"But in front of these eyes, it's still not enough."
With Kiyoshi's perception, he easily tracked Asuma.
If strictly talking about the "seeing" function of the eyes:
The Byakugan offers X-ray vision, 360-degree vision without blind spots, and long-range vision.
The Sharingan, however, provides unparalleled dynamic vision!
*Clang!*
Kiyoshi's slender ninja sword blocked the serrated blade of Asuma Sarutobi's Chakra Blade.
Where the two connected, Wind and Fire Release fused. The wind fueled the fire, and in an instant, the flames ballooned, like a brilliant firecracker!
"Sharingan!?"
Asuma Sarutobi was stunned, feeling the wave of heat wash over his face.
He thought he saw a flash of crimson in Kiyoshi's eyes, but it was too quick. He couldn't be sure if he was seeing things.
Wait! Asuma Sarutobi's gaze sharpened.
'How does Kiyoshi know that move?'
Without a doubt, this was Chakra Flow!
Seeing Asuma's perplexed and highly surprised expression, Kiyoshi put force into his wrist.
*Clang!*
Asuma's Chakra Blade was knocked into the air by Kiyoshi.
The skin on his fingers had noticeable scrapes, as if they were close to breaking open.
One of the eight ninja skills includes the Strength category.
This Strength refers to a ninja's wrist strength, leg strength, and overall muscle strength.
Kiyoshi, with the dual bloodline boost of the Yotsuki and Uchiha clans, possessed greater physical strength than Asuma.
The current Asuma was still a skinny young man, not the rugged, bearded adult he would become.
Of course, even when he reached adulthood, Kiyoshi doubted Asuma could surpass him in sheer physical strength.
The reason was simple: the Yotsuki clan survived in a harsh and challenging environment, having gone through strict natural selection.
Any inferior physical genes died out in history, leaving only the best genes!
The pain in his hand quickly reached Asuma Sarutobi's brain through his nerves, snapping him out of his surprise.
They were still in combat.
Asuma gritted his teeth, thrusting the Chakra Blade in his other hand toward Kiyoshi, while simultaneously having the hand that had lost its Chakra Blade perform auxiliary hand signs.
The pale blue sharpness on the Chakra Blade intensified, emitting a high-pitched whine.
Kiyoshi smiled faintly.
'The future Flying Swallow?'
The Flying Swallow did not refer to Asuma Sarutobi's knuckle-style Chakra Blades but rather the Wind Release chakra nature technique applied to the blades.
Like a pair of wings unfurled by a flying swallow, it radiated two beams of dazzling light in close combat.
Although not as refined as it would be in the future, it already had a rudimentary form now.
"In that case, I'll try my move too."
Kiyoshi also had a technique called Flying Bird.
However, it lacked the flashy special effects. It was simply a technique that used strength and circulating chakra acceleration to achieve extreme speed.
At this moment, Kiyoshi also moved.
The ninja sword, radiating a hot, fiery red aura, seemed to vanish before Asuma Sarutobi's eyes.
The oppressive high heat suddenly disappeared as well.
Alarm bells rang loudly in Asuma Sarutobi's mind.
'He's coming!'
Asuma felt the airflow, but he was too late to react.
The sensation in his hand instantly made Asuma feel like he had struck a solid rock.
Secondly, Kiyoshi suddenly closed the distance and then pulled away.
Kiyoshi seemed to be moving further and further away from him.
Asuma Sarutobi's pupils contracted. Kiyoshi wasn't moving away from him, he was moving away from Kiyoshi!
*Thud!*
It was as if Asuma Sarutobi wasn't holding a Chakra Blade but a heavy lead ball. His body was sent flying backward.
*Crack...*
The large tree behind him caught Asuma Sarutobi's body. The rough bark split into a spiderweb pattern.
His right hand, which had been holding the chakra, was now embedded in the tree trunk.
"Asuma..." Kurenai's eyes widened.
Just moments ago, one of them wielded a fiery red ninja sword, and the other, a pale blue Chakra Blade.
In a single clash, Asuma Sarutobi's Chakra Blade was knocked away, and then, after the ninja sword blurred for an instant, Asuma was sent tumbling backward.
'Is this the depth of skill possessed by ninjas from the major clans?'
Kurenai felt that this was fundamentally different from the "playing house" games they engaged in during the Ninja Academy days.
[You have comprehended the Trait: [Wind Release Seed (White)]]
[Trait: [Wind Release Seed (White)]]
[Requirement: Use Fire Release to counter Wind Release, defeating Asuma Sarutobi's "Flying Swallow."]
[Progress: (Completed).]
[Effect: Your chakra's adaptability to Wind Release nature transformation is enhanced, allowing you to refine this attribute chakra.]
[Note: Can be further advanced later.]
"A post-acquisition chakra attribute?" Kiyoshi was slightly stunned.
This saved him years of training.
'I guess I got a bargain,' Kiyoshi thought to himself.
The Trait panel counted the rudimentary Flying Swallow as a completed technique.
If this was the case, he could also start training in some Wind Release Ninjutsu.
Learning more different nature transformations would give a ninja an advantage in any geographical environment.
The future Asuma's strength was that of an Elite Jonin, making him one of the strongest Wind Release ninjas in the Hidden Leaf Village.
One step further, he could potentially fight against a Kage.
Of course, this was the theoretical progression.
Asuma would die in his thirties at the hands of the Akatsuki, his strength permanently stalled at that point.
If he were facing the Flying Swallow from that period, Kiyoshi didn't think he would have such an easy time now.
"Cough, cough..."
Asuma was in too much pain to catch his breath. After a while, he could finally speak.
"Kiyoshi, your strength is incredible. And how do you know Chakra Flow?"
Asuma pulled his hand out of the tree trunk. If he hadn't gathered a lot of chakra in his hand beforehand to use Chakra Flow, he might have suffered a bone fracture just from that impact.
He would have to lie in bed for a day or two, even with Medical Ninjutsu.
But he was more surprised that Kiyoshi also knew Chakra Flow.
Wasn't this the area where he had always maintained a distant lead?
Now Kiyoshi had quietly caught up.
"Because I'm a genius," Kiyoshi said, stroking his chin.
It was perfectly normal for the Uchiha clan to produce geniuses.
It was just that in this process, he also had some help from the Trait panel.
This reason left Asuma speechless. He silently stood up and put the Chakra Blade that had been knocked away earlier back into his ninja tool pouch.
"Kiyoshi, I never saw you practice this." Kurenai walked over, pointing at the ninja sword in Kiyoshi's hand.
The flames on it had receded, leaving only a dark red warmth that was slowly dissipating.
"I practice after you leave."
"Is that so?" Kurenai nodded upon hearing this.
Kiyoshi spent all their time together discussing and practicing Genjutsu.
He truly didn't have much time to practice other things.
"Asuma, you are strong. I just had the advantage of Fire Release countering Wind Release. Otherwise, the result would be hard to say. I think there's a high chance you'll pass the Chunin Exams this time. Let's all participate together. Kurenai's Genjutsu is also up to par." Kiyoshi turned and said to Asuma.
The Five Nature Transformations are based on a cycle of creation and destruction.
Fire Release just happened to counter Wind Release.
***
Read 20 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666