Chapter 37: How did Tobirama sensei manage it back then?

Asuma was panting heavily. This time, it was truly a narrow escape. More dangerous than the last situation. And Asuma was already in despair.

However, the expression of a narrow escape did not last long on Asuma's face. Because Asuma quickly noticed the strange looks from the surrounding ninja directed at him.

"What kind of looks are those people giving?"

Some whispers entered Asuma's ears.

"Asuma and Shinnosuke, both sons of Hokage, have a huge gap between them."

"He lost to Hoshigaki Kisame first, then lost to Momochi Zabuza."

"Kakashi truly lives up to his name as a genius."

"That ANBU ninja must have been arranged by Hokage-sama."

"Hokage-sama had no choice, and Asuma lacked talent but still wanted to prove himself, Hokage-sama could only arrange for an ANBU ninja to protect Asuma in secret."

"After all, Asuma is Hokage-sama's son."

"This time, Hokage-sama will likely attract a lot of criticism."

"It's all Asuma's fault."

"And it's causing trouble for Hokage-sama."

Asuma's expression instantly darkened, his mood reaching its lowest point.

Kakashi glanced in Asuma's direction but didn't say anything.

Asuma kept his head low, his fists clenched tightly. His nails dug into his flesh. Fresh blood flowed from the wound.

Medical ninja quickly arrived, taking Asuma and Kakashi into the medical tent for treatment.

"What's wrong with this wound?"

"Why isn't it healing?"

"Could there be a problem with the medicine?"

A medical ninja looked at Kakashi's wound, showing a surprised expression.

Another medical ninja stepped forward, placing their hands over Kakashi's wound.

After a while, the medical ninja shook their head.

"It's not the medicine; my Medical Ninjutsu isn't effective either. It's the wound itself."

Kakashi explained, "This wound was caused by the Ninjato in Hoshigaki Kisame's hand, named Kiriichimonji. It has a special ability that prevents wounds from healing."

The medical ninja's eyes widened.

"There's actually a Ninjato like that?"

Compared to others, Kakashi remained relatively calm.

"Senpai, could you help me with the other wounds first, and leave this one for later research?"

"Alright, understood!"

The medical ninja snapped back to attention.

After some basic first aid treatment, Asuma and Kakashi were both sent to the rear of the battlefield.

There wasn't much discussion about Asuma. Partly because it involved the Third Hokage.

But more importantly, what concerned the Konoha ninjas more was Hoshigaki Kisame's performance against Asuma and Kakashi.

"Hoshigaki Kisame, a genius from the Hidden Mist Village to be feared."

"In addition to being proficient in Water Release, he's also skilled in the Chakra Absorption Technique."

"His Kiriichimonji has a treacherous ability."

"Absolutely must not let Kiriichimonji hit."

In comparison, there were fewer discussions among the Konoha ninja about Zabuza. After all, Zabuza lost to Kakashi in their direct confrontation, and those who focus on the defeated are naturally fewer.

But Hoshigaki Kisame is different.

The Konoha ninja are well aware that in that battle, due to the intervention of the Konoha ANBU ninja, there was no clear outcome. However, if it had continued, the winner would likely have been Hoshigaki Kisame.

In an exchange of injuries, Hoshigaki Kisame would gain a much greater advantage than Kakashi.

While Lightning Release is indeed highly destructive, hitting once can only cause damage once.

But the damage caused by Kiriichimonji is ongoing.

Some people feel sorry for Kakashi.

"Hoshigaki Kisame is relying on Kiriichimonji alone. Without this Ninjato, Kakashi would definitely win."

"Kiriichimonji is indeed a terrifying Ninjato."

"Compared to the previous Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords, it's not inferior at all."

"No, it's even more terrifying."

Currently, Kakashi is the most talented genius among the younger generation in Konoha.

The people of Konoha cannot accept that Konoha's top genius would lose to a young ninja from the Hidden Mist Village.

Soon, the news reached Konoha.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the documents in his hand, falling into silence.

"Asuma..."

"Well, as long as he's okay."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze fell on two names.

One was Hoshigaki Kisame.

The other was Kiriichimonji.

"A genius who can defeat Kakashi needs to be taken seriously."

But that was all there was to it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had witnessed too many geniuses, and only a few could truly grow. Most either fell midway or became mediocre.

What Sarutobi Hiruzen valued more was Kiriichimonji, the Ninjato.

A ninja's lifespan is only so long. But a Ninjato can be passed down for a long, long time. It can turn an ordinary ninja into a formidable one.

"The Unhealable Blade..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow.

"Completely on par with the Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords."

"When did Hidden Mist Village produce a new Ninjato?"

"Was it hidden before?"

"Are there any strict conditions for its use?"

"Could only Hoshigaki Kisame use it?"

"We need to find a way to obtain information about this Ninjato."

Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples.

"The situation is complex."

"Facing three ninja villages at the same time, well, not exactly simultaneously, but successively facing them, yet handling it well is already very difficult. How did Tobirama sensei manage to persevere when he faced four ninja villages simultaneously?"

"However, Tobirama sensei had six disciples like us back then."

"But now, I only have Jiraiya, Minato, Orochimaru."

"Danzo seems to have his own agenda."

"If only Tsunade was still in the village."

"A powerful medical ninja can provide significant logistical support to the battlefield."

"The only thing worth noting is Minato's performance."

"Furthermore, Shinnosuke's growth is exactly as I expected."

"With Minato and Shinnosuke, the future of Konoha should be secure."

...

Uehara Soma looked at the numbers in the reputation column on the semi-transparent screen, pondering slightly.

"Considering the timing, Kisame should have already reached the battlefield by now, so this sudden increase in reputation is likely due to Kisame's performance on the battlefield."

"From both Mist and Konoha ninja on the battlefield."

"Most likely."

"In that case, I won't rush to recruit an assistant blacksmith."

"With over a thousand reputation points, I can already do ten consecutive draws."

"I wonder what blueprints I'll get this time."

"Hopefully, it won't disappoint me!"

"Ten consecutive draws!"

"Begin!"

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