Suddenly, the battle ended, leaving everyone shocked and confused.
Hanekawa's Genjutsu was only targeted at Asuma Sarutobi.
From their perspective, the fight seemed utterly inexplicable.
Asuma Sarutobi suddenly stopped in his tracks, standing motionless as Hanekawa approached him with a kunai in hand, easily securing victory.
They had envisioned two potential outcomes: one where Asuma Sarutobi achieved a one-sided victory, and another where Hanekawa, secretly powerful, fought him to a standstill.
None had anticipated this result.
"She's so strong!" Rin Nohara exclaimed in amazement.
Among all the Ninjutsu, aside from Kekkei Genkai, Medical Ninjutsu and Genjutsu were the most challenging.
For Hanekawa to learn Genjutsu undoubtedly marked her as a genius among geniuses. Kakashi Hatake nodded slightly at this.
Now, his interest was piqued. Having already defeated Asuma Sarutobi, he could no longer find an opponent and had been ready to graduate early.
Now, he had a new goal: to defeat Hanekawa before graduating.
"Just Genjutsu!" Obito protested at Rin's words, "Any Genjutsu is useless against the Sharingan!"
"Say that when you awaken your Sharingan," Kakashi retorted casually.
"I definitely will awaken it!" Obito blushed furiously. Unlike the Byakugan, the Sharingan required certain innate talent to awaken, and so far, there were no signs he had that talent.
"I believe in you, Obito," Rin interjected to diffuse the tension, "Your talent is no less than theirs."
"Hehe," Obito's face quickly lit up with a foolish grin.
"Let's go," Kakashi said, withdrawing his gaze, "I'll treat you to dinner, Rin."
Obito Uchiha suddenly turned to stone. He had forgotten about their bet.
Great. Obito Uchiha just felt heartbreak. This loss was his most thorough yet.
"Obito," Rin looked back and spoke gently, "Come with us."
"I don't mind," Kakashi said indifferently.
"Rin!" Obito felt deeply moved. As the fight ended, the students who had gathered to watch began to disperse.
Only Kurenai rushed up excitedly.
Who said Genjutsu Ninjas were worthless? Genjutsu Ninjas were amazing!
"Hanekawa!" Kurenai Yuhi's face was flushed, like an apple. Hanekawa snapped out of his thoughts and smiled.
He had just been looking at the new talent entry that had been triggered:
[E-rank Talent Entry: Gale Chronicles.]
[Trigger Condition: Defeat Young Asuma Sarutobi.]
[Effect: Wind Release talent increased by 10% based on previous foundation.]
The new entry was unexpected for Hanekawa.
He hadn't thought one could trigger an entry like this. Although it was only 10%, it gave him a lot of inspiration.
If he defeated Kakashi Hatake, would he gain a Lightning Release talent?
Defeating a stronger version of Asuma Sarutobi might provide a higher Wind Release talent boost.
"Asuma," Hanekawa said earnestly, "You're quite strong. If you'd lasted a bit longer, I might have lost the fight due to running out of chakra."
This was a lie. He needed Asuma to keep challenging him so he could trigger more entries. The best way to achieve this was to give him hope, making him feel that just a bit more effort would secure victory.
Asuma was stunned.
What did this mean? A friendly gesture? But... he couldn't accept it!
"I'll be back!" Asuma Sarutobi glanced at Kurenai Yuhi and turned away.
Only his injured pride remained. Today, his hands trembled, today, his heart ached.
Asuma Sarutobi returned home silently. He opened the door, changed his shoes, and headed straight to his room.
"Asuma," Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice called out, "Why didn't you say hello?"
Asuma ignored him, not even looking up.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face stiffened. Ignoring him was one thing, but today there was a guest. He had hoped to reward him generously.
"Old man, it's been a long time since I've seen you eat crow. Quite rare." A somewhat amused voice spoke.
"Forgive this spectacle, Tsunade," Hiruzen Sarutobi said awkwardly.
As a Ninja Hero, when had he ever faced such humiliation in front of a student?
"Not a big deal. Kids are like this," Tsunade remarked, "But Asuma seems to have encountered something."
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought back on Asuma's behavior earlier.
Indeed, it was odd.
He considered it and then gave instructions, "Haru, look into it."
With Tsunade being his student and given the circumstances, there was no need to hide anything.
"How is Minato's injury?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked while they were waiting.
"It's no longer a major issue." Tsunade grinned confidently, "With my involvement, there's nothing to worry about."
"That's true enough," Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, "But I didn't expect Minato to be so gravely injured."
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki went berserk. Any injury is possible," Tsunade shook her head, "Thankfully, the Flying Raijin Jutsu minimized the damage."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face showed relief. Had Kushina Uzumaki reached the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the scene would certainly have spiraled out of control.
"Lord Hokage," a knock on the door came.
ANBU ninja Haru entered, presenting a scroll with both hands, undoubtedly the investigation report on Asuma.
Hiruzen, intrigued, opened the scroll. Let's see what's happened. Given Asuma Sarutobi's status and abilities, being bullied at school seemed unlikely.
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a small sound of surprise. Defeated by Hanekawa? That was absurd!
Asuma Sarutobi's talent wasn't top-notch, but it was respectable.
Crucially, he had also been learning for over half a year, and before enrolling, he had been receiving Special Jonin guidance.
What about Hanekawa? Learning for just a week. The only conclusion was that he was indeed a rare Genjutsu genius.
Additionally, his character was commendable. After defeating Asuma, he didn't gloat but instead comforted him.
An idea struck Hiruzen's heart. This could be an opportunity—to mend his relationship with Asuma .
"Old man, are you done?" Tsunade reached out, inquiring.
Hiruzen handed her the scroll. "Learned Genjutsu in his first year?"
Tsunade scanned it, surprised, "Looks like we have another genius."
"Indeed," Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, "I'll go see Asuma."
"Alright," Tsunade put down the scroll, "I'll check how Lady Biwako's cooking is coming along." She referred to Hiruzen Sarutobi's wife, Biwako Sarutobi.
"Asuma," Hiruzen Sarutobi knocked on Asuma Sarutobi's door.
"Not here!" Asuma Sarutobi responded from his distressed state.
"Don't you want to defeat Hanekawa?" Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, speaking, "I can teach you how to break Genjutsu."
The air settled into silence. Moments later, the door opened.
Asuma Sarutobi's expression was firm: "Spill it!"
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips curved into a smile. Hanekawa, you're quite a good kid.