Carry Him Away, Next

That was right—Yue had drawn Asuma Sarutobi as his opponent.

His old man was here today too. No matter what, he could not lose this spar.

He desperately wanted to prove himself to his old man.

All along, Asuma had felt that his father looked down on him. He was already outstanding, yet his father, the Hokage, always thought he was "poor."

His father had even asked him whether he knew the meaning of "king."

That father-son relationship had made Asuma extremely rebellious.

But his desire to prove himself was genuine.

Right now was a rare opportunity!

He was close to Yue in age, unlike Kakashi and the others, who were younger. That made him the most suitable opponent for Yue.

In fact, it was not just the Third Hokage who had come. His older brother was here as well.

Asuma could only win this battle. He could not lose!

Staring at Yue, who looked down on him from ahead, fighting spirit surged in Asuma's eyes. He raised his kunai and took up a combat stance.

Seeing that Yue still had no intention of putting away his book, the referee standing between them could not be bothered to say anything else and simply swung down his arm.

The battle began!

Almost the instant the arm dropped completely, Asuma burst forward with the force beneath his feet and rushed in front of Yue.

He was going to teach that arrogant Kusagakure brat a bloody lesson.

"Go, Asuma!"

"Beat him up for me!"

Cheers from the other youths rang out from the stands around the field.

An opening!

Even though he had already closed the distance, Yue's gaze was still fixed on his book. Asuma's eyes lit up.

He raised his arm, and the sharp kunai instantly stabbed toward Yue's wrist.

Yue's hands were holding the book, so his movements would naturally be hindered.

And this was only a spar, so he could not go for the kill either. Since Yue did not know what was good for him, Asuma intended to make him suffer for it.

However, along with the sound of a book closing—

A soft clap rang out.

Asuma finally saw Yue's cold gaze lift toward him.

An indescribable, invisible aura immediately spread out like a tide.

Brushed by that aura, Asuma instantly felt a near-tangible sting across his skin. His limbs turned cold, and even his movements stalled for a brief moment.

In that opening, the wrist holding Asuma's kunai had already been seized by Yue's fingers.

Yue's fingertips suddenly tightened like iron pincers.

Asuma winced in pain and tried to pull his hand back, only to discover that his strength was utterly incapable of competing with Yue's.

He tried to twist his body and use Taijutsu to escape his awkward predicament.

But although they appeared roughly equal in build and physique, Yue flung Asuma around as though he were a paper doll. Just as Asuma was about to follow up with a second move, Yue yanked hard, interrupting his motion and dragging him before him in an instant. They were nearly pressed together, their eyes meeting.

From Asuma's posture alone, it was clear that he was completely restrained by Yue and had utterly lost his balance.

"Ugh!"

Then, Asuma spat out saliva.

His abdomen had suffered a heavy blow.

Yue's knee strike seemed to have knocked even the contents of his stomach out of him.

Yue was not going to deliberately hold back just because the Third Hokage was present.

His goal in coming here had been these future "pillars" of Konoha.

Still, as expected of the Sarutobi clan, Asuma's strength was outstanding enough among ninjas his age.

Despite such intense pain, Asuma somehow remained conscious. In the blink of an eye, he stabilized himself. Just as Yue was about to smash the book down onto the back of his bowed head, Asuma sharply caught the slackening of force in Yue's fingers and broke free at once.

Then, like a startled bird, he quickly pulled away.

Yue's hand holding the book struck empty air.

After darting away, Asuma formed hand seals with both hands without even thinking.

He realized that he could not fight at close range.

This Fuma Yue's Taijutsu ability and skill were terrifying.

Not only were his reactions fast, but he could also spot the openings in Asuma's moves at unexpected moments.

The best way to deal with an enemy like that was from a distance.

But just as he finished forming the seals and began to mobilize Chakra, a fierce gust appeared above his head.

Yue spun through the air, expressionless.

One palm landed precisely atop Asuma Sarutobi's head...

"How is that possible?"

Feeling the touch against his scalp, Asuma Sarutobi's mind went blank.

From his perspective, after shaking Yue off, he had already moved into position first... Even if Yue had followed him with abnormal speed—

His eyes should have been able to catch him and react.

Yet now, in Asuma's eyes, the entire battlefield was empty.

Yue had somehow appeared above his head like a ghost.

There could only be two reasons for this result. First, even though Asuma had moved first, he was still slower than Yue.

Second, and more importantly—

Yue had already predicted the direction Asuma would evade in and where he would land.

That was indeed the case. To the other spectators, Asuma had moved first, but as he leaped away, his line of sight shifted with his movement.

Yue had moved later but arrived first, shooting into the blind spot of Asuma's vision and reaching a point above him.

