Chapter 7: Asuma's Attention
Yamada Shu was curious. "Not even Asuma-sensei knows? Is our teacher that unknown?"
He felt a bit disappointed. After all, he believed Kinoto seemed to be very strong and should be an incredibly powerful ninja.
Sensing Yamada Shu's mood, Asuma quickly reassured him. "It's probably not that. As far as I know, all instructors assigned to lead their first batch of students are jounin."
"Your teacher must be one too, but not everyone in the Leaf Village knows each other. There are many ninjas."
Yamada Shu felt less disappointed after hearing that.
Although he had been terrified during Kinoto's test, he was also relieved that his teacher seemed to be strong.
Yamada Shu's thought process was simple: only by following a powerful ninja could he become stronger faster.
Shikamaru, intrigued, asked, "Why did you say earlier that your instructor's assessment almost killed you?"
It was just an assessment, so how could it be so dangerous?
Even Asuma looked at Yamada Shu. He disapproved of overly harsh methods being used on students, and even Kakashi wouldn't go so far as to endanger them.
Asuma was worried that Kinoto might have used extreme methods on his students. It wasn't unheard of, but such things were forbidden in Konoha.
Yamada Shu turned to Adrian and explained, "Actually, there wasn't any special assessment. It's just that our teacher used some kind of mental ninjutsu on us that nearly caused our minds to collapse."
"If it weren't for Adrian, Moto and I might have really died."
Yamada Shu now realized that Kinoto's pressure had mostly been directed at Adrian. Otherwise, Kinoto wouldn't have given Adrian that look afterward. The majority of the mental assault had probably been aimed at him, while Yamada Shu and Moto had only experienced a small part of it.
Adrian was busy putting a piece of grilled meat into his mouth when suddenly Asuma, Shikamaru, and Ino all looked at him.
Adrian was taken aback. "What?"
He hadn't been paying attention to the conversation between Yamada Shu, Shikamaru, and Asuma. For him, the variety of grilled meats on the table was far more appealing.
In his 12 years of life in this world, Adrian hadn't made many friends. Other than training, food was his main source of pleasure.
Seeing everyone staring at him, Adrian was confused.
Asuma, too, was puzzled. According to Adrian's records, he hadn't performed particularly well in the ninja academy. But based on what Yamada Shu had said, he seemed like a much more capable person.
Asuma thought for a moment and asked Yamada Shu, "How did it feel when your teacher used that mental ninjutsu on you?"
Yamada Shu thought for a while before answering, "It felt like I was surrounded by corpses and blood, with countless ninjas charging at me. I got stabbed over and over again, and I couldn't escape."
As Yamada Shu recalled the memory, Moto visibly shrank in fear. Kinoto's pressure had left a lasting scar on her. She was sure she'd never forget it.
Based on Yamada Shu's description, Asuma began to suspect what kind of technique Kinoto had used. He also started piecing together Kinoto's true identity.
"No wonder I haven't heard of him," Asuma muttered to himself. "He's probably from Anbu."
"Anbu?" everyone except Adrian asked in confusion.
Asuma took a long drag from his cigarette before answering, "Yeah, Anbu. It's an organization within Konoha that operates in the shadows, protecting the village. They consist of some of the strongest ninjas we have."
This was the first time most of them had heard of Anbu, including Shikamaru and Ino, despite coming from well-known families.
Shikamaru shot Adrian a glance, his expression now thoughtful. He could feel the weight of Asuma's words. Adrian had withstood the mental suppression of an Anbu-level ninja. That was no small feat.
Asuma, too, eyed Adrian, who was still focused on his barbecue. Adrian seemed completely unbothered by the serious conversation happening around him. While everyone else had stopped eating, he remained absorbed in his meal.
Asuma knew better than most how formidable an Anbu jounin could be. The instructors for this year's crop of genin were all jounin, so Kinoto was likely no exception. The fact that Adrian had endured Kinoto's mental attack—and emerged seemingly unscathed—said a lot about him.
Yamada Shu, oblivious to the weight of Asuma and Shikamaru's stares, was still in shock from Asuma's revelation. "So our teacher is from Anbu... No wonder he's so strong!" Yamada Shu couldn't help but feel proud of his teacher.
Shikamaru gave Asuma a questioning look, but Asuma shook his head, signaling Shikamaru to drop the subject.
Asuma didn't ask any more about their assessment, but he made a mental note to discuss it with Kakashi later. A student fresh out of the academy being able to withstand the mental pressure of an Anbu jounin was incredibly unusual. Especially considering Adrian's previous average performance at school. He needed to investigate further.
Adrian, meanwhile, was oblivious to Asuma's growing curiosity. Even if he had noticed, he probably wouldn't have cared. To him, his mental fortitude was nothing extraordinary.
After their barbecue, Adrian and the others became more familiar with one another. When it was time to leave, Yamada Shu turned to Adrian and said, "Adrian, Moto's place is on a different route than mine. Why don't you walk her home?"
Without giving Adrian a chance to refuse, Yamada Shu ran off.
Adrian was left standing there, stunned. Moto's pale face flushed red with embarrassment.
"What's wrong with him?" Adrian wondered, assuming Yamada Shu must've had something urgent to attend to.
Moto, on the other hand, bashfully stared at the ground, too shy to speak.
Adrian smiled kindly at her. "Alright, I'll walk you home."
Even though they were technically ninjas now, Moto was still a young girl from a prominent family. It wouldn't be safe for her to walk alone at night.
Moto nodded shyly. Ever since that day in training when Adrian had resisted Kinoto's overwhelming pressure without fear, she had developed a crush on him. And it didn't hurt that he was good-looking too.
As they walked down the brightly lit streets of Konoha side by side, the two of them drew quite a few curious glances. Both Adrian and Moto were undeniably attractive, and more than one passerby turned to look back at them.
Some people even mistook them for a couple. In this world, boys and girls matured quickly, and it wasn't uncommon for kids their age to be in relationships. With Moto's flushed cheeks and shy demeanor, it was hard not to assume they were romantically involved.