The long blade dissipated.
Falling cherry blossom petals swirled in the air.
That breathtaking sea of flowers surged toward the enemy.
Asuma, caught within it, wasn't completely defenseless.
"Genjutsu?"
"You underestimate me!"
Clasping his hands together, Asuma immediately disrupted the chakra flow within his body.
Meanwhile,
Qingchuan flashed forward with a Shunpo, charging at Asuma once more.
But during the charge, the floral spectacle dissolved, the petals coalescing back into the form of a blade.
His initial release lasted only five seconds.
Yet against Asuma, even five seconds was excessive...
One second sufficed!
Before Asuma could fully process the beauty and lethality of the attack, the tip of Qingchuan's Senbonzakura had already reached his forehead!
He didn't even comprehend what had transpired!
Then,
Excruciating pain erupted across his body, dragging his consciousness back to reality.
Countless thin gashes materialized on Asuma's skin in that instant.
Blood seeped slowly from the wounds.
Within a blink, Asuma's clothes were dyed crimson!
"No need for concern."
"Superficial wounds. Less severe than they appear."
Qingchuan's voice remained detached.
When Asuma glimpsed the scarlet hue in Qingchuan's eyes, understanding finally dawned.
"So that's it..."
His defeat wasn't undeserved.
Even against a girl barely six years old.
Those Sharingan eyes explained everything.
"To fuse genjutsu and kenjutsu to this degree..."
"No wonder the old man sent me..."
Asuma tilted his head skyward, emotions churning within him.
Two consecutive losses.
How embarrassing.
If the first was due to underestimation, the second...
Admitted no excuses.
Outside the arena,
Anko gaped, her small mouth hanging open in shock.
"Sensei! I... she... what just happened?!"
"Did her sword really turn into cherry blossoms?!"
This defied all logic.
Not only had she emerged unscathed from Asuma's fire release,
But that dazzling sword technique afterward—what sorcery was this?
"Let's go, Anko."
Orochimaru's voice rasped with suppressed excitement.
A closer look would reveal the legendary Sannin's body trembling faintly...
How he craved...
To unravel every secret hidden within this girl!
Was that truly swordsmanship?
Unlikely!
More akin to a genjutsu—one that ensnared all who gazed upon the blade!
And when kenjutsu merged with genjutsu, it birthed that mesmerizing floral onslaught...
Fascinating!
Seal-less ninjutsu, medical techniques, this fusion of blade and illusion...
How many more treasures lay buried within you,
Haruko?
Internally, Qingchuan wasn't nearly as composed as he appeared...
Damn.
Did I overact?
The initial release mattered little—it would be revealed eventually. Let others speculate...
He was under the Uchiha's protection now!
With that clan name shielding him, who'd dare interrogate him?
As for the Uchiha themselves...
They'd be ecstatic about nurturing such a prodigy!
But the Sharingan... how to explain that?
Awakened through parental loss?
But he'd been barely a year old then!
Impossible!
Unless...
There might be a plausible explanation.
Sheathing his blade, Qingchuan turned to Itachi.
Hmm...
His dear friend lay injured, nearly beaten.
Awakening the Sharingan in desperate concern... reasonable enough?
But the implications...
Qingchuan shuddered violently!
The Sharingan could be justified.
But how would others perceive this?
Especially Itachi...
Observing Itachi's stunned expression tinged with self-reproach,
Qingchuan realized events were spiraling in that inevitable direction.
...
Finally,
With the exams concluded, Itachi and Qingchuan walked home together.
Though they hadn't received their forehead protectors or ninja IDs yet, it was merely a formality.
In three days, they'd collect them at the Hokage Tower and be assigned to jonin senseis.
Whether they'd share a team remained uncertain.
Qingchuan suspected Orochimaru had already claimed him...
"Haruko..."
Midway, Itachi hesitated before gathering courage to ask:
"Your eyes... did they awaken today?"
"...Yes."
Qingchuan's heart lurched, but the lie slipped out.
"I see..."
Itachi's expression darkened.
He halted, head bowed in contemplation.
Qingchuan stopped too,
Back turned to hide his panicked face.
This debt kept compounding!
They stood frozen for endless moments.
Just as Qingchuan considered explaining it as "accidental awakening",
Itachi reached his own conclusion.
Lifting his head abruptly, the boy shouted at his friend:
"Haruko!"
"I swear—I'll train harder!"
"This... is my promise as your friend!"
With that, Itachi's small frame erupted with unexpected speed, sprinting away!
Left behind,
Qingchuan stood bewildered in the wind...
Inevitable.
The path had been set.