On his way back, Sarutobi Asuma was suddenly ambushed by unknown assailants.
They could mold chakra but knew very few jutsu. Their combat ability was barely on par with recent Academy graduates. Asuma assumed they were just rookie bandits or rogue ninja. With a few quick Fire Style jutsu, he wiped them out and incinerated the corpses.
But the attacks didn't stop there.
More and more people kept targeting him—some were shinobi, some ordinary civilians. The entire night turned into a vicious cycle of ambush, counterattack, body disposal, and more ambushes.
"What the hell is going on?" Asuma muttered, exhausted and overwhelmed. Using the Transformation Jutsu, he disguised himself and found a small inn to rest. He couldn't keep fighting without burning through his stamina.
He finally managed to get some sleep, and when he set out the next morning feeling recharged, it wasn't long before he was attacked again.
A group of unidentified ninja suddenly burst from underground and surrounded him. Their skills varied, but the leader was clearly at jonin level.
Asuma fought hard, taking several serious injuries in the process. He barely managed to defeat them, leaving only one alive for interrogation.
"You bounty hunters?" Asuma asked, frowning as he lit a cigarette. He was stunned to learn that all these attackers had been drawn in by a bounty on his head.
Those after the reward were a mixed bag: desperate civilians, bandits, professional hunters...
"This doesn't make any sense. The bounty on the black market wasn't that high. Why would you all go crazy over it?" he asked, still trying to wrap his head around it.
With rampant inflation, thirty million ryo wasn't worth risking your life over—not for a skilled ninja, anyway.
"Heh... you really don't know anything, do you?" the dying bounty hunter wheezed. "Your bounty's been updated. It's not about money anymore. Now, they're offering real goods—supplies worth over a hundred million!"
And that was pre-inflation value.
Asuma was floored, utterly confused.
"What the hell...? How did I become this valuable?"
"Heh... the Daimyō of the Land of Fire's put out a bounty on the Sarutobi clan's bloodline," the bounty hunter said with a twisted grin before breathing his last.
Asuma incinerated the body with a Fire Style jutsu. Gritting his teeth around the cigarette, he had a terrible feeling growing in his chest.
Whether it was the Daimyō himself or Uchiha Sasuke pulling strings behind the scenes, they weren't leaving his clan a single path to survival. With such a massive bounty, the remaining survivors of Konoha would never know peace again.
Asuma didn't waste any more time. He needed to get this devastating news to his father—fast.
...
While traveling through a forest, Asuma's instincts screamed. His hair stood on end as he leapt into a tree without thinking.
A blinding bolt of lightning struck from behind, blasting through several thick trees before vanishing deep into the woods. The trees it grazed slowly toppled, sending leaves and debris flying in every direction.
Asuma's heart raced. That Lightning Style jutsu was powerful—at least jonin level.
In the ninja world, jonin varied widely in strength. Some, like Yūhi Kurenai, were so weak that even some chūnin from kekkei genkai clans could beat them. Others, like the Legendary Sannin, were completely beyond the standard scale—rivaling even the Five Kage.
The attacker clearly belonged to the latter category.
Asuma turned toward the direction of the attack and saw a tall man approaching slowly. He wore a scratched-out Takigakure headband, a mask over his face, and had vivid green eyes.
He was clad in a long black cloak patterned with red clouds. Several grotesque monsters made of bundled black threads flanked him. Each had a different mask on its face.
"A Takigakure rogue ninja? Since when did Taki have shinobi this strong?" Asuma muttered, frowning. "And those things... are they summons?"
"You're the Fire Country traitor shinobi, Sarutobi Asuma, right? The one worth two hundred million ryo in essential supplies?"
"Two hundred million?!" Asuma's heart sank. "Wasn't it just one hundred million?"
"I had no interest in you at first," the tall man said, "nor in the Daimyō's campaign against the remnants of Konoha. But once your bounty went up... I changed my mind. Sorry, but you're too valuable to ignore now."
"Fire Style: Head-Crushing Suffering!"
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, one of the masked beasts beside him opened its mouth and unleashed a massive torrent of flames. The blaze roared toward Asuma with devastating force.
Asuma sprang into the air, leaping out of the fire's path. While dodging, he glanced back—and saw the Takigakure rogue calmly forming hand signs amidst the inferno. Another masked creature beside him opened its mouth and unleashed a howling gale.
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
The wind fed the flames, transforming them into a blazing sea of fire that surged forward with unstoppable force.
Asuma's muscles tensed as he formed a quick series of hand signs and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. The smoke rapidly expanded, mixing with the gale. The dust particles in the smoke had fire-resistant properties, creating a momentary gap in the firestorm.
He wrapped himself in chakra and bolted through the opening at full speed.
...
Kakuzu gave chase without hesitation.
"You're not getting away, bounty boy."
Asuma ran for his life. Glancing back, he saw the firestorm still expanding. If this kept up, it would become a full-blown forest fire.
But he didn't have time to worry about that. Right now, staying alive came first. He could deal with the consequences later.
"Is Takigakure really capable of producing a rogue shinobi this powerful?" Asuma muttered under his breath as he fled. Then it hit him. His face went pale.
He remembered hearing an old rumor about a legendary shinobi from Takigakure—Kakuzu. A monster who had somehow survived since the Warring States Era. It was said he'd used forbidden jutsu to extend his life.
Some even claimed he once tried to assassinate the First Hokage—and escaped alive.
That was terrifying beyond belief.
The more Asuma thought about Kakuzu's legend, the more anxious he became. If this guy had survived an encounter with the First Hokage, then his strength might already surpass the Five Kage.
There was no way Asuma could fight someone like that head-on.
He had to get as far away as possible. And he couldn't lead Kakuzu back to his father either—Hiruzen was still recovering from his injuries. Bringing this threat to their doorstep could wipe out what little remained of the Konoha survivors.
Asuma's mind raced with possibilities... but Kakuzu wasn't about to let him escape.
...
Asuma lost focus for just a second—and that was all it took.
Kakuzu caught up in a flash. One of his mask monsters opened its mouth wide and unleashed a high-pressure blast of water.
Still airborne from his last leap, Asuma twisted his body midair and barely dodged the Water Style attack.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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