The next day.
Asuma bid farewell to Yōsuke and Chiriku. Since he had essentially been skipping work to play around, he had to return to Konoha and report in.
Just as Asuma was about to leave, he called out, "Hey, Yōsuke, how about it? Want to come with me to Konoha for a visit?"
Yōsuke had planned to head to Konoha anyway, and having Asuma as a guide would make everything much easier, so he happily agreed.
The two traveled together, walking and resting along the way, enjoying a leisurely journey.
Asuma, cigarette dangling from his mouth, casually asked, "Hey, Yōsuke—why did you decide to travel the world in the first place?"
Now that Yōsuke considered Asuma a friend, he didn't want to lie to him. So he answered vaguely, "Actually, I'm chasing after a wanted criminal… but I have no information on him. So all I can do is wander while searching for clues."
"Is that so… what a shame," Asuma sighed, unable to stop himself from thinking of his father's most talented yet most regretful student—Orochimaru.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, treated Orochimaru better than his own son, yet Orochimaru still betrayed the village and became a rogue ninja.
And one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, was also wandering the world just like Yōsuke, searching for traces of Orochimaru.
"I'm sure you'll find him someday."
Yōsuke nodded. "Yeah, I believe that too."
Asuma stretched, his joints cracking loudly. He let out a satisfied groan.
"Haven't trained for days… I'm getting rusty. Yōsuke, let's spar."
Yōsuke asked in surprise, "Huh? So suddenly?"
Asuma stared straight into Yōsuke's eyes, his expression serious.
"I can feel it—you're strong. Just think of it as a man's competitive spirit!"
Seeing Asuma so fired up, Yōsuke stopped trying to refuse.
They put some distance between each other and faced off.
Once everything was ready, Asuma drew his signature chakra blades.
"Here I come!"
Asuma rushed in, closing the distance instantly and launching a flurry of close-quarters strikes.
His blade speed was so high that Yōsuke couldn't dodge everything. Using his sheathed Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, he barely managed to deflect all the blows.
Asuma used the rebound force to leap into the air and spat out a mass of scorching ash toward the ground, immediately engulfing Yōsuke.
Yōsuke felt the heat—hot, but not enough to injure.
Just as he wondered why, Asuma clicked his molars together, creating a distinct sound. The ash cloud exploded violently.
When the explosion ended and the smoke cleared, Yōsuke had vanished.
Asuma scanned the surroundings warily but still couldn't find him.
Suddenly, clapping came from above. Asuma looked up to see Yōsuke standing on a tree branch, applauding.
"Asuma, that was an impressive move. That sound just now—that was flint, wasn't it? You hid a piece in your molars. Using it to ignite the ash for an unexpected explosion… that's a genius idea. Very hard to spot."
Asuma took a long drag from his cigarette and muttered gloomily, "What's the point if I couldn't hurt you at all?"
Then he demanded, "Yōsuke, why do you keep dodging? I can feel you're stronger than me, but what—am I not even worthy of seeing your blade drawn?"
"…Sorry."
Yōsuke decided to respect Asuma's resolve. He pushed the sword out of its sheath slightly with his thumb, gripped the handle, and lowered his stance.
Asuma's hair stood on end. He felt a terrifying pressure locking onto him.
That posture—deadly serious.
"A samurai's quick-draw slash, huh…"
Asuma focused completely, bracing for Yōsuke's strike.
"Sun Breathing · First Form · Modified · Flame Dance Flash!"
A thunderous crack tore through the air. In Asuma's eyes, Yōsuke's figure turned into a streak of flame. Before he could react, the blade was already touching his neck.
"That's enough. Sparring's over."
Yōsuke sheathed his blade and patted Asuma's shoulder.
Asuma still hadn't recovered. The flames on the sword earlier clearly weren't chakra-based.
So what was that fire wrapped around the blade? Friction from cutting the air? That was ridiculous…
Yōsuke hadn't wanted to use such a powerful Sun Breathing form—it made the experience too one-sided.
But he had no choice; ordinary swordsmanship wasn't enough against a jōnin-level fighter like Asuma. And his Blood Demon Art and Blood Breathing were too gruesome to reveal. So he reluctantly used the strongest Sun Breathing technique.
"…I lost," Asuma muttered dejectedly.
Yōsuke was just about to comfort him when Asuma suddenly burst into loud laughter, excitement blazing in his eyes.
"Now I finally understand how Guy feels! Having a rival feels incredible!"
Just as Yōsuke wondered who "Guy" was, Asuma flicked away his dying cigarette, stomped it out, pointed dramatically at Yōsuke, and declared:
"From today onward, Yōsuke—
I will consider you my lifelong rival!
One day, I WILL surpass you!"
Yōsuke stood there, stunned, wondering what on earth Asuma was on about.
He figured Asuma would calm down soon.
He would later regret that assumption.
They still had three days before reaching Konoha. And during those three days, Asuma found every possible excuse to spar with Yōsuke—excuses that grew increasingly ridiculous.
"Yōsuke! We just finished eating—let's spar!"
"Yōsuke! Before we sleep, let's spar again!"
"Yōsuke! Let's spar while walking!"
"Yōsuke! Yōsuke!!—"
Just as Yōsuke was on the verge of a mental breakdown, salvation arrived.
The gates of Konoha appeared before them.
"Yōsuke, let's—"
"Stop! We're at Konoha. Sparring is over for now!" Yōsuke interrupted quickly.
Asuma let out a mournful sigh. These three days of nonstop fighting with Yōsuke had helped him grow tremendously.
And every time he got stronger, Yōsuke would match him—always just slightly stronger than his newly improved self.
It was addictive.
And it made him endlessly curious about Yōsuke's true power.
Asuma looked at Yōsuke's back as he hurried toward the village gates and swore silently:
"Yōsuke… one day, I'll grow strong enough to make you fight me with everything you've got—and then I'll defeat you!"
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