Chapter 64 – Battle Against Asuma
About half an hour after Ryuya arrived at the examination grounds, most of the shinobi participating in the assessment had gathered as well.
With the appearance of the Third Hokage, the Special Jōnin Selection officially began.
The rules were simple: one-on-one matches determined by drawing lots.
Any shinobi who advanced through three rounds would be promoted to Special Jōnin.
Although the assessment primarily evaluated combat strength, it wasn't absolute.
If a candidate demonstrated an exceptional talent in a particular field—something far beyond ordinary standards—they could still pass even without winning purely through battle.
Because of this, each Special Jōnin promotion usually included two or three extra slots beyond the fixed quota.
As a result, shinobi with kekkei genkai or secret techniques naturally had an easier time advancing than civilian-born ninja.
The examination grounds consisted of ten arenas, allowing up to twenty matches to take place at the same time.
After the official draw, Ryuya's first-round opponent turned out to be a middle-aged shinobi in his thirties.
The man was a civilian ninja. Although he had rich combat experience, his relatively low chakra reserves and average physical condition severely limited his overall strength.
In both taijutsu and ninjutsu exchanges, Ryuya held an absolute advantage.
After a brief struggle, the opponent was ultimately defeated by Ryuya's B-rank Water Release: Water Fang Bullet.
After Ryuya advanced through the first round, Might Guy, Yūhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Asuma, Mitarashi Anko, Shiranui Genma, and Gekkō Hayate also advanced one after another.
Among their group of peers, only Iruka was eliminated in the first round, defeated by a young shinobi who specialized in kenjutsu.
After more than an hour of intense competition, the first round came to an end.
Second Round
In the second round, Ryuya drew a particularly unexpected opponent—
one of the strongest among his peers:
Asuma.
When Ryuya saw the name displayed on the matchup list, he paused slightly, genuinely surprised.
Was there really no manipulation behind this Special Jōnin selection?
Was the Third Hokage truly this confident in his son's strength?
With those thoughts, Ryuya's gaze shifted toward the main viewing stand.
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sat calmly in his seat, observing the matches below.
Sensing Ryuya's gaze, he looked back in Ryuya's direction.
Their eyes met briefly—then both looked away.
Stepping onto the arena, Asuma looked at Ryuya with a scowl.
"Ryuya, summon your summoning beast.
Otherwise, you won't stand a chance against me."
At this stage, Asuma was still in his rebellious youth.
He was far from the mature mentor he would later become to Shikamaru and the others.
"Tch…"
Ryuya curled his lips slightly. With a flick of his right hand, a kunai appeared in his grip.
In the next instant, he used Body Flicker and charged straight at Asuma.
Rebellious teenager or not, Ryuya wasn't about to indulge him.
No matter who stood in his way, he intended to secure that Special Jōnin slot.
With that rank, many things would become much more convenient—
such as exchanging merit for forbidden techniques like the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Facing the charging Ryuya, Asuma wasted no time. He drew two chakra blades from his ninja tool pouch and met Ryuya head-on.
Their movements were lightning-fast, like two black shadows flashing back and forth across the arena.
The sharp clang of colliding weapons echoed without pause.
Thanks to the overwhelming boost from the Glutony Sealing Method and Body Activation Technique, Ryuya's physical condition had already reached the limit for his age—
and even surpassed that of most Special Jōnin.
With such outstanding physical attributes, and after constant refinement through repeated training with a shadow clone, Ryuya's taijutsu had undergone a dramatic leap.
Asuma, as the Third Hokage's son, had received elite training since childhood.
If not for the presence of a monster like Kakashi, he would have been the unquestioned top of his generation.
He was especially skilled in taijutsu and blade combat.
"Unbelievable… Akimichi Ryuya is actually matching Asuma in taijutsu!
How is that even possible? Back at the Academy, he was always dead last!"
Below the arena, Mitarashi Anko stared at the fight, her face filled with shock.
Everyone present knew Asuma's strength well. Among their peers, only Kakashi and Might Guy could rival him in taijutsu.
Yet now, Ryuya was displaying this level of power right before their eyes.
How could they not be stunned?
Nearby, Yūhi Kurenai, Shiranui Genma, Iruka, and Gekkō Hayate all stood there with their mouths hanging open.
Among them, only Might Guy had eyes shining with excitement, his whole body burning with enthusiasm.
"Ryuya's taijutsu was strong to begin with!
Man, I really want to fight them myself!"
Although Guy hadn't spent much time with Ryuya, as someone who specialized in taijutsu, he had long noticed that Ryuya's physical abilities were far beyond ordinary.
In his view, someone with such a body couldn't possibly be weak in taijutsu.
That was precisely why Guy had been so eager to challenge Ryuya to a fiery battle of youth.
The others merely rolled their eyes, ignoring Guy, and continued to focus on the match.
On the arena, after a fierce exchange of taijutsu, Asuma's expression shifted from relaxed to grim.
