Chidori Wind Style!

"It was only because you didn't go all out, Sensei!"

Faced with Hatake Sakumo's praise, Asuma was very modest.

Of course, inwardly, he was already beaming with delight.

After one battle, Charm +2, Experience Points +150, Fire Style: Fire Bullet progress bar +0.1%.

Of course, Asuma was also telling the truth.

That Wind Style: Shadow Clone move had caught him off guard, and it was not weak, but it could not actually trap Hatake Sakumo, whose Lightning Style was equally formidable.

Wind Style countered Lightning Style, but only if it was stronger, or if the two were evenly matched.

However, when it came to Lightning Style Chakra Nature Transformation, Hatake Sakumo's mastery was clearly no worse than Asuma's mastery of Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation.

Moreover, there was also the difference in Chakra Amount.

"Although I didn't use my full strength, your tactics were very successful."

Hatake Sakumo smiled. "You used smoke bombs to obstruct vision, took the opportunity to set things up, repeatedly and flexibly employed the Shadow Clone Technique and Transformation Technique, and used the medical ninja as bait. Your thinking was very clear."

"If you can remain this calm on the battlefield and fully bring out your strength, then even when facing Jōnin, you won't need to fear them!"

That was very high praise!

Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune both revealed delighted expressions.

However, Hatake Sakumo immediately changed his tone and looked at Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune. "But the two of you participated far too little."

"Kurenai, you are a ninja who specializes in Genjutsu. You need sharper powers of observation to seize openings, interfere with the enemy, or even control them, allowing Asuma to finish them in a single strike and conserve his stamina and Chakra."

"Asuma performed very well just now, but he wasted too much Chakra. On the battlefield, you can never predict when the next wave of enemies will arrive. So aside from ending battles quickly, you must also defeat your enemies at the smallest possible cost."

"That smallest cost includes injuries, as well as the consumption of stamina and Chakra."

Asuma and the other two immediately nodded in unison.

Yūhi Kurenai hurriedly said, "Sakumo-sensei, from now on, I'll focus specifically on this kind of training."

Hatake Sakumo nodded with a smile, then looked toward Shizune.

Shizune wore a serious expression.

Hatake Sakumo said, "In the past, medical ninja rarely took an active role on the battlefield. Tsunade was a major exception."

"However, as times change, especially after Tsunade proposed assigning medical ninja to teams, medical ninja entering the front lines will gradually become the norm. This requires medical ninja to possess stronger self-protection abilities."

Shizune hurriedly nodded.

Clearly.

During the Second Great Ninja War, Sarutobi Hiruzen—or rather, Konoha's upper ranks—had rejected Tsunade's proposal.

But it was not that they disagreed with it.

Rather, the conditions at the time did not allow it.

Asuma had not lived through that era, but he knew Tsunade's proposal had been unprecedented.

At that time, not only were medical ninja far fewer in number than they were now, their ability to protect themselves was also very poor.

In the midst of a deadlocked war, sending medical ninja with practically no combat power onto the battlefield would very likely result in enormous losses.

From Tsunade's perspective, her fury was entirely understandable.

But from Sarutobi Hiruzen's perspective—or rather, from Konoha's perspective—the decision to reject Tsunade's proposal had been correct and beyond reproach.

It was only after the Second Great Ninja War ended that Tsunade's proposal quietly began to be implemented.

Hatake Sakumo continued, "Practicing ninjutsu will delay your progress in Medical Ninjutsu, so the best directions for improvement are taijutsu, Shuriken throwing, or combining Medical Ninjutsu with ways to strengthen your ability to kill enemies and defend yourself—for example, using poison."

"Tsunade is an expert in antidotes, while during the Second Great Ninja War, Chiyo of Sunagakure was not only a puppet master but also a medical ninja and an expert at using poison!"

Shizune hurriedly nodded.

Taijutsu, Shuriken, poison—three areas.

Hatake Sakumo continued, "We cannot help you with Medical Ninjutsu or poison, but Asuma and Kurenai can help you with taijutsu and Shuriken. It will also be a good opportunity to build team coordination!"

"Yes, Sakumo-sensei!"

Asuma and the other two answered in unison.

"Alright, from here on, training will begin with taijutsu."

Hatake Sakumo announced with a smile.

And so, the training began.

Hatake Sakumo's training method was also very simple: actual combat.

Asuma sparred separately against Kurenai and Shizune. Afterward, Hatake Sakumo reviewed the fights and pointed out every flaw.

Then they continued.

After that, the three of them each fought Hatake Sakumo individually.

