As for his own son, Asuma, being beaten into a concussion and rushed to Konoha Hospital, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't care in the slightest.
Konoha possessed the most complete medical–ninja system in the entire shinobi world, as well as the finest medical ninja of all: Princess Tsunade. In that context, a mere concussion was nothing - injuries far more severe could still be treated without issue.
If a simple Academy sparring exercise was enough to leave him concussed, that only proved how mediocre Asuma really was. On a real battlefield, someone like that would likely die within minutes.
Getting beaten now and learning a lesson was far better than being killed in the future.
On the other side, Uchiha Mai was quite satisfied with the day's gains.
To ordinary ninjas, the talent of this body could be considered genius-level. But in Mai's eyes, it was nothing special - just the standard level of an average Uchiha.
At present, his chakra reserves barely reached those of an ordinary genin, and the only techniques he had mastered were the three basic Academy jutsu.
His chakra nature was Fire, yet he hadn't learned a single Fire Release technique. In that regard, he couldn't even surpass the so-called "second pillar" of the same age.
In terms of overall strength, he wasn't truly stronger than Sarutobi Asuma. At best, they were evenly matched. Even so, relying on Mayweather's boxing techniques, he had managed to mercilessly beat down an Academy student - an unexpectedly pleasant surprise.
Boxing, like auto racing, looks like an adrenaline-fueled, high-octane sport. In reality, however, it demands absolute calm from its practitioners.
That's because official competitions impose many restrictions, and athletes within the same weight class rarely differ much in physical attributes. Managing stamina and applying power in the most efficient way possible become the true deciding factors.
The development of boxing techniques and tactics is essentially about solving a problem within strict rules - being given a theme and exploring it to its limits.
After decades of refinement in modern professional boxing, those techniques had long since matured.
Mai absorbed that knowledge and brought it into the ninja world. He couldn't exactly be called a grand philosopher of taijutsu, but bullying Academy students? That was effortless.
In the future, as he learned various hand-to-hand combat styles, he could adapt them according to his own understanding, reshaping them into forms that suited him best.
Overall, his impression of the damn system had improved a little.
If half-star skills were already this powerful, then higher-tier skills wouldn't they be downright broken?
While savoring that thought, Mai casually glanced at the system interface - and his pupils suddenly shrank.
At its current stage, the system was still a beginner version, supporting only half-star and one-star draws. The former required 100 points, the latter 300.
More advanced options would only unlock once the host reached a certain level of strength.
Over the past few months, by acting every day like a cold, brooding pretty boy - combined with that face - he had barely accumulated a little over three hundred points, enough for two draws.
Before going to school that morning, he had checked: only 106 points. So how had it suddenly jumped by nearly two hundred?
Could it be because he had beaten up Sarutobi Asuma, a relatively important character in Shippuden, earning extra points?
If that was the case…
Now he was wide awake.
Mai rubbed his chin, his star-like eyes sweeping over the Academy students with ill intent.
Might Guy, Obito, Nohara Rin, Mitarashi Anko, Kurenai Yuhi, Gekkō Hayate… all characters who appeared in Shippuden.
If he beat them one by one…
Wouldn't that be amazing?
And that was only the Ninja Academy. There was also plenty to "harvest" within the Uchiha compound. Uchiha Shisui had just turned four - eight versus four would be ridiculously easy.
As for the clan head Fugaku's eldest son, Itachi, he had just been born. A few days earlier, the clan had even held a one-month celebration. If Mai found a chance to flick little Itachi's forehead a few times…
Wouldn't that also earn points?
While Mai was mentally tallying which children in Konoha he could bully in the future, the dismissal bell rang. The little demons scattered, each going off to find their own mother.
Mai set those thoughts aside. There was no rush. Those "points" weren't going anywhere. Opportunities would come.
What mattered most now was getting home as soon as possible and doing a one-star draw in a safe environment.
After rejecting several invitations from girls to walk home together, Mai had barely stepped out of the Academy gates when his path was blocked by a beast.
A beast worthy of Beauty and the Beast.
A shiny bowl-cut slick with oil, a large nose reminiscent of Jackie Chan, eyebrows as thick as highways, and the iconic tight green jumpsuit. Might Guy spread his arms, blocking Mai's way, his eyes burning with an unyielding fighting spirit.
"Mai! Fight me!"
"I refuse," Mai replied coldly, without a second thought.
"Great! I knew that someone who loves taijutsu like you wouldn't refuse the challenge of another taijutsu practi - "
"Wait… refuse?"
Guy rattled on until he suddenly realized, far too late, that his challenge had been rejected. That made no sense at all.
Mai lifted his head, gazing toward the distant sunset, his voice tinged with melancholy.
"Today is my younger brother Shisui's birthday. I promised to go home early to spend it with him.
My parents died on the battlefield when I was very young. Shisui… is the only family I have left in this world."
"You have a brother?" Guy asked, surprised.
"Not by blood," Mai lied without blinking.
They were both Uchihas. He was younger. How did that not count as a brother?
And as for saying he was the only family left… didn't Guy understand emotions? Family wasn't just about blood. That was philosophy.
"Ugh…"
Guy suddenly began sobbing uncontrollably, moved to tears.
"What a touching bond between brothers! The birthday of one's only family member truly is more important than a fight!"
"I'm glad you understand," Mai said, patting Guy on the shoulder.
Of course, the birthday was a lie. The real reason for refusing was simple: he wanted to go home and draw.
At this stage, Guy wasn't that strong yet. Beating him wouldn't be hard. The problem was his personality - persistent, clingy, tireless.
If he got dragged into a fight, he might not make it home before midnight.
"Looks like we'll have to schedule it for another day," Guy said regretfully.
"Definitely next time," Mai replied with a smile.
After getting past the obstacle, Mai took advantage of the twilight and ran all the way back to the Uchiha compound, to the house his parents had left behind.
Back then, the Second Hokage had wanted to marginalize the Uchiha, but in order to avoid suspicion, he ultimately placed the clan's territory in the center of Konoha, granting them a generous area.
The clan had long practiced endogamy, and after the Second Great Ninja War, its population had declined significantly, leaving many residences empty.
So much so that a child who had lost his entire family could live alone in an entire compound.