Chapter 143 – Asuma's Fear
After hearing Hatake Yusuke's words, Rock Lee froze. He didn't know how to respond.
You've never lost? Then why are you even comforting me? he thought bitterly. That sounds less like encouragement and more like bragging… And wait—was he serious about that "never lost" part?!
Around them, the spectators were equally stunned. The "operation" that Yusuke had just performed looked far too quick—far too simple. No ordinary human could possibly have done something like that.
"Lee, that man who saved you just now was Hatake Yusuke," Might Guy said, placing a firm hand on his student's shoulder.
"Thank you so much, Yusuke-sensei," Lee said sincerely.
"Haha, that was nothing," Yusuke replied casually. "No need to be so formal. But listen—don't be reckless like that again. Even if you're chasing your dreams, you still need to think before you act."
"No, Yusuke-sensei! That's the true meaning of youth!" Lee declared, eyes blazing with determination.
"Lee!" Guy's voice trembled.
"Guy-sensei!" Lee shouted back, and the two men hugged each other tightly, tears streaming down their faces as the crowd sweat-dropped in silence.
"Haha, stay fired up, Rock Lee. Your passion and potential are remarkable," Yusuke said, smiling faintly. "Tell you what—why don't you ask Kakashi to teach you Rokushiki?"
"Rokushiki? The Six Forms?" Lee's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
He'd heard about that technique before—Guy-sensei had mentioned it once, but always refused to teach it, saying it wasn't his right to do so. Only one man in all of Konoha had permission to teach it.
Lee had asked him once who that person was.
"He's the man who once recognized my existence," Guy had said back then, voice filled with admiration. "The man whose back I've been chasing ever since."
"So, even you have someone you look up to, Sensei?"
"Of course! He's incredibly strong. But I'll surpass him one day! That's the essence of youth!" Guy had replied back then, grinning proudly with his trademark thumbs-up pose.
Now, that very man stood before them.
"So you're really letting him learn it?" Guy asked, visibly excited.
"Of course," Yusuke said without hesitation.
"Oh, and Guy," he added with a small grin, "didn't you already study it yourself? Kakashi mentioned it to me once. Why not just teach it directly to Lee? That kid's got talent."
"Thank you, Yusuke-sensei!" Lee exclaimed, eyes shining with hope.
"You hear that, Lee?" Guy shouted dramatically. "Even Yusuke himself acknowledges your potential! Keep pushing forward! I believe in you!"
"Guy-sensei!" Lee cried again, his voice full of emotion.
The two once again embraced passionately, their bond as teacher and student stronger than ever.
— — —
A loud announcement echoed across the arena.
"Next match: Hyūga Neji versus Hyūga Hinata!"
"Hinata! You can do it!" Naruto shouted from the stands.
"N-Naruto…" Hinata blushed, smiling shyly at his encouragement.
The battle began—and almost immediately, the difference between them became clear. Neji's precision and mastery of the Gentle Fist were overwhelming, while Hinata hesitated, too soft-hearted to fight her cousin seriously.
In the end, Neji easily defeated her.
"The younger generation is truly impressive," Kakashi remarked, watching from the audience.
"I didn't expect such a vast difference between them," Kurenai muttered, visibly shocked.
"As expected from the Hyūga clan's number one prodigy," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, stroking his beard.
"Number one in history, huh?" came a calm voice from beside him. "With power like that, he's still got a long way to go."
Everyone turned—Hatake Yusuke was standing right next to the Third Hokage. No one had noticed when he arrived.
He approached without me sensing it…? Hiruzen thought, startled. Just how strong has he become? Could he already have surpassed the legends?
"Haha, perhaps," Hiruzen replied vaguely.
Down in the arena, Neji glanced coldly at Hinata before walking off. The next match began soon after—Akimichi Chōji versus Tōji.
Forced into the ring by Asuma, Chōji lasted less than a few seconds before being knocked out with a single blow.
"Wahahaha! Chōza's boy is really something else," Yusuke laughed heartily.
