Asuma Sarutobi forced himself to ignore Dairoku and Kitake, who were muttering nearby. Were they blaming him for running away? Or maybe they were discussing how to counter Kohma and his group… Asuma didn't want to think about it. He refocused on the drink in front of him, letting its dulling effect quiet his mind and shut out any thoughts.
With a thunk, a large beer mug slammed down in front of him.
It took Asuma a couple of seconds to realize what was happening. His dulled mind reacted slowly, and he looked up along the arm holding the beer mug to see Kohma's face, which only deepened his irritation. But he didn't lash out. He simply asked in a cold tone, "Kohma, what do you want? You here to drink with me? Or to start something? If it's for drinks, cover your own tab—I'm not paying. If you want to start trouble, pick another day; I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."
"Neither."
Kohma stood beside him, looking down at the man who had once been a persistent thorn in his side. A flood of memories came over him. When the Twelve Guardian Ninja first formed, he'd looked down on Asuma, assuming he was just some privileged punk coasting on his father, the Hokage's, reputation.
But eventually, Asuma proved his worth with his own fists, showing he was no pampered fool. Over the years, Asuma had caused Kohma plenty of trouble.
But that was all in the past.
Now, Asuma Sarutobi was no longer the obstacle he'd once been. This stumbling block had been neatly moved out of Kohma's path by Konoha itself.
"Asuma, how about joining us?" Kohma invited sincerely.
"Join you?"
Asuma let out a mocking laugh, looking at Kohma as if he were a fool. "Get lost. If you're bent on throwing your life away, go ahead. But don't drag me down with you—I have no interest in a suicide mission."
Kohma wasn't fazed by Asuma's retort. This response was expected. If Asuma had agreed right away, Kohma would have been surprised.
He looked at Asuma intently. "I know you're fed up with Konoha as it is. So why not join us? Together, we could cleanse Konoha. And if you're willing to follow Lord Daimyo's orders, it wouldn't be impossible for you to take the title of Sixth Hokage."
Truthfully, Asuma felt a flash of temptation for a few seconds.
To become Hokage!
It was the dream of many Konoha shinobi, and Asuma himself had harbored it as a child, dreaming of becoming a great Hokage like his father. But as their relationship soured, a rebellious Asuma chose to leave Konoha, eventually joining the Twelve Guardian Ninja under the Daimyo.
Later, after his father's unexplained death and the severe impact on their clan, his dream of becoming Hokage felt further out of reach than ever.
"Kohma, stop pestering me. Go die if you want, but don't involve me." Asuma turned down Kohma's invitation again, his moment of temptation gone in seconds. To him, Kohma's group was simply courting death.
Even though they might have some understanding of Konoha's strength from afar, they couldn't comprehend why Konoha had consistently emerged victorious, achieving miracles despite being outnumbered.
As a boy raised in Konoha and as the son of a Hokage, Asuma understood just how strong Konoha was.
Even with the heavy losses from the Third Shinobi War and the Nine-Tails' attack, Konoha remained the most powerful force in the shinobi world. Going against Konoha… even dying whole was a luxury, and Asuma had no intention of dying with the stigma of betraying his village.
No matter his resentment over his father's death, Konoha was still the village he grew up in.
It was home to his friends, family, and many familiar faces.
"I'll say this one last time, Kohma—don't bother me. I won't get in the way of whatever you're planning, but don't drag me into it. Otherwise... I'll join forces with Dairoku and the others and take you all down."
Asuma's tone was resolute, signaling his firm rejection.
He slid a hand into his ninja pouch.
If Kohma continued to press, he was ready to settle things with force.
"Alright then."
Kohma sighed regretfully. "In that case... I won't disturb you anymore. Have a good evening, Asuma." Turning to leave, Kohma felt a tinge of regret at failing to recruit Asuma, though it was within his expectations. He'd only come on the chance it might work. If it had, it would've been a pleasant surprise. But it wasn't a loss.
Outside the bar, a companion waited for him at the door.
"Didn't work out?"
Seeing Kohma walk out alone, the man carrying a sword greeted him.
"Half-success. He refused my offer, but he promised not to interfere, so it wasn't a wasted trip," Kohma replied.
"You think he's bluffing? Maybe he just doesn't want to get surrounded alone by us, so he's agreeing now only to change sides later. Just to be safe, we should kill him now." The white-haired, fox-faced man with the sword was radiating bloodlust.
"Little Fox, settle down."
Kohma cast a stern look at his notoriously impulsive comrade.
"Don't stir up trouble. Asuma Sarutobi isn't an issue for us anymore. Attacking him now would bring more problems than it's worth. Lord Daimyo holds him in high regard recently. He's never going back to Konoha—Lord Daimyo's court is his final home. He might not see it yet, but sooner or later, he'll be one of us."
"Tch, boring."
The man known as Little Fox, despite his cute-sounding name, reined in his bloodlust, though his fox-like face still showed clear displeasure.
"Can't touch him, can't mess with anyone else. I swear, Kohma, when do we finally get to cut loose in a real fight? I've had it with this dull life. If we keep dragging things out, I'm afraid my blade's gonna get rusty."
"Soon. Very soon."
Kohma leaped onto the rooftop across from the bar, gazing over the bustling city and muttering, "Not much longer. The action… will start soon, once we get the right opportunity."
