Chapter 42: What Did You See in the Fire Temple That Caught Your Eye?

Chapter 42: What Exactly Did You Set Your Eyes On in the Fire Temple?

"Well, anyway, I don't like overly smart kids; they are truly impossible to fool. So, let's take on a C-rank mission instead."

Kakashi's expression instantly returned to its usual mildness.

He took a few steps forward, glanced over the mission board, scratched his head, and said, "C-rank missions really don't have much difficulty. After this test, I think a B-rank mission is also worth considering."

"Lord Kakashi, please don't joke around," said the Chunin in charge of distributing missions, his face turning pale.

"Hiraga, it's just a B-rank mission. You graduated at the age of twelve—didn't you go straight to the battlefield to kill shinobi?" Kakashi let out a yawn.

"That's different."

"Alright, I'll go find the Lord Hokage. You guys wait here for a moment."

Kakashi had no interest in bickering with him, knowing that the man's opinion didn't carry any weight. It was better to go directly to the Third Hokage.

Tenten could no longer contain her excitement, looking at Chiba with sparkling eyes as her rosy cheeks quivered slightly. Tsukiko Gekko was not much better off.

A B-rank mission meant they would finally get to face real shinobi in combat!

"Don't get too excited yet. Although B-rank missions usually only feature ordinary rogue shinobi, accidents occasionally happen. After all, rogue shinobi are mobile and unpredictable, and much of the intelligence is inaccurate."

"That's right. As expected of a famous genius, B-rank missions are extremely dangerous. Even official Chunin teams sometimes encounter enemies that wipe out their entire squad." Hiraga nodded repeatedly, shaking his hands in agitation. "So you really need to talk Lord Kakashi out of this."

Previously, he had thought Kakashi was a veteran Jonin who surely understood the rules, but he never expected that the most prudent one would be this young genius.

Chiba wore a strange expression, nodding slightly to brush him off.

Talk him out of it?

What makes you think I don't want to take a B-rank mission?

I was only preaching prudence out loud because I was afraid my teammates were getting too full of themselves.

Just as he was about to pull Tenten and Tsukiko aside, a thick smell of smoke drifted over from a distance.

Men who smelled like this were rare in Konoha.

Chiba turned his head.

Asuma was puffing on a cigarette, waving at him from far away in a corner.

"Eh? The teacher told us to wait right here. Where are you going?" Tenten asked, immediately grabbing Chiba's sleeve when she saw him step away.

"I'll just be in the main hall. You guys wait over here; I'll come right back when the teacher returns."

Chiba didn't explain further. Asuma must have used an illusion technique, and since the sensory perception of Tenten and Tsukiko Gekko wasn't strong enough, they hadn't noticed anything unusual.

He walked over.

Asuma was crouching in the corner, taking a vicious drag of his cigarette before patting the floor beside him to signal Chiba to sit down.

Chiba's expression turned odd.

"Is the one out front a shadow clone?"

"Yeah, sigh~ It's all your fault, kid, coming up with these schemes and forcing me to put on a performance like this!" Asuma said, quite indignant.

He didn't mind exchanging ninjutsu, but why did he also have to perform "over-limit" taijutsu outside? It was completely mortifying!

"Ahem, Asuma-senpai, you can't blame me for that. I only made a suggestion; I didn't ask the Third Hokage to hire you as a plant." Chiba waved his hand to fan away the smoke.

"The old man is really... But credit where credit's due, your technique is indeed quite good." Asuma put out his cigarette. "If I'm not mistaken, there is an even stronger version of this taijutsu, right?"

"Mm. According to Kakashi-sensei, the complete version is close to the state of opening the First Gate, and its duration is even more powerful than opening the gate itself, but it's extremely difficult to learn." Chiba nodded.

Asuma didn't possess Mighty Guy's eccentricity, nor did he share Kakashi's dark sense of humor. Aside from occasionally having to endure secondhand smoke, things were mostly harmonious with him.

