The sudden end of the battle left everyone both shocked and confused.
Yukawa's genjutsu was only directed at Sarutobi Asuma.
From their perspective, the fight seemed quite strange.
Sarutobi Asuma stopped in his tracks, standing motionless.
Yukawa, holding kunai, walked up to him and easily claimed victory.
They had anticipated two possible outcomes:
Sarutobi Asuma would win overwhelmingly.
Yukawa, hidden beneath the surface, and Sarutobi Asuma would engage in a difficult, evenly matched battle.
But no one had expected this result.
"Impressive!"
Yohara Rin exclaimed in awe.
Among all ninja arts, excluding Kekkei Genkai, medical ninjutsu and genjutsu are considered the most difficult.
Yukawa's ability to master genjutsu made him undoubtedly a genius among geniuses.
Kakashi Hatake nodded slightly in agreement.
At this point, he was indeed intrigued.
Previously, after defeating Sarutobi Asuma, he couldn't find a worthy opponent, so he had prepared for early graduation.
Now, he had a new goal.
That was to defeat Yukawa before graduating.
"Just a simple genjutsu!"
Obito Uchiha, seeing Yohara Rin's expression, immediately retorted, "Any genjutsu is meaningless in the face of the Sharingan!"
"Wait until you awaken your eyes," Kakashi casually replied.
"I'll definitely awaken them!" Obito said, his face reddening with frustration.
The Sharingan, unlike the Byakugan, requires a certain talent to awaken.
He still hadn't shown any signs of awakening his eyes.
"I believe in you, Obito," Yohara Rin quickly intervened, "Your talent is no less than theirs."
"Heh heh!"
Obito Uchiha immediately smiled, turning his mood around.
"Let's go."
Kakashi Hatake withdrew his gaze and said, "I'll treat you to a meal, Rin."
Obito Uchiha froze.
He had forgotten all about the bet.
Damn!
Obito felt a sharp pang in his chest.
He had lost, and it was the most decisive defeat yet.
"Obito."
Yohara Rin turned her head and spoke softly, "Come with us."
"I don't mind," Kakashi said nonchalantly.
"Rin!"
Obito Uchiha was touched, his heart full of emotion.
As the battle ended, the students who had been watching left one by one.
Only Kurenai Yuhi approached, her face filled with excitement.
Who said genjutsu users are weak? Genjutsu users are amazing!
"Yukawa!"
Kurenai Yuhi's face flushed a bit, looking like a red apple.
Yukawa snapped back to reality and smiled.
He had just seen a new triggered entry:
[E-rank Talent Entry: Gale Transmission.]
[Trigger Condition: Defeat Young Sarutobi Asuma.]
[Effect: Wind Release talent increased by 10%.]
This new entry was unexpected for Yukawa.
He hadn't thought he could trigger an entry like this.
Although it was only a 10% boost, it sparked new ideas for him.
If he defeated Kakashi Hatake, would he gain Lightning Release talent?
If he defeated an even stronger version of Sarutobi Asuma, would the wind release talent boost be even higher?
"Asuma."
Yukawa spoke earnestly, "You're strong. If you had lasted a little longer, I would have lost the match due to chakra depletion."
This was a lie.
He needed Sarutobi Asuma to keep challenging him in order to trigger more entries.
The best way to do that was to give him hope.
Make him think that with just a little more effort, he could win.
Sarutobi Asuma was stunned.
What did this mean?
Was it a gesture of goodwill?
But... he couldn't accept that!
"I'll be back!"
Sarutobi Asuma glanced at Kurenai Yuhi and turned away.
Only in his wounded world had he truly reached his limit.
Today, my hands tremble, today, my heart aches.
Sarutobi Asuma silently made his way home.
He pushed the door open, changed his shoes, and walked straight to his room.
"Asuma."
The voice of his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi, rang out. "Why didn't you greet me?"
Sarutobi Asuma didn't lift his head, completely ignoring him.
"..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face stiffened.
It wasn't surprising that he wasn't showing respect, but today there were guests.
Now, he wanted to reward him with seven wolves.
"Old man, it's rare to see you on the receiving end for once," a voice of some schadenfreude echoed.
"Please excuse me, Tsunade," Hiruzen Sarutobi awkwardly replied.
As a Hokage, he'd never been so embarrassed in front of his students.
"No problem, kids are like that," Tsunade said, changing the subject, "But I see Asuma seems to be troubled."
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought back to Asuma's behavior earlier and indeed, something felt off.
After some thought, he instructed, "Haru, go investigate."
Tsunade, being his student, didn't mind at all and didn't hide anything.
"How is Minato's injury?"
While waiting, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
"It's not serious anymore."
Tsunade smiled confidently and said, "With me handling it, you don't need to worry."
"That's true," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, frowning. "But I didn't expect Minato to be so seriously injured."
"When the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki goes berserk, any injury is possible."
Tsunade shook her head, saying, "Luckily, the Flying Thunder God Technique was used, or the loss would have been much greater."
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
If Kushina Uzumaki had gone rampaging through Konoha, it would have been an uncontrollable disaster.
"Lord Hokage."
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
An Anbu ninja named Haru entered, holding a scroll.
It was undoubtedly the report on Sarutobi Asuma's situation.
Curious, Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the scroll.
Let's see what happened here.
Given Sarutobi Asuma's rank and strength, he shouldn't have been bullied at school.
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow.
He actually lost to Yukawa?
This was absurd!
Sarutobi Asuma's talent wasn't top-tier, but it wasn't bad either.
Moreover, he had been training for over half a year already.
Before enrolling, Sarutobi Asuma had received special jonin-level instruction.
But Yukawa?
He had only started learning a week ago.
The only explanation was that Yukawa was indeed an extraordinary genjutsu genius.
Besides that, his mental state was commendable.
After defeating Sarutobi Asuma, he didn't gloat but instead comforted him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts began to shift.
This was an opportunity.
An opportunity to mend his relationship with Sarutobi Asuma.
"Old man, have you finished?"
Tsunade reached out her hand.
Hiruzen Sarutobi handed her the scroll.
"Genjutsu learned in the first year?"
Tsunade quickly skimmed through and said in surprise, "Seems like another genius."
"Indeed."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and said, "I'll go see Asuma."
"Mm."
Tsunade put the scroll down and said, "I'll go check how the food is being prepared by my teacher."
She was referring to Hiruzen Sarutobi's wife, Sarutobi Hibiki.
"Asuma."
Hiruzen Sarutobi knocked on Asuma's room door.
"He's not here!"
Sarutobi Asuma was still sulking.
"Don't you want to defeat Yukawa?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused and said, "I can teach you how to break genjutsu."
Silence filled the air.
After a moment, the door opened.
Sarutobi Asuma had a stern expression, "Hurry up and speak!"
Seeing his attitude, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, his lips curling up.
Yukawa, truly, was a good kid.