"Dad."
That soft little word melted Kiyosuke's heart completely.
"How adorable. As expected of the daughter of Mei and me."
Holding his little girl in his arms, Kiyosuke walked into the kitchen, where Mei Terumī was busy cooking.
"Go wash your hands. Dinner's almost ready."
"Okay!"
At the dining table, Asakawa Shinichi puffed out his chest proudly.
"Dad, guess what? I nailed my mission today!"
"That's great." Kiyosuke smiled faintly. "After dinner, let me see how much you've improved."
"Go easy on him," Mei said.
She didn't know the exact extent of Kiyosuke's power, but she knew enough to realize that their son was bound to lose miserably.
"Mom, don't underestimate me! I'm strong now!"
"Mm-hmm, Brother's strong! But not as strong as Papa!" Yuka said with a mischievous grin.
"Yuka! Don't look down on your brother!"
Yuka stuck out her tongue playfully, which only made Shinichi more determined to prove himself.
After dinner, Shinichi couldn't wait any longer and ran straight into the yard.
"Dad, get ready to be beaten to a pulp! Heh, I've been waiting for this fight for ages!"
This brat really is going to kill me one day—with love.
"Be gentle, seriously," Mei said, her tone half-warning. "He's still your son."
"I know, I know."
Kiyosuke raised his hand with a calm smile.
"You attack first. Adults should let the kids have the first move."
"Don't underestimate me, old man! Fire Fist!!"
Shinichi shouted, his arm bursting into flames as he threw a blazing punch forward.
A wave of heat rolled across the yard.
Kiyosuke chuckled, watching his son use one of his own signature moves. He reached out and caught the attack effortlessly.
"Using Fire Fist against me? You're still too green."
"Lava Release!"
Shinichi spat out a stream of acidic liquid, trying to trap Kiyosuke in place.
He hadn't only inherited his father's constitution but also Mei's kekkei genkai. Once he matured, his potential would be limitless.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
Kiyosuke clapped his hands together, sending out a violent gust of wind that scattered the acid harmlessly.
"Take this, old man!"
Shinichi launched a powerful kick, but Kiyosuke caught it with ease.
"Not bad," Kiyosuke said, assessing calmly. "Good strength. Your training's paying off."
The boy's physical power already surpassed most adults. Truly, my son.
Nodding, Kiyosuke grabbed Shinichi by the ankle and tossed him into the air.
While airborne, Shinichi twisted his body and fired a volley of fireballs downward.
Kiyosuke responded with a single, much larger fireball that devoured his son's attacks entirely.
"Wow... incredible. That's my dad for you."
Landing on the ground, Shinichi was stunned by the sheer gap in their power.
Just as he was thinking about how to counter, a blur of movement appeared beside him.
"Lesson one," Kiyosuke said, his voice low. "Never lose focus in battle. Without cover, that's how you die."
"Waaah!" Shinichi yelped, jumping away in fright. "Don't scare me like that, old man!"
"If it's me, you're lucky. But next time, it could be a fast enemy. Stay alert. Our bodies may shrug off most attacks, but that doesn't make us invincible."
"I've never been hit by a sneak attack in my life!" Shinichi said smugly. He clearly hadn't suffered much during his missions.
This kid needs a good beating.
"Looks like it's time I gave you a proper lesson."
Kiyosuke vanished in a flash and appeared behind his son, crouching down.
Forming the Tiger hand seal, he said,
"Never expose your back to an enemy! Konoha Secret Technique—One Thousand Years of Death!!!"
"Gyaaaah!!"
Shinichi screamed, jumping three feet into the air and clutching his rear end in agony.
Mei's face darkened instantly.
This man might look like her husband, but her real husband wasn't this much of a sadist.
"Old man! That's cheating! You can't use a move like that! It's shameless!" Shinichi cried, tears forming as he clutched his butt, sprawled on the ground.
"That's the feeling of getting hurt. You'll never forget it. You're welcome."
Satisfied with his lesson in "combat awareness," Kiyosuke felt pretty proud of himself.
"I'm not done yet!" Shinichi shouted, slamming his hands on the ground and charging again despite the pain.
This time, he didn't even last a second before Kiyosuke pinned him down effortlessly.
When he tried to turn into his elemental form, it failed completely.
"Elementalization doesn't make you invincible," Kiyosuke said calmly, sitting on top of him. "There are plenty of people out there who can still kill you. You think I was born unbeatable when I graduated from the academy? No. I survived countless battles and never lost. Compared to that, your experience is nothing."
Shinichi hung his head, crushed.
Kiyosuke helped him up.
"Don't get discouraged. Being immune to attacks means nothing if you don't have the strength to win."
"I understand, Dad. I'll work harder! Please train me!"
"Hmm… Have I ever taught you the Ultra Bomb technique?"
Kiyosuke's words sounded downright demonic. Mei's eyes widened in alarm.
"You're not seriously thinking of teaching him that, are you? The one you classified as a forbidden technique?"
"Forbidden? Oh, I guess it is now. Doesn't matter—it's a finishing move. And it doesn't even hurt."
He patted Shinichi's shoulder with a grin.
"You just need to make sure no allies are nearby when you use it, since it's… well, a bit explosive. Alright, listen carefully. Here's how it works—"
"Yeah!"
The moment Shinichi heard that his father was going to teach him a forbidden jutsu, all his pain vanished. He followed excitedly as the two huddled together in the yard.
Mei could only sigh and shake her head helplessly. Let them be.
...
That night, Kiyosuke and Shinichi slept in the same room.
The boy's sleeping posture was awful—snoring, grinding his teeth, kicking the blanket—perfectly inheriting all of Kiyosuke's bad habits.
In the middle of the night, Kiyosuke suddenly opened his eyes.
In one smooth motion, he grabbed Shinichi, shattered the window, and leapt outside.
At the same time, Mei burst out of her room carrying Yuka, followed by Karin and Haku.
A moment later, a massive masked turtle crashed down from the sky, crushing their house flat.
"What the hell is that?!" Kiyosuke shouted, looking up.
At some point, the moon had turned blood-red.
"My house!!" Mei roared in fury and was about to attack, but Kiyosuke stopped her.
"That thing's not normal. Be careful. What is that?"
He spotted a man in a black cloak and a fox mask flying toward the Hokage Building.
"Mei, I'll leave this side to you. I'm going after him."
"Got it. Be careful."
"Yeah."
Kiyosuke set his son down and dashed toward the Hokage Building, his expression turning serious.
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