Shimura Hofu's icy words made Genye and the others tense up.
"This guy... He really knows how to get on your nerves!"
Asuma snorted and flipped his hands, revealing a pair of sharp claw blades.
Genye and Kurenai warily watched Shimura Hofu, equally ready for battle.
"I don't need a sword to deal with you."
Hofu released the hand gripping his sword, lifted his gaze, and looked at the three of them.
"I'll keep my strength at a Chunin level. Try... to defeat me!"
Before Hofu had finished speaking, Asuma and Genye were already in motion.
Boom!
The distance between them was already short. Asuma and Genye pushed off the ground at the same time, appearing at Hofu's left and right in an instant.
"Blade Art: Twin Striking Fangs!"
The claw blades whirled in Asuma's hands, crossing like a giant serpent's fangs as they stabbed toward Hofu's neck.
"Byakugan—Gentle Fist!"
The veins around Genye's eyes bulged. After targeting a weak point in Hofu's chakra pathways, he drove a chakra-coated fist forward with all his strength.
"Hmm, not bad."
Hofu casually leaned aside to dodge Genye's Gentle Fist. His arm snapped through the gap between the claw blades like a whip, and two fingers jabbed hard into Asuma's wrist.
"Damn!"
Caught off guard, Asuma took the hit. Pain shot through his wrist, and he nearly dropped a claw blade. His attack faltered, too.
"Gentle Fist!"
Genye's strike missed. He stepped in, switched hands, and swung a backhanded punch toward Hofu's ribs.
"Genjutsu: Mirage!"
At the same time, Kurenai seized her chance and cast a genjutsu on Shimura Hofu.
In Hofu's eyes, Genye suddenly sprouted three heads and six arms. All six fists came down at once, aimed at different parts of his body.
"Heh. You chose a good moment to cast a genjutsu, but compared to the Uchiha Clan, you still have a long way to go."
Hofu gave a slight shake of his head. Relying only on his physical senses, he casually caught Genye's fist, then kicked Asuma away.
Thud!
Asuma rolled across the grass to absorb the impact. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he sprang up, raised his claw blades, and charged Hofu again.
"Genye, try to break through the middle! Kurenai, support us from the side!"
"Got it!"
Half an hour later, the three of them lay side by side on the ground, staring at the sky with nothing left to live for.
"We can't beat him. Not even close..." Asuma said, dejected.
"Yeah. We're no match for him," Yuhi Kurenai agreed bitterly.
Genye didn't say a word. His whole body ached, and he didn't even want to move a finger.
Maybe repeating a year isn't so bad. At least I'd be able to put off going to the battlefield.
"You did pretty well just now."
Hofu walked up to them and looked down from above. To their surprise, a faint smile appeared on his stern face.
"Huh?!"
All three gasped. They pushed themselves up in disbelief and looked at Hofu.
"Could it be...?"
As though he understood their looks, Hofu nodded.
"I saw teamwork and plenty of potential in you. You've passed the assessment."
What Hofu didn't mention was that he had already used strength beyond a Chunin's level during the fight.
And when he'd casually caught that Hyuga kid's punch, he'd nearly had the wind knocked out of him because he hadn't been paying attention!
"That's wonderful, Genye, Asuma! We did it!" Kurenai said happily.
"Phew. At least I didn't let the old man down."
Asuma, too, let out a relieved breath. Then he exchanged a smile with his two teammates.
After fighting side by side, the three of them had begun to form a bond.
"All right."
Hofu clapped his hands and said, "To celebrate Team 8's formation, we'll..."
"We'll...?"
The three of them, Asuma included, looked at Hofu expectantly.
"We'll... start training!"
After a pause, Shimura Hofu announced his plan.
(ÒωÓױ)! What?!
Genye was stunned. "Teacher Hofu, aren't you going to let us rest for a while?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Asuma and Kurenai nodded furiously beside him.
Hofu tilted his head, looking confused. "But didn't I already let you rest for four minutes and thirty-five seconds?"
"Uh..." Genye clicked his tongue.
He had a feeling that life under Shimura Hofu's tutelage wasn't going to be easy.
Dusk fell, and the setting sun draped the grass in a golden veil.
When other teams formed, their teachers treated them to a feast at a restaurant. By now, they were probably full and comfortably tucked into bed.
But at the training ground, three poor souls still hadn't eaten. They'd been drilled from morning until night.
"Come on, just three more! Then we're done for today!" Hofu encouraged the three exhausted youngsters.
"One... two..."
Genye gritted his teeth and managed two more reps. He could practically see victory within reach, but the next moment, Hofu pushed him over the edge.
"One, two! One, two!" Shimura Hofu clapped his hands, even calling out the cadence.
Genye: ???
Were you in the military with us or something? Why are you just like our drill instructor?
"Ah!" Yuhi Kurenai's face flushed red. She let out a scream and collapsed to the ground.
Genye and Asuma couldn't hold on either. Their legs had turned to noodles. There was nothing more to say—they just lay down.
"All right, that's it for the first day of training. We'll meet here again tomorrow morning."
Looking at the three dreamless fish on the ground, Shimura Hofu left them with those words and turned to go.
"Ah, just kill me!" Genye wailed.
He had a cheat! He was the hero of a power fantasy! So why did he still have to suffer like this?!
Genye dragged himself home, trembling. He was just about to open the door when he realized it wasn't locked.
Damn, did someone break in? Byakugan!
Genye activated his Byakugan and peered through the door. Someone was sitting inside, as though waiting for him to return.
That chakra... Is it Hyuga Hiashi?
Genye frowned, unsure why the man had barged into his home.
After a moment's hesitation, Genye pushed open the door and bowed to Hyuga Hiashi in the living room.
"Greetings, Lord Hiashi. May I ask what brings you here?"
He hated having to grovel, but until he had the strength to escape the Caged Bird Seal, he'd have to keep his head down.
"Hm?"
Hiashi looked at Genye in puzzlement, silently wondering what was wrong.
Hyuga Hiashi himself had come to visit. That was a great honor for a member of the branch family.
But this kid... seemed a little impatient.
He was probably just imagining it. Hiashi shook his head and smiled at Genye.
"Genye, now that you've officially become a ninja, you can begin serving the clan and the village. I stopped by to offer you a little advice."
"Oh." Genye nodded. "Please, go ahead."
Hiashi said, "Everyone on your Team 8 comes from a major clan, including your Jonin instructor."
"If you can get along well with them, it'll benefit both you and the Hyuga Clan. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand, but..." Genye hesitated.
Hiashi furrowed his brows. "But what?"
"But getting along with them will probably cost quite a bit of money. For instance, treating everyone to a meal now and then."
"But Genye is... a little short on cash," he said with feigned embarrassment.
Hiashi stared at Genye in surprise.
Was this kid trying to shake him down?
After a long pause, he slowly nodded. "You make a fair point. The clan will increase your monthly allowance by ten thousand ryo. How does that sound?"
"That works, that works. Thank you, Lord Hiashi," Genye replied with a grin.
After seeing Hiashi off, Genye collapsed into bed. Tomorrow, he had another tough battle ahead of him...
Before you continue