Naruto : Konoha Light

Yagami widened his eyes in surprise and quickly asked, "is Shimizu seriously injured?"

"he's injured, yes, but not as badly as it seems." the third hokage glanced at rinse stone, admiration evident in his gaze. "to be precise, he deliberately guided his injuries. they look severe, but in reality, they won't have much impact on his combat ability."

"wait, that's possible?"

the third hokage smiled, setting down his pipe. "of course, but the prerequisite is..." he exhaled a ring of smoke. "an exceptional understanding of one's own body."

"and on top of that, his mastery of healing techniques is beyond exceptional. even if i personally used medical ninjutsu, i might not perform as well as him!"

the surrounding students were stunned. although the hokage wasn't a dedicated medical ninja, as a professor of advanced ninjutsu, his skill in healing techniques surpassed most professional medical ninjas. if he acknowledged someone's medical talent to such an extent, then rinse stone's abilities were truly extraordinary.

as they marveled, someone voiced their doubts. "but what's the point of doing all this? no matter how well he hides it, his strength won't actually increase."

the third hokage exhaled another puff of smoke. "you're thinking too simply. asuma must understand the effects of medical ninjutsu very well... and right now, he's panicking."

the crowd finally noticed that asuma, mid-battle, was drenched in sweat. his breathing had become erratic, his movements sloppy.

was this... psychological warfare?

"wait, his condition really is recovering!" after several clashes, asuma finally confirmed what he was seeing.

meanwhile, Shimizu didn't taunt his opponent with words. his gaze remained calm and resolute as he launched another attack.

this only made asuma more certain—rinse stone's abilities ran far deeper than they appeared.

shadow clone jutsu!

under immense pressure, asuma's clone technique broke through on the spot—his clone count increased by one. but it was useless. since his clones had no physical form, they couldn't fool Shimizu's sharp judgment. instead, he only ended up wasting chakra.

Shimizu, however, had no intention of dragging the fight out anymore. having already showcased his medical ninjutsu, he shifted strategies—opting for a wild, aggressive fighting style similar to asuma's.

before long, his body was covered in cuts and bruises.

then, before asuma's shaken eyes, he placed a hand on his chest. his supposedly serious injuries healed rapidly.

"this... this is too strong! is this his real power?" asuma's chest rose and fell in panic, his hands gripping his kunai trembling slightly.

although it seemed like he had held the advantage earlier, Shimizu had actually controlled the rhythm of the fight from the very beginning. worse, his expression had never changed—not even once.

that constant, unwavering gaze made asuma feel like he was trapped in an inescapable illusion.

as the weight of the situation settled in, his composure crumbled. the battle had already been lost in his mind before it was lost on the battlefield.

"oh no, asuma's going to lose!"

"yeah, his rhythm is completely broken."

"no, it's not that asuma is weak—it's that Shimizu is just too strong!"

the crowd watched as asuma's attacks became more erratic. they didn't need to wait for the final blow—everyone could already see the outcome.

asuma himself realized his mistake, but it was too late. the more he tried to calm down, the more flustered he became. his confused state led to more and more wounds appearing on his body.

"damn it... stay calm!" he bit his tongue hard, forcing himself to focus. "the key to this battle is Shimizu's healing technique. but his hand seals are too fast—I don't have time to disrupt them. if that's the case, I have only one option... I need to strike with an attack so powerful that he won't be able to heal from it!"

"I haven't mastered this move yet, but I have no choice!"asuma charged forward, his hands forming seals rapidly.

"fire style: great fireball jutsu!"

gasps erupted from the spectators.

"what?! that's a c-rank ninjutsu!"

"are you kidding me? a student using a ranked jutsu in a spar?!"

the older students were left speechless. while they were still struggling to master d-rank techniques, a newcomer had already learned a legitimate offensive ninjutsu.

even if asuma was the son of the hokage, this was too ridiculous!

but then, realization struck.

"wait... this is bad! Shimizu... he's not moving!"

the massive fireball roared forward, engulfing Shimizu completely.

boom!

flames surged, heatwaves rippling through the air.

asuma stared blankly at the inferno, his hands trembling. his pupils lost focus, and his body went cold.

"did I... did I just kill Shimizu?"

as he drowned in despair, he suddenly felt a sharp, chilling sensation against his neck.

then, Shimizu's voice sounded from behind him.

"sorry, asuma."

asuma's entire body stiffened. then, relief flooded him. tears welled up in his eyes. "Shimizu! you're okay!"

Shimizu withdrew the kunai pressed against asuma's neck, sighing. "if the hokage hadn't stepped in, do you think I would have let myself get hit?"

"wait... even my father is watching?!" asuma's expression turned awkward. "damn, that's embarrassing..."

Shimizu gave him a strange look. "also... asmah, your tongue?"

asuma winced, speaking with a thick accent. "I bit it... a little too hard... it'll heal."

trying to shift the subject, he asked, "right, how did you dodge that attack?"

Shimizu smirked. "substitution jutsu, of course."

asuma blinked. "you know the substitution jutsu? but I've never seen you use it before!"

"just because I haven't used it doesn't mean I don't know it. unlike you, I don't have as much chakra to waste."

asuma gawked. "wait, in just half a month, you not only mastered advanced medical ninjutsu, but you're also this proficient in substitution jutsu?!"

Shimizu shrugged. "for people like us, learning a few jutsu in half a month isn't that unusual, is it?"

asuma's mind went blank. he felt... lost.

for the first time, he realized—compared to someone truly talented, he was just an ordinary person.

as this thought weighed on him, a firm hand rested on his shoulder.

"what are you saying, asmah? you're strong. in terms of raw strength, I'm not your opponent."

Shimizu's voice suddenly sharpened. "if losing once is enough to break you, I'd be disappointed!"

asuma looked up, meeting his unwavering gaze.

for some reason, warmth filled his heart.

sniffling, he grinned. "next time... next time, I'll definitely beat you!"

Shimizu chuckled. "then let's seal our promise."

"yeah!"

from a distance, asuma's teacher, takeuchi, lowered his head in shame. "hokage-sama... I've failed in my duties."

the third hokage simply smiled. "you've done well. I've seen asuma's growth."

"but… young master asuma lost."

"it's better to lose now than on the battlefield. besides, he lost only because his opponent was too strong."

watching the two young warriors in the training ground, the third hokage smiled. "that boy… he truly embodies the will of fire."