Just as Asuma was about to put a stop to this gang of brats, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of him—Souta Kazuki.
"Souta Kazuki, right?!" Asuma raised an eyebrow. "You're still young, so drinking is one thing, but smoking is a bit too much, isn't it?"
Souta waved his hand nonchalantly. "Asuma-sensei, now's not the time to be talking about that. If I'm not mistaken, you like Kurenai-sensei quite a bit, don't you?"
Asuma's face instantly turned red. "What? W-What are you talking about?"
Kurenai, who was sitting next to him, also stiffened at Souta's words, her cheeks heating up. How can this kid speak so freely?!
Asuma turned his gaze away, avoiding eye contact with Kurenai, but inside, he was in complete chaos. How did this brat know?! I've never told anyone!
Souta took a sip of his drink and puffed the cigarette in his hand, looking as if he had all the experience in the world.
"Asuma-sensei, if you really want to win over Kurenai-sensei, there are three things you must do…"
Asuma narrowed his eyes, feeling oddly intrigued. Could it be that this kid actually has some insight?
"What three things?"
Souta smirked. "First… persistence!"
Asuma nodded. "That makes sense. What about the second?"
"The second thing is—shamelessness! Sensei, you're so thin-skinned. You even blush when you sneak glances at Kurenai-sensei. If you keep hesitating like this, when will you ever win her heart?"
At this, Asuma choked on his cigarette. He quickly averted his gaze from Kurenai, but she had already caught him in the act. She narrowed her eyes slightly, making Asuma feel like he was being put on trial.
"Ahem… alright, what's the third thing?"
Souta leaned forward, his smirk widening.
"The third point? It's simple…"
He suddenly slammed his hand onto the table, making everyone jump.
"Keep being shameless!"
Asuma blinked. "H-Huh?"
"That's right! Persist in your shamelessness! If you're too reserved, someone else will come and snatch Kurenai-sensei away while you're still hesitating!"
Asuma opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words. "Insist on being… shameless… insist on being shameless… huh… it actually kinda makes sense?"
Bang!!!
Souta suddenly hit the table again, standing up with a wild grin.
"Asuma-sensei! Since you're treating us today, I'll do you a favor! I'll teach you a song! As long as you learn this song, you'll definitely win over Kurenai-sensei! And the best part? You'll be able to sing this song together with her!"
Asuma's heart pounded. "A song I can sing with Kurenai?"
He could already picture it—a romantic moonlit night, just the two of them, sharing a song together. His anticipation skyrocketed.
"What song is it?"
Souta cracked his knuckles. "Ahem… we all know this song. Let's do a big chorus for Asuma-sensei!!!"
At his command, the twelve rookies sprang up from their seats, picking up their bowls and chopsticks to start keeping the beat.
Souta raised his arms dramatically.
"Everyone!!! Are you ready?!"
"READY!!!"
He took a deep swig of his drink, then slammed the bottle onto the table.
And then, he began singing.
As soon as Souta started, Uzumaki Naruto immediately joined in.
"Don't make me look around!!!!"
Uchiha Sasuke took the next line.
"Don't make me guess every day!!!"
Naruto followed up.
"Who is my groom?!"
Sasuke answered smoothly.
"I am your groom!!!"
"Who is my bride?!"
"I am your bride!!!"
The song continued in rounds, with Shikamaru and Chōji taking the next verse, followed by Kiba and Shino, then Neji and Rock Lee.
By the final chorus, all twelve rookies were shouting in unison.
"HEY, HEY—!!!"
At this moment, in another part of Konoha, Uchiha Mikoto was listening to the commotion. She turned to her husband, Fugaku, and, despite her usual composed nature, couldn't help but chuckle.
"Wife… shall we sing it together?"
Mikoto nodded shyly, her face warming.
Meanwhile, in a completely different location, Senju Hashirama was sitting with Uzumaki Mito. The moment he heard the song, he suddenly sprang to his feet.
"Mito!!!"
She turned to him, expecting him to invite her to sing. This fool… he finally learned a little about romance. But we're an old couple, so it's a bit embarrassing to sing such a straightforward song…
But then… she realized Hashirama wasn't approaching her.
Instead, he was moving further away.
Under the confused gazes of everyone around him…
Hashirama marched straight toward Uchiha Madara.
"Madara!!!"
Madara's eyelids twitched violently.
"Let's sing it together too!!!!"
He took a deep breath, raising his hands dramatically.
"WHO— IS MY GROOM—?!"
Madara shot up from his seat, his entire face contorting in rage.
"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU IDIOT!!!"
With a single punch, Hashirama was sent flying out of the building.
As he soared through the air, his voice echoed in the distance.
"FLYING AGAIN—!!! CAN WE MEET AGAIN—?!!!"
For a moment, there was complete silence.
Then…
A terrifying aura filled the room.
A dark red chakra exploded like a raging storm.
Uzumaki Mito's carefully tied bun had come undone, her fiery red hair standing up like a Super Saiyan's. The entire restaurant trembled under the sheer force of her chakra.
Her eyes burned with fury as she uttered in a chilling voice:
"Sen!ju! Hashi!ra!ma!!!"
The very air itself seemed to tremble as Mito's killing intent spread through the village.
"Today… I will make you kneel before the Buddha for a thousand years!!!"