Beside Asuma stood Yūhi Kurenai, a Hyūga branch member, an Akimichi, and an Inuzuka jōnin, plus a restless white ninken.
As the Hokage's son, Asuma's presence emboldened the jōnin to approach the forest at this hour.
The woods were chilling, littered with corpses, steeped in an ominous aura of death.
Kurenai's striking red pupils trembled, her small hands clenched, uneasy. To ease her hypervigilance, she glared at Asuma, snapping, "Put it out!"
Kurenai disliked Asuma's smoking but couldn't criticize too harshly, given his father, the Third Hokage, shared the habit.
Asuma grinned under the moonlight, revealing slightly yellowed teeth, reaching to pull Kurenai close. "Don't be mad; it'll go out on its own."
Slap—
Kurenai swatted his right hand away, coldly saying, "Focus on the mission!"
"Haha, fine, mission first. But isn't love my real mission?" Asuma teased, hands in pockets, tone slick.
Kurenai sighed, ignoring his shameless flirting, silently following the group. She hadn't even accepted him.
"Let's get to work, folks. Nail this, and it's a huge win!" Asuma snapped his fingers theatrically. The Akimichi guarded him, while the Hyūga and Inuzuka jōnin sprang into action.
The Hyūga activated Byakugan, scanning the battlefield. The Inuzuka released his ninken, but it fled in the opposite direction, baffling him. He chased after it.
Asuma's mouth twitched at the sight.
"There's a lightly injured Root operative!" the Hyūga jōnin reported, darting into the forest's depths.
Asuma led the others to follow. The Hyūga finished questioning.
The Root captain, missing fingers, thigh pinned by a katana, groaned in pain. "It was… Uchiha Tsukikage. He killed Lord Danzō! Then… led nine Uchiha to defect from the village!"
"Uchiha Tsukikage?" Asuma frowned, glancing at Kurenai, whose face paled.
Kurenai averted her gaze, avoiding Asuma's questioning eyes. Moonlight illuminated her fair, beautiful profile, her curled black bangs betraying her panic.
Her red-lined dress, wrapped like bandages, paired with fishnet armor, accentuated her curves. White bandages formed shorts, her long, shapely legs gleaming, calves slender and smooth.
Asuma softened, retracting his gaze, a flicker of irritation in his eyes. "There's only one Tsukikage among the Uchiha—our old ninja academy classmate."
Kurenai bit her red lip, denying, "He's not that kind of person! How could Tsukikage defeat Shimura Danzō?"
Kurenai, radiant as a crimson camellia, had matured into her prime, her refined makeup and striking beauty exuding the grace of a refined lady.
"You're right, Red. I don't believe he could kill Danzō either," Asuma said, his face darkening.
At the ninja academy, Uchiha Tsukikage, their peer, was gentle and kind, especially attentive to girls. Half the class's girls adored the aloof Kakashi, the other half the warmth of sunlight that was Tsukikage.
He shone as brightly as Kakashi.
Unluckily for Asuma, Kurenai, Shizune, and even the young Anko had been smitten with Tsukikage. His early graduation, alongside Kakashi, and deployment in the Third Ninja War's end gave Asuma a chance with Kurenai.
But that was the past. Asuma didn't dwell on it.
He took a deep breath, calming his gloom, and addressed the Root operative. "Tell me every technique those Uchiha used."
The Root captain, wracked with pain, gritted out, "Control—irresistible control genjutsu. The leader, Uchiha Tsukikage, awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
The five jōnin exchanged stunned looks, the Inuzuka hesitating. They'd never faced a Mangekyō-wielding Uchiha but knew their battlefield terror—eyes of death and curses, each pair bearing divine power.
"Please… get me to… Konoha Hospital…" the Root captain begged.
Asuma glanced at him, saying flatly, "Hold on five minutes; someone will take you." He led his team deeper into the forest.
"Asuma… maybe we should skip this merit," the Inuzuka suggested nervously, struggling to restrain his ninken, sensing its fear and agitation.
Asuma shook his head. "Let's gather more intel before deciding."
But steps later, they froze. A massive, pale tree dominated a clearing, a katana hilt embedded in it. In a dark hollow, an old face hung lifeless, body encased in wood.
"Shimura Danzō?!" Asuma, aided by moonlight, recognized the face, exclaiming.
Kurenai and the others saw the once-authoritative face, pupils shaking, breaths heavy. It hung motionless in the tree's hollow.
"Did… Uchiha Tsukikage do this?" the Hyūga jōnin asked gravely.
This was the Darkness of the Shinobi, Shimura Danzō, tortured and likely dead—horribly.
"Tsukikage… really did this?" Kurenai's cheeks flushed, waves surging in her heart. Had the boy she once admired grown to such heights?
"No way!" Asuma paled, pulling a cigarette, hands trembling as he lit it.
Tsukikage killed Danzō?!
Click—Click—Click—
Sparks flew. Asuma, eyes blank, fumbled with the lighter until the flame caught, lighting his cigarette. He inhaled deeply, steadying his turmoil.
"What now?" the Akimichi jōnin asked, deferring to Asuma.
Asuma rubbed his head, calming. Surveying Root and ANBU corpses, then Danzō's lifeless form, his thoughts aligned. Tsukikage likely awakened the Mangekyō, else he'd never target Danzō.
Even so, defeating Root, ANBU, and Danzō must've pushed him to exhaustion, a dead end.
Asuma smirked, cigarette burned out. He flicked ash, crushing it. "Tsukikage killed the Hokage's advisor, slaughtered Root and ANBU. He's spent, cornered. His bounty and rogue status will rival Orochimaru's after tonight. If we seize this chance, capture him alive, or bring his corpse, you'll become your clans' cores. I propose we hunt this rogue Uchiha squad!"
(End of Chapter)