"ow!"
It wasn't easy pulling away from a hug like that, soft and warm. Kurenai wasn't fully grown yet, but the feeling was still enough to make a cat purr.
The black cat glanced sideways at Asuma. He looked calm, but Takeshi could sense the turmoil churning beneath the surface. A chuckle rumbled in the cat's chest. 'So what if you're the Sandai's son? Stuck out here in this ravine, stewing in your own frustration.'
*Tsk.* 'That beat-up face... kinda pitiful, actually.'
Still, ssing with Asuma like this didn't feel quite right. The kid wasn't bad at heart, just full of restless energy that sotis boiled over. Besides, he'd been a steady source of points for Takeshi from the start, which counted for sothing.
And now... well, he'd actually been driven to tears. Things felt awkward. A little comfort seed necessary.
Takeshi beckoned with his head towards Asuma.
"ow~ Want to get stronger? I can teach you."
Naoki Gekko's eyes went wide, his expression pure disbelief.
'This cat... never fails to surprise ,' Naoki thought. 'Did the sun rise in the west today?'
Asuma was skeptical too. Usually, he'd have scoffed and turned away, convinced it was another one of the cat's tricks. But things were different now.
He needed to get stronger.
And more importantly, this cat had sohow rocketed to Jonin rank in under a year. He must have picked up so serious skills. If Asuma could learn even a fraction of that... maybe he could finally start closing the gap.
After wrestling with himself, Asuma swallowed his pride. He t the black cat's gaze with serious expression.
"ow?"
'Is that how you ask soone to teach you ninjutsu?' Takeshi glared pointedly.
Asuma gritted his teeth reading between the lines. He stood up straight, then bowed deeply. "Please teach ninjutsu."
"Takeshi Sensei is a Jonin," Ebisu interjected earnestly from the side. "You should address him as Takeshi-sama."
Asuma hesitated, forcing the word out. "Please... Takeshi-sama..."
"ow~ Nah, no need for that. We're friends, right? Friends!" Takeshi waved a dismissive paw. "The jutsu is from my Cat clan - Vacuum Bullet. Similar to your humans Vacuum Bullet, but no hand seals needed."
With that, Takeshi leaped gracefully out of Kurenai's arms.
Kurenai felt a surge of warmth towards the black cat. So generous. Asuma, on the other hand... he seed so small-minded right now, his attitude completely wrong for soone asking for help. Takeshi was offering to teach him, and he still looked like he was sucking on a lemon.
*Tsk.* 'When did he beco so difficult?' she wondered silently. If only Asuma could just let go of his pride and learn from Takeshi, maybe he wouldn't be in this ss.
Raido, quiet until now, felt a pang of envy. He didn't know Takeshi well enough to jump into the conversation, but seeing the cat offer to teach Asuma ninjutsu made him wish he was in Asuma's place.
"ow~ Watch close. *Heh... tui!*"
Asuma's eyes widened.
The others stared, montarily stunned. 'He's using a jutsu... but what was that sound?'
'Was that... spitting?'
Before anyone could ask, sharp pellets of blue wind-natured chakra shot from the black cat's mouth. They streaked across the clearing and slamd into a distant boulder, punching clean through the rock.
'The power's undeniable,' Naoki conceded inwardly, despite himself. Fast, strong, and no seals.
"How... How do you do that?" Asuma stamred, completely baffled. The spitting sound offered no clue about the chanics. He didn't have a Byakugan or Sharingan to track the chakra flow.
"Pretend you're spitting," Takeshi explained with a flick of his tail. "But instead of spit, you're forming a ball of Wind Release chakra inside, then launching that. Simple, ow!" He gestured vaguely. "Go on, practice."
That wasn't exactly how the system had described it, but it was the gist. The technique itself wasn't overly complex, but performing it without seals? That took serious ti and dedication. Takeshi had relied on his own talent plus a nudge from the system to master it so quickly.
