The Uchiha Clan's Blind Swordsman

Completely consumed by rage, Asuma Sarutobi did not bother to analyze why he had been instantly suppressed by Chiba at the dumpling shop last time.

In his view.

That was merely due to his own carelessness, the opponent's sneak attack, and the fact that Kurenai Yuhi was present, which had prevented him from stretching his limbs.

The wise look for reasons within themselves, while the foolish blame the outside world.

Asuma Sarutobi was foolish to the extreme.

"Uchiha Chiba, you don't need to worry about my status!"

Asuma glared at Chiba with resentment.

With the fire in his chest unable to be released, he could not calm down at all.

This was a bad habit born from years of being pampered.

Because of the existence of Sarutobi Hiruzen, he always believed that he was the center of the world.

He had never known what it meant to endure, nor what it meant to be magnanimous.

"I won't use the old man's status to pressure you, and no matter the outcome of this fight, he won't find out."

"Go ahead and attack. I want to show you that I was always stronger than you!"

Chiba stood quietly in place, leaning on his cane with both hands.

He faced Asuma Sarutobi calmly.

"You're wrong, Asuma Sarutobi. No matter the outcome, your old man will definitely find out!"

"Besides, your old man must have warned you, telling you not to come looking for trouble with me!"

"Yet, you appeared anyway. Why?"

"Is it because of face?"

"Or is it because of... a woman?"

In an instant, Chiba struck at the soft spot in Asuma Sarutobi's heart.

The ignited fury could not be easily extinguished.

"It's because I'm stronger than you!"

"It's because I'm stronger than you!"

This sentence made the little white snake observing from the side laugh.

Although Asuma's strength was not weak, it could not be considered top-tier among his peers.

Not to mention that even the top genius of his generation, Kakashi Hatake, would likely not be a match for Chiba at the same age.

No, never mind Chiba; Kakashi probably couldn't even beat Itachi.

This was reality.

What a pity.

Asuma Sarutobi hadn't even learned the only merit of his father, Sarutobi Hiruzen—endurance.

His boastful trash talk was quite deceptive to himself.

"Another farce."

The little white snake flicked its tongue, feeling a lack of interest.

As for Asuma, judging by his expression, he was becoming increasingly agitated.

He pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and assumed a combat stance.

"Uchiha Chiba, draw your sword... This time, I will let you witness my true strength."

However, Chiba did not move.

He appeared to have no intention of drawing his sword either.

He simply stood there quietly, leaning on his cane with both hands.

"Ah, you seem to have misunderstood."

Chiba spoke.

"The reason I drew my blade on you last time was because your secondhand smoke smelled terrible."

"However, that does not mean you have the qualifications to make me draw my sword."

This sentence didn't deal much physical damage, but the insult was extremely potent.

The opponent clearly didn't take him seriously at all.

"You... what is that supposed to mean?"

"Do you really need me to be so blunt?"

"It means you're too weak. I don't need to draw my blade to defeat you easily, even if... I am a blind man!"

"Is that so? In that case, don't blame me for bullying a blind man!"

The moment those words left his lips, Asuma hurled the kunai in his hand.

It whistled through the air, flying straight toward Chiba's forehead.

Asuma knew, of course, that a mere kunai would never be enough to stop Chiba.

Although his opponent was blind, the explosive power he had displayed at the dumpling shop yesterday made it clear to Asuma that Chiba was no ordinary blind man.

Therefore, almost the instant he threw the kunai, his hands began to weave seals.

He intended to end the fight as quickly as possible with ninjutsu to wash away the humiliation he had suffered yesterday.

Even though using ninjutsu against a blind man like Chiba felt like overkill to Asuma, victory was all that mattered.

What did it matter if it was underhanded or not?

That had always been his style.

However, he had severely underestimated Chiba's strength.

Before he could even finish his second seal, a cane struck him, interrupting his flow.

Snap.

It was a strike from a blind spot Asuma couldn't even perceive.

The sharp pain radiating from his right wrist jolted him out of his delusions.

By the time he regained his senses, Chiba had already appeared before him like a phantom.

"What?"

Leaning on his cane, Chiba had closed the distance in the blink of an eye, leaving Asuma no time to react.

"Were you trying to weave seals just now?"

"Judging by the first seal, it seems to be Fire Release... Is it the Great Flame Technique that your Sarutobi clan excels at?"

"What a pity. Your seal speed is far too slow."

"It doesn't even compare to one-fifth of Itachi's speed."

"And you call yourself a Chunin?"

Chiba mocked him relentlessly, leaving Asuma with no shred of dignity.

Then, he raised his cane and struck Asuma across the face, sending him flying.

As he was sent airborne, Asuma's mind was in chaos.

My seal-weaving was interrupted?

How did he reach me in the time it took to form a single seal?

Is this guy really blind?

In that instant, countless thoughts of shock flooded Asuma's mind.

But as he hit the ground, the intense pain shattered those thoughts into nothingness.

He tried to scramble to his feet immediately, but Chiba's cane was already pressed against his throat.

The suffocating pressure forced him to stop, leaving him lying on the ground, staring straight up at the figure standing before him.

At this moment, Chiba felt like an insurmountable chasm standing in Asuma's path.

The scene from the dumpling shop yesterday was repeating itself today.

The only difference was that yesterday, Chiba had held a blade to him, while today, he had simply used a cane.

This would eventually become his most terrifying nightmare.

Chiba called it—

Psychological trauma.

"Do you want to continue?"

Chiba asked calmly.

"The woman you like isn't here today, so it doesn't matter how much you embarrass yourself!"

"Besides, I can't see it anyway."

"You, you... what did you say?"

Asuma froze.

This sentence struck his soul, touching his final line of psychological defense.

To put it nicely, it was self-esteem; to put it bluntly, it was vanity.

"It's nothing, just forget it all!"

The next moment.

Chiba's indifferent attitude completely shattered Asuma's psychological defenses.

Asuma silently scrambled up from the ground, not even sparing Chiba a glance before fleeing at top speed.

Chiba, still holding his crutches, shook his head after noticing Asuma's departure.

Did he break down?

In the end, his mental fortitude is just too poor.

After all, he's been protected far too well by Sarutobi Hiruzen for over a decade.

Living in the lap of luxury, arrogant and unruly.

All of this was just being spoiled.

Both were sons of a Hokage.

Naruto and Asuma received completely different treatment.

This was simply Sarutobi Hiruzen's style of doing things.

Asuma had indeed broken down.

In that instant, he felt his mind go completely blank, and by the time he regained his senses, he had long since fled the scene.