarutobi: "I... I..."

Nebula Kotetsu: "We are teammates, yet you don't foster unity. Instead, you always want to use your strength to fight for your own face. Don't you feel ashamed?"

"Is this how the Third Hokage taught you?"

"I don't believe it."

Asuma Sarutobi: "(╬◣д◢)!!!"

Visibly, Asuma Sarutobi's face and neck began to flush red.

So, Nebula Kotetsu kindly reminded Kurenai Yuhi.

"Kurenai, you should persuade him now. I think he's about to boil over."

Kurenai Yuhi: "..."

At that moment, she made up her mind: regardless of Nebula Kotetsu's character, she would absolutely never argue with him.

Hmm, she was a lady and would not quarrel with her teammates.

Just as Kurenai Yuhi was trying to soothe Asuma Sarutobi's temper, Mikoto Uchiha arrived with long, graceful strides.

She was still wearing her standard ninja attire, radiating a powerful aura.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Asuma Sarutobi panting heavily.

"What happened?"

"Did you just finish a warm-up?"

Asuma Sarutobi's eye twitched.

Mikoto Uchiha had no intention of digging deeper and got straight to the point: "Starting now, we will conduct a week of special training."

"The content is simple: every morning, the three of you will engage in sparring practice with me."

"The intensity of the sparring at the Ninja Academy is too weak; you need to experience a more tense combat atmosphere."

"In addition, I will set aside one hour to answer any questions you encounter in your training."

Upon hearing this, Nebula Kotetsu immediately became interested.

Perhaps for Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi, Mikoto Uchiha's sparring and guidance were no big deal; they were children of prominent clans whose fathers were both renowned powerhouses, so they were already accustomed to such things.

But he was different.

The Kotetsu clan was now left with only him and Kotetsu Hagane as the last two seedlings, so aside from the mediocre teachers at the Ninja Academy, his training relied solely on the scrolls passed down by his family.

Now that a famous Jonin could provide him with help in his cultivation, it couldn't be better.

"Asuma, you look very excited, so you go first."

Asuma Sarutobi did not refuse this time.

He felt a great deal of pent-up fire and desperately needed an outlet; fighting Mikoto Uchiha was not a bad idea.

He could release his suppressed anger while simultaneously improving Mikoto Uchiha's impression of him.

He, Asuma Sarutobi, was definitely stronger than Nebula Kotetsu, that dead last!

He stood up, walked to the opposite side of Mikoto Uchiha, and performed the Seal of Confrontation.

Immediately, he drew his twin blades and lunged forward.

His figure cut through the air.

He dashed ahead, arriving before Mikoto Uchiha in a breath's time, and swung his short blades in a slash.

Mikoto Uchiha waited at her ease, only beginning to move once he was right in front of her.

"Clang!" No one saw how she moved.

Asuma Sarutobi only felt a blur before his eyes, and then, Mikoto Uchiha parried his short blades with the kunai in her hand.

After a momentary pause, the woman before him moved again.

"Thud!" Feeling a tightness in his chest, he realized Mikoto Uchiha had already kicked him squarely in the chest.

As he flew backward, Asuma Sarutobi heard her words.

"Clear your head."

"Show me what you're capable of."

Asuma Sarutobi twisted in mid-air before gritting his teeth and steadying himself.

Slightly curbing his temper, Asuma Sarutobi forced himself to regain his composure; Mikoto Uchiha was an opponent he could only hope to gain recognition from if he used his full strength.

Taking a deep breath, Asuma Sarutobi gripped his twin blades tightly, staring at Mikoto Uchiha ahead with total concentration.

Gritting his teeth, he charged forward once more!

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!!!!!"

The short blades and the kunai collided, sparking a series of flashes. The commotion was significant, yet deep down, Mikoto Uchiha felt a hint of disappointment.

Average.

Very average.