Chapter 23: He Charges, He Falls
Hoshikawa didn't linger and left the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore directly.
He didn't need to worry about the rest; Tsuchibashi would handle it. He just wondered which ghostwriter he would find.
He thought of Jiraiya, but that was probably impossible; ghostwriting, after all, didn't sound very good when spoken aloud.
Hoshikawa arrived at the Fourth Training Ground, picked up a wooden sword, and began practicing Konoha-ryu Kenjutsu.
An hour later, he finished his training and walked towards the Ninja Academy.
Soon, Hoshikawa saw Sarutobi Asuma.
He leaned against a tree, hands in his pockets, gazing up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, looking like he was unbeatable in the world.
"You're here," Asuma Sarutobi turned to look at him and said.
Hoshikawa's mouth twitched.
What should he reply? 'You shouldn't have come?' Does he think this is a wuxia drama?
"I came to remind you not to forget about this afternoon's practical class."
A look of eagerness appeared in Asuma Sarutobi's eyes.
He couldn't wait to defeat Hoshikawa and win back Kurenai Yūhi's heart.
"I know," Hoshikawa nodded slightly.
"Good then," Asuma Sarutobi abruptly turned his back and said, "I hope you can give me a good fight later."
He flicked his head and walked away swaggeringly.
Hoshikawa didn't mind this small interlude. He went to the classroom, greeted Shizune, and began to study.
"Class, please take out your 'Will of Fire' textbook."
Eichiro stood at the front of the classroom, smiling as he asked, "Does anyone know what the Will of Fire refers to?"
Many excitedly raised their small hands.
"Obito, you answer," Eichiro scanned the room and called out a name.
"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns. The light of the fire will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout!" Obito Uchiha rattled off in one breath.
"Good," Eichiro opened the book and said, "Today we'll be talking about the new leaves, which are all of you, the future of Konoha Village."
Hoshikawa paid no mind, still working on his math problems.
Under his pen, the workbook filled up quickly; by the end of the morning, it was crammed with answers.
The afternoon was practical class.
The first-year students' practical class was quite a clumsy affair.
Because they hadn't even been taught the Three Basic Jutsu yet, they could only practice taijutsu and ninja tool throwing.
As for the Three Basic Jutsu, they would only be taught in the second semester.
Although the Three Basic Jutsu were the most fundamental ninjutsu, many people took six years to learn them.
"Kakashi, I challenge you!"
As soon as class began, Obito Uchiha impatiently jumped out.
Normally, whether a spar happened depended on Kakashi Hatake's mood.
Most of the time, it didn't, leaving him to rage helplessly.
But in practical class, Kakashi Hatake couldn't very well refuse.
"..."
Sarutobi Asuma was a step slow and swallowed his challenge, feeling stifled.
It hurt even more when he saw Hoshikawa and Kurenai Yūhi laughing and chatting.
"Kakashi-kun," Eichiro said with a smile, "Why don't you give the class a demonstration?"
Kakashi Hatake calmly walked to the center of the training ground.
"Obito, be careful," Rin Nohara said, a little helplessly.
"Don't worry!" Obito Uchiha patted his chest and said, "I'll go easy on him!"
Rin Nohara immediately didn't know what to say.
He's repeatedly lost, so who gives him this courage? Why is he so bold?
Obito Uchiha walked to stand opposite Kakashi Hatake and formed the Confrontation Seal.
Once the seal was made, he charged forward.
Seeing this, Kakashi Hatake stood his ground and threw a punch.
Obito Uchiha crouched down, performing a sliding tackle, aiming for Kakashi's legs.
But Kakashi Hatake was faster.
Body Flicker Technique!
He immediately launched himself, appearing behind Obito Uchiha, and delivered a direct kick.
Thud!
Obito Uchiha rolled away like a spinning top, landing on the ground, unable to get up.
"Victor, Kakashi Hatake," Eichiro announced the result, completely unsurprised.
Cheers erupted around them.
Kakashi Hatake was quite popular in class due to his strength and cool style.
Although Hoshikawa had been trending towards catching up, he was ultimately still second place, missing that crucial step.
After all, no one remembers second place, unless his name is... cough cough.
"Obito, are you okay?" Rin Nohara rushed forward and asked.
"I'm fine!" Obito Uchiha scrambled to his feet and said, "I'm not in top form today. We'll fight again another time!"
"..."
Rin Nohara's comforting words immediately died on her lips.
Why don't you blame the grass?
"Anyone else want to challenge? If not, we'll begin the lesson." Eichiro asked.
"I challenge Hoshikawa," Sarutobi Asuma raised his hand and said.
Everyone's attention immediately shifted from Kakashi Hatake.
Sarutobi Asuma was the Hokage's son, and he had lost to Hoshikawa once before.
This was a grudge match.
Gossip burned fiercely in their hearts.
"Hoshikawa," Sarutobi Asuma walked to the center of the training ground and snorted softly, "The same genjutsu won't work on me!"
Hoshikawa ignored his words and casually formed the Confrontation Seal.
Once the seal was formed, the spar began.
Sarutobi Asuma immediately averted his gaze, staring at the ground.
Most genjutsu targeted vision.
The simplest way to deal with it was not to look into his eyes.
Using peripheral vision and distinguishing locations by sound, while somewhat impactful, wasn't that significant.
Especially since Sarutobi Asuma had undergone special training for the past half-month.
A whooshing sound cut through the air.
It was a kunai.
Sarutobi Asuma turned his body and perfectly dodged it.
Two kunai stuck into the ground, one on the left and one on the right.
He glanced at them, a triumphant look appearing on his face.
The half-month of sweat hadn't been in vain.
The tables have turned!
Sarutobi Asuma quickly formed hand seals.
He looked at Hoshikawa's feet, his hands coming together slightly.
Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm!
A whirlwind shot out from his palms.
However, the next moment, the kunai on the ground suddenly sprang up like a fish flipping.
What's going on?
Have the kunai gained sentience?
Sarutobi Asuma subconsciously turned his head, his eyes suddenly widening like saucers.
He saw faint, almost invisible threads on the kunai.
Under Hoshikawa's control, the threads crossed and immediately entangled him.
Sarutobi Asuma stumbled, falling face-first into the dirt.
"No!"
If I fall here, my life is over!
Sarutobi Asuma reacted quickly, enduring the pain, and quickly scrambled to his feet.
But what greeted him was a kunai.
"I..."
Sarutobi Asuma's face flushed with anger.
Why aren't you following the rules?
A genjutsu ninja not using genjutsu, but instead using kunai like an Uchiha—it's despicable!
But a loss was a loss.
In front of so many classmates, he couldn't shamelessly make excuses like Obito Uchiha.
"Victor, Hoshikawa."
As he hesitated, Eichiro announced the result for him.
Sarutobi Asuma secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then came the unwillingness.
He'd trained for half a month, and none of it was used. Who could stand that?
[E-rank Talent Entry 'Shippūden' effect upgraded.]
[Wind Release talent increased by 30% on top of the original.]
Hoshikawa looked at the two lines of text that suddenly appeared and couldn't help but feel delighted.
....
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