The battle started quickly.
And ended even faster...
Caught off guard by a punch to his right eye, Asuma clutched his swollen face, tears nearly welling up. He gritted his teeth, glaring at Seiryū, his eyes full of unwillingness.
He lost, but he wasn't convinced. Once again, he blurted out the classic line: "Damn it, next time I won't lose to you! When I can use Ninjutsu in combat, I'll definitely make you pay!"
This guy really didn't give him, the son of the Hokage, any face!
He hit too hard!
Couldn't he have held back a little? His image was ruined! He was the Hokage's son!
Seiryū: "..."
He really hadn't meant to. But did Asuma ever consider his own part in this?
The fist was already at his face. If Asuma didn't dodge, what did that have to do with him?
He was even worried about Asuma's father coming to confront him!
Seiryū said helplessly, "Your standards are pretty flexible. This is the third time already. Can't you come up with a different excuse?"
Written exams, ninja tool throwing, actual combat... Asuma's reasons changed every time he lost. Seiryū wasn't sure if he should praise his perseverance or be speechless...
"Don't look down on me! I've already learned several Ninjutsu. I don't believe your Ninjutsu talent is that strong too!" Asuma covered his right eye, frustration showing in his left.
How could he, the Hokage's son, keep losing to the same person?
He set a small goal for himself: he must surpass Seiryū at least once! He refused to believe there was someone who could be good at everything, learning instantly and mastering things immediately!
[Ding. Mission complete. Rewards being distributed...]
Hearing the system prompt in his mind, Seiryū recalled a rather iconic line. His tone calm and low, he said, "Those who fall by my hand were never my opponents. I'll give you time to catch up, until you can no longer see my back in the distance..."
He had cheats. How could others possibly catch up?
Asuma: "..."
So arrogant!
Fine then! He'd secretly practice Ninjutsu and, when the Ninjutsu combat classes began next semester, he would shock everyone and defeat Seiryū in one go! He'd reclaim the glory that should belong to the Hokage's son!
The two formed the Seal of Reconciliation.
It was time for the next match.
After several rounds of actual combat, the top students were already clear.
Only the final match for first place remained.
Unsurprisingly, the last two contestants were Seiryū and Kakashi, who had taken first and second in the written exam.
This was undoubtedly the most anticipated match. Both the boys and girls in class were paying close attention. Even the Chūnin instructor, Oda, looked intrigued.
Seiryū and Kakashi had both defeated their opponents easily, seemingly without exerting themselves.
How did that saying go?
Sorry, I couldn't give you a satisfying fight!
This thought had quietly emerged in the hearts of all those defeated by Seiryū and Kakashi. The gap in strength was too obvious...
In the arena, Seiryū and Kakashi stood facing each other.
They had already formed the Confrontation Seal.
Kakashi didn't attack immediately. Instead, he looked at Seiryū with a very serious expression and asked calmly, "Seiryū, have you learned Ninjutsu?"
Seiryū paused, then shook his head. "Not yet."
As mentioned before, Seiryū had severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Until he fully mastered Monster Strength Fist, he couldn't rest easy, and didn't have the focus to learn other Ninjutsu.
But now that Monster Strength Fist was perfected, it was indeed time to start learning Ninjutsu.
The Academy wouldn't officially teach Ninjutsu, specifically the Three Basic Jutsu, until next semester. But those with the means could obviously learn ahead of time.
A head start is still a lead!
Hearing Seiryū's response, Kakashi looked slightly disappointed. "I see."
He had wanted to fight Seiryū seriously, but basic Taijutsu just wasn't satisfying enough, and it made it hard to truly gauge Seiryū's strength...
He already had the strength of a Genin, and these childish sparring matches didn't interest him much...
As if reading Kakashi's thoughts, Seiryū's eyes lit up. "What? You want to have a real fight? Not just basic Taijutsu?"
At this point in the timeline, Kakashi hadn't yet grown cold or distant. He was sharp and clearly saw Seiryū as an opponent.
In the original story, Kakashi entered the Academy at five and graduated that same year. That meant this year—he hadn't waited until the third semester.
So it was reasonable to assume Kakashi had already learned Ninjutsu, and since his father was Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha, he had probably also mastered some high-level sword techniques.
Kakashi wanted a serious fight!
Interesting.
"That's right." Kakashi didn't deny it. He continued, "I feel that a fight limited to basic Taijutsu isn't enough. But since you haven't learned Ninjutsu yet, we'll have to wait until later..."
Since Seiryū hadn't learned Ninjutsu, fighting him seriously now would be unfair, it'd feel like bullying.
There was a huge gap between someone who knew Ninjutsu and someone who didn't. On top of that, Kakashi had also inherited the Hatake Sword Style from his father...
[Ding. As the future Soul King who governs the Three Realms, the Host must not back down from any Shinigami challenge. Please remember: geniuses are only stepping stones for the Host!]
[Mission issued: Defeat the commoner genius, Hatano Manishi, in an unrestricted battle!]
[Mission reward: Hadō #1: Shō.]
Hearing the system message in his mind, Seiryū's eyes glinted. He smiled at Kakashi and said, "Even though I haven't started learning Ninjutsu yet, I have my own trump cards. If you want a serious fight, I don't mind at all..."
Even without the system mission, Seiryū had actually wanted to have a proper match with Kakashi.
He wanted to see what level this genius, who graduated from the Academy at five years old in the original timeline, truly possessed!
"Trump cards?" Kakashi looked a bit surprised, his interest clearly piqued. He said seriously, "So you've decided to fight me seriously? Not just a simple Taijutsu match?"
Seiryū nodded with a smile. "I'm also very interested in your Hatake Clan's sword techniques."
Seiryū hadn't forgotten that he had another mission—to learn the four foundational techniques of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō.
For Hakuda, or Taijutsu, he had trained in the basics for nearly a month now. That could count as having learned it.
From system rewards, he had already obtained several Kidō: [Bakudō #1: Sai], [Hadō #4: Byakurai], and now [Hadō #1: Shō] from the latest mission.
For Hohō, or Shunpo, he had also obtained a learning path from defeating Asuma.
Now, only Zanjutsu, or swordsmanship, remained. And he had no access to it yet.
There's no strict distinction between "sword technique" and "blade technique"—they're the same concept. The Hatake Blade Technique was the first route Seiryū thought of to begin learning Zanjutsu among the four foundational techniques.
After all, the Ninja Academy wasn't the real Shin'ō Academy. It didn't offer courses in sword or blade techniques, so Seiryū would have to find his own way...
(To be continued.)