Sarutobi Asuma was quite familiar with the terrain of the ninja world.
It was currently the season when humid air blew in from the sea.
The Land of Rain's location happened to be where the airflow from the Land of Rivers went north, squeezed between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, much like a canyon.
And as for the Land of Rain, its northern side was blocked by the high mountains of the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass.
The airflow would rise, then cool down, and subsequently rain.
Given its location, the Land of Rain was destined to be in its rainy season for a significant portion of the year, regardless of the season.
It was clear that the Rain Tiger Jutsu was absolutely the most suitable ninjutsu for the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers.
These two countries had an abundance of water resources.
Even if it wasn't raining, using ninjutsu to create rain would consume much less chakra.
As chakra merged with the wind, Sarutobi Asuma's senses immediately spread out with the wind.
50 meters.
100 meters.
1 ri.
Moreover, this range of perception didn't spread linearly; instead, it expanded over a large area as the wind swept through.
However, a drawback quickly became apparent.
That is, the range of perception was not controlled by Sarutobi Asuma.
This was because these natural winds were not under his control.
Arriving here, Sarutobi Asuma knew that it was as he had theoretically predicted earlier.
Relying solely on natural winds for sensing had a large range but lacked control and was impractical.
"However, on the battlefield, it's possible to perform precise sensing through Wind Style ninjutsu."
Sarutobi Asuma thought to himself.
Creating ninjutsu couldn't be done overnight; it wasn't like Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, a ninjutsu that could be directly "taken."
Original ninjutsu wasn't that simple.
Namikaze Minato, inspired by the Tailed Beast Bomb, created the Rasengan, which took several years to perfect!
Pushing aside his thoughts, Sarutobi Asuma diligently carried out his mission.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Pat pat pat!
Sarutobi Asuma looked up as raindrops fell from the overcast sky.
"It's raining!"
Sarutobi Asuma sighed.
He disliked the rain.
This was because his current specialties were Fire Style and Wind Style.
He also disliked muddy roads and the heavy humidity.
Beep! Beep!
Suddenly, a rhythmic whistle sounded.
Sarutobi Asuma's expression tensed.
It was Yūhi Kurenai signaling that ninjas were approaching.
He immediately looked in the northwest direction, then crouched down, and placed a finger on the ground, wet from the rain.
This time, he used the Sensory Ninjutsu mastered by the Second Hokage and Namikaze Minato.
This involved chakra transmission and sensing through the earth, which could be classified under Earth Style.
Although his Earth Style Chakra Nature Transformation level was not great, his Chakra Control and in-depth research into Sensory Ninjutsu allowed him to master this sensing ninjutsu quite well.
"A four-person squad, their chakra reactions are only at the Chunin level, mainly Water Style, and Earth Style..."
The benefits of mastering multiple Chakra Nature Transformations became apparent.
Sarutobi Asuma could not only sense the number of people but also identify the Chakra Nature Transformations he had already mastered.
Among the seven basic Chakra Nature Transformations, he had only not mastered Yang Release.
Even with Yang Release, it was essentially due to a lack of time.
Secretly relieved, Sarutobi Asuma immediately sensed other directions.
"Hmm?"
Sarutobi Asuma's expression changed, and his look became serious.
A ninja squad was also rapidly approaching from the southwest. Judging by their direction and speed, they were clearly heading for his merchant team.
Immediately, he used the Wind Body Flicker to disappear.
When Sarutobi Asuma returned to the caravan, the group had already stopped.
The samurai had surrounded the caravan in a circle, ready for battle with their katanas drawn.
"Teacher Sakumo, I've identified two ninja squads, each with four members. They're approaching from the southwest and northwest. Based on their chakra signatures, they're Chunin level," Sarutobi Asuma reported.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune also appeared.
They had also gathered intel. In addition to the two units Asuma had sensed, there was another four-person ninja squad approaching from the north.
Hatake Sakumo nodded. "There's a four-person squad behind us as well. That makes four squads in total, sixteen people!"
"Now, let's assign tasks. Kurenai, Shizune, you two will stay here and provide backup support."
"Asuma, we'll split up. You take care of the squad from the southwest. I'll handle the remaining three. Let's finish this quickly!"
Sarutobi Asuma and the other two immediately accepted the orders.
The next moment, Hatake Sakumo and Sarutobi Asuma vanished from their positions.
The rain began to fall harder.
Sarutobi Asuma took off his raincoat, and his chakra surged, manifesting on the surface of his body. Then, clusters of flames ignited, clinging to him and dancing continuously.
The high temperature caused the falling raindrops to evaporate instantly.
This wasn't any ninjutsu, but purely a... chakra coat? that Sarutobi Asuma had created through his superb chakra control.
He wasn't sure himself.
But it allowed him to fight in the rain with less interference.
Of course, it also made him look much cooler!
In the misty rain, the four-person squad stopped about a hundred meters away from Sarutobi Asuma, looking at him with some apprehension.
This chakra... it's so strong!
And I've never seen this kind of stance before!
"I am Sarutobi Asuma, a genin from Konoha. I advise you to leave immediately, or I will consider you enemies!" Sarutobi Asuma declared loudly and seriously.
The four ninjas, bearing no insignia of any ninja village, exchanged glances and showed excited expressions.
Sarutobi Asuma!
The second son of Konoha's Third Hokage! This is it!!
"Take him down!"
With a shout, the four charged at Sarutobi Asuma at high speed.
Two of them circled around from the left and right flanks.
The other two advanced in almost a straight line, one in front and one behind.
Furthermore, the one behind was completely obscured by the one in front, preventing Sarutobi Asuma from seeing any of the rear attacker's movements.
Playing tactics with me? Sarutobi Asuma chuckled, then clasped his hands together and blew out.
*BOOM!*
A gale swept out like a storm, rushing forward in a fan shape.
Where it passed, not only were the falling raindrops swept away, but a layer of the wet soil was also churned up, crushing forward like a mud wall.
This happened to be an open, unobstructed area, where the wind's power was maximized.
The four charging ninjas, hearing the roaring sound of the air sweeping towards them and seeing the dark storm rolling in, were dumbfounded.
The casting speed is too fast, and without hand seals?
And...
Is this a C-rank Wind Style: Great Breakthrough?
How can it be this powerful?
Is this a genin just starting out?
Could the rumors circulating in Konoha be true?
Has this nine-year-old kid really created an S-rank Wind Style ninjutsu?
The four ninjas were terrified and began to question reality.
Sarutobi Asuma proved to them with his actions that what determines the power of a ninjutsu isn't its rank.
It's the person!
Fortunately, they were all seasoned veterans who had survived countless battles and weren't frozen in fear.
After realizing what was happening, they quickly retreated a certain distance. Then, the four of them stood in a line and performed hand seals before the storm arrived.
Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!
The four of them jointly used the same ninjutsu. Four layered earth walls rose from the ground one after another, blocking their path.
But the next moment.
The earth walls were torn to shreds by the storm.
With screams, the four lost control of their bodies and were all sent flying.
And Sarutobi Asuma, after unleashing this ninjutsu, also transformed into a gust of wind, merging with the storm.
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Machine Translation by: beta.randomtranslator.com
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