Inside the Sarutobi Clan compound, the air was thick with despair.
Several Sarutobi ninjas stood guard on the outskirts, their shoulders slumped and voices low. "After yesterday's escape plan failed, and the Clan Head was killed on the spot... is there any hope left for us?"
"What hope is there?" another ninja replied bitterly. "Haven't you seen how the young clan head hasn't been able to eat for the past two days? Plus, with that surrender letter hanging over us, we're just waiting to die."
A third guard nodded. "That's right. The clan has already lost most of its elite ninjas. Our strength is severely depleted."
"Once those villagers outside can no longer satisfy the surviving ninjas who just want to live... it'll probably be our end."
At the word "end," the five guards fell silent, their expressions grim.
Just two years ago, they had lived well—good benefits, great treatment, a relaxed lifestyle. Nobody dared to mess with the Sarutobi Clan back then. How had everything fallen apart so quickly?
Suddenly, a strange glint flashed in one guard's eyes. "Do you think... if we also agreed to the surrender terms, that Four Star Village would accept our surrender?"
The other four exchanged uneasy glances. After a long silence, one of them spoke up. "Don't even think about it. We need to stay vigilant. It's dangerous out here."
"Yeah," another agreed. "Some ninjas are probably already eyeing our clan."
After that, they all fell silent again, each lost in his own dark thoughts.
The guard who had spoken first sighed. He was about to say something more when he felt a sharp pain in his throat. The world spun around him.
Then he saw his own headless body. Standing behind it was Hayate Gekko, sword in hand.
Thump!
The sound of a head hitting the ground echoed through the night.
The four remaining guards looked up, startled, but before they could react, the guard on the far left had a poisoned black blade pierce his chest. It was Raido Namiashi's black-bladed katana!
Simultaneously, the two guards next to him were attacked from behind. Dozens of pythons and a dense barrage of senbon needles tore into them. They let out only brief screams before collapsing.
Anko Mitarashi's Hidden Shadow Snake Hands and Genma Shiranui's Thousand Needles Rain.
The last guard saw his comrades die gruesomely and finally snapped into action. "Enemy—!"
He never finished the word. Aoba Yamashiro's Scattered Thousand Crows Technique completely engulfed him, and Iwashi Tsubaki finished him off with a kunai to the throat.
"What are you two doing? Why are you so slow?" Anko Mitarashi frowned, looking at Aoba Yamashiro and Iwashi Tsubaki.
"It's not Aoba's fault," Iwashi Tsubaki gasped, breathless. "I'm only a chunin. I couldn't keep up."
Aoba Yamashiro picked up a fallen corpse, tossing it casually. "Doesn't matter. We've taken out three groups of guards. That's enough for now."
Genma Shiranui stepped forward, also carrying a body. "It's time to go. The first group we killed has probably been discovered by now. We've been exposed—we should retreat with these bodies. If we try for more, we won't make it out."
Anko Mitarashi nodded. "Fine. Let's move fast—"
She suddenly shoved Genma Shiranui aside, whipping out her snakes. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Before she could finish, her pythons were sliced to pieces in mid-air.
"Asuma!" Anko's face hardened as she saw Asuma Sarutobi standing there, knuckle duster gloves gleaming. "I didn't expect you to spot us so quickly!"
The other five quickly spread out, surrounding him. Asuma's eyes swept over the corpses they carried. His face turned cold.
"I didn't expect it to be you, Anko."
Asuma wasn't close to the others, but he knew Anko. They weren't exactly friends, but they were friendly—through Kurenai Yuhi. Or at least, they used to be.
Now she'd brought people to his clan and killed fifteen guards?
His father had been right. The Sarutobi Clan couldn't be soft anymore. Survival required ruthlessness.
"You brought people to plot against my clan," Asuma said, his voice dangerous. "Are you trying to betray Konoha too? Put down your weapons now. For Kurenai's sake, you still have a chance to live."
Anko sneered. "Heh. Now that the old Hiruzen Sarutobi is dead, you've learned to use his name as a weapon? Pathetic. No wonder Kurenai never looked down on you."
Her words hit home. She drew a kunai from her waist.
"Besides, your clan is finished. It's better to let someone else benefit than an old acquaintance like me—"
Anko's expression suddenly changed. A large group of Sarutobi ninjas was rushing toward them from behind Asuma.
Asuma forced a smile. "Anko, you're still so naive."
"Since you don't care about old favors, none of you are leaving here alive!"
He charged directly at the six of them, injuries be damned. He was determined to hold them off.
Panic spread through the group as the Sarutobi ninjas closed in.
Hayate Gekko watched the scene, eyes filled with resolve. Taking advantage of Asuma's attack, he stopped blocking. He clamped Asuma's knuckle duster between his own body, then unleashed his final Crescent Moon Dance.
"Run! Don't let my sacrifice be in vain!"
Anko and Aoba immediately grabbed the bodies and ran. The other three tried to save Hayate.
"No, I lied," Hayate gasped, blood trickling from his mouth as he clamped down on Asuma's weapon again. "I can't face Naruto Uzumaki anymore. This is the best ending for me."
"But you have to live! Carry my share too!"
The three clenched their fists but ultimately grabbed the corpses and sprinted away.
"You... why?" Asuma stared at Hayate, his face a mix of complex emotions. He stopped attacking.
"I wanted... to help them live... cough..." Hayate's grip remained firm despite his fading strength.
"But you did it at the cost of my clan's lives!" Asuma roared, despair taking over.
Hayate didn't reply. He just smiled until the light left his eyes.
By now, the rest of the Sarutobi ninjas had gathered around. But instead of questioning the enemy, one rushed to Asuma with grief and rage.
"Young Clan Chief! The Clan Chief's head—it's been stolen!"
---
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