Chapter 21: A Student Becomes a Disciple
The next morning, the sun rose over Konoha as usual.
And, as usual, Asuka was awakened by the Orange Cat's ridiculously plump body sprawled across his chest.
Feeling himself suffocating, he slowly opened his eyes, lifted the cat off his chest, placed it beside his pillow, then yawned as he climbed out of bed.
"Gargle... gargle... gargle..."
Standing by the window, Asuka brushed his teeth while reading a book titled The Limits of a Fashionable Beauty's Figure.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Just as he finished brushing his teeth and was about to crawl back into bed, someone knocked on his door.
Before he could answer, the door slowly creaked open.
A small head framed by long purple hair cautiously peeked through the gap.
Yūgao Uzuki clearly hadn't expected the door to be unlocked. She blinked in surprise before curiously looking inside.
The first thing she saw was Asuka standing in the middle of the room.
A mug in one hand.
A magazine in the other.
Judging by the cover...
It definitely wasn't reading material for children.
Her gaze unconsciously drifted lower.
Well-defined abs.
Powerful thighs.
"...!"
Yūgao's face instantly turned scarlet.
"E-Excuse me!"
Bang!
She slammed the door shut.
Leaning against it, she clutched her pounding chest as she gasped for breath.
Although Konoha's February mornings were still chilly, she felt anything but refreshed.
Cold sweat continuously trickled down her forehead.
Who reads that kind of magazine first thing in the morning while brushing their teeth?!
Then she suddenly froze.
...Wait.
Shouldn't he be the embarrassed one?
He's the one who got caught reading a dirty magazine.
So why am I the one hiding?
I'm such a coward...
Taking a deep breath, Yūgao gathered her courage and slowly opened the door again.
By then, Asuka had already gotten dressed.
The magazine had also disappeared.
If the Toad Sage could make a fortune by gathering inspiration at bathhouses, then surely he could make money by gathering inspiration from books.
Otherwise, if Jiraiya's Make-Out series hadn't sold so absurdly well, Asuka would've preferred writing serious literature.
Looking at the complicated expression on Yūgao's face, he asked irritably,
"What's with that look?"
"Didn't get enough of a view?"
As he spoke, he opened the refrigerator.
Taking out a carton of iced milk and a cup of tonkotsu-flavored instant noodles, he continued,
"Have you ever heard the saying, 'People don't lock their doors at night'?"
"The Uchiha compound is very safe. I don't even lock my doors or windows before going to bed."
"But next time..."
"Knock first."
"...Understood."
Yūgao lowered her head.
The sweat on her forehead suddenly transformed—at least in her own mind—from nervous sweat into sweat from running too fast.
"...Sensei?"
Seeing Asuka preparing to boil water for instant noodles, she hesitantly pointed at the cold carton of milk beside him.
"You're... going to eat something hot and drink something cold together?"
"Of course."
"It's a form of willpower training."
"...Um..."
Yūgao nervously rubbed her fingers together as a blush gradually spread across her cheeks again.
"Actually..."
"I know how to cook."
"...You?"
After giving her a skeptical once-over, Asuka raised an eyebrow.
"Do you need something from me?"
"What?"
"No."
"I just thought..."
"Eating like that first thing in the morning..."
"...might upset your stomach."
Hearing the uncertainty in her voice, Asuka tested the temperature of the water with his hand before asking calmly,
"So..."
"What do you really want?"
"...Well..."
After hesitating for a long moment, Yūgao gritted her teeth.
"I'll make breakfast first."
Before Asuka could respond, she hurried into the kitchen.
Grabbing his sturdy arm, she dragged him into the living room, pushed him onto the sofa, tied on an apron, and immediately began bustling around the kitchen.
---
Half an hour later...
Asuka stared silently at the plate before him.
Neatly sliced eggs.
Pan-fried bread.
Ham.
Then he slowly looked up at Yūgao.
To be honest, half an hour earlier, he'd been expecting an elaborate feast.
Instead...
This was what she'd made.
"...Not bad."
Taking a bite of the ham, he found it tasted perfectly normal.
Giving her a thumbs-up, he praised,
"You did well."
"Nothing's burnt."
"Your future boyfriend will be a lucky man."