He smiled slightly, slowly exhaled a breath of air, and said, "Jiraiya—no, Jirobu? Wait, Jiruo? No, Jiraku? Ah, whatever, Hiruko? No, Dilu—wait, I mean Dilu said he wants you to help improve the Sealing Iron Wall?"

"Mm. Their sealing barrier is useful, but not completely useful. I think there is some room for improvement," Chiba said.

"What exactly did you set your eyes on in the Fire Temple?" Asuma blurted out of nowhere.

Chiba was stunned. After a moment of blank staring, he asked, "Asuma-senpai, why would you think that?"

"Hahahaha."

Asuma glanced at him, then curled his lip in disdain. "You're not a selfish person. On the contrary, most of the time you're quite selfless. But you possess a thirst for knowledge that surpasses ordinary people."

"Uh, is it that obvious?" Chiba hadn't really planned on hiding it.

The Talent of the Senju Clan (The Sage's Talent) was no ordinary ninjutsu. If he wanted to get his hands on it, he would inevitably have to continue interacting with Dilu (Jiruku/Jirud/etc. / Note: translating 'Dilu' / 地陆 as Dilu) and Asuma down the line.

Dilu didn't know him well and thus wouldn't guess his intentions, but Konoha's Jonin certainly understood him quite a bit—especially since Asuma was the Third Hokage's son.

Asuma chuckled softly and said, "The old man said so. You definitely set your eyes on something in the Fire Temple."

"Tsk, the old man himself was too embarrassed to bring it up and decided to use you as his blade instead. Asuma-senpai, if it were me, I definitely wouldn't be able to swallow that!" Chiba put on an expression of looking out for his best interests.

Asuma glanced at him, then softly spat out a single word: "Tch."

He remained silent for a moment, poked him with his finger, and asked, "What on earth are you eyeing? I need to know so I can figure out how to talk to Dilu. He's my friend after all; I can't screw him over."

"I want the knowledge of the Talent of the Senju Clan."

Since Asuma had put it that way, Chiba saw no point in beating around the bush and stated his demand directly.

Clearly, this answer did not surprise Asuma.

"That's going to be tricky."

Asuma habitually reached for his cigarettes, but remembering that Chiba didn't much care for them, he left his lighter in his pocket, merely holding the unlit cigarette between his lips and sucking on it before continuing, "That is the foundational technique of the Fire Temple."

"I don't need the complete technique, just the basic knowledge. They can look at this as an investment: they teach me some knowledge regarding the Talent of the Senju Clan, and I create various techniques and teach them back. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement," Chiba explained patiently.

The older man chewed on his cigarette and nodded gently.

No one could deny Chiba's brilliance. As long as he was given the knowledge of the Talent of the Senju Clan, he could undoubtedly invent many powerful techniques. But that was the secret inheritance of the Fire Temple...

Though, to be fair, he himself knew it too.

Asuma pondered for a long time before saying, "I'll help you ask about it."

"Then I'll leave it in your hands!" Chiba brought his hands together in a gesture of thanks.

Asuma waved a hand and said, "It's nothing much. Like you said, it's mutually beneficial. If it were up to me alone, I would have agreed right away, but I can't make the final call on my own."

"You're broad-minded! I'm counting on you for this. If it succeeds, I'll definitely never forget your help!" Chiba gave him a thumbs-up.

"Actually, I really do have a favor to ask of you." Asuma sat up, adopting a rare look of seriousness. "I've been back in Konoha for a while now, and I'll probably be leading a genin squad next year. I'll need your help when the time comes."

"Huh? Me?"

"Yeah. Kakashi said you're full of crafty ideas. I thought about it, and the only one who can keep that kid in line is you," Asuma said.

"Are you going to be mentoring Nara Shikamaru?"

"Kakashi was right—you really are full of tricky ideas. I hadn't even said it yet, and you already figured it out." Asuma gave him an approving nod.

The corners of Chiba's mouth twitched slightly. "Well, we'll see when the time comes. If I have free time, I can help you design a test or two, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to fool Shikamaru a hundred percent of the time."

"That's fine. At least it'll definitely be better than me."