Chapter 437: What Are You Laughing At?
"Fire Style: Ash Accumulation Burning!"
Down on the island, Asuma wove a series of hand seals as his cheeks puffed outward.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a massive wave of dense ash poured from his mouth, expanding until it blanketed the entire horizon.
He had made solid strides over the years—at the very least, thanks to Konoha's slate of modern training facilities, his current self could easily wipe the floor with three or four versions of his Fourth Great Ninja War self.
The suffocating haze swept across the sky, blanketing half the island and swallowing up the dense forest Moegi had just summoned.
Only the tallest treetops breached the cloud, a subtle sign that his overall visual flair couldn't quite rival Moegi's.
Sparks.
Ignite.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Flames surged and continuous explosions rattled the air, their deafening roars echoing violently in the freshmen's ears.
Once again, the new recruits were struck with awe.
Was the strength of their parents' generation really this overwhelming?!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Wherever the ash had settled, Moegi's vast forest was blown to splinters by the chain explosions and set ablaze. The treetops visible from above snapped like twigs and plunged toward the island floor.
The impacts generated thunderous booms.
Watching from above, Konohamaru smirked quietly. I've finally surpassed Uncle Asuma! Heh, as expected of me, Konohamaru!
He could tell right away that Uncle Asuma was no longer a match for him.
In fact, he might have already surpassed his grandfather, the Third Hokage.
Grandpa, are you watching? Konoha has grown so strong today, and you'll never be forgotten. Your grandson, Konohamaru, will carry on your legacy and guide the village forward.
Konohamaru thought back to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had been too young back then, but his grandfather's legacy would never fade from memory—not as long as he was around to uphold it.
"Whoa, that's incredible!"
"Still, it wasn't as cool as that female teacher's move earlier."
"Right? She used Wood Release! That's definitely on a whole different level compared to everyone else."
"They're all super strong though!"
Hearing the new generation's chatter, Konohamaru's lips curled upward. It wasn't over yet.
Swish, swish!
Asuma brandished his twin trench knives, leaping among the fallen trunks. Infusing his blades with chakra, he sliced through the timber in fluid, effortless strokes.
The gigantic trees were sliced clean through like blocks of soft tofu.
He was putting his formidable taijutsu mastery on full display.
In fact, to accommodate the freshmen's lack of combat experience, he had deliberately slowed his pace down.
He wanted them to actually be able to track a body moving at high speeds.
Given that these kids hadn't grown into their full power yet, very few possessed the practiced eyes needed to parse a jonin's raw movement speed.
Especially when utilizing his specialized Nin-Taijutsu, a technique designed specifically for hyper-speed mobility.
A moment later, having finished his taijutsu routine, Asuma felt he couldn't let the fresh recruits look down on him.
He was a man of culture and talent, after all.
He wove a series of hand seals, preparing to unleash his ultimate crowd-pleasing jutsu: Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder.
A gigantic, golden Buddha phantom materialized behind his back. Forget about combat efficiency—this was all about visual impact!
He expanded the phantom Buddha to an enormous scale, directing its strikes straight into the swirling clouds of ash and smoke.
Asuma was playing a clever trick here; rather than targeting the remaining giant trees Moegi had grown, he directed his assault toward the thick billows of smoke.
With a flurry of a thousand palm strikes, the smoke was instantly blown away, revealing the devastated island below.
Fallen timber littered the ground.
Scorched earth stretched as far as the eye could see.
"So cool! What was that move just now?!"
"Is that a Susanoo?! I heard the Uchiha's Susanoo can grow that big!"
"I think it's the Cat God Possession! Word has it that the Izuno clan's Cat God Possession was put on display during the Fourth War too!"
The crowd buzzed with eager chatter.
Hearing someone mention her family's secret art sent a wave of pure thrill through Izuno Wasabi.
Even if their clan didn't have a single jonin right now, she was going to become one in the future!
That was right.
After years of development, the Izuno clan had finally produced a new chunin—her father, Zaizai Izuno—and they were steadily regaining their confidence.
Furthermore, Captain Tonbo's use of their secret technique during the Fourth War had proven to them beyond a shadow of a doubt that their family's heritage could reach truly extraordinary heights.
"What are you talking about? That's the Fire Temple's secret technique, Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder! Get your facts straight!"
"Seriously? That teacher actually knows secret techniques from the Fire Temple?! That's so cool!"
Following several years of peace, the Fire Temple had expanded aggressively.
Instead of keeping a low profile, the monks had actively integrated into the public life of the Land of Fire.
The remote, high mountains where the temple resided had turned into a scenic tourist spot, generating tens of millions in annual revenue and bringing immense fame to the Fire Temple.
As a result, many kids were well aware of the temple's existence.
It was a true renaissance—the once-declining Fire Temple had flourished during this era of peace.
"Tch, this teacher definitely isn't as strong as that female teacher earlier," Boruto observed with a single glance. He could tell the guy was just flexing.
That last move didn't actually pack much of a punch—it was clearly just for show.
All style, no substance.
Still, showing off was pretty cool.
Boruto liked showing off too.
Mitsuki smiled subtly beside him. "It's only natural. He's an old-school jonin who's fallen behind the times; displaying this much strength is already pretty good for him. Just make sure you don't end up failing to surpass a jonin like him in the future—otherwise, I'm going to get very bored."
To Mitsuki, Asuma's strength had clearly lagged behind in Konoha's rapidly evolving environment.
He couldn't even keep up with the new generation's pace.
Keep in mind that the advanced facilities available to the younger generation were equally accessible to the veteran shinobi.
For a veteran with vast combat experience to lag behind this far was frankly embarrassing.
If it were Master Kabuto, his father Orochimaru, or Captain Tonbo, a scene like this could be orchestrated with a flick of their wrist.
Even his father, at his age, was still making rapid strides forward. Seeing this relatively young veteran fall behind made Mitsuki shake his head in quiet disappointment.
Hearing his words, Boruto puffed out his cheeks. "Tch! I'm definitely going to surpass this teacher! In fact, I'm going to surpass my old man!"
His ultimate ambition was to surpass Naruto, not some random jonin.
Asuma's ears twitched.
It was as if the wind had carried the two boys' hushed chatter straight into his ears. His face turned completely green.
Dammit! How is this even possible?! How can a pair of squirts like them see right through me?!
It seemed he really had slacked off lately. He needed to step up his training immediately.
Conveniently, his daughter Mirai was in her third year now; they could share some of the training sessions. He was going to push himself to grow.
Never look down on a middle-aged man!
"Asuma, you really have fallen behind a bit," Naruto remarked with sincere candor. "Though it doesn't matter much. Konohamaru and the others have already grown up to carry the torch. You should just focus on raising your daughter and getting some rest. Leave the Will of Fire to the next generation."
Naruto's earnest comment proved to be the final blow, sending the surrounding shinobi into fits of laughter.
They had caught the two young boys' whispers earlier as well.
HA HA HA HA!
Tobitake Tonbo laughed the loudest of all.
To think that Kakashi and the others would join in on the roaring laughter as well!
Getting roasted by the new generation like that made Asuma the first man in Konoha to achieve such a distinction.
Naruto's earnest knife-stab turned Asuma's face from green to pitch black, leaving him utterly humiliated.
Glaring at the roaring Kakashi and Might Guy, Asuma snapped, "Laugh! Go ahead and laugh! What are you two even laughing at?! My daughter Mirai is already three years old, while neither of you even has a partner! You two are way more embarrassing than I am!"
In a single instant, two more bystanders took critical damage.
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