"Such a powerful combination technique. Looks like these top three are hiding their true strength," Oil Girl Shino muttered to herself while hiding in a tree.
At the same time, she swiftly sent out a swarm of insects, using the dust from the earlier attack to sneak up on the side of Asuma, hoping to grab the bells from her waist while she was distracted.
Unfortunately, Hinata had already set the trap in motion.
As a sensory ninja and instructor, Asuma's perception abilities were exceptional. After being startled by Hinata's combination technique and enveloped by the dust cloud, she immediately activated her sensory technique.
She was aware of the positions of the three from the Eighth Squad and the approaching insects.
With a pop, the sound of a balloon bursting echoed in the dust cloud.
When the dust cleared, only a piece of wood, circled by insects, remained on the ground.
Substitution Jutsu!
Seeing this, the Eighth Squad wasn't surprised.
Hinata, whose temples were bulging with veins, quickly scanned the surroundings. Through her Byakugan's vision, she saw Shino hidden in a tree, Asuma quickly disappearing into the forest using her Body Flicker Technique, and the already-dashing figure of Izayoi heading straight for Asuma.
They were all within her sight.
Watching Izayoi rush to attack Asuma, Hinata's Byakugan seemed to spot something, causing her lips to curl slightly into a smile.
She then took out a piece of cloth, nodded toward Shino's direction, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
The hum of insects followed closely behind.
In another part of the forest, the sound of clashing metal echoed.
The scene zoomed in on a pair of individuals, nearly the same height, both holding kunai in reverse grips, engaged in a deadly close-quarters battle.
Izayoi's kunai moved with deadly speed, targeting Asuma's critical spots—thrusts, slashes, and cuts coming at her relentlessly.
Even with her battle experience, Asuma could only react defensively to Izayoi's attacks.
At first, the seasoned Asuma didn't seem shaken. But quickly, she realized something incredible. Her eyes widened in shock.
"It's impossible?!"
She even exclaimed in disbelief.
Izayoi, knowing exactly what had stunned her, smiled as the corner of his lips curled upward.
The next moment, he vanished in a puff of white smoke.
At the same time, three shouts rang out from the surrounding forest.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Three fire dragons, about four meters long, roared as they rushed toward Asuma in a triangular formation.
Asuma, unable to evade with Body Flicker, had no choice but to quickly form hand signs and call out, "Water Style: Water Wall!"
A torrent of water surged from her mouth, swirling around her as she spun to meet the fire dragons, creating a clash of fire and water. Explosions and sizzling sounds filled the air as the thick mist spread rapidly.
"Cough, cough..."
The mist expanded to a vast area, even reaching the clearing where the Eighth Squad had been standing.
Asuma's silhouette emerged from the fog, coughing from the smoke.
Suddenly, she froze, realizing something.
Then, the familiar sound of jingling bells reached her ears.
The wind blew through the mist, clearing it away, and the Eighth Squad's figures emerged from the forest.
Standing in the center, Izayoi gently shook the bells in his hand, smiling at Asuma. "Asuma-sensei, I think we've passed, right?"
"Impressive. Even though I had already taken precautions, you still managed to steal the bells," Asuma said, glancing down at herself, looking somewhat embarrassed, but there was more joy than frustration in her eyes.
She smiled brightly, not sparing any praise. "You've got strong abilities, great tactics—looks like I've lost."
"No... ninja battles are all about intelligence," Izayoi said, shaking his head with a smile. "The reason we got the bells so easily was because you revealed your specialization and didn't know enough about our intel. If this were a life-and-death battle, it wouldn't have been this simple. We're only taking advantage of the fact that you intentionally held back."
Hearing this, Hinata and Shino, who had purposely stayed a step behind, were both surprised and had different thoughts.
'Izayoi-kun's words sound so good...'
'Can you really talk like that? Is he trying to flatter her?'
Asuma was also slightly taken aback, but her smile grew even more radiant as she looked at Izayoi with affection.
"You're such a smooth talker!"
The awkwardness dissipated, and Asuma quickly regained her composed and charismatic demeanor. She walked over, patted Izayoi on the shoulder, and then put her arm around Hinata's shoulders. "Come on, let's celebrate the formation of the Eighth Squad. Teacher will treat you all to a big meal."
As they walked down the path toward the center of the village, Asuma looked at Izayoi curiously and asked, "Izayoi, how did your Shadow Clone break my genjutsu during the battle?"
Breaking genjutsu is something taught in ninja school.
As long as you disturb the flow of chakra inside your body, it can be done.
It sounds easy, but it's incredibly difficult to do in combat.
After all, to disrupt your chakra flow, you need to focus and manipulate your chakra. That requires forming hand signs.
Asuma's shock wasn't because it was Izayoi's Shadow Clone fighting her, or because his main body and Shadow Clones were surrounding her.
It was because his Shadow Clone had ignored her genjutsu completely.
"It's a secret, Asuma-sensei," Izayoi said with a playful smile, placing his index finger to his lips. "Ninja battles are all about intelligence, and secrets make a man more charming."
As he said this, he threw a flirtatious glance toward Hinata, causing her to blush and shyly lower her head.
"You're still a kid. We'll talk about that when you're twenty and we can drink together," Asuma rolled her eyes, teasing him.
Despite her teasing, she didn't press further.
However, her evaluation of Izayoi had risen far above Hinata and Shino, the children of two prominent ninja clans.
The vast chakra reserve, powerful Fire Style techniques, his mature personality, and this level of ninja composure...
At that moment, Asuma understood why Izayoi had consistently outshone the children of other ninja clans and remained at the top of the class.
As for Izayoi's playful banter, he simply smiled and said nothing.
Of course, he wouldn't tell Asuma that the reason his Shadow Clone was immune to her genjutsu wasn't just because of his overwhelming Yin Chakra but also because he could perform jutsu without needing hand signs.
While others needed to form hand signs to channel their chakra, Izayoi didn't need to.
He was the perfect counter to genjutsu.