The position Yue appeared in and the tricky angle he chose made him difficult for Asuma to guard against and even harder to notice.

A dull thud rang out.

Yue mercilessly yanked downward with force, smashing Asuma's face into the incomparably hard ground.

Blood immediately covered Asuma's face. Several teeth even flew out, ruining his looks on the spot.

His eyes rolled white, and he instantly lost consciousness.

In the end, his body crumpled at Yue's feet.

Yue slowly straightened up, reopened his closed book, and said calmly, "Next."

"..."

Silence fell...

It had ended too quickly.

No one had expected things to develop like this.

All of the Konoha Rookies had realized that Yue was likely far stronger than Ryuga and Yoshitaka, but they had never imagined that he would display such crushing dominance against Asuma.

From the beginning of the battle to its end—

Although the exchange between Yue and Asuma contained many subtle details, it had actually lasted less than ten seconds.

Asuma had been "instantly defeated" before he could even use a single Ninjutsu!

The brats who had just been cheering Asuma on all widened their eyes and fell silent.

"This brat!"

Konoha's younger generation did not understand what had happened, but the watching ninjas saw through it. The reason Asuma had been so thoroughly defeated was the killing intent Yue had released in that instant!

It had inflicted a severe psychological impact on Asuma... To put it plainly, killing intent like that was not something a brat his age should possess.

The only explanation was that Yue had killed many people... A great many.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes narrowed and opened, a faint smile resting on his face.

His son had been badly beaten, yet he was not angry... Instead, he felt that this was a chance for Asuma to grow.

Still, unconcealable surprise flickered in his eyes. Even someone like him, who had weathered countless storms, found Yue astonishing.

The instant that killing intent emerged, not only had the referee in the field nearly reacted instinctively, but even the Ninja Academy teachers watching had almost made a move.

That alone showed just how intense Yue's killing intent was.

And... this Fuma Yue gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a familiar feeling.

A ninja seedling like this did not seem like something this era could nurture.

He was more like a ninja from the past, one who had grown up amid slaughter and battle from childhood, stepping over blood and flesh.

A man-eating Fierce Beast!

If Yue's physique and appearance did not make it so obvious that he was a youth... Hiruzen might even have mistaken him for someone of his own generation.

Throughout the history of the ninja world, the ninjas of every era bore distinct marks... Although two great ninja wars had taken place and the world was still not peaceful even now, compared with the past, the ninja world was already relatively "stable," at least in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

Therefore, while the ninjas of each village had received some tempering, before they spent years on the battlefield, they were still somewhat like flowers in a greenhouse.

Not to mention the Warring States Era before hidden villages existed, when children only a few years old had to step onto battlefields, endure bloodshed, and defend their clans.

Even when he himself had been young, the "chaotic, dark" ninja world of that time was beyond what these younger generations could imagine.

Back then, many rules had not yet been refined, so there were naturally far fewer restraints on people.

And Yue was more like a ninja from that era.

The only thing Hiruzen Sarutobi could not understand was how a Genin from Kusagakure, especially one Yue's age—

Could possibly have experienced such things?

Kusagakure did not have the means for it, much less could it have allowed a child to undergo countless life-and-death battles... Killing intent was something that could only be awakened and honed by repeatedly walking the edge of death and being placed in peril.

It could not be accumulated through petty fights.

It also required a certain level of actual combat experience.

"This child... is somewhat special."

After thinking for a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally said something to Minato Namikaze.

Even with his experience, Hiruzen could not explain the phenomena surrounding Yue or the things he saw in him.

"Hehe... I told you. Once you saw him with your own eyes, you would definitely be surprised."

Minato Namikaze said with a smile.

Kusagakure absolutely could not cultivate a "genius" like Yue.

Yue's genius was not about how monstrous his talent was. Rather, his combat strength was clearly the result of tempering and growth.

It carried the solidity of someone who had built himself step by step.

Minato had noticed it back at the border of the Land of Grass.

How old was Yue?

That was what made this phenomenon, which defied common sense and comprehension, so bizarre.

It was not merely that Kusagakure could not raise someone like Yue. Even Konoha could not do it.

Yet now... Yue was truly standing before them.

"Don't you find it interesting?"

Minato suddenly smiled. "As long as one lives long enough, one can meet all kinds of people."

"This world has never lacked geniuses... So-called genius is merely relative. Even among geniuses, there are some particularly exceptional existences."

After saying that, Minato realized that his words seemed to imply something about the Third Hokage's age.

An awkward expression appeared on his face.

"Mm... I think you're right."

Unexpectedly, the Third Hokage nodded in agreement.