What! The! Hell! Are! You?!

"First match! Asuma Sarutobi versus Uchiha Ling!"

The training ground was divided by low barriers into many small square arenas. The lower grades had ten-by-ten-meter spaces, while the upper grades had twenty-by-twenty-meter spaces.

In one of the small arenas at the edge of the training ground, Asuma Sarutobi stepped in first.

He deliberately chose the side facing the school building so he could see his father's figure on the rooftop.

He could not make out his father's face, because his father was looking down at the upper-grade students closer to the building.

He had heard that upper-grade students could graduate early, so his father was paying more attention to them.

He had to put on an exciting fight, make a big splash, to make his father take notice of him...

"Stop looking, Asuma Sarutobi. The Hokage is here to assess students graduating early. You don't think the Hokage came specifically to watch you, do you?"

Asuma Sarutobi lowered his head and withdrew his gaze, frowning at Uchiha Ling. He saw Uchiha Ling smile.

For some reason, he felt that Uchiha Ling's smile was somewhat cruel.

Uchiha Ling said, "Let me guess, Asuma Sarutobi. Are you racking your brains trying to attract the Hokage's attention?

This is a grand stage...

Look at the students around us. Every last one of them is staring at you without blinking. Compared to me, they want you to win more.

Look at the upper-grade students turning to glance at you from time to time. They're all curious what kind of strength you, the school's number one second-generation Hokage kid, possess.

Look at that group behind the Hokage on the school rooftop. Who knows how many of them are watching you, the Hokage's second young master.

Wow, I'm getting nervous for you, Asuma Sarutobi..."

"Enough nonsense! Uchiha Ling! Come on! I've improved a lot. I'm definitely not weaker than you!"

"Hehe, don't be in such a hurry, Asuma Sarutobi." Uchiha Ling said,

"Wake up. This is the shining moment of your life. Enjoy every second you can.

As long as you don't make a move, no one will realize you're a useless fool.

But once you do, it's over. You won't be able to hide it. You really are a useless fool with nothing but the title of second-generation Hokage kid. Everyone will laugh at you.

Your existence is proof that the Hokage abuses public resources for private gain, and that supporting the Sarutobi Clan is a complete and utter failure!"

"Shut up! My father has never abused public resources for private gain! You're slandering us!"

"The truth speaks for itself. The Senju fall, and the Sarutobi rise. Isn't that exactly how things turned out?"

"You—"

Asuma Sarutobi nearly blurted out a curse. He was so furious that his fists trembled, his knuckles turning white from how tightly he clenched them.

"Aren't you afraid I'll tell my father and bring disaster upon your Uchiha Clan?"

"Haha! Running to tell your daddy?" Uchiha Ling said with a laugh,

"The Uchiha Clan has plenty of reasons for people to hate us. Whether I speak these few truths or not, the Uchiha Clan won't have a good ending.

The Senju Clan declined until everyone gave up their surname. Even Princess Tsunade, the proudest female ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, no longer calls herself Tsunade Senju. What does the Uchiha Clan have? How could we possibly fare any better?

Hasn't your Sarutobi Clan long wanted to wipe out the Uchiha Clan and claim the title of the Land of Fire's Hidden Leaf Village's strongest Fire Release clan for yourselves?

Take it. Go ahead and take it. But you, Asuma Sarutobi, will never be the one to accomplish it.

A useless fool like you poses no threat whatsoever to the Uchiha Clan. Looking at you for one extra second is a waste of resources."

Asuma Sarutobi was so enraged that bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes as he glared at Uchiha Ling.

At that moment, Rin Nohara suddenly shouted, "Kakashi! It's Kakashi!"

Every student in the class, even Yamano, looked up and saw Kakashi standing on the wall across from them, watching.

Kakashi's shoulders slumped, his eyelids drooping. His whole body radiated lifelessness.

Uchiha Ling said, "Oh, even Kakashi is here.

Asuma Sarutobi, you don't really think you and Kakashi Hatake are a pair of peerless prodigies, do you?

No one but you thinks that. Stop making yourself the main character.

Let me tell you: not only does your father not love you, not only does he not value you, but your classmates will eventually look down on you too because your ninja skills are as weak as a chick's.

Tell me, other than being the Hokage's second young master, what else do you have?"

Uchiha Ling raised his hand, extended a finger, and jabbed it toward Asuma Sarutobi one word at a time as he slowly asked,

"WHAT! THE! HELL! ARE! YOU?!"

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" How could the young Asuma Sarutobi endure such humiliation?

He screamed three times and charged at Uchiha Ling.

Uchiha Ling's eyes shifted slightly. Every move I prepared is going to be used on you.

By the time Asuma Sarutobi rushed close, Uchiha Ling could already see the bloodshot veins in Asuma's eyes.

Poor Asuma. Uchiha Ling's merciless verbal barrage must have hit him hard. Look at that—even bloodshot veins had been forced into his eyes.

Uchiha Ling's gaze turned cold as the chakra in the acupoints of his right leg suddenly erupted.

Asuma Sarutobi's vision blurred. Uchiha Ling had already appeared on his right side, and his swinging punch missed.

Fast! So fast! Why is he so fast?

Uchiha Ling thought, This is a combo technique...

After sliding sideways, the chakra in the acupoints of Uchiha Ling's waist and back erupted instantly. His spine drove his shoulder, his shoulder drove his right arm, and he punched forward.

The chakra in his right arm's acupoints erupted immediately afterward, throwing a deadly fast punch forward.

Swaying Body Crushing Fist!

Asuma Sarutobi only saw a shadow flicker at his right side. Then a tremendous force struck his abdomen.

He lost his footing and was about to be sent flying.

Asuma Sarutobi felt utter despair. Even the searing pain in his abdomen could not compare to the crushing defeat in his heart.

Was the gap between their strength really this enormous?

His feet left the ground, and his body flew backward like a hunched shrimp.

Uchiha Ling thought, It's not over yet!

He had just used the chakra in the acupoints of his right leg, waist, back, and right arm. He could not waste his left leg and left arm.

Chakra erupted from the acupoints in his left arm. Uchiha Ling stretched out his left hand at the limit of his speed and grabbed Asuma Sarutobi's ankle.

Asuma was flying backward from inertia when he suddenly felt a tremendous force violently halt him. The flesh on his face was still being dragged toward his eye sockets by momentum.

Uchiha Ling spun into the air. Chakra erupted from the acupoints in his left leg, and he delivered a spinning axe kick, smashing his heel viciously into Asuma Sarutobi's chest.

Bang!

Asuma Sarutobi's back slammed heavily into the ground.

Uchiha Ling had used a short combo, unleashing all five bursts of explosive taijutsu. Though it looked complicated when broken down, only a few seconds had passed.

In other words, after training hard for several months, Asuma Sarutobi had not even possessed the ability to fight back against Uchiha Ling. He was swiftly defeated after taking a short combo.

Asuma Sarutobi lay flat on his back, his eyes hollow and despairing.

He had wanted to use an impressive spar to draw his father's attention... so why had it become such a crushing defeat?

Uchiha Ling stepped on Asuma Sarutobi's chest. He had been about to fire off another dozen taunts, but seeing Asuma Sarutobi's devastated expression, he swallowed the trash talk with difficulty.

That's enough. Any more would be a bit excessive.

I aspire to be a merciful Uchiha.

[There is a ninja nearby whose defenses have been broken. The Defense-Breaking System is activating...]