The battle's abrupt end left the spectators both shaken and confused.
Hanekawa's genjutsu had only targeted Sarutobi Asuma. From everyone else's perspective, the fight had been utterly baffling—Asuma suddenly froze mid-step, standing there motionless, while Hanekawa calmly walked up with a kunai and claimed victory with ease.
The onlookers had expected one of two outcomes:
Asuma would dominate and win overwhelmingly.
Hanekawa, secretly powerful, would put up a hard fight, with the match dragging out evenly.
But no one had imagined it would end like this.
"...He's so strong!" Nohara Rin exclaimed, eyes wide in admiration.
Of all the ninja arts, aside from bloodline limits, medical ninjutsu and genjutsu were said to be the hardest to master. For Hanekawa to use genjutsu so effectively—he was without doubt a genius among geniuses.
Kakashi Hatake gave a small nod at her words. Now he was intrigued.
After he'd beaten Asuma, Kakashi hadn't found anyone at the Academy who could truly challenge him. He'd already been considering early graduation.
But now… he had a new goal.Before graduating, he wanted to defeat Hanekawa.
"It's just genjutsu!" Uchiha Obito objected hotly, seeing Rin's admiration. "Genjutsu doesn't matter at all against the Sharingan!"
"Say that again once you've awakened your eyes," Kakashi replied offhandedly.
"I will awaken them!" Obito shouted, face flushing red with frustration.
Unlike the Hyūga's Byakugan, the Sharingan required a spark of talent and a trigger to awaken—and Obito still showed no signs of it.
"I believe in you, Obito," Rin said quickly, stepping in to soothe the tension. "Your talent is no less than theirs."
"Heh!" Obito's scowl melted into a goofy grin, switching expressions like a clown on stage.
"Come on," Kakashi said, turning away. "I owe you dinner, Rin."
Obito instantly turned to stone. He had completely forgotten about their bet.
Damn! His heart ached with the sharpness of a kunai. This loss was the most painful yet.
"Obito." Rin turned back to him with a gentle smile. "Come with us too."
"I don't mind," Kakashi said flatly.
"Rin!" Obito's heart nearly burst. He was moved beyond words.
Meanwhile, with the match over, the crowd of students began drifting away.
Only Kurenai Yūhi came rushing forward, her little face flushed with excitement.Who said genjutsu-users weren't strong? They were amazing!
"Hanekawa!" Kurenai called, her cheeks red like ripe apples.
Snapped from his thoughts, Hanekawa smiled back faintly. He had just been looking at the system's new notification:
[E-rank Talent: Gale Chronicles]Trigger Condition: Defeat young Sarutobi AsumaEffect: Wind Release affinity increased by 10%
This new entry had surprised him. He hadn't expected to trigger talents this way.
Only 10%, true—but it gave him plenty of inspiration.If he defeated Kakashi, would he gain a Lightning Release boost?If he beat Asuma again, in a stronger state, would the Wind bonus rise further?
"Asuma," Hanekawa said sincerely, "you were really strong. If you had held out a bit longer, I would've run out of chakra and lost."
A blatant lie.
But he needed Asuma to keep challenging him, so that he could trigger more talents.And the best way to ensure that was to give him hope—to make him think he was just one step away from victory.
Asuma froze.
What was this? An olive branch?
No—he couldn't accept it!
"I'll be back!" Asuma declared, stealing a glance at Kurenai before turning away.
And thus, only his world was broken.Today, his hands shook.Today, his heart ached.
Silent, Asuma trudged home.
He pushed open the door, changed his shoes, and stomped straight toward his room.
"Asuma," came the voice of his father, Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Why don't you greet our guest?"
Asuma ignored him, head lowered, not saying a word.
"..."
Hiruzen's face stiffened instantly. He was used to his son giving him the cold shoulder—but today, of all days, there was company present.
He had even planned to reward Asuma with a Seven Wolves cigarette brand.
"Well, well," came a teasing laugh. "Old man, it's been ages since I've seen you put in your place. Rare sight."
"Don't laugh at me, Tsunade," Hiruzen said, embarrassed.
As the great Professor of Shinobi, when had he ever been humiliated in front of students like this?
"It's nothing," Tsunade replied lightly. Then her tone shifted. "But… I think Asuma's going through something."
Hiruzen paused, replaying his son's behavior earlier. Something was wrong.
After a moment, he gave an order: "Sei, investigate it."
Tsunade was his student, and since things had reached this point, there was no need for pretenses anymore.
"How's Minato's injury?" Hiruzen asked while they waited.
"It's no problem anymore," Tsunade answered with a confident smile. "With me treating him, you don't need to worry."
"That's true," Hiruzen admitted, though he frowned. "Still, I didn't expect Minato to be hurt so badly."
"The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki went berserk—injuries like that were inevitable," Tsunade said, shaking her head. "Thank goodness for the Flying Thunder God. Without it, the damage would've been much worse."
At that, Hiruzen's face turned grim with lingering fear. If Uzumaki Kushina had rampaged into Konoha itself, the situation would've spiraled completely out of control.
"Lord Hokage," a knock came at the door.
The ANBU named Sei stepped inside, holding out a scroll. No doubt it contained the report on Asuma's situation.
Curious, Hiruzen unrolled it.
Let's see what happened.With Asuma's status and skill, there was no reason he should've been bullied at school.
But his eyes widened slightly.
He had actually lost—to Hanekawa?
Impossible!
Asuma wasn't the most gifted, but he was far from talentless. More importantly, he had been training under elite jōnin even before enrolling.
And Hanekawa? He had only been learning for a single week.
The only explanation was that Hanekawa was truly a once-in-a-generation genjutsu prodigy.
And beyond that… his temperament was commendable.After winning, he hadn't gloated. Instead, he'd comforted Asuma.
A thought sparked in Hiruzen's mind.
This could be an opportunity—A chance to mend his relationship with his son.
"Done reading, old man?" Tsunade held out her hand.
Hiruzen passed her the scroll.
"A first-year already using genjutsu?" Tsunade raised her brows, genuinely surprised. "Seems we've got another prodigy."
"Indeed," Hiruzen said, rising to his feet. "I'll go speak with Asuma."
"Mm." Tsunade set the scroll aside. "I'll check on Lady Biwako's cooking."
She was referring to Sarutobi Biwako, Hiruzen's wife.
"Asuma," Hiruzen said as he knocked on his son's bedroom door.
"Not here!" came the muffled, sulking reply.
"Don't you want to defeat Hanekawa?" Hiruzen asked after a pause. "I can teach you how to break free from genjutsu."
Silence hung in the air.
Then, after a long moment, the door creaked open.
Asuma's face was stiff, his voice curt: "Tell me. Now."
Hiruzen's lips curved into a smile.
Hanekawa, he thought, really was a good kid.