Being protected by Mokutsuki’s water jutsu, Asuma instantly felt guilty for how he had treated Mokutsuki before. He had vented his frustrations with the Third Hokage onto Mokutsuki, always showing a bad attitude. But Mokutsuki, as a teacher, had been highly dedicated. Even though Asuma had been uncooperative and resistant, Mokutsuki had cleverly ensured he completed the necessary training.
Although the process was sometimes frustrating, it was all for Asuma’s benefit, to help him complete his training.
“Shisui, you can go back now.” Seeing Asuma’s low spirits, Mokutsuki knew it was his turn.
Shisui nodded, said nothing more, and returned to his training.
Mokutsuki walked over to Asuma, patted the dust off him, and helped straighten his slightly messy clothes.
Finally, Mokutsuki sat down, keeping his height level with Asuma’s, and looked him in the eye.
They locked eyes for a moment before Asuma quickly looked away and whispered, “Sensei, I’m sorry.”
“Why don’t you tell me what you’re sorry for?” Mokutsuki asked with a smile.
“I shouldn’t have taken out my anger on you because of my frustrations with others. I shouldn’t have been opposing you and refusing to cooperate,” Asuma said, not daring to look at Mokutsuki.
“You didn’t wrong me; you wronged yourself,” Mokutsuki said, his expression becoming more serious.
Mokutsuki asked, “Does it affect me if you don’t train?”
Without waiting for Asuma to answer, Mokutsuki continued, “No, it doesn’t. Even if you don’t train, I’ll still be here, and I’ll still be earning my two thousand ryo per hour salary.”
“But you’re different. If you skip an hour of training, that hour is gone forever, and you gain nothing.”
When dealing with rebellious teenagers, Mokutsuki knew it was crucial to make them see that everything he did was for their benefit, that he was on their side, and that they were the ones making mistakes.
“I…” Asuma hesitated. The more Mokutsuki spoke, the more regretful he felt, realizing he had been unfair.
The more annoyed he had been with Mokutsuki’s methods, the more his admiration grew now. In his mind, Mokutsuki had suddenly become a much better teacher than his Hokage father.
Mokutsuki hadn’t scolded him for not following the training instructions; instead, he had praised him for his strong limbs. If it had been Hiruzen, Asuma would have been scolded immediately.
Before giving a lecture, Mokutsuki had even brushed the dust off him and straightened his clothes, ensuring they maintained eye contact at the same level.
Thinking about this, Asuma’s eyes began to well up with tears. Why was it that a tutor he had known for only a few days could be so considerate while his parents rarely praised him for his achievements?
Was Asuma’s first place any less valuable than anyone else’s?
Asuma grew increasingly upset, remembering his defeat by a first-year Academy student today.
The emotions built up until they finally burst. Despite trying to control himself, tears streamed down his face, and he turned his head away, not wanting Mokutsuki to see.
But Mokutsuki noticed immediately. He didn’t act right away, instead waiting a bit, letting Asuma cry and release some of his pent-up feelings. Then he stood up, patted Asuma’s shoulder, and handed him a handkerchief.
“Sensei… you’re so kind,” Asuma said, taking the handkerchief to wipe his eyes, his voice choked with emotion.
“Unlike my parents, they never…”
“That’s because you only remember the bad and forget the good. Think about it. Who tirelessly put you to sleep when you were little? Who taught you to walk and run step by step? Who checked on you at night to make sure you were covered?” Mokutsuki spoke earnestly.
Hiruzen might be watching, so it was essential to balance this with mending the father-son relationship.
Asuma was at a loss for words. He did have memories of those moments.
“You can think about it more when you have time. For now, let’s get back to training. You haven’t forgotten what you said earlier, right?” Mokutsuki said, seeing Asuma still looking conflicted.
“Of course, I haven’t forgotten. From now on, I’ll train however you say, Sensei,” Asuma said, wiping his face clean.
To Asuma, Mokutsuki had now transformed from a sly, annoying adult into a genuinely caring and perfect teacher.
“This week, continue to practice chakra control. Next week, we’ll focus on ninjutsu,” Mokutsuki explained briefly.
He wouldn’t teach Asuma the same way he taught Shisui and the others. Firstly, Asuma’s sensitive identity means that Hiruzen or his spies might be watching, which could expose Mokutsuki’s true strength. For now, he wanted to appear only as a capable Chunin.
Secondly, Asuma wasn’t his disciple, merely a student, and not worth too much of his effort.
As Mokutsuki expected, Hiruzen Sarutobi indeed used his telescope technique to observe how Mokutsuki was teaching Asuma from the Hokage’s office.
“In terms of teaching children, Mokutsuki is indeed exceptional,” Hiruzen thought, seeing Asuma go from resistance to respect, affirming Mokutsuki’s abilities as an educator.
He wasn’t surprised Mokutsuki could call upon Shisui. After all, Shisui was in Mokutsuki’s class, and students from other courses admired Mokutsuki. It made sense that his own students would, too.
“However, Shisui shows even greater talent than Kagami,” Hiruzen thought, recalling his former teammate, Uchiha Kagami.
Kagami was an Uchiha who had been recognized by the Second Hokage for embodying the Will of Fire.
“It seems I’ll need to give Shisui more attention,” Hiruzen said, taking a puff from his pipe.
Shisui was Kagami’s grandson, and his outstanding talent had already put him on Hiruzen’s radar. He hoped Shisui could become a Uchiha like Kagami.
Seeing Asuma starting his training, Hiruzen deactivated the telescope technique and returned to his paperwork.
By evening, Hiruzen used the telescope technique again to survey the village before heading home for dinner.
At the dinner table, Hiruzen asked cheerfully, “Asuma, are you satisfied with your tutor? I chose him carefully for you.”
Asuma paused, his mind flashing back to today’s events.
Before today, he would have called Mokutsuki a deceptive, terrible teacher.
“Sensei Mokutsuki is excellent, much better than you,” Asuma praised Mokutsuki while taking a jab at his father.
Though Mokutsuki had managed to calm him, Asuma’s resentment towards his father wouldn’t dissipate overnight.
“You don’t know anything, boy. I trained the Sannin,” Hiruzen retorted, blowing his mustache in annoyance.
“Tsunade and the others are naturally talented,” Asuma countered. The Sannin were famous, but each had carved their own path.
“Sometimes, wisdom lies in recognizing your own shortcomings,” Asuma mimicked Mokutsuki’s tone.
Hiruzen was left speechless by his son’s words. Admitting he was inferior to Mokutsuki would mean accepting a lack of wisdom.
Seeing his father at a loss for words, Asuma’s mood improved, and he ate with more enthusiasm.
(This chapter ends)
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