Dairoku had made the decision to head to Konoha. This wasn't some impulsive choice but a final conclusion after much thought and consultation with his companions. Honestly, they didn't think Kohma's group alone could truly threaten Konoha; if Konoha were that easy to take down, it would have happened long ago.
Their real concern was the influence Kohma's ideas might have on Lord Daimyo.
There was no denying Kohma's rhetoric was highly tempting, especially for Lord Daimyo, who would gain tremendous power by holding full control over the ninja, rather than maintaining a partnership with Konoha.
But for Dairoku and his companions, Kohma's ideals were too much to accept. They firmly believed that the "one country, one village" system was correct and suited for the present era. Concentrating too much power in the hands of a single person, in their view, was not a good thing.
If the Daimyo truly became influenced by Homa and his followers, the ensuing trouble would be more than just internal strife among the Guardian Ninja Twelve; it would be a massive disruption affecting the entire Land of Fire and even the whole ninja world.
If the "one country, one village" system were to collapse, the ninja world might regress to the Warring States era, back to that dark, blood-soaked time.
First, Dilu requested leave from the Daimyo, then parted ways with Kitane and Seima. He set off alone for Konoha. His actions could not be hidden from Homa and the others; in fact, as soon as Dilu took his leave from the Daimyo, Homa's group had already been informed of this through secret channels.
Then—
Homa realized—
The chance he'd been waiting for had arrived.
"This is it. As soon as that bald guy leaves the Daimyo's residence, we can take him down together!"
It was Kohamaru speaking, a man with a handsome fox-like face who was known for his extreme, hardline stance within the radical faction. No matter the task, his solution was always to eliminate the target and resolve the problem from the root.
Once, when the Daimyo of the Land of Fire tasked them with escorting a noble to the countryside for recovery, Kohamaru ensured a flawless journey by slaughtering every bandit, thief, and wandering ninja along the way, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
"The talent of the Senjutsu clan from the Fire Temple is formidable. If we're serious about taking him down, at least three of us will have to work together. Otherwise, Dilu might escape," said Kamanosuke, a short, stocky man with a sallow complexion, who looked more like a farmer than a ninja. He was standing or sitting with the other five radical faction members in a corridor overlooking the garden, having gathered there because of the news of Dilu's departure.
Besides Homa and Kohamaru, the other four radicals were all present: Kamanosuke, Tenme, Yungo, and Shiko. Shiko was the only woman among them; the rest were men. It was Kamanosuke, who looked like an ordinary farmer with yellowing teeth, who was currently explaining Dilu's difficult nature.
"Count me in!" Kohamaru was barely able to contain his excitement.
The killing intent in his eyes was almost overflowing.
"Can I… opt out?" Tenme asked. He was the youngest among them, just seventeen years old, in a group known as the Guardian Ninja Twelve—a team formed by a group of young talents.
"Stop slacking off, Tenme; your sensing abilities are essential," Kamanosuke scolded.
Among the six radicals, Homa was their undisputed leader, with Kamanosuke as his right-hand man. Kamanosuke had engaged Dilu in multiple hidden skirmishes over the years and thus knew Dilu's abilities well.
"Ahem!" Homa cleared his throat.
That was enough for Tenme to clamp his mouth shut, and Yungo, who had been resting against a pillar with his eyes closed, opened them and looked over.
"I have no intention of going after Dilu."
With this one statement, Kamanosuke and the others were stunned. Kohamaru grew visibly agitated but managed to control his emotions; after all, without that discipline, he wouldn't have made it into the Guardian Ninja Twelve.
"Homa, are you abandoning our plan?"
After a moment's silence, Kamanosuke asked.
"No, I'm simply revising it." Homa, unfazed by the questioning stares from his comrades, explained calmly, "Instead of going after Dilu, I think it's better to take this opportunity to eliminate Kitane, Seima, Hoshito, and Toyu all at once. That forbidden Lightning Technique of theirs is a massive threat—it's like a sword hanging over us, impossible to ignore."
Of course, if they could claim that forbidden jutsu for themselves, it would be a powerful weapon.
"Not a bad idea… But taking on all four at once won't be easy," Kamanosuke muttered, scratching his sallow face with a frown. "Are you sure, Homa? Kitane and his group aren't easy targets, and if they don't leave the palace, taking action would… be tricky."
Private combat within the palace was forbidden.
If they were to clash with Kitane and the others there, the division and infighting among the Guardian Ninja Twelve would be fully exposed, likely forcing the Daimyo to make a choice: would he retain them to show his desire to consolidate power, or would he abandon them and continue to wait? Either option conflicted with their original plan.
According to their initial plan, they intended to quietly eliminate the more conservative faction, cutting off their obstacles one by one in secret. Even if the opposition suspected their involvement, there would be no proof. Once the conservatives were out of the way, they could gather more allies, amass power, and then strike Konoha with a lightning-fast offensive before it had a chance to react.
If their plan were shown to Shoseng, he'd likely scoff and say, "It's too crude! And you're underestimating people." But the radicals were confident their plan was sound.
They felt there was no need for a complex plan; simpler plans left less room for error.
"No problem. Once we take care of Kitane's group, we can continue our mission as fugitives," Homa stated calmly, stunning his comrades into silence.
Well, not all of them. Kohamaru was on the verge of jumping for joy, while Yungo, as usual, wore a cold expression, making it hard to read his thoughts.
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