Within a forest.
Kakuzu emerged from the ground, leaning against a tree and coughing up blood repeatedly.
"That damned brat!"
Two masks on Kakuzu's shoulders shattered with a crunch.
Immediately after, the mask representing Water Style also broke.
Only his core hearts remained!
But that wasn't all.
He also had horrific injuries.
While escaping underground using Earth Style, he'd been caught in the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken's wave, its Wind Release Chakra needles striking his back.
Even hardening his body with Earth Style hadn't stopped them.
His skin and even some muscle cells were directly sliced to the point of being unusable.
Although his body had been modified by the Earth Grudge Fear secret technique, a significant portion of his flesh remained.
Fortunately, that was the case; the injury on his back didn't affect him too severely.
It was also fortunate that he'd used his Wind Style, Fire Style, and Water Style masks to block some of the Ninjutsu's power during his escape. Otherwise, he would have been engulfed by that jutsu, and then…
Thinking of Sarutobi Asuma's jutsu, Kakuzu broke out in a cold sweat.
"An S-Rank Wind Style Ninjutsu!"
"A mere nine-year-old brat. Konoha truly has an endless supply of geniuses!"
Kakuzu's expression was grim.
It had been one thing to be forced to flee when Sarutobi Asuma and Konoha's White Fang teamed up last time.
After all, Konoha's White Fang was currently the strongest in Konoha, second only to the Third Hokage.
But to be beaten into a frantic retreat by a child now… that feeling was truly… unbearable.
"Brat, next time you won't be able to get away with it so easily!"
Kakuzu contemplated countermeasures in his mind, snorted, and continued his escape.
…
After burning the bodies, the merchant caravan set off once more.
One day later.
The caravan exited the Land of Rain, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The constant mental strain had been unbearable.
Upon entering the Land of Fire, Sarutobi Asuma became leisurely again.
His main body studied on a cargo truck, while the guarding was left to Shadow Clones.
On July 23rd, Konoha Year 42, the merchant caravan finally returned to Konohagakure.
"Disperse, go back and get some good rest!"
Upon returning to the village, Hatake Sakumo immediately disbanded the team and then headed alone to the Hokage Building.
Hokage's Office.
Hatake Sakumo pushed the door open and entered. Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up, a smile appearing on his face, "Sakumo, the mission is complete. How did it go?"
From beginning to end, Hatake Sakumo recounted the mission process.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been relaxed, gradually furrowed his brow.
"Kakuzu, I know of this individual. He did indeed attempt to assassinate the First Hokage back in the day," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
Hatake Sakumo stated, "The identity of this last group of attackers is in doubt. Some of them didn't seem like simple bounty hunters, but were specifically targeting Asuma."
"However, to avoid any further complications, I didn't leave any survivors."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, then slowly exhaled. "Asuma, I'm troubling you!"
Hatake Sakumo smiled and said, "Asuma was remarkable. He repelled Kakuzu all by himself."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "That's because Kakuzu didn't have information about that jutsu. Next time, it won't be so easy."
"This kid is too high-profile!"
One S-Rank Ninjutsu caused such a commotion that the entire shinobi world knew about it.
One must understand that in shinobi battles, intel is an extremely crucial element.
Countless examples exist of the weak defeating the strong through superior intel.
…
After washing up and eating a hearty meal, Sarutobi Asuma casually went out, hands in his pockets.
It was only one in the afternoon; there was still plenty of time.
After a mission that had lasted nearly a month, he finally had a rare moment to relax. He'd taken his time strolling around before arriving at the Senju Ancestral Home.
He went to the study, as familiar with the layout as ever.
The room was as messy as usual, with scrolls strewn everywhere.
Tsunade was currently asleep at her desk.
"Tsk, she's drooling!"
Sarutobi Asuma grinned with distaste.
But then, his gaze fell upon Tsunade's forehead.
There was a diamond-shaped marking there.
The Yin Seal!
Without disturbing Tsunade, Sarutobi Asuma stepped aside and began tidying the scrolls scattered across the floor.
"You're back!"
Suddenly, Tsunade's lazy voice broke the silence.
Sarutobi Asuma turned around to see Tsunade stretching, her ample bosom revealed.
He quickly averted his gaze and asked, "Tsunade-nee-chan, how is that jutsu coming along?"
Tsunade expertly wiped the corner of her mouth, smiling haughtily, "Of course, it's no problem at all!"
Sarutobi Asuma hurried forward upon hearing this.
Tsunade handed him a scroll from the desk, smiling, "The design for the jutsu formula is mostly complete."
Sarutobi Asuma examined it carefully.
After over a month of study, and with the foundation he'd laid in fūinjutsu, he could indeed understand it.
"As expected of one of the Sannin!"
Sarutobi Asuma praised.
Tsunade looked quite pleased with herself.
After finishing, Sarutobi Asuma sighed, "It's a shame such a secret technique can only be mastered by so few people!"
The requirement for chakra control alone would filter out 99.9% of ninjas.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this, snorting, "You're not thinking of promoting such a secret technique on a large scale, are you?"
"The more difficult a ninjutsu or secret technique is to master, the more it should naturally be in the hands of a select few. Otherwise, what would make geniuses stand out?"
Sarutobi Asuma nodded.
What followed was Tsunade's assessment of Sarutobi Asuma.
Half an hour later, Tsunade nodded with some surprise, "Your foundational understanding is already very good. You can officially begin studying medical ninjutsu."
She then found a ninjutsu scroll and handed it to Sarutobi Asuma. "This is the foundation of medical ninjutsu, the Healing Technique."
"Start practicing, and ask me if you don't understand anything!"
With that, Tsunade returned to perfecting her own secret technique.
Sarutobi Asuma immediately sat on the floor and began studying the ninjutsu scroll.
The Healing Technique was indeed the most basic form of medical ninjutsu, capable of healing only minor wounds and often used to stop bleeding.
The Mystical Palm Technique was an upgraded version of the Healing Technique.
Ten minutes later, Sarutobi Asuma put down the scroll and took out his kunai, making a small cut on his own arm.
He put the kunai away, and a gentle green light appeared on his right hand, covering the wound.
The bleeding stopped, and the wound healed.
The cut, which had only broken the skin, was completely healed in less than a minute, leaving no trace behind.
Tsunade, watching this unfold, scowled.
It was the first time she had ever seen someone use themselves as a test subject for learning medical ninjutsu.
"What a monster!"
Tsunade muttered inwardly, then felt compelled to find the Mystical Palm Technique scroll and hand it to Sarutobi Asuma.
However, Sarutobi Asuma didn't immediately begin practicing the Mystical Palm Technique. Instead, he went out and bought a cage of small white rabbits, then started grinding levels.
By five in the afternoon.
He had managed to level up the Healing Technique to level 5 through sheer repetition. With enough experience points, his character level increased from 33 to 34.
This was much earlier than expected.
At level 5, the Healing Technique in Sarutobi Asuma's hands was already as effective as the Mystical Palm Technique.
However, he still needed to master the Mystical Palm Technique.
Grinding for experience and leveling up his character to gain attribute points and skill points was the key.
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