Chapter 29: Asuma
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Clang!
In the forest, shuriken and kunai collided with metallic shrieks.
Puff! Puff!
Several figures were entangled in a fierce melee, two of whom were clearly Asuma and Chiriku.
"I say, did you draw these enemies here?" Asuma asked, using his trench knives to parry a shuriken strike while speaking to Chiriku behind him.
Clang! Clang!
A continuous stream of attacks from the outside kept them preoccupied.
Chiriku's chakra manifested into a Thousand-Armed Murder, blocking the incoming strikes one by one. "Sorry, I forgot to mention. As a monk sent by the Fire Temple to the capital to serve as a Guardian Shinobi, I'm a target for various factions."
"Whether they want to intercept and kill me to impersonate me and assassinate the Daimyo, or they have other motives—anyway, this trip won't be smooth."
Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!
Facing the enemy's onslaught, Asuma wove hand signs and spat out a massive cloud of gray ash, covering the sky and earth as it surged toward the foes.
The several ninja from the unknown faction paled in terror, their eyes filled with dread.
Boom!
Following the ash cloud came a violent explosion.
"Aaargh!"
The screams caused the other attacking ninjas to falter. Seizing this chance, Asuma used everything in his arsenal, working with Chiriku to finish off the remaining enemies.
"It seems being a Guardian Shinobi Twelve is no easy task!" Asuma wiped away cold sweat.
"Thank you, sorry for the trouble," Chiriku said with a smile.
"Who are these guys?" Asuma looked at the corpses on the ground. Upon checking them, he found no specific intelligence. Aside from standard ninja tools, there was nothing identifying them.
"Since they dared to assassinate someone from the Fire Temple, they naturally wouldn't leave any evidence. You won't find anything," Chiriku noted.
"That's not necessarily true!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out. The two instantly tensed up, entering a combat stance as they searched for the source of the sound.
Four figures appeared before them. The leader was a man with bandages wrapped around his head, and all four wore Konoha headbands.
Asuma's face darkened at the sight. That old fossil... does he still want to control me?
"Hey, long time no see. You haven't forgotten me, have you, Asuma?" Tonbo Tobitake waved his hand, speaking with a grin.
Upon hearing this, Asuma shifted his focus to the speaker. He looked at the tall figure and the bandage-wrapped head, searching his memories. After a moment's effort, he finally found an inconspicuous figure from before their graduation at age nine.
"Tonbo Tobitake?" he asked uncertainly.
Chiriku, listening to the exchange, felt a wave of relief. So they're acquaintances.
Tonbo clutched his chest in mock agony. "Heavens! We were classmates for three years, and even after I gave you a hint, you're still not sure? That's heartbreaking."
He then turned to the three Genin. "You lot, don't be like him. Forgetting a comrade's name is incredibly rude."
The trio didn't dare act carelessly. Senior Asuma was right there; was it really okay to tease him like that?
"Hey, what are you doing here? Did the old man Sarutobi send you to find me?"
Though Asuma felt a bit embarrassed, he asked the question that concerned him most.
Tonbo replied, "Hey now, show some respect. That's your father; you shouldn't call him 'old man'." After teasing him, he turned serious. "That's right. Lord Third Hokage sent us to see what you're up to out here. If possible, come back with us!"
"If you want to take me back, you'll have to break my limbs and drag me," Asuma declared, dropping into a combat stance. He focused his full attention on the four, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Chiriku, being loyal, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him. "I don't know what's going on, but if there's a fight, count me in."
Seeing the two ready for a brawl, Tonbo sighed helplessly.
The three Genin looked at him, waiting to see what their Captain would do.
Tonbo threw his hands up in frustration. "See that? This is what a guy without the Will of Fire looks like. He's actually thinking about attacking his own village comrades. Don't you ever learn from him. This is the Hokage's failing; in the future when you become Captains, you must educate your subordinates properly!"
The trio thought about it seriously and nodded in agreement. As expected of the Captain, always upholding the Will of Fire.
Asuma's brow furrowed deeply. What does he mean? Is he saying the old man failed to raise me? Though he had disputes with his father, he wouldn't allow anyone else to speak of him that way.
"Hmph, you're just a Captain. What right do you have to judge the Hokage?" Asuma snorted in question.
The corner of Tonbo's mouth hitched. "By your very existence, Asuma. Rude and willful. You gave me that right."
Tsk!
This comment made Asuma fume with rage. Being young and hot-blooded, he didn't care about anything else now—he just wanted to teach this guy a lesson.
Swoosh!
"You three, stand aside and watch. Let your Captain give you a combat lesson. Oh, and move those corpses a bit further away; they'll be useful later," Tonbo said calmly to the Genin.
He then turned to face the charging Asuma.
Clang!
Kunai met trench knife as the two locked eyes at close range.
"Yo, as expected of the Hokage's son. Has your Wind Nature Transformation already reached this level?" Tonbo teased as he watched his kunai being slowly sliced by the sharp chakra.
Konoha Rising Dragon!
His right foot kicked out in a flash. Asuma, alert, leaned his head back sharply, letting Tonbo's foot graze his chin.
Konoha Overhead Kick!
In a split-second transition, Asuma abandoned the idea of cutting the weapon and blocked Tonbo's leg with both arms.
Damn, this guy's Taijutsu is incredible.
Asuma grew more alarmed the longer they fought. Every one of Tonbo's moves was a standard Konoha technique, yet every strike felt perfectly placed and impossible to predict. The Taijutsu Asuma took pride in was being completely dismantled.
Meanwhile, after hearing Tonbo's orders, the three Genin moved the corpses out of the battlefield under Chiriku's bewildered gaze. Watching the fight—and seeing their Captain utterly suppress Senior Asuma with nothing but Taijutsu—their mouths fell open in an "O" shape.
Chiriku's heart also tightened. What terrifying Taijutsu. To suppress the powerful Asuma to such an extent using only physical techniques... through their days together and frequent assassination attempts, he had come to respect Asuma's strength, especially his Taijutsu.
"Just who is this person?"
"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!"
Seeing that Taijutsu wasn't working, Asuma used a few shuriken to force Tonbo back and then spat out a cloud of old smoke. He was getting desperate. It was his first time being suppressed like this by someone his own age.
Tonbo, however, was perfectly at ease. He was actually enjoying the fight; it felt like his entire body was finally being stretched out. Facing the Fire Style attack, he too wove hand signs.
Water Style: Water Encampment Wall!
He didn't forget to narrate for the three Genin: "Watch closely. When facing a Fire Style attack, an elemental counter with Water Style is the best response."
Boom!
Asuma's ash cloud had zero effect against the water wall. Tonbo blocked it with ease. Upon hearing his commentary, Asuma grew even more furious, his face turning red with youthful indignation.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!