3:00 PM.
In front of the Hokage Tower.
Asuma returned with the Ino-Shika-Chō trio to report on their mission. When he saw the Suna shinobi trio walking side by side with Team 8, his pupils shrank to pinpoints.
The Suna shinobi didn't concern him, but if Team 8 was here accompanying them, where was Kurenai? And where was Kamizuki Hikari?
Almost instinctively, Asuma scratched his head. He felt like a new hat had landed right on top of it.
"Asuma-sensei!" Inuzuka Kiba spotted Asuma and waved at him, calling out loudly.
"Ah, Kiba!"
Asuma forced a smile, doing his best to keep his jealousy from showing in front of the kids.
"Where's your Kurenai-sensei?"
"She told us to escort Temari, Kankurō, and Gaara around the village." Kiba replied, completely oblivious. "As for her, she's probably still waiting for us at the training ground!"
Unlike certain people, Yūhi Kurenai was the kind of instructor who wouldn't abandon her genin mid-training.
After all, not every shinobi was as lazy as Kamizuki Hikari.
Or, to put it more accurately, not everyone had a cheat that let them grow stronger without effort.
"What about Kamizuki?"
"Probably with Kurenai-sensei. They were both still there when we left."
Kiba spilled the beans without hesitation. In his eyes, Asuma was still Kurenai's closest friend, and this information wasn't sensitive, so there was no harm in sharing.
However, behind Asuma, Shikamaru and Ino exchanged glances.
For some reason, they were suddenly worried about Hikari-senpai. Could he handle Asuma's fury?
In their minds, Kamizuki Hikari's strength capped out at special jōnin level. The gap between special jōnin and real jōnin was vast—not something easily overcome.
If Asuma decided to target him, Hikari would be in for a rough time.
"Is that so?"
Asuma chuckled amiably. "How's your tour going? Wouldn't you rather go back to Kurenai-sensei?"
"We still haven't seen the Hokage Monument!" Kiba answered cheerfully, entirely unaware of Asuma's inner turmoil. "The Hokage Monument is a must-see landmark for anyone visiting Konoha!"
"Fine, then. Go on ahead—just don't neglect our guests."
"Got it, Asuma-sensei! We're off!"
Kiba waved goodbye and led the group away.
After walking about a dozen meters, Gaara suddenly turned back to glance at Asuma. A swirl of sand rose behind him, as if sensing danger.
"Gaara? What's wrong?" Temari gripped her giant fan, alert. Beside her, Kankurō said nothing, but his fingers twitched slightly, invisible chakra strings already attached to the puppet on his back.
One word from Gaara, and he'd unleash it in an instant—for attack or defense.
"...Nothing. Just a false alarm." Gaara muttered. The sand slowly settled, blending back into his gourd.
"Oh, okay." Temari relaxed.
After all, this was Konoha. If they faced any real danger here, it would cast serious doubts on the proposed alliance between their villages.
The Sand might be weakened, but they weren't defenseless.
Temari, Kankurō, and Gaara represented Sunagakure. If anything happened to them, the Sand would undoubtedly retaliate—perhaps even rally allies like Iwagakure, Kumogakure, or Kirigakure to condemn Konoha's actions.
The Third Great Ninja War had ended over a decade ago, but if Iwa or Kumo sensed an opportunity to extort Konoha, they wouldn't hesitate.
And if they got involved... the Fourth Great Ninja War might ignite years ahead of schedule.
'That gourd kid's instincts are sharp.'
Asuma smiled as he watched Gaara leave, though a shadow lingered in his eyes.
With Tsunade's current health, she could remain Hokage for years, maybe decades.
That would give Asuma plenty of time to grow stronger—but right now, time wasn't on his side.
Having inherited Enma's power, he believed he could defeat Tsunade in a one-on-one fight.
But Konoha's endless supply of elite shinobi made that scenario impossible.
The identity of Gaara's team was another complication.
Raised under the tutelage of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Asuma understood the political games between shinobi villages all too well.
On paper, Konoha stood as the strongest village—but beyond Jiraiya and Tsunade, it lacked shinobi capable of truly dominating the battlefield. Meanwhile, Iwa's Ōnoki and Kumo's Fourth Raikage were formidable figures at the peak of their influence.
And what did Konoha have?
Aside from Kakashi and Maito Gai, the younger generation lacked true standouts.
Thinking about that old fossil Ōnoki and the monstrous Fourth Raikage, Asuma shelved his plan to kill the three Suna shinobi and use it as a trigger to start the Fourth Great Ninja War — one that could allow him to eliminate Tsunade in the chaos.
It wasn't out of loyalty to Konoha that he discarded the plan.
He just found the whole scheme too messy. In the chaos, someone else might steal the spotlight—and he had no intention of paving the way for another's rise to power.
"Alright, let's turn in the mission report." Asuma said, shaking off his thoughts. "After that, you're free to go—though I'd prefer if you spent some time training. What do you think, Shikamaru?"
None of the kids—not even Shikamaru—had noticed the shift in Asuma's gaze.
"Asuma-sensei's advice is always worth remembering." Shikamaru said diplomatically. "After reporting, we'll head to Training Ground 10 and practice until seven. Then we'll go home."
"Excellent, Shikamaru. Always so organized."
"You three can handle the report yourselves. I've got something to discuss with Kurenai." He flashed a grin. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not!" Ino barely suppressed her eagerness. Whether Asuma intended to confront Hikari didn't concern her.
Realizing her response had been too quick, she added, "Good luck, Asuma-sensei!"
"Thanks—I'll do my best!"
Her "encouragement" boosted his confidence.
The sooner he secured Kurenai's affection, the sooner he'd rid himself of lonely nights—and the need for... personal manual labor.
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