"*Heh... tui.*"
"*Heh...*"
Asuma tried a few tis, producing nothing but a dry mouth and a scratchy throat. He stopped, frowning, trying to figure out what he was doing wrong.
The sound was... oddly infectious. Takeshi listened for a mont, a spark of mischief in his eyes, before turning to leave.
'Yeah, the sound's a bit of a prank,' he admitted to himself. It reminded him of artists back in his old life who'd add a unique signature to their work. A little trademark sound. If soone got hit by this jutsu in the future, they'd know it was his. 'Indirect points, right?'
Of course, the other reason for teaching Asuma was purely experintal: could a human re-learn a jutsu modified by the system?
The group gave Asuma so space. Kurenai glanced back, her expression troubled. "Takeshi... you're not just ssing with him, are you?"
"ow~ Nope. It can be learned. Just depends if he sticks with it." Takeshi shook his head. Theoretically, his version of Vacuum Bullet was learnable, the system had only streamlined the seals, not fundantally changed the ninjutsu.
But the difficulty was much higher than the standard version. Whether Asuma mastered it would co down to his own talent and sheer stubbornness. If he kept at it, even a seal-less Vacuum Bullet was achievable eventually.
'And if he gives up,' Takeshi thought wryly, 'he can't bla for milking him for points. I offered him a boost, not my fault if he doesn't take it.'
'Hehehe. Hope you stick with it, Asuma...'
He pictured Asuma in a future fight, maybe flashing his trench knives, then suddenly spitting out a Vacuum Bullet. The enemy wouldn't know what hit them.
'Co to think of it... if we ever corner Danzo, I could spit one of these right in his face. Give him a taste of his own dicine, modified Takeshi-style.' The thought brought a small, satisfying thrill.
"Leaving already?" Naoki asked, thoughtful. Takeshi had ntioned needing to talk to Jiraiya, now that the Flying Thunder God user was back, he assud the business was concluded.
"ow!" Takeshi gave a curt nod. If he didn't head back soon, he'd be stuck with overti back in the village. Definitely didn't want that. He'd rather use the ti hashing out the New Cat Food business plan with Kabuto.
Those rich ladies in the Capital had way more money than sense, just looking for ways to spend it.
Kurenai watched Takeshi go, feeling a mix of reluctance and inspiration. Seeing him, even briefly, was always a boost. If Takeshi could make Jonin, she couldn't afford to lag behind. She had to make Chunin, and soon.
'That's it!' she resolved silently. 'Starting today, serious training. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, everything. I can't be the only Genin left while all my friends are moving up.'
Takeshi led Guy, Genma, and Ebisu away from the Small Ravine. Once clear of the training ground, Genma Shiranui kept glancing back, a worried frown creasing his brow. Ebisu looked similarly concerned.
"Sensei..." Genma began, his voice heavy with complicated feelings. "I think... we're luckier than Asuma. Even doing odd jobs around the village... at least we're not miserable like that."
He rembered Asuma's excitent about finally getting the Sandai's permission to go to the front lines. Genma had been envious then, thinking it was special treatnt. Now, seeing this? It didn't look like privilege at all. A darker thought surfaced: maybe Asuma had been 'taken care of' the mont he stepped outside Konoha's gates.
"Yes," Ebisu agreed, pushing his glasses up his nose, his expression grim.
"Youth is for striving! For pushing forward with fiery effort! Not for... huddling in a ravine getting beaten down!" Guy declared, punching the air for emphasis.
"ow~ Good. Glad you three get it," Takeshi said, his tone unusually serious. "Go back and train hard. You saw how friendly I am with Jonin Naoki. It wouldn't be hard to arrange for you to get so special training out here too."
Guy, Genma, and Ebisu nodded sharply, no trace of resentnt in their eyes - only firm agreent. Even Ebisu silently vowed to keep up his training, whether Takeshi supervised them or not.
To get stronger. To make sure they never ended up like Asuma.
===============
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