Once that round was over, Asuma and the other two joined forces against Hatake Sakumo.

Throughout the process, they used only taijutsu, not even Kunai.

And Hatake Sakumo did not go easy on them.

After an entire morning, Kurenai and Shizune, being girls, were relatively alright. They merely looked disheveled. But Asuma had it a little worse. Bruises were unavoidable, and his handsome face was mottled with purple bruises and swelling.

Fortunately, with Shizune, a medical ninja, around, he did not have to wear an ugly face for long.

At noon, Hatake Sakumo treated Asuma and the other two to barbecue as their teacher. By chance, they ran into Minato's Team at the Barbecue Restaurant.

Sure enough.

Kakashi was still together with Uchiha Obito and Rin.

"Fate..."

Asuma watched them and sighed inwardly.

The influence of his little butterfly seemed far smaller than he had imagined.

Forget it. I'll change myself first. As for Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu, I can't touch them yet. There's no point overthinking it!

Asuma suppressed his increasingly chaotic thoughts.

"Sakumo-senpai, why don't we join you?"

Minato greeted them with a smile.

Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Alright!"

Thus, the two teams sat together.

Asuma had not seen Kakashi for some time. After greeting him, he asked once they sat down, "Kakashi, how is your Lightning Style Chakra Nature Transformation coming along?"

At that question, everyone turned to look at Kakashi.

"I've basically mastered it."

Kakashi nodded calmly, still wearing that cool expression.

Of course, it was much better than those dead fish eyes.

"Basically mastered it?"

Asuma smiled. "Then that means you're already proficient. Looks like you've started developing that ninjutsu!"

"Huh? What ninjutsu?"

Uchiha Obito immediately asked.

Everyone else was also extremely curious.

Hatake Sakumo smiled. "Kakashi, if you don't mind, tell us about it."

Kakashi glanced at Asuma and said, "Father, this technique was actually first suggested by Asuma."

The ball was kicked right back to Asuma.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Asuma said helplessly, "The idea came from you, Sakumo-sensei!"

"Back when you came to the Ninja Academy, I learned that you were skilled in Lightning Style Sword Technique, and the idea suddenly came to me."

"It combines Lightning Style Chakra Nature Transformation with shape transformation."

Minato was incredibly surprised. "You were already considering Chakra Nature Transformation at that time, even developing ninjutsu by combining it with shape transformation?"

He remembered that Hatake Sakumo had entered the Ninja Academy as a teacher during Asuma's second year there. They had only been around six years old then, right?

Rin quickly explained, "Minato-sensei, Asuma has actually already mastered at least four Chakra Nature Transformations."

This time, not only Minato, but even Hatake Sakumo was greatly surprised.

Asuma shook his head. "I'm only proficient in Fire Style and Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation. The others are merely beginner level."

"That is still astonishing!"

Minato exclaimed.

Hatake Sakumo smiled and brought the topic back. "Let's talk about the ninjutsu you want to develop. Perhaps Minato and I can offer you some advice."

"Especially Minato. He has extraordinary talent when it comes to ninjutsu!"

Minato hurriedly said modestly, "You flatter me, senpai!"

"Still, I'll offer whatever advice I can."

Asuma had achieved his goal.

Although he knew quite a bit about Chidori, Lightning Cutter, Chidori Flow, and the rest of that series of ninjutsu, his understanding was only superficial.

Even with memories from his previous life, developing them would still be very difficult.

It was not like the Rasengan, whose original work had shown a very detailed training process.

Of course.

Minato might have already developed the Rasengan by now.

"Through Lightning Style Nature Transformation, gather Lightning Chakra in the palm of the hand. This will not only enhance the hand's piercing power, but the Lightning Chakra will also affect the body, stimulating cellular activity and greatly increasing speed!"

Asuma explained the basic principles of Chidori.

Hatake Sakumo and Minato both nodded.

According to Asuma's concept, it was feasible.

Hatake Sakumo spoke first. "To highly concentrate Lightning Chakra in the palm, it is not enough to be proficient in Lightning Style Chakra Nature Transformation. You also need powerful Chakra Control to restrain Lightning Chakra, a force that is naturally difficult to bind!"

As an expert in Lightning Style Sword Technique, he knew the difficulty of controlling Lightning Style all too well. He immediately struck at the heart of the issue.

Minato followed, "Once the ninjutsu is developed, it will also require strong physical abilities to master perfectly. Otherwise, it will have major flaws."

"For example, sharp observation and Neural Reaction."

"If your own speed is too fast, you may fail to notice the enemy's movements in battle, exposing openings—especially when you cannot hit with a single strike."

