Bang!
Sarutobi Asuma's head exploded.
But the next moment, the headless corpse exploded into a puff of smoke with a bang.
"Shadow Clone? How is that possible?"
Kakuzu's pupils constricted in disbelief.
He turned his gaze to the other battlefield.
Amidst the roaring sound, waves of fire rolled back, enveloping his two masked clones.
The next moment, Sarutobi Asuma and Hatake Sakumo vanished simultaneously.
The masked monster that had just blocked Sarutobi Asuma's two ninjutsu was split in two with a burst of white and blue light.
Crack!
Bang!
The Wind Style and Fire Style masks exploded.
"Damn it!"
Kakuzu's expression turned ugly, and the tentacles he had extended were immediately and rapidly retracted into his body.
Sarutobi Asuma, who was falling from the air, spun around and unleashed the Wind Style - Great Breakthrough ninjutsu, attacking Kakuzu from over a hundred meters away.
"Asuma, that's a waste of chakra!" Hatake Sakumo said.
"Teacher Sakumo, this guy masters five types of Chakra Nature Transformation, which means he has five hearts. He only has two left now, one for Earth Style and one for Lightning Style. We need to kill him twice more!"
As he spoke, Sarutobi Asuma disappeared into the storm.
Swish!
Hatake Sakumo also vanished.
Kakuzu retreated repeatedly but was still caught by the storm.
Electricity crackled around him, and Sarutobi Asuma flickered within the wind, his blue blade light flashing continuously, slashing at Kakuzu.
Wind Style versus Lightning Style!
Kakuzu was at a disadvantage, completely suppressed by Sarutobi Asuma's sword technique.
When the storm passed, a blinding white light erupted, and Kakuzu's body was split in two.
Hatake Sakumo's decisive blow had directly cleaved Kakuzu.
But both of them immediately frowned.
Kakuzu's fallen corpse transformed into a masked monster, which then split in two, followed by a surge of intense electricity that exploded outwards, engulfing everything.
Sarutobi Asuma and Hatake Sakumo were both surrounded by crackling electricity as they flashed and dodged the attack.
"He still got away!"
Sarutobi Asuma sighed, tapping the ground. "Such speed, he's already out of my perception range!"
"No need to chase. We still have a mission!" Hatake Sakumo said.
If he weren't on a mission, he would definitely have pursued Kakuzu to the death.
This guy was too strong, with comprehensive abilities, capable of matching an entire Jonin squad by himself.
Sarutobi Asuma nodded, but couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
Even with the powerful Hatake Sakumo present, they couldn't eliminate Kakuzu. It would be even harder to do so in the future.
Moreover, it was difficult to keep a strong individual like Kakuzu if he was determined to escape.
"Next time, I need to find an opportunity to use a big move and settle it in one go!"
Sarutobi Asuma silently resolved, then returned to the merchant caravan with Hatake Sakumo.
Here, Shizune was busy treating the injured, and Kurenai was assisting.
Fortunately, although many were injured, there were no casualties.
After preliminary treatment of the injuries, the group continued their journey, reaching a small town as night fell.
However, this town was also extremely desolate.
After the Second Great Ninja War, Hanzō had withdrawn his forces to Amegakure, causing various ninja organizations to sprout up like mushrooms in the Land of Rain.
Combined with the presence of ninja from various countries, it was an utter chaos, leaving countless civilians displaced.
They found an abandoned house to settle down in.
Only then did Hatake Sakumo ask, "Asuma, you seem to know that person very well?"
"Yes!"
Sarutobi Asuma nodded, speaking with his eyes wide open and telling a lie: "I read a lot. That guy's technique is a secret jutsu from Takigakure called Earth Grudge Fear."
"He can absorb others' hearts and implant them into his own body. Each heart represents a life."
Both Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune's expressions changed as they heard this.
Such an evil jutsu actually existed!
"That guy should be named Kakuzu. He was originally a ninja from Takigakure and once assassinated the First Hokage. After failing, he stole the secret jutsu Earth Grudge Fear and defected from the village. He's a powerhouse from the same era as the First and Second Hokage!"
Sarutobi Asuma stated.
Hatake Sakumo nodded, "So that's how it is. He is indeed very powerful, mastering all five natures extremely proficiently. That masked monster can also detach from his body and fly through the air, making him very troublesome!"
"Kurenai, you'll use Genjutsu to assist me in interrogating the survivor. Asuma and Shizune, you'll be responsible for vigilance. We cannot let our guard down!"
Sarutobi Asuma and the other two nodded in unison.
Ten minutes later.
The four of them regrouped.
The interrogation results were out.
Before Hatake Sakumo could speak, Yūhi Kurenai anxiously said, "Asuma, they came for you!"
"Huh?"
Sarutobi Asuma raised an eyebrow, "A bounty?"
"Yes!"
Yūhi Kurenai nodded, "Your bounty must have appeared in the bounty office after we left the village. Ten million Ryo!"
"Ten million Ryo?"
Sarutobi Asuma frowned, quite displeased, "My price is that low?"
"I'm the Third Hokage's second son, after all. And I even created an S-Rank Wind Style Ninjutsu, right?"
Hatake Sakumo and Shizune couldn't help but laugh.
Yūhi Kurenai, however, was anxious, "Asuma, don't take this lightly!"
"This is already the price for an A-Rank mission!"
Sarutobi Asuma quickly became serious, "Kurenai, I understand. I'll be very serious, especially since that guy Kakuzu is targeting me."
To avoid Kurenai's worry, he added, "However, that guy lost four hearts, so he likely won't have time to bother us for a while."
"We still can't let our guard down,"
Hatake Sakumo chimed in, then continued, "Although your creation of the S-Rank Wind Style Ninjutsu is widely known, people outside the village haven't seen it, so not many people believe it."
"However, after this, your bounty should increase significantly."
"So you need to be even more careful."
Other ninja villages wouldn't be willing to see Konoha produce such a formidable genius.
"Understood, Sakumo-sensei!"
Sarutobi Asuma nodded.
During their rest that night, he opened the System and used the remaining 1 Attribute Point, adding it to his Constitution.
Constitution +1 = 63!
The next day, it was continuously raining. The team departed early in the morning.
Midway.
Sarutobi Asuma and Hatake Sakumo left Shadow Clones behind, and their main bodies left the team, heading south. They quickly arrived at the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain to begin their investigation.
This kind of infiltration was a specialized skill.
Fortunately, Sarutobi Asuma was very proficient with the Transformation Technique, and with Hatake Sakumo guiding him, he learned quickly.
By noon, the two returned to the team.
However, the investigation's findings were not optimistic.
At the border of the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, ninja activity was frequent.
On the surface, those ninja appeared to be rogue ninja or part of small ninja organizations.
But how could they escape Hatake Sakumo's sharp gaze?
He could tell at a glance that many Sand Ninja were mixed in.
Two days later.
The team entered the Land of Birds.
Sarutobi Asuma and Hatake Sakumo continued to investigate the situation at the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.
The Land of Earth was fine; it was not in a state of war.
But on the side of the Land of Wind, the border outposts had clearly stockpiled more supplies than usual.
Sarutobi Asuma knew that war was imminent.
Even without Sasori of the Red Sand killing the Third Kazekage, the Third Great Ninja War would still break out.
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