"Hehe..."
Yūgao laughed sheepishly before suddenly remembering why she'd come.
Looking at Asuka as he continued eating his fried egg, she asked expectantly,
"Sensei..."
"I heard you used to study swordsmanship?"
"I did."
"But after practicing for a while, I realized it wasn't what I'd imagined."
"So I quit."
Originally, he'd imagined swordsmanship to be like the swordsmen from another world—capable of unleashing flying slashes from hundreds of meters away.
Instead, it turned out to be little more than swinging a katana.
Compared to ninjutsu, it simply wasn't exciting enough.
After copying a number of sword techniques with his Sharingan, he'd moved on to studying other things.
"...Sensei."
"I have a request."
"Go ahead."
"I'm easy to talk to."
Taking a deep breath, Yūgao bowed deeply in one smooth motion.
Closing her eyes tightly, she declared,
"Sensei..."
"Please accept me as your disciple!"
"...Huh?"
Asuka blinked.
The fried egg in his mouth suddenly lost all flavor.
Putting down his chopsticks, he turned toward her.
"...A disciple?"
"Yes!"
Listening to her unwavering reply, Asuka felt a headache coming on.
What had gotten into this girl?
Why did she suddenly want to become his disciple?
When he voiced the question, Yūgao straightened her posture.
Standing with her feet together, she answered firmly,
"You're the best medical ninja among swordsmen..."
"And the best swordsman among medical ninja."
"Even Lord Kosuke personally admitted..."
"...that your swordsmanship rivals his own."
"Lady Tsunade once said..."
"That every squad should have a medical ninja."
"It greatly increases a team's survival rate."
"I want to learn Medical Ninjutsu."
"But I don't want to abandon swordsmanship."
"And..."
"...I can't become the disciple of two people at once."
"...Kosuke?"
Asuka paused.
Kosuke...
The Eternal Genin?
The old man who always ended up taking the blame?
The one comparable to Might Duy?
Remembering who she meant, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Back then, he'd copied quite a lot of swordsmanship from Kosuke.
Perhaps it really was time to repay that favor.
After remaining silent for a while, he looked at Yūgao.
"What happened?"
"What suddenly made you decide to study Medical Ninjutsu?"
"..."
Yūgao clicked her tongue.
Putting on an innocent expression, she stared at the ceiling with wide, sparkling eyes.
Yesterday, during a sparring match, she had accidentally injured her opponent.
That evening, her mother had shut the door and given her a thorough scolding.
Lying in bed last night, she'd finally understood why her teacher had learned Medical Ninjutsu in the first place.
Based on everything she'd learned about him...
He'd probably started studying medicine...
So he could injure people...
Then immediately heal them afterward.
Besides, everyone said that, apart from Lady Tsunade, his Medical Ninjutsu was already the finest in Konoha.
Her left hand...
Could wield a sword to cut down enemies.
Her right hand...
Could use Medical Ninjutsu to heal herself.
Wasn't that practically an eternal engine?
A fighting style that could never be defeated?
The moment she'd realized how incredible Medical Ninjutsu was, she'd wanted to get out of bed and ask to become his disciple immediately.
Unfortunately, her mother had forbidden her from leaving the house that night.
Thinking about it now, Yūgao couldn't hide the excitement on her face.
She eagerly stepped forward twice.
Her large eyes blinked repeatedly.
Countless words filled her mind...
Yet none of them came out.
"...Alright."
"I understand."
Looking into Yūgao's hopeful eyes, Asuka lowered his gaze toward the half-eaten fried egg on his plate.
Then he spoke seriously.
"Medical ninja..."
"And combat ninja..."
"Walk two very different paths."
"Since you've made up your mind..."
"You'd better be prepared for hardship."
"Yes!"
"Then starting tomorrow..."
"Come here at five in the morning."
"Make breakfast."
"I don't want egg slices anymore."
"Yes!"
"And..."
"Let go of my arm."
"Stop shaking me."
"Yes!"
Watching her agree so enthusiastically, Asuka scratched his nose before silently looking up at the ceiling.
...Did I get out of bed too quickly this morning?
Am I still dreaming?
In less than an hour...
He had somehow gained a disciple.