Time passed slowly in the midst of adjustments and confrontation. Looking at the calm expressions on the faces of several Kirigakure ninjas, Asahi sneered inwardly. Were they waiting for him to run out of patience first? If so, then they were truly naive.
Whether or not he could kill the people before him was not important to Asahi at all. Killing them was the best, but failing to do so would not affect the mission.
As for Terumi Mei's identity—the future Fifth Mizukage, one of the highest level of the Allied Shinobi Forces, fighting on the front line against Uchiha Madara—none of this mattered to Asahi.
If Terumi Mei died, would there be no other Fifth Mizukage in the Kirigakure village?
When the conspiracy of Akatsuki threatened the safety of the entire ninja world, would the Kirigakure village refuse to join the alliance of the five major ninja villages?
That was a joke.
In the end, it was the Kirigakure ninjas who couldn't hold back any longer and attacked Asahi. First, the Kirigakure ninja supporting Terumi Mei began to quickly form hand seals.
Water Style ∙ Great Waterfall Jutsu!
A flood infused with chakra surged forward, forcing Asahi to teleport to a nearby tree. But the force of the Great Waterfall Jutsu was immense—one wave was enough to knock the tree down. Asahi had no choice but to leap from branch to branch to avoid giving the attack an opening to strike him directly.
Water Style ∙ Water Dragon Bullet
The other Kirigakure ninja abandoned all restraint, unleashing another large-scale water-based ninjutsu at Asahi.
He threw his special kunai again, teleporting at the same moment to evade the oncoming Water Dragon Bullet.
The instant Asahi's feet touched the ground, a member of the Kirigakure Anbu burst from his blind spot, thrusting a ninja sword toward his back.
"Boy, you have great patience!" The Kirigakure Anbu exhaled slowly as the blade pierced through Asahi's back.
But the body impaled on the sword crumbled into yellow earth—it had only been a substitution. The real Asahi emerged from another angle, rushing directly toward the Kirigakure Anbu.
With a light tap of his toes, Asahi flashed forward like lightning, kunai in hand, swinging it toward the Anbu's neck.
The blade sliced through the target's throat without resistance, but instead of blood, clear water sprayed from the wound, splattering across Asahi's face. The Anbu's body dissolved into a stream of water, dripping onto the ground.
At that moment, the three Kirigakure ninjas began forming hand seals in unison.
Lightning Style ∙ Ground Movement
A blinding flash of electricity lit up the field, making Asahi's heart jolt.
Now he understood. The earlier attacks—ninjutsu that could never have hit him—had been deliberate. The Kirigakure ninjas' plan all along had been to use the water as a conductor for their lightning.
Even that water clone's sole purpose hadn't been to cause damage—it was to splash water on him.
'I was careless!'
Asahi had never anticipated they would employ such a suicidal tactic. Just to deal with him, they were willing to take an approach that risked harming themselves.
But thinking from their perspective, perhaps this was the most practical choice.
None of the Kirigakure ninjas present could counter the Flying Thunder God Technique. Their area-wide attack had effectively covered all the teleportation marks Asahi had placed nearby. If he wanted to avoid the lightning, he would have to teleport far away.
And once he did, they would have their chance to retreat.
"You're lucky." Asahi said coldly, before vanishing with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"He's gone! No trace nearby!" One Kirigakure ninja, after quickly sensing the surroundings, confirmed the disappearance.
"Withdraw!"
They exchanged glances, then supported the severely injured Terumi Mei and began to leave.
Only one Kirigakure Anbu lingered in the area. Once the others departed, he used the HiddenMist Jutsu to blanket the battlefield in thick fog, ensuring Asahi couldn't return for a surprise attack.
Not far away, in a shadowed cave, Asahi emerged with a grim expression.
He had been caught off guard by coordinated ninjutsu more than once. In the past, he had relied too heavily on the convenience of the Flying Thunder God Technique, underestimating the potential of combined attacks. When multiple ninjas worked together, the effect could far exceed a simple sum of their abilities.
Reflecting on this, he realized that after mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had grown more high-profile than ever.
If the incident with releasing the Three-Tails in the Kirigakure village had occurred in the past, Asahi wouldn't have even considered it—let alone provoking Uchiha Madara, the mastermind behind so much chaos.
"Is this the change brought by power?" he wondered, staring at his own hands.
As his strength increased, so too had his mindset shifted. Was this transformation a result of the power itself, or had it simply allowed his true self to emerge?
He decided not to dwell on the answer. Whether it was power shaping him, or his nature manifesting through newfound strength, it didn't matter.
People always change. The only constant in this world is change itself.
No matter how he evolved, Asahi believed he remained himself—because every change aligned with the essence of who he was.
His mental shift didn't bother him. What did matter was the gap in his abilities.
Perception, long-range ninjutsu, tactical diversity and analysis—these were the areas he urgently needed to improve.
The plan Asahi had set for himself began with fusing First Hokage cells into his body. After that, during Orochimaru's defection, he intended to secure the Ryuchi Cave's summoning scroll and master Sage Mode.
Once he achieved Sage Mode, his greatest weakness—perception—would transform into a strength. Natural energy sensing far surpassed even the dynamic vision of the three-tomoe Sharingan. In Sage Mode, ninjutsu would also become significantly more powerful, compensating for his lack of long-range offense.
It was a five-year plan for growth, but even Sage Mode would not be enough against threats like the Rinnegan, the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, or the progenitor of chakra herself. In such battles, he might still be nothing more than a strong supporting role.
To truly compete with the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, Asahi held a far more ambitious—though immature—plan. The first step in that plan was still the successful fusion of Hashirama cells.
Only once the fusion was perfected could Asahi proceed to the next stage.
With that conclusion, his desire to continue the current mission evaporated.
Returning to the village to further his research on Hashirama cell integration and cytotoxic vaccines had now become his most urgent priority.
*****
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