"Hmph! Chōji just didn't feel like fighting. You're such a weirdo, old man with the blindfold!" Ino snapped back.
Yusuke only turned his head slightly, giving her a brief, unreadable look before smiling faintly. Despite his reputation for holding grudges, he wasn't the type to take offense at a child's words.
Asuma exhaled in relief when Yusuke said nothing.
"Come on, Ino. Let's take Chōji to Yakiniku Q," he said quickly, eager to leave.
Shikamaru, however, watched quietly, eyes narrowing. Even when Yusuke did nothing, his mere presence drew attention—calm yet suffocatingly heavy.
— — —
At the yakiniku restaurant…
"Asuma-sensei, you're the best!" Chōji said between mouthfuls of grilled meat.
"Asuma-sensei, who was that strange guy earlier? The one with the white hair and the blindfold? He dressed kind of like Kakashi-sensei," Ino asked curiously.
"Oh, him?" Asuma leaned back, his tone suddenly serious. "That's Kakashi's older brother, Hatake Yusuke. Listen carefully, Ino. If you ever talk to him again—watch what you say. Don't ever offend him."
Shikamaru perked up at that, intrigued, while Chōji continued eating happily.
"Why? Would he hurt me or something?" Ino asked nervously.
"No, not exactly," Asuma said slowly. "He just… has a unique personality. Hard to explain."
"Unique? That sounds ominous," Ino muttered, frowning.
"Don't worry. He won't hurt you," Asuma assured her. "But let's just say… you don't want to get on his bad side."
"Asuma-sensei," Shikamaru asked, "if he's a Konoha shinobi, why haven't we ever seen him before?"
"Because he's been traveling," Asuma replied. "It's not strange that you haven't met him yet."
"Traveling? He just gets to take vacations?" Ino raised an eyebrow.
"He's an exception," Asuma said simply. "Why? Because he's Hatake Yusuke."
Ino sighed. "That's not even an explanation!"
"Ask your parents," Asuma said. "They've all met him. They'll understand."
Shikamaru stretched his arms lazily. "Troublesome… I'll ask Dad later."
Just then, a deep voice interrupted from behind them.
"Talking about me, are we?"
Everyone turned—and froze. Hatake Yusuke stood by the door, now wearing his black sunglasses and his usual calm smile.
"You came too?" Asuma groaned, rubbing his forehead.
"Of course. I came to eat yakiniku, not cause trouble," Yusuke said casually, taking a seat beside them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Moments later, the door opened again.
"Asuma," said Tsunade as she entered, followed by Kurenai.
"Oh, Tsunade-sama," Asuma greeted respectfully.
"Oh please, you look older than your father now," Tsunade teased, smirking.
"Ehh… that's…" Asuma scratched his head awkwardly.
"Wait—you're Lady Tsunade?!" Ino gasped, stars in her eyes. "I'm your biggest fan!"
"Ino, manners," Asuma warned quickly. He'd trained under Tsunade once upon a time—he knew firsthand how "tough love" worked.
"Haha, don't be so uptight, Asuma," Tsunade said with a light chuckle.
"Boss, the usual order," Yusuke called out.
"Hahaha! If it isn't Yusuke!" the restaurant owner laughed warmly as he stepped forward. "It's been years, boy. You haven't changed one bit."
The man had known both Yusuke and Kakashi since they were children—back when they'd spend hours here after training. Kakashi still came by often, but Yusuke hadn't been seen in Konoha for years.
"Good to see you again, Boss," Yusuke said with an easy smile. "First thing I thought when I got back to the village was—'I need yakiniku from this place.'"
The owner chuckled heartily. "Hahaha! Still the same smooth-talker as ever, Yusuke."
And as the sizzling aroma of grilled meat filled the air, the tension in the room eased—though Asuma couldn't shake the unease curling in his chest.
No matter how calm Yusuke looked… there was something about that man that made even veteran Jōnin instinctively afraid.
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