The three young ones were genuinely curious about their teacher, even though they had already become his disciples.
He seemed mysterious to them. He wasn't a ninja from the Great Ninja Village, yet he possessed formidable strength, and most importantly, they didn't even know his name.
"Well, I..." Asahi raised his head, his eyes fixed on the sun breaking through the clouds. It was his first time contemplating his own identity. What was his dream?
It seemed like since the first time he bowed his head and yielded to the pressure of the school principal, his dream had been getting further and further away from him.
"I'm Asahi. I come from a very distant place. I have many things I like, but I won't list them all. Things I dislike... well, it should be bowing to others. As for my dream... It's to teach a few students well and revive the Tazuna Clan."
Even though the name Asahi sounded a bit strange, Yahiko, who was easygoing, clearly wasn't focused on that detail.
"What's with that, Teacher Asahi? Your dream is too basic! A dream should be something you achieve with your own efforts. You can't just rely on your disciples for it. Even though I'm a genius, you're putting a lot of pressure on me! Hahaha!"
Asahi narrowed his eyes in disdain while looking at Yahiko's self-absorbed appearance. Where did this guy with a B-grade talent get the courage to say such things?
However, he still needed to maintain the image of a teacher. "You guys don't understand yet. Sometimes, passing on your legacy is even more important than personal strength."
Yes, this sentence was absolutely correct. Otherwise, with the power to create systems that the previous clan head possessed, it wouldn't have taken so many eras for the system to reach Asahi. Qin Ershi had been an emperor before, and despite not being as capable, he had still been an emperor. But the Tazuna Clan had gone through countless eras and only reached its second generation with Asahi.
Was this fair? What did it signify?
It indicated that sometimes, it's better not to get personally involved. Instead, cultivate a few disciples and let them carry the legacy.
Yahiko clearly didn't care about Asahi's words. On the contrary, Konan, with an admiring expression, looked at Asahi. She felt that Asahi's education to Yahiko was full of charm and wisdom.
"Alright, let's quickly roast the fish and get ready for lunch."
Asahi didn't engage in further playful banter with the three youngsters. He was starting to feel hungry and wanted something to eat.
Hearing him mention food, the youngsters' stomachs betrayed their emptiness with growls.
Asahi chuckled helplessly. "You guys clean the fish; I'll go gather some firewood."
The three youngsters obediently began preparing the fish, while Asahi wandered through the forest for a while, chopping a few branches and assessing a tree for suitable wood.
Most importantly, he happened to come across a wild rabbit. In the spirit of not wasting anything, he casually caught it. Carrying the rabbit in one hand and using chakra to envelop the pile of wood, Asahi made his way back to the riverside.
The three youngsters had already finished preparing the fish, so Asahi handed the rabbit to Yahiko and instructed him to clean it.
Why Yahiko? Well, it was quite simple. He was lively, had less talent, and needed some work to do, right? This was a professional teacher's decision. Good students who learned well and behaved were highly regarded by teachers.
Yahiko didn't mind at all; he was used to this kind of work. He took out a small knife he had found and quickly skinned, gutted, and bled the rabbit. He even rinsed it off in the river.
By the time he finished, Asahi had arranged the firewood and skewered the fish on some branches. Then, Yahiko's attention was drawn to Asahi's actions.
Asahi didn't form hand seals, but instead, he simply made a single hand seal and exclaimed, "Ninpo: Roaring Dragon Flame!"
Instantly, a small purple fire dragon materialized out of thin air. Unlike regular fire-release jutsu, this one didn't require breathing fire from the mouth; it was created in the air like earth release.
Moreover, the purple flames looked quite advanced.
"It's so cool!" Yahiko stared in amazement at the floating purple fire dragon. The dragon breathed a burst of flames towards the firewood pile, which instantly ignited.
The pile of firewood burned brightly, as if it had met a source of fire, and quickly caught fire.
Don't ask why Asahi hasn't used that many jutsu he just acquired. Those Fire Release jutsu, they're all just so-so in terms of style. But the Roaring Dragon Flame Jutsu is different! It's so cool; it would be a shame not to use it.
Besides, using this Jutsu would help establish a powerful influence over the three youngsters, a win-win situation!
"Asahi-sensei, Asahi-sensei! I want to learn that jutsu, please, I really want to learn it," Yahiko said, instantly becoming a devoted fanboy. The rabbit in his hand suddenly didn't seem appealing anymore as he looked at Asahi with puppy eyes.
Konan and Nagato were no different. Their eyes sparkled like stars as they gazed at Asahi with admiration.
Seeing that his goal was achieved, Asahi pretended to be profound and shook his head. "You guys can't learn it yet. You haven't even learned to crawl properly, and you're already thinking about flying."
"Then when can we learn it?" Yahiko didn't give up, still staring hopefully at Asahi.
Asahi pretended to contemplate. "Maybe when you reach the level of Jōnin, you'll be close to being able to learn it."
Of course, considering your talents, Nagato might be the only one capable of using it. As for Yahiko and Konan, even if they learned it, the chakra consumption would increase, and the power would decrease. It would be a losing proposition.
Of course, Asahi didn't say that out loud. He couldn't dampen their enthusiasm. Besides, he would likely have some suitable jutsu for them by the time they reached that level.
Upon hearing Asahi say that they had to reach Jōnin level to learn it, Yahiko didn't feel disappointed at all. He understood that more powerful jutsu required greater strength.
Now, he was actually more intrigued by something else.
"Asahi-sensei, does this mean you're already at or above Jōnin level?" Yahiko's eyes shone with anticipation as he asked Asahi.
Nagato and Konan were equally surprised and exclaimed, "Is it true, Asahi-sensei?"
What was a Jōnin level? It was the upper echelon of the entire ninja world, the elite of every ninja village. While they knew Asahi was strong, the three youngsters had no real understanding of how ninja strength was categorized.
And from what Asahi had just implied, becoming a Jōnin was a prerequisite to learning that jutsu. In other words, Asahi might become even stronger!
Now, Asahi was caught off guard by their questioning. He was indeed strong, but he was currently only a Chūnin.
How should he respond? Admitting it might be awkward since he didn't want to deceive the kids, but it would also jeopardize the aura of being their "sensei."