Another piercing observation!

And those were merely broad suggestions.

Next, Hatake Sakumo explained how to gain a deeper mastery of Lightning Style Chakra Nature Transformation, along with many techniques for controlling Lightning Chakra, while Minato imparted his experience in ninjutsu development.

Not only Asuma and Kakashi, but even Kurenai and the others listened with rapt attention.

Before they knew it, the meal was over.

After leaving the Barbecue Restaurant, both Asuma and Kakashi still wanted more.

With Hatake Sakumo and Minato's guidance, Asuma felt that he and Kakashi could save at least half the development time.

Moreover, during that single meal, his Experience Points had increased by 1,000, Intelligence Stat +1, and the Lightning Style Chakra Nature Transformation progress bar +20%.

If his Chakra Control had not already leveled up to Level 8, it would probably have improved as well.

Should I raise the level of Lightning Style Chakra Nature Transformation first? With my current Chakra Control, I should be able to develop Chidori, and even the entire series of techniques including Chidori Flow and Chidori Spear, very quickly.

Asuma hesitated.

But after thinking about it, he suppressed the idea.

Even though he still had twenty-two unused Skill Points.

However, he still had plenty of room to improve in Lightning Style Chakra Nature Transformation. He could raise it to Level 3, or even Level 4, on his own within a year or two.

Rather than wasting Skill Points on Lightning Style, I'd be better off developing Wind Style: Rasenshuriken first...

I just wonder whether developing a ninjutsu will earn me an achievement.

That afternoon, they continued training as they had in the morning, only ending at five o'clock.

After Hatake Sakumo left, Asuma continued his daily physical and agility training, with Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune joining him.

When it came time for agility training, Kakashi and the others arrived as well.

At seven that night, they each returned home.

For three days straight, Asuma and the others spent their days like this. Every day left them utterly exhausted, even more tired than when they had attended the Ninja Academy.

On the fourth day after graduation, Asuma and the others finally received their first mission.

"Patrol the border of the Land of Fire?"

Upon hearing Hatake Sakumo announce the mission objective, Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune both cried out in surprise.

Hatake Sakumo nodded. "More specifically, the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers."

"Sand Ninja activity has been somewhat frequent lately."

Asuma's heart stirred at this. Could it be because Sasori of the Red Sands defected?

Or has the Third Kazekage already disappeared?

He knew that the beginning of the Third Great Ninja War had been the disappearance of the Third Kazekage. In order to shift internal conflicts, or perhaps because the new ruler needed merit and authority, combined with the unresolved disputes over interests from the previous Ninja World War, the Third Great Ninja War had erupted.

However, Asuma did not know when exactly the Third Kazekage had disappeared.

But based on what he knew of the ninja world.

The Third Great Ninja War had lasted a considerable time from beginning to end.

If Minato taking the position of Fourth Hokage marked the end of the Third Great Ninja War, then it would not be surprising for the coming war to last five or six years.

"Go back and prepare. Gather at the village entrance in half an hour!"

After saying that, Hatake Sakumo vanished.

Asuma and the other two immediately split up and went home to pack.

Half an hour later, the group assembled at the village entrance. Then they left the village, leaping continuously through the dense forest as they headed southwest.

At this time, aside from the Arm Guards his mother had given him, Asuma wore armor similar to that of the First Hokage and Second Hokage. On his back, besides the Chakra Blade he had named Wind Sickle, he also carried a Large Scroll.

Since they were within the Land of Fire, there was no need to remain overly vigilant. Thus, while traveling, Asuma devoted part of his attention to his system's skill panel.

Character: Asuma

Level: 33

Age: 9

Faction: Konohagakure, Land of Fire

Experience Points: 1256/301,800

Achievements: Savior (1/10) Konoha Ninja Academy Top Graduate

Dopaminergic Attribute Points: 1

Available Skill Points: 23

Over the past few days, aside from the Fire Style ninjutsu Fire Bullet, the fastest improvements had undoubtedly been in Swordsmanship and Lightning Style Chakra Nature Transformation.

His Experience Points had also surged as a result, and he had finally leveled up again.

With Hatake Sakumo, such a powerful expert, accompanying him on his first mission, there was a strong chance that nothing dangerous would happen. Still, Asuma felt he had to prepare for the worst.

Asuma did not save the Attribute Point he had just gained. He directly assigned it to Constitution.

This brought his Constitution stat to 62. Between the two instances of adding points, he had only improved by 0.2.

A single point of Constitution did not mean much to him now, but it could still raise his Chakra Upper Limit by a fair amount.

Next came the improvement of his skills.