From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 366 He's too old to lift a knife anymore.

As dusk settled, a few dim streetlights illuminated the long street.

Kakashi's right eye was surrounded by bruises and swelling, his eyelid was almost completely slit up, and there were several obvious abrasions and bruises on his cheek, as well as some cuts on the corner of his mouth. His once handsome face could only be described as "a pitiful sight".

He returned home with a heavy heart, but as soon as he stepped into the entrance hall, he paused.

The air was filled with the aroma of food.

"this……!"

"Is that Kakashi? I'm back!" The voice was deep and magnetic, with a hint of barely perceptible hoarseness.

"Father?!" Kakashi's face lit up with joy, and he quickened his pace, but he stopped just as he pushed open the door.

The light from inside shone through the crack in the door, clearly illuminating Kakashi's small face—or rather, illuminating half of his face.

His disheveled appearance stunned even Sakumo, who had looked up.

Kakashi stood frozen in place, overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of embarrassment and shame under his father's astonished gaze. He instinctively tried to lower his head, to cover himself with his headband or his hands, but his body was too stiff to move.

"...What's going on?" Sakumo frowned slightly.

Kakashi's lips moved, his throat went dry.

He wanted to say "I was careless during training" or "I messed up during a sparring match," but under Sakumo's gaze, he could only manage to squeeze out a few words: "...I lost the sparring session."

"Lost?" Sakumo's expression was somewhat strange.

Practical training?
That's at the Ninja Academy, but among those kids now, who can be a match for my son?

He knew Kakashi's talent and strength; they were no less than his own and were in a class of their own among the kids of this generation. How could he have been defeated in actual combat? And who was it that defeated him?
“…Sarutobi Asuma.” Kakashi’s voice was as low as a mosquito’s buzz, almost squeezed out from between his teeth. Saying this name made the wounds on his face start to ache again.

"Sarutobi...Asuma?" Sakumo's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. The Hokage's youngest son? A... six-year-old child? He remembered the intelligence report mentioning that the child seemed to have some talent, but he never imagined that his own son would be beaten like this in a practical lesson with someone his age?
Could it be that there's a problem with the information about Sarutobi Asuma?

The room was silent, and the atmosphere was rather somber. It wasn't that Shuo Mao felt ashamed of his son's failure, but rather that, as a typical straight man, he didn't know how to comfort his son who had suffered a setback.

Just as the suffocating silence was about to continue, a knock came from outside the entrance, followed by a gentle voice: "Sakumo, are you home? It's me, Hiruzen."

A hint of surprise flashed across Sakumo's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and said in a deep voice, "Please come in, Hokage-sama."

The door was opened, and Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared in the doorway, his face bearing his usual gentle smile, but there seemed to be a hint of helplessness between his brows.

Before the two adults could even speak, Kakashi heard a voice that filled him with utter humiliation and indignation, "Yo, Greyhound, we're home!"

Greyhound!!!

Although he didn't know what the word meant, Kakashi disliked it very much.

Looking up, he saw the culprit who had beaten him into a pig's head was standing behind the Hokage with his hands in his pockets, looking bored, and a fresh blade of grass was dangling from his mouth!
Kakashi's nonchalant demeanor and mocking smile instantly ignited his blood, causing him to clench his fists tightly. If his father and the Hokage hadn't been there, he would have definitely rushed up to fight again!
"Sakumo, you've worked hard. Orochimaru has given me a detailed report on the situation at the border. You did a great job." Hiruzen walked in, patted Sakumo on the shoulder, and then looked at Kakashi's face. His brows furrowed slightly, and he expressed just the right amount of apology. "Kakashi, your injury... Asuma didn't know his own strength. His classmate went too far in the actual combat. Asuma, apologize!"

Asuma rolled his eyes and leaned slightly towards Kakashi in a very perfunctory manner. "Sorry, little dog, I won't hit your face next time."

Seriously, I really want to punch him!

This time, not only Kakashi, but even the two adults present wanted to punch someone. Kakashi was trembling with anger, his teeth grinding together.

Sakumo's gaze lingered on Asuma for a moment before turning to Hiruzen, his tone calm and even: "Hokage-sama, you flatter me. Injuries are inevitable in sparring between ninjas. Kakashi was outmatched; he should reflect on his own actions. Kakashi, remember this lesson."

Kakashi bowed his head sharply: "Yes, Father!"

Hiruzen coughed lightly, changing the subject: "Sakumo, the reason I called you back early this time is twofold: firstly, the border situation has temporarily eased, and secondly, I have a personal matter I'd like to ask you for a favor." He pointed to Asuma beside him, "This kid is very interested in swordsmanship, especially... he wants to learn from you."

"Huh?!" Sakumo's usually calm gaze finally revealed a look of surprise.

He is the White Fang of Konoha, a Kage-level shinobi. You can say he's straightforward, but you can't say he's stupid.

As the face of Konoha and a figure of considerable power, he had a keen understanding of the internal situation of Konoha and was also very clear about his own predicament.

At this stage, the Hokage faction is outwardly polite to him, but they are also very wary. Two years have passed since the end of World War II. During these two years, he has spent most of his time confronting Kumogakure on the border. Important tasks in the village that could bring great prestige and merit are not assigned to him. Most of them have been taken over by the Sannin. Even though Tsunade has left, Orochimaru and Jiraiya are strong enough. The reputation of the Sannin has become more and more prominent since the later stages of the war, and is now rivaling that of him, the White Fang of Konoha.

He thought that he would be sidelined again after returning this time, but to his surprise, the Hokage came to him on his first night back and even made him Asuma's swordsmanship teacher.

Is this an attempt to win him over?
Or is there another purpose?

With that thought, his gaze returned to Asma, scrutinizing her.

Asuma straightened up, his gaze meeting Sakumo's with composure. Although he deeply despised this world, he still needed to maintain a proper demeanor.

"Asuma?" Sakumo raised an eyebrow slightly. "The Hokage's swordsmanship is also among the best in the ninja world, why would he need..."

"He can't do it."

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak, Asuma said, "He's old, and the position of Hokage has clouded his mind. He can't lift a sword anymore. Now he can only use the Five Elements Ninjutsu to save face. As for swordsmanship, he can't even compare to me now."

"Uh……!"

The room fell silent. Apart from Asuma, the other three looked stiff. After a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened. "Asuma, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"Am I wrong? They even dare to shamelessly claim the title of the strongest Hokage of all time. How can someone with that kind of mentality hold a sword steady?!"

"You..." Hiruzen Sarutobi was so angry that he almost lost his mind. At this moment, he was so angry that he raised his hand and hit Asuma.

call out!
Asuma nimbly dodged away.

"How can you be so polite as to hit someone else's child in their own home?!"

"If I don't beat the shit out of you today, I'm not Hokage!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's roar soared into the sky.

bang bang...

A few seconds later, Hiruzen Sarutobi awkwardly stopped. In a fit of anger, he threw two more punches, but missed Asuma and instead smashed the entrance hall of the Sakumo family's house.

Sakumo didn't care. Instead, his eyes gradually lit up as he watched Asuma dodge twice.

(End of this chapter)