"Uchiha… huh? Go ahead, just be careful."
Kurenai's father didn't say much in the end, giving only a brief response.
The Third Hokage placing Uchiha Seiji and Sarutobi Asuma on the same team was, in itself, a signal of approval.
"Okay."
Seeing that her father didn't object, Kurenai felt relieved. She quickly put away her towel, put on her shoes, and headed out.
Today, she was going to see Seiji.
Recently, Asuma had suddenly mentioned sparring with Seiji in taijutsu. She wanted to check on the situation.
It wasn't that she feared Seiji would lose.
She was worried that if Asuma lost, he wouldn't be able to handle the embarrassment.
Given Asuma's current temperament, things could easily escalate. To prevent conflict, Kurenai decided to mediate.
"Oh? Kurenai, you're going out too?"
Asuma, who had been pacing near the entrance, lit up with surprise upon seeing her.
He had been thinking about what excuse to use if he ran into her father—but now she came out on her own.
Was this what they called being in sync?
"What a coincidence, Asuma."
Kurenai said, "Didn't you say you'd spar with Seiji today? I came to watch."
"Of course. It's also to make sure our team stays in good condition before future missions."
Asuma quickly came up with a reasonable excuse.
But his real goal was to compete in chakra flow.
He hadn't seen a single classmate capable of it!
Aside from the famed White Fang—and perhaps his son Kakashi.
It was said the White Fang's blade emitted white chakra light in battle, likely a form of Lightning Release chakra flow.
Asuma subconsciously touched the chakra blades in his pocket.
The weapon had four finger holes, fitting snugly over the hand, with a serrated edge extending outward.
The weight alone gave Asuma confidence.
There was no way Seiji could afford a weapon like his!
The two headed toward Seiji's house.
"Let's hurry."
Kurenai tucked her slightly reddened hands into her pockets from the cold.
"O-okay!"
Asuma's heart raced. He felt like he was floating.
Kurenai had dressed so nicely today just to watch his match with Seiji—this filled him with confidence, as if his efforts were finally paying off.
...
At Seiji's house.
"99%…"
Seiji closed the interface panel.
Just as he expected, while practicing the Shuriken Manipulation Technique, a new white entry had appeared.
He would likely master it tonight.
At that point, he could attack and defend with ease.
Even if he ran out of chakra, he could rely on shuriken and kunai to stall enemies and buy time.
A vital survival method.
Currently, his only ranged ninjutsu was the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, obtained after graduation.
Though a C-rank technique, it was only effective at mid-range—within five to ten meters.
Beyond that, its power weakened significantly.
Improving it required either increasing proficiency or pouring more chakra into it—both costly in time and effort.
Neither suited Seiji at this stage.
In contrast, with his strong physical talent, using thrown weapons was far more efficient.
After all, the speed and distance of shuriken depended on physical strength.
"Seiji, we're here!"
A voice came from outside.
Though Seiji's home had a yard, it was small—any knock or call could be heard immediately.
"Coming."
Seiji opened the door.
"Seiji, be careful today."
Kurenai said worriedly.
Even as a ninja, she didn't like fighting.
"Don't worry, Kurenai. I'll go easy."
Asuma took out his chakra blades and equipped them, swinging them in the air as if showing off.
It had been nearly two months since he decided to challenge Seiji.
Aside from two D-rank missions, he had spent all his time training—just for today.
His brother, seeing his dedication, had even taken time from ANBU duties to guide him.
This gave Asuma immense confidence.
Not an instant victory—but defeating Seiji in a few moves? Easy.
This was his specialty.
Even elite Uchiha rarely displayed such techniques.
"Feeling confident again, huh?"
Seiji thought to himself, smiling faintly.
Perfect timing. He wondered if defeating the newly improved Asuma might trigger a new entry.
His yard was too small, so the three went to one of the less crowded training grounds.
Puff!
White smoke spread.
Seiji summoned his ninja blade.
With the Chunin Exams only months away, this was a good chance to gauge Asuma's strength.
The exams had three stages:
The first was a written test.
The second involved survival trials, testing team cooperation.
The third was one-on-one combat—the only stage open to the public.
During the final stage, villagers, feudal lords, and even Kage would attend.
It was essentially a display of strength—a showcase of each village's new generation.
Buzz!
As Seiji drew his blade, Asuma's chakra blades became coated in pale blue Wind Release chakra.
"Seiji, if your blade breaks, I'll compensate you."
Asuma said boldly.
He had already imagined Seiji's shocked expression when his weapon was cut in half.
In the distance, Kurenai looked worried.
It was her first time seeing Asuma use such a technique.
Her confidence in Seiji winning wavered slightly.
This clearly involved advanced chakra control and nature transformation.
After all, Asuma was the son of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—
The "Professor," master of all five elemental transformations.
"Faster than before."
A faint red glow appeared in Seiji's dark eyes.
From a lowered stance, his blade shot upward, blocking Asuma's attack.
At the same time—
A faint crimson flame spread upward along his blade.