As one of the five great shinobi villages, Konoha was, in Kai's eyes, a place that rivaled the bustling cities of his previous life in terms of prosperity.
However, the technological development in the world of Naruto seemed peculiar. Some advancements were on par with his former world, while others lagged far behind.
"Brother, over here! Come quickly!" Anko waved excitedly at Kai as he approached.
"Alright, I'm coming," Kai replied casually.
Standing next to Anko was a girl about the same age as Kai. Her large eyes gave her a gentle and composed demeanor. She was none other than Kurenai Yuhi, whom Anko affectionately referred to as "Sister Kurenai."
"Sorry, Kurenai. Uncle Shishio had some matters to discuss with me, so I got delayed," Kai said, scratching his head apologetically.
"It's alright. Anko and I just arrived too," Kurenai replied with a warm smile, showing no sign of annoyance.
Anko, however, wasn't about to let Kai off the hook so easily. Pouting, she said, "No way! Brother was late, so you need to be punished!"
"How about I buy you two extra sticks of dango as punishment? Sound good?" Kai said with a chuckle, ruffling Anko's hair.
Anko's eyes darted mischievously before she nodded. "Fine, I'll let you off this time. Come on, Sister Kurenai, let's eat lots of dango today!" She grabbed Kurenai's hand and started running toward the dango shop.
But before they could get far, a voice suddenly interrupted them.
"Kurenai, why are you still hanging around with this guy?"
The speaker was a boy around five or six years old. As he spoke to Kurenai, he turned to glare at Kai, his face clearly showing displeasure.
Kai didn't respond immediately. Before he could say anything, Kurenai spoke up firmly.
"Asuma, Kai is my friend. You don't have the right to dictate who I spend time with."
"Kurenai, you need to understand. This guy spends all his time pulling pranks. Just today, he painted graffiti on the statues of the First, Second, and even my father, the Third Hokage! Even if he gets into the Ninja Academy, he'll definitely be a dead-last!"
Asuma Sarutobi pointed at Kai, raising his voice as he spoke to Kurenai.
Initially, Kai had chosen to ignore Asuma's presence. After all, the boy was clearly jealous of him spending time with Kurenai. On top of that, Kai had just drawn a turtle on the Hokage Rock, so it wasn't surprising that Asuma held a grudge.
But when Asuma started pointing fingers and calling him names like "dead-last," Kai's patience wore thin. He smirked and said, "Hey, dead-last—who are you talking about?"
"Obviously, I'm talking about you!" Asuma retorted without hesitation.
Kai feigned a look of realization. "Oh, I see. Dead-last is talking about me. So you're the dead-last, huh?"
Asuma wasn't stupid. He quickly realized Kai was twisting his words to insult him. Seeing Kurenai stifling a laugh behind her hand, Asuma's face turned red with embarrassment. He pointed at Kai, struggling to come up with a response.
"You!"
"Me? What about me? You're the one who said dead-last, not me. I have nothing to do with it," Kai replied innocently, spreading his hands.
Asuma gritted his teeth, his frustration boiling over. Finally, he shouted, "Kai Mitarashi, I challenge you to a duel!"
"You're challenging me to a duel?" Kai raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a faint smile.
"Asuma, what are you doing? We're all comrades—you can't just duel each other!" Kurenai protested angrily, turning to Kai. "Don't accept his challenge!"
Asuma hesitated for a moment, feeling guilty under Kurenai's scolding. But seeing her siding with Kai only made his anger flare up again.
"Kai Mitarashi, what's the matter? Are you afraid to accept my challenge? If you refuse, you'll disgrace the Mitarashi clan!"
Kai's expression darkened at Asuma's words.
Over the years, Kai had come to fully integrate himself into the Mitarashi family. Whether it was Shishio's fatherly love or Anko's sibling bond, they all held irreplaceable places in his heart. He would never allow anyone to insult the Mitarashi name.
"Say that again if you dare!" Kai's voice turned cold as he stared down Asuma.
Asuma, his temper overriding his better judgment, shouted back, "Kai Mitarashi, if you don't accept my challenge, you're a disgrace to the Mitarashi clan—a useless failure!"
Kurenai stood beside Kai, her face anxious. She grabbed his arm, pleading, "Kai, let's leave. Don't duel him."
Kai gently pulled his arm free, reassuring her, "Don't worry. This won't take long. Afterward, we'll go eat dango."
Meanwhile, Anko, ever the troublemaker, cheered Kai on, waving her tiny fists. "Brother, beat him up good!"
To Anko, there was no one in the world stronger than her uncle—except her brother.
"But Asuma has nearly genin-level skills now. Kai, you can't beat him," Kurenai said worriedly. She knew Kai rarely trained, making him no match for Asuma in her eyes.
"Relax. I'm stronger than you think," Kai said, offering her a comforting smile. Then he turned to Asuma and said, "Alright, let me show you the strength of a so-called 'disgrace' from the Mitarashi clan. Are you ready?"
"What do you mean?" Asuma asked, confused.
"I mean, are you ready to be sent to the hospital?" Kai replied coolly.
"By you? Ha!" Asuma scoffed, clearly unimpressed.
"Can we start now?" Kai asked, his tone impatient.
"Whenever you're rea—"
Before Asuma could finish his sentence, he froze in shock. Kai had vanished from sight. Instinctively, Asuma reached for a kunai from his pouch, but it was too late. Kai was already in front of him.
Leaf Whirlwind!
With no time to react, Kai delivered a powerful kick to Asuma's chest, knocking the wind out of him. Before Asuma could recover, Kai followed up with another move.
Leaf Rising Wind!
Channeling all his strength, Kai landed a heavy kick to Asuma's abdomen, sending him flying backward.
Asuma was completely overwhelmed. He had no chance against Kai's relentless assault. Moments later, his body hit the ground, skidding to a halt several feet away.
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