At the beginning of the fight, Asuma had clearly felt that his blade technique surpassed Ryuya's.
But as the battle dragged on, he realized something terrifying—
Ryuya's kunai movements were beginning to resemble his own blade style.
Not only that, Ryuya was now fighting him with ease.
What kind of monster is this guy?
He was actually learning Asuma's techniques mid-battle, adapting and making them his own!
How was that even possible?!
The realization shook Asuma to his core.
This couldn't continue.
Without hesitation, Asuma decisively changed his tactics.
Boom!
With a heavy clash of fists and feet, the two were forced apart.
While still airborne, Asuma rapidly formed hand seals.
The moment his feet hit the ground, he finished the seals and expelled a cloud of superheated ash from his mouth, spreading toward Ryuya.
Rumble—!
A chain of violent explosions erupted, and thick smoke completely swallowed Ryuya's figure.
Determined to end the battle quickly, Asuma unleashed his strongest technique right from the start:
Fire Release: Burning Ash Accumulation.
This mid-range Fire Release jutsu involved spewing high-temperature ash that burned the enemy upon contact before detonating after a short delay.
Its destructive power was immense—
a jōnin-level technique.
However, Asuma was still young. His chakra reserves were nowhere near what they would be years later, and using this jutsu pushed him to his limit.
After casting it, more than half of his chakra was drained, and he stood there panting heavily.
Crack—crack—crack—
After the explosions, a series of cracking sounds echoed from within the smoke.
"What…?"
Hearing the sound, Asuma raised his chakra blades defensively, eyes fixed forward.
As the smoke cleared, a hemispherical stone dome appeared on the arena.
Its surface was covered in countless cracks—the source of the noise.
Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison Hall of Nothingness,
a B-rank Earth Release jutsu that could both restrain opponents and serve as defense.
The stone dome shattered, rubble scattering everywhere.
Ryuya stood calmly at its center.
"Damn it…"
Seeing Ryuya standing amid the debris, completely unharmed, Asuma's face darkened.
It was obvious—
in that exchange, he had already fallen behind.
Seeing Asuma's weakened state, Ryuya didn't hesitate.
He formed seals rapidly.
Earth Release: Earth Spear Barrage!
From beneath Asuma's feet, countless sharp stone spikes erupted, stabbing upward in a dense swarm.
Sensing danger the moment Ryuya began forming seals, Asuma leapt and dodged repeatedly, barely avoiding the attack.
But Ryuya gave him no time to recover.
Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!
Just as Asuma evaded the earth spikes, countless blades of wind surged through the air toward him once more.
"No way… When did Ryuya become this strong?
Even Asuma can't keep up with him!"
Below the arena, Iruka couldn't help but cry out in shock.
"So annoying! The match isn't over yet!"
Beside him, Anko snapped back irritably.
Ever since Ryuya had stolen her teacher's attention, she'd found him irritating no matter what.
Nearby, Kurenai spoke calmly,
"Asuma has no chance anymore."
With her strong sensory abilities, Kurenai could clearly feel the vast gap between Asuma's remaining chakra and Ryuya's.
Realizing that he was completely on the defensive, Asuma stopped merely dodging.
While evading the wind blades, he charged straight toward Ryuya.
He was preparing for one final gamble with what little chakra he had left.
Chakra Blades: True Straight Line!
The two chakra blades in Asuma's hands glowed bright blue as they shot forward at high speed toward Ryuya.
Facing the incoming blades, Ryuya smiled faintly and rapidly formed seals.
Water Release: Water Torrent!
Water Release: Sticky Syrup Capture Field!
A massive stream of water burst from Ryuya's mouth like a waterfall, surging toward Asuma.
But after casting two Water Release techniques in succession, Ryuya himself no longer had time to evade the incoming chakra blades.
Is he trying to take me down with him?!
Asuma had just dodged the wind blades, leaving him no time to escape.
He was struck head-on by the rushing water, his body swept backward.
At the same time, he felt a binding force beneath the water restraining his legs, preventing him from moving.
Seeing Ryuya seemingly unable to dodge, Asuma's face filled with shock—and guilt.
He knew the power of his attack all too well.
He hadn't avoided Ryuya's vital points.
If it really hit, Ryuya would be seriously injured at best—dead at worst.
That wasn't the outcome Asuma wanted.
In his panic, Asuma looked toward the viewing stand, hoping his father would intervene.
But the scene he expected never came.
Puff!
The two chakra blades struck Ryuya—and a cloud of white smoke burst forth.
Ryuya's figure vanished.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
He had used a shadow clone to evade the Burning Ash Accumulation earlier!
Asuma instantly understood.
Sure enough, as Asuma was pinned near the edge of the arena, unable to move, Ryuya emerged beside a pile of rubble about a meter tall.
Walking out calmly, Ryuya looked at Asuma and smiled bitterly.
"I lost."