Inside the Sarutobi clan compound, Hiruzen sat on a cushion with a pipe in his left hand and a scroll open in his right.
An Anbu appeared before him with the Body Flicker Technique.
“Father.” Hiruzen looked up in surprise.
It had been a long time since his eldest son had addressed him that way.
As an Anbu squad captain, the man usually called him Lord Hokage, even in private.
“Father, Asuma has been training late every night.
At first, I thought Kakashi becoming a genin at five had motivated him, but after looking into it, I learned that he’s been clashing with an Academy student named Uchiha Ren.
Apparently, Asuma came off worse.” “Oh?” Hiruzen chuckled around his pipe.
“Every shinobi must eventually face the cruelty of fate.
A childish quarrel at the Academy is hardly worth our attention.
Leave him alone, ‘Black Ape’.” “Yes, Lord Hokage.” They were inside the family home, yet his father had still called him by his Anbu codename.
Black Ape hesitated before continuing.
“There’s no need to interfere in a schoolyard rivalry, but perhaps we should arrange a private instructor for Asuma.
He seems genuinely motivated.” “Do as you like.” After leaving, Black Ape could not help thinking that despite being the Hokage, his father’s approach to raising children amounted to throwing them outside and hoping they figured it out.
Black Ape had only turned out well because he was naturally driven.
Had he waited for his father to teach him anything, he would probably have become useless years ago.
‘When I have a son, I’m teaching him myself.
I’m not letting Father anywhere near his training!’ He contacted Eishirō, an Academy instructor renowned for his flawless fundamentals and the head of the school’s foundational training department, then hired him to tutor Asuma privately.
…
In the rear courtyard of the Sarutobi compound, Black Ape addressed his younger brother.
“Asuma, I’m glad to see you working so hard, but training blindly will only build bad habits.
At six years old, your priority should be developing a strong foundation—proper taijutsu, correct body mechanics, and good muscle memory.” He gestured toward the instructor beside him.
“Instructor Eishirō will create a proper training plan for you.” Eishirō smiled confidently.
“Asuma-kun, follow my program, and I guarantee your taijutsu will improve dramatically within three months.” Asuma could barely contain his excitement.
The moment he showed real ambition, the clan had begun mobilizing its resources for him.
Eishirō headed the Academy’s foundational training department.
His ability was beyond question.
Ren might have been stronger than him now, but he was only an ordinary Uchiha.
Asuma might not be able to catch Kakashi, but there was no way he would remain beneath Ren forever.
Once Black Ape had finished arranging his brother’s lessons, another Anbu suddenly appeared inside the compound.
The newcomer leaned close and spoke quietly.
“Captain Black Ape, our spy in Sunagakure has reported that the Third Kazekage has disappeared.” Black Ape’s expression immediately tightened.
The shinobi world was already like a powder keg.
Every major village was preparing for war, and an upheaval of this scale would inevitably disrupt the balance between the Five Great Shinobi Countries.
He hurried to inform the Hokage.
The Third Shinobi World War was about to begin.
…
Eishirō spent a long time assessing Asuma’s current abilities and soon learned about the wager between him and Ren.
After returning home, he called for his son.
“Ebisu, I hear Asuma-kun has been having trouble with a classmate named Uchiha Ren.” “Yeah.
Asuma can’t beat him, and Ren’s mouth is awful.
He’ll insult anyone who gets within range!
It’s not just Asuma—I can’t stand him either.” Eishirō thought for a moment.
“Your assignment this semester is to keep Ren occupied.
Don’t let him interfere with Asuma-kun training.” “Keep him occupied?
You want me to waste his time so he stops bothering Asuma?” “You will address him as Asuma-sama.” “Fine, fine.
I’ll find a way to protect your precious ‘Asuma-sama’.” …
News of the Third Shinobi World War soon reached the Academy.
Strangely enough, the war began on an ordinary sunny afternoon.
The fighting along the border grew increasingly brutal, and before long, more orphans began appearing at the Academy.
For the children who had already lost their parents, however, very little changed.
During the afternoon sparring lesson, a hand immediately shot into the air.
“Instructor!
I challenge Uchiha Ren!” Yamano looked over and saw Ebisu standing there once again.
For the past two weeks, Ebisu had been the first person to challenge Ren during every sparring lesson.
The two boys had never shared any particular grudge before.
Ren tormented everyone he fought with perfect equality, so Yamano could not understand why Ebisu had suddenly become so obsessed with him.
There were more than thirty students in the class, and aside from special challenges, each person normally fought only once per lesson.
By challenging Ren every time, Ebisu prevented him from sparring with anyone else.
Obito pumped his fist from the sidelines.
“That’s it, Ebisu!
Don’t lose this time!” Ren felt a headache coming on.
Most of the children in his class were like Obito—earnest, idealistic, and irritatingly difficult to traumatize.
Aside from Kakashi and Asuma, who already had plenty of emotional baggage, the others were nearly impossible to break.
They were just a bunch of carefree little kids.
Insults bounced right off them.
Ebisu was especially annoying.
He had challenged Ren for two weeks straight and showed no sign of stopping.
Worse still, beneath his quiet and slightly creepy exterior, Ebisu was surprisingly strong-minded.
The boy could absorb an astonishing amount of verbal abuse without cracking.
Since Ren could not trigger the system and steal a reward from him, he decided to teach Ebisu a much harsher lesson this time.
So what if his father was an Academy instructor?
Did that make him immune to humiliation?
Ren was a proud member of the Uchiha clan, and everyone bullied him constantly.
Had anyone ever heard him complain?
The two boys stepped onto the training ground.
Asuma watched it with a pleased smile.
Instructor Eishirō had planned everything perfectly.
By having his son challenge Ren first, he ensured that Asuma would not have to deal with that infuriating Uchiha during ordinary lessons.
With the Sarutobi clan’s resources behind him, Asuma knew it was only a matter of time before he surpassed Ren.
He turned toward Kurenai.
“Kurenai, you don’t need to worry about Ren bothering you.
I’ll put him in his place during the final exam.” Kurenai nodded, but her eyes remained fixed on Ren.
She was more interested in seeing how he would defeat Ebisu this time.
Ren was obnoxious, but there was no denying that he was strong.
He glanced at the tiny sunglasses covering Ebisu’s eyes and began his attack before the match had even started.
“Well, if it isn’t Ebisu, the legendary Master of ‘Fundamentals.'” Ren gave him an exaggerated look of admiration.
“Every instructor says your fundamentals are excellent, but did your father ever tell you that fundamentals alone don’t mean a damn thing?
“Wait—don’t tell me that’s literally all you can do?” “Is your father the same way?
Did he become obsessed with teaching the basics because he never learned anything beyond them?” Ebisu’s expression remained hidden behind his dark glasses.
“You don’t have any talent.” Ren pressed on.
“You can’t do ninjutsu, can’t you?
That’s why you keep bragging about your fundamentals like they’re something special.” “You poor bastard.
All that training is just a distraction.
You work yourself half to death on the basics because you’re terrified everyone will notice how painfully average you are!” Ren raised one hand and formed a seal.
“Ebisu, you couldn’t even beat one of my shadow clones.” “Shadow Clone Technique!” A perfect copy of Ren appeared beside him.
Instructor Yamano’s relaxed posture instantly became rigid.
‘A shadow clone?’ A six-year-old child had mastered the Shadow Clone Technique?
The Academy graduation exam only required students to perform the Three Basic Techniques, including the ordinary Clone Technique, which created nothing more than an illusion.
A shadow clone was a fully physical duplicate.
Kurenai stared at Ren in disbelief.
‘Is he going to become another Kakashi?’