Sarutobi Asuma had been quietly watching Yūhi Kurenai the entire time. When he saw the look of pity and tenderness in her eyes as she gazed at Kakashi, he couldn't help but curl his lips in irritation. A surge of resentment welled up in his chest toward Kakashi.
Kakashi glanced at the two women before him and said softly, "Sorry, Kurenai, Shizune. I just want to be alone for a while."
At those words, both Kurenai and Kato Shizune couldn't hide the disappointment on their faces.
Seeing Kurenai's crestfallen expression, Asuma's frustration boiled over. He barked at Kakashi, "Damn it, Kakashi! How can you just ignore how much she cares about you?!"
"Asuma!" Kurenai scolded sharply, hands on her hips, glaring at him in anger.
Just then, Uchiha Yuan approached.
He stopped in front of the group, smiling warmly as he raised a hand toward Kakashi. "We meet again, Kakashi-senpai."
At the sight of him, Kakashi's gaze remained calm and detached as always—but under the mask, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
That thick-skinned Uchiha brat again…
"Huh? An Uchiha junior?"
Kurenai and the others turned toward Yuan, their faces showing mild confusion and surprise.
Asuma stopped his outburst, looking between Yuan and Kakashi with a puzzled expression. After a few moments, he walked up to Yuan and asked, "Hey, Uchiha kid, how do you know Kakashi?"
Yuan replied evenly, "Kakashi-senpai is a famous genius. Everyone at the Academy looks up to him. How could I not know who he is?"
Asuma's expression soured instantly, his brows knitting together. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Kurenai, who now wore a faint smile.
Kurenai chuckled lightly. "As expected of Kakashi. Even the younger students admire him."
Hearing Kurenai praise Kakashi only made Asuma's annoyance grow worse.
He puffed out his chest and turned back to Yuan. "Then do you know who I am?"
Yuan shook his head, an arrogant smirk on his face. "No idea. We Uchiha don't bother remembering nobodies."
The words struck home. Asuma's face turned crimson with anger as he lunged forward, reaching to grab Yuan. "You damn brat! Remember this name—Sarutobi Asuma! I'll be a powerful ninja one day!"
Yuan took a small step back, easily avoiding Asuma's grasp. He turned his eyes to Kakashi instead. "Kakashi-senpai, about that bowl of ramen I ate last time—I hope you don't mind."
After a brief silence, Kakashi replied coolly, "It's fine. Consider it my treat."
With that, he turned and began walking away—only for Kurenai and Shizune to move quickly and block his path.
"Kakashi, you treated someone to ramen?"
"Kakashi-kun, I think that means you have to come to the gathering today."
"Yes, and you're the one paying this time."
Just then, a blur of green appeared behind Kakashi.
A hand landed on his shoulder, followed by a blindingly bright grin. "Yo, Kakashi! It's been thirty-four days since we last met! To celebrate our reunion, let's run twenty laps around Konoha together!"
The green jumpsuit left no doubt—Might Guy, the Green Beast of Konoha.
Even before Guy spoke, Yuan could feel it—beneath that ridiculous outfit, the man's blood and vitality pulsed with tremendous force.
Still, when he heard what Guy actually said, Yuan couldn't help but stare blankly, a black line forming on his face. His brain must be wired differently from normal people…
"See you later, Kakashi-senpai," Yuan said politely before taking his leave.
As he walked away, Guy's grin slowly faded. His bright eyes narrowed as he watched the boy's retreating figure.
"What's wrong, Guy? That Uchiha kid giving you bad vibes?" Asuma asked, noticing his change in expression.
Guy pointed after Yuan's silhouette, his tone suddenly serious. "He's strong. Very strong. Hahaha… I can feel it. I'm getting excited already!"
Asuma blinked. "You feel it? That's it?"
Guy gave a huge thumbs-up. "Exactly. My intuition tells me so!"
At that, Asuma's tension evaporated. He rolled his eyes and snorted. "Oh, great. That kind of 'intuition.' Guy, you're getting more ridiculous by the day."
No one took his words seriously—after all, Might Guy's eccentricities were legendary.
Yuan, meanwhile, had already returned to the Uchiha Compound, walking along a narrow path through the forest.
Suddenly, the sharp clink of colliding metal rang out from deeper in the woods.
Curious, Yuan followed the sound and soon came upon a small clearing. There, a young boy was practicing with shuriken.
Even though the boy's frame was small, Yuan recognized him instantly—Uchiha Itachi.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Shuriken flew through the air in dazzling arcs, each one striking dead center on the target.
The Uchiha were famed for their Fire Release, but the truth was, thanks to the Sharingan's insight, their perception and precision made them masters of shurikenjutsu as well.
Watching Itachi's performance now, Yuan could tell—the boy's throwing skill already surpassed that of most Academy instructors.
Itachi's movements were fluid and quick, his body shifting constantly as he threw from sharp, unpredictable angles.
Standing at the edge of the clearing, Yuan couldn't help but smile in admiration.
Though he disagreed with Itachi's ultimate choices in life, he never denied the boy's sheer genius.
Uchiha Itachi—a prodigy among prodigies, a true monster of talent.
Even Sasuke—without the reincarnation of Indra's chakra—would have never come close to matching him.
Swish!
Suddenly, a sharp whizz sliced through the air—
A shuriken buried itself deep into the tree beside Yuan.
Itachi had missed.
He had been trying to throw five shuriken simultaneously—his previous attempt with three had landed perfectly, but this time, only two struck the target while three veered off-course.
Frowning at the errant shuriken, Itachi followed its trajectory—and froze when he saw Yuan standing there.
His eyes widened in alarm, and he hurriedly ran over. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know anyone was nearby—I almost hit you!"
Indeed, if that shuriken's angle had been off by just a little more, it wouldn't have struck the tree… it would have struck Uchiha Yuan himself.
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