Second Supercompensation

The Defense-Breaking System activated, but after seeing the options, Uchiha Ling felt annoyed just looking at Asuma Sarutobi.

Asuma Sarutobi as a child was truly a complete useless second-generation brat. Uchiha Ling really couldn't be blamed for calling him that.

Just look at the trash rewards he got from breaking his defenses.

[Asuma Sarutobi's defenses have been broken. Extracting abilities related to Asuma Sarutobi. The host may choose one of three options.

Option One: Wind-nature Chakra;

Option Two: Shuriken throwing technique;

Option Three: Supercompensation, breaking through a plateau once.]

There was no need to mention Wind-nature Chakra. Uchiha Ling was five years old and wouldn't turn six for another month. He was still laying his foundations, so one more Chakra nature was useless to him.

Option Two, shuriken throwing technique?

If it had been the forbidden technique, Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, Uchiha Ling might have been interested.

The Uchiha Clan was exceptionally skilled with shuriken, even better than the Sarutobi Clan. Rather than choose this, he might as well go home and read his father's ninjutsu notes.

His parents had died in the Land of Waves. His father's old ninjutsu notes were all at home, one of Uchiha Ling's major sources of advanced ninjutsu knowledge.

Option Three: Supercompensation.

It seemed that after Asuma Sarutobi's hard training this semester, he had also experienced a bout of Supercompensation and broken through his body's plateau.

Asuma Sarutobi had turned his shame into motivation, but his motivation had not been enough. He had only achieved the same improvement as Ebisu.

He could only choose Option Three.

The muscles throughout Uchiha Ling's body went numb, sore, and itchy once more. He was gaining muscle.

The feeling was extremely strange. His muscles and ligaments were all strengthened to varying degrees.

It felt as if he had taken some kind of tren drug.

Uchiha Ling raised a hand and felt the top of his head. This unnatural increase in physical ability wouldn't make his head pointy, would it?

After feeling around twice, he was relieved. It was still flat.

By the ninja eight-stat evaluation system, his physical ability, strength, and speed had risen from an average of four to around five.

That was roughly the level of a Hidden Leaf Village genin. In the original story, many of the Rookie Nine had scores of around five in the three taijutsu-related categories upon graduation.

If Uchiha Ling applied for early graduation now, he could pass. During wartime, manpower was scarce.

But there was no way he would do that.

This was the era of the Great Ninja War. The Third Kazekage had disappeared, White Fang had committed suicide, and the other ninja villages were all boiling with excitement, as if it were the New Year.

The Stone Ninja, Cloud Ninja, and Mist Ninja had all gone bloodthirsty. They wanted to take advantage of the weakness of Konoha Village and the Sand Village, tear off a huge chunk of flesh, and feed themselves.

Graduate early? Not even a dog would do that.

He would just stay tucked away in Konoha Village, in the Ninja Academy. It was so safe here. At such a young age, no one cared if he pressured others—but no one cared if others pressured him either.

The taijutsu enhancement brought by Supercompensation was the most important ability during the foundational stage of ninja training.

Taijutsu was the foundation of all ninja combat.

Next, he only needed to see which of his classmates had broken through their taijutsu bottlenecks and properly pressure... no, properly spur them on.

By the time he graduated from the Ninja Academy, his other abilities could lag behind a little, but his taijutsu had to be strong.

White Fang of the Leaf had been so powerful, with such ferocious achievements, yet his foundational abilities had only been the Body Flicker Technique and Lightning Release Sword Technique.

Both abilities were closely tied to taijutsu.

Yamano announced that they should form the Reconciliation Seal, and Asuma Sarutobi blankly climbed to his feet.

The first thing he saw was the disgust in Uchiha Ling's eyes.

Uchiha Ling truly believed, from the bottom of his heart, that he was useless. The contempt was so blatant.

He raised his head and glanced at the teaching building's rooftop. Nothing had changed there. His father, the Third Hokage, was still looking down at the nearby sparring match between upperclassmen.

Everyone on the rooftop—the ANBU, the principal, and the teachers—was no longer looking in his direction.

Just now... just now, those teachers had been watching him. They must have hoped that his outstanding performance would let them stand out before his Hokage father.

Now, everyone tacitly avoided looking at him. Haha, tacitly...

Asuma Sarutobi looked at his classmates again. Their expressions varied.

Ebisu's face was full of disappointment.

This semester, he had endured Uchiha Ling's torment for months in order to divert Uchiha Ling's attention, allowing Asuma Sarutobi to focus on training without his mindset being affected by Uchiha Ling's challenges and pressure.

Facing Uchiha Ling brought too much pressure. The only reason Ebisu had not collapsed was that he had grown somewhat in adversity, which was at least a small consolation.

Now, those months of torment had been meaningless.

Obito Uchiha was indignant, his unwillingness written all over his face.

Nara Saku frowned, seemingly pondering some troublesome matter.

Akimichi Takashi was utterly shocked. He had not even peeled the chestnut shell before swallowing it whole and chewing.

As for the girls, Rin Nohara was whispering something into Kurenai Yuhi's ear.

Asuma Sarutobi did not even dare look at Kurenai Yuhi.

Farther away, upperclassmen stood in groups of two or three, pointing and gesturing in this direction. Who knew whether they were mocking the Hokage's second son for his crushing defeat?

Nothing made people happier than seeing an important figure suffer misfortune.

When White Fang of the Leaf had failed his mission, many people who held no grudge against him had cursed him in private purely out of jealousy.

Human nature. That was human nature. Everyone wanted to become strong, because the weak lived without dignity.

Asuma Sarutobi swallowed with difficulty and turned to look at Kakashi Hatake standing atop the wall.

Kakashi Hatake was not looking at him at all. Instead, he was staring at Uchiha Ling.

Of course. Who would look at a loser?

Kakashi Hatake's mask concealed most of his expression, but beneath it, he was deeply shocked.

Why did Uchiha Ling's taijutsu resemble his father's foundational taijutsu so closely?

His father had developed the Chakra Acupoint Burst Technique in his youth, displaying astonishing talent.

He had never expected Uchiha Ling to discover a similar technique as well.

No wonder he was an Uchiha capable of breaking his defenses. Uchiha Ling's talent was astonishing.

Kakashi Hatake also felt a sense of urgency. He had to intensify his training in his father's abilities.

After his father had committed suicide in disgrace, Kakashi Hatake had once believed everything related to his father was tainted by sin. He had not wanted to learn his father's combat system.

But after seeing Uchiha Ling's performance today, he felt there was no need to reject his father's taijutsu techniques. His father's taijutsu could not possibly be inherited by an Uchiha.

He would train the Chakra Acupoint Burst Technique as well.

Uchiha Ling extended his hand, curling his index and middle fingers.

What Asuma Sarutobi was grateful for was that Uchiha Ling did not mock him again.

The two formed the Reconciliation Seal, then left the field one after the other.

On the rooftop, Black Chimp watched his younger brother follow behind Uchiha Ling with the air of someone beneath him, and he felt frustrated by his failure to meet expectations.

He wanted to say something to his father, but this inspection was meant to assess the strength of students graduating early. It was not the right occasion to discuss his younger brother's training.

Judging by his father's expression, he was not concerned with Asuma Sarutobi's performance in the slightest.

His father was too focused on his duties as Hokage. Other than the Hokage's responsibilities and authority, nothing else mattered to him.

If Asuma Sarutobi continued growing up like this, his strength would be weak. At best, he would become an ordinary jonin.

Black Chimp felt a sense of urgency. He could not let his younger brother waste away. He had to find a way to give Asuma Sarutobi more resources.