Ryosuke stepped out of the ramen shop and onto the street.
On either side of the road stood gathered villagers, watching the scene unfold.
In the middle of the street stood a man with a cigarette dangling from his lips and stubble across his face. His eyes lingered earnestly on the woman across from him.
"Kurenai, be my girlfriend."
The young woman with long, parted hair looked utterly uncomfortable.
Though she and Sarutobi Asuma had grown up together, she had never particularly liked him.
And the way he looked now only made her dislike stronger—reeking cigarette in his mouth, unkempt beard, and this brazen confession in front of a crowd.
Wasn't this sort of thing supposed to be said somewhere private?
Such a public confession lacked all sincerity.
Worse still, Asuma had a reputation as a delinquent.
He was immature, still acting like a boy.
She found even being around him uncomfortable—let alone imagining herself as his girlfriend.
There was no way she could accept this.
Her face turned cold.
"I refuse."
Sarutobi Asuma froze in disbelief.
"Why, Kurenai? Aren't we childhood sweethearts?"
Kurenai sighed, exasperated.
"We only grew up together. That doesn't mean we're destined to be lovers."
Childhood friends and lovers were not the same thing.
Asuma panicked. Kurenai had actually turned him down.
Soon, he would be leaving for the Land of Fire's capital to serve as one of the Guardian Twelve.
Before then, he had to secure Kurenai. With her beauty and figure, she would be far too sought after.
His eyes narrowed as he declared, almost threateningly,
"Kurenai, if you don't agree today, I'll follow you everywhere until you do."
Kurenai's face twisted in disgust.
"You're so annoying."
Who pursued a woman like this?
Was this really the Sarutobi Asuma she once knew? He was clinging to her like a pest.
Her rejection only frustrated him more. They were childhood friends—why was she so difficult?
He didn't have much time left in Konoha.
He stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and said harshly,
"If you don't agree today, I won't let go."
Kurenai's expression hardened with anger. How could he behave so shamelessly in public?
If she gave in to someone like this, how could she ever expect happiness in the future?
The onlookers watched Asuma's behavior with silent disapproval.
Were he not the Third Hokage's son, they would have stepped in already.
What he was doing wasn't romance—it was harassment.
And then, a firm voice rang out:
"If you dare harass this woman again, I'll arrest you."
It was Uchiha Ryosuke who spoke.
He hadn't expected Asuma to be so reckless, so brazen. As a member of the Police Force, he couldn't just stand by.
The villagers turned toward him. Though the Uchiha didn't have the best reputation, this time they hoped the clan would act properly and stop the outrage.
Asuma released Kurenai's hand and turned toward the voice.
There stood a young man in a high-collared robe, his spiky hair unmistakable.
An Uchiha.
Asuma sneered.
"Uchiha, are you trying to ruin my business here?"
To him, this was personal, between him and Kurenai. Everyone else was just in the way.
As long as he stayed forceful enough, Kurenai would yield. Once she did, she would be his.
The process didn't matter.
And as a man, he couldn't back down in a moment like this.
So he tried to intimidate this Uchiha.
Ryosuke's gaze was serious, unwavering.
"As a member of the Uchiha Police Force, how could I ignore you harassing a woman in the middle of the street?"
Asuma laughed loudly.
"The Uchiha Police Force?"
After the Nine-Tails' Rampage, none of that mattered anymore—and besides, it wasn't anyone else's place to tell him what to do.
"My father is the Third Hokage. And you dare meddle in my business?"
"Believe it or not, I'll beat you bloody."
The villagers around them all wore grim looks.
Sarutobi Asuma's bad reputation had long since spread through the village.
Dining without paying, eating barbecue without paying—it was a common occurrence.
The villagers feared the Third Hokage's authority and never dared expose him.
And now, seeing him openly harassing a woman on the street—it made their blood boil.
Kurenai's face was full of disappointment. Once again, he was hiding behind his father's name to act without restraint.
His behavior was utterly disgraceful.
How had she never noticed before that Sarutobi Asuma was this lacking in character?
Uchiha Ryosuke spoke calmly, unfazed.
"Even if you are the son of the Third Hokage, even if the Hokage himself were here, that doesn't give you the right to harass women in public."
His words made the bystanders feel a rush of satisfaction.
Well said, this Uchiha put him in his place.
Asuma's bullying had angered them for far too long.
Confessing was one thing, but manhandling someone in the street?
Even as the Hokage's son, that was crossing the line.
With someone leading the charge, the crowd began to join in.
"Asuma, as the Hokage's son, how can you harass women in public?"
"You even dare threaten members of the Police Force—do you think you're above all law?"
Sarutobi Asuma's face darkened instantly at the barrage.
His eyes blazed with fury as he glared at Ryosuke.
All of this is because of that damned Uchiha brat.
In one swift motion, he drew two chakra blades from his waist and flooded them with chakra.
Blue light flared along the blades' edges.
The crowd fell silent in fear, some even staggering back several steps.
The weapons radiated a deadly aura.
This was the ninja village, and they had all seen shinobi fight—but usually with kunai or shuriken.
Weapons of this caliber belonged only to powerful clans.
Kurenai's face changed at once when she saw the blades.
She had seen Asuma demonstrate them before—so sharp they could slice iron like tofu, and when infused with chakra, they could pierce trees or shatter boulders with ease.
Such dangerous weapons—how could he brandish them against a fellow comrade of the same village?
It was utterly reckless.
Unable to hold back, she scolded him:
"How can you do this? You've gone too far!"
Hearing her words only enraged Asuma further. Even Kurenai was siding against him now?
But it was this Uchiha brat who picked a fight!
"Kurenai, it's this punk who's causing trouble. Once I deal with him, I'll confess my feelings to you."
Kurenai was speechless.
Now? At a time like this? What mood does he think I'm in?
Besides, after seeing him behave like this, why would she ever accept him?
He was utterly delusional.
On the other side, Uchiha Ryosuke felt a headache coming on.
All he'd done was stop the guy from harassing a woman in public, and now blades were being drawn on him.
Those chakra-coated blades looked sharp enough to slice his arm clean off.
At once, his chakra surged into his eyes—two tomoe spun into existence as his Sharingan activated. His eyes turned crimson, locked firmly on Asuma.
"What do you think you're doing? Attacking someone in broad daylight? Is this how the son of the Third Hokage was raised?"
If he hadn't mentioned the Third Hokage, Asuma might have stayed calmer. But at the name, his rage boiled over.
He and his father had never had a good relationship—and now this Uchiha had the gall to use his father's name against him?
Fool.
Asuma made up his mind.
He wouldn't take Ryosuke's life, but leaving him without an arm?
That much was fair.
And with his father to cover for him afterward, what did he have to fear?
After all, his opponent was just a disgraced Uchiha.