Bang!
Asuma Sarutobi's body slammed into a nearby wall. Fortunately, the area was relatively secluded; otherwise, innocent bystanders might have been caught in the crossfire. After all, this was no ordinary scuffle—it was a battle between shinobi, far beyond what the average villager could handle.
Asuma had barely hit the wall when two shinobi in flak jackets appeared beside him. They quickly moved to support the now-unconscious Asuma.
Seeing the two shinobi, Kai Mitarashi wasn't the least bit surprised. As the son of the Third Hokage, it would have been unusual if Asuma didn't have guards watching over him.
However, given that they were within the confines of Konoha, the two guards were no more than chunin-level. If they had been jonin, Kai's attacks would have likely been intercepted long before they landed.
The two chunin glared angrily at Kai. The older of the two spoke up, his tone sharp: "Do you even realize who you just attacked?"
Earlier, when Asuma had challenged Kai, the two guards hadn't intervened.
They were well aware of Asuma's abilities—nearly at the level of a genin. As for Kai, he was notorious in the village as a troublemaker. In their eyes, this was a perfect opportunity for Asuma to teach Kai a lesson.
What they hadn't expected was for Kai to be so overwhelmingly strong. With just two taijutsu moves, he had defeated Asuma before they could even react.
The two guards couldn't help but admit that even they would struggle to match such speed and precision.
Now, with Asuma injured, they were at a loss. How could they possibly explain this to the Hokage?
One of the chunin clenched his fists, clearly tempted to retaliate. But when he remembered Kai's background, he hesitated, his anger giving way to frustration.
Kai, noticing their hesitation, spoke calmly, "He's only suffered a couple of fractured ribs and a minor concussion. If you don't get him to the hospital soon, I can't guarantee there won't be lasting damage."
In the world of shinobi, such injuries were hardly severe. With proper medical ninjutsu, such as Healing Jutsu or Mystical Palm Technique, Asuma would be fully recovered within two or three days.
After all, Asuma was the son of the Third Hokage, and he wasn't a bad person at heart. Kai had deliberately held back, intending only to teach him a lesson.
Hearing Kai's words, the two guards didn't dare delay any further. One of them quickly picked up Asuma and dashed off toward the hospital.
"Kai, how are you so strong?!"
Kurenai, who had been watching from the sidelines, looked at Kai in astonishment.
Kai smiled and replied, "Didn't I tell you? I'm pretty amazing."
"But… Asuma won't be seriously hurt, will he?" Kurenai asked, her voice tinged with worry.
"Don't worry. I held back. It's just a minor injury—a little lesson for him. He'll be fine in a few days," Kai reassured her.
"Red Bean Soup!" Anko suddenly chimed in, pulling Kurenai by the hand. "Let's go! If we don't hurry, the dango shop will close!"
She then turned to Kai and added, "And you, Brother, you made us wait so long! You owe me! I want red bean soup too!"
"..."
After leaving the dango shop, Anko rubbed her full stomach, her expression a mix of satisfaction and regret. "I'm so full. I'm definitely going to gain weight now. I should've eaten less. This is all your fault, Brother, for buying so many delicious dango!"
Kai glanced at his now-empty wallet, his face filled with despair. He wanted to ask: Who was it that threatened to cry if I didn't buy more? Who ate two-thirds of the dango? I barely got any!
As they walked, Kurenai turned to Kai and asked, "Kai, are you enrolling in the Ninja Academy this year?"
Kai nodded. "Yeah, Uncle Shishio already signed me up."
"Kai, you're so strong. You'll definitely be the top student this year. You have to help me train, okay?" Kurenai said with a hopeful smile.
Kai chuckled. "That's not a sure thing. I heard that White Fang's son, Kakashi Hatake, is also enrolling this year. He's supposed to be a genius."
"No way! You'll definitely be the top student. I believe in you!" Kurenai declared with unwavering confidence.
Seeing her determined expression, Kai didn't argue further. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Of course. The top spot is mine, and no one can take it from me," he said, his tone calm but filled with unshakable confidence.
Hearing Kai's words, Kurenai's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Well, Kurenai, we're at your house. You should head in. See you at the Academy in a couple of days," Kai said.
"Okay, Kai. See you at the Academy. Don't be late!" With that, Kurenai quickly turned and ran inside, her head lowered as if to hide her face.
Watching her hurried departure, Kai scratched his head in confusion. "What's with her?"
Anko, standing beside him, rolled her eyes and said, "Brother, you're such an idiot. Kurenai likes you!"
"Kids shouldn't talk nonsense. Let's go home," Kai replied, dismissing her comment.
"Home? Now you want to go home?"
Before Kai could respond, a voice filled with anger rang out from behind him.
"Uncle Shishio?! What are you doing here?" Kai asked, his voice tinged with guilt as he turned to see Shishio Mitarashi standing there, his expression stormy.
"You injured Asuma so badly, and you're here eating dango?" Shishio snapped, his frustration evident.
Kai rolled his eyes and said, "I held back. I only used taijutsu."
It was true. If Kai had used his mastery of ninja tools or even added a Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet between his taijutsu moves, Asuma would've been completely incapacitated.
If Kai had employed the same tactics he used against Shishio in their sparring matches, Asuma wouldn't even have a hair left intact.
"You think that justifies it?!" Shishio roared. "Anko, go home. Kai, you're coming with me to see the Hokage!"
"Oh," Kai replied nonchalantly, though he knew there was no escaping this.
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