Red Rose

Asuma was accompanied by Kurenai Yuhi, a jōnin from the Hyuga Branch Family, a jōnin from the Akimichi Clan, and a jōnin from the Inuzuka Clan.

There was also an uneasy white ninja hound.

As the Third Hokage's son, Asuma was the reason these jōnin dared approach the forest at such a time.

The forest was cold and gloomy.

Corpses lay everywhere.

The air was thick with an ominous aura of death.

Kurenai Yuhi's beautiful red eyes trembled violently. Her small hands clenched tightly, and she was visibly uneasy.

To ease her excessive vigilance, she glared angrily at Asuma and said in a low voice, "Stamp it out!"

Kurenai Yuhi disliked Asuma smoking.

But because Asuma's father, the Third Hokage, was also addicted to smoking, she could not criticize him too much.

Asuma gave a cheeky laugh. Under the moonlight, a few of his smoke-yellowed teeth showed as he reached out, wanting to pull Kurenai into his arms.

"Don't be angry. It'll go out on its own."

Smack—

Kurenai slapped away Asuma's reaching right hand and said coldly, "Let's take care of business first!"

"Haha, fine, business first. But it seems falling in love is my business too."

Asuma put his hands in his pockets and teased her in a slick tone.

Kurenai sighed. She did not want to deal with shameless Asuma, but she still silently followed the others.

She clearly had not accepted this man yet.

"Let's get to work, everyone. Once we resolve this, it'll be a great accomplishment!"

Asuma flamboyantly snapped his fingers. The fat ninja from the Akimichi Clan guarded him while the jōnin from the Hyuga Branch Family and the jōnin from the Inuzuka Clan began to act.

One of them activated his Byakugan and scanned the battlefield.

Another released the ninja hound, but the moment it was free, it fled in the opposite direction. The Inuzuka jōnin was baffled and hurried after it.

Seeing this, Asuma's mouth twitched.

"There are lightly wounded Root Organization members over there!"

The jōnin from the Hyuga Branch Family noticed the situation and quickly entered the depths of the woods.

Asuma turned around and led the others after him.

The jōnin from the Hyuga Branch Family finished questioning the survivor.

The Root Organization captain lying on the ground had lost several fingers, and someone had pinned his thigh to the earth with a ninja blade. He groaned in pain.

"It was... Uchiha Ingetsu... who did it.

He killed Lord Danzo!

Then...

He led nine Uchiha in defecting from the village!"

"Uchiha Ingetsu?" Asuma's brows drew tightly together. He slowly turned his face toward Kurenai Yuhi, who was standing nearby with a stricken expression.

Kurenai Yuhi looked askance at the ground, not daring to meet Asuma's questioning gaze.

Moonlight fell across her fair and beautiful profile, revealing the panic beneath the slightly curled black hair covering her forehead.

Kurenai Yuhi wore a red inner shirt, while her outer garment was a dress wrapped like bandages.

The fishnet chainmail accentuated her pronounced curves and full breasts. Her skin was as smooth and pale as jade and snow, appearing and disappearing beneath the fabric.

Under the skirt were white bandage-wrapped panties. Her jade-like legs were long, shapely, and beautiful, while her calves were slender and smooth.

Unable to bear making things difficult for her, Asuma withdrew his questioning gaze. A trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes. "There is only one Uchiha named Ingetsu. It should be our classmate from the Academy."

Kurenai Yuhi bit her red lips lightly and denied it.

"He's not that kind of person!"

"Besides, how could Ingetsu possibly be a match for Shimura Danzō?"

Kurenai Yuhi was as beautiful as a red rose.

She was already an adult. At the finest age of her life, she had also learned how to apply makeup and dress herself. Paired with her exquisite makeup and mature, beautiful appearance, every word and movement radiated the air of an older-sister type.

"Red, you're right. I don't believe he could kill Shimura Danzō either."

Asuma's expression gradually darkened.

During their time at Konoha Ninja Academy, Uchiha Ingetsu had been their classmate. He was gentle and kind, and especially good at taking care of girls.

At first, half the girls in the class liked the aloof Kakashi, while the other half liked the Ingetsu who was warm as sunlight.

That Uchiha was just as dazzling as Kakashi.

Unfortunately, Kurenai Yuhi and Shizune—and even Anko, who had yet to understand love—had all held extremely favorable feelings toward Ingetsu at the time.

Fortunately, Ingetsu had excelled academically and graduated from the Academy early, just like Kakashi, joining the fighting during the final period of the Third Shinobi World War.

Only then had Asuma gotten the chance to spend time with Kurenai.

But that was all in the past.

He had no intention of bringing it up or exposing the matter again.

Asuma took a deep breath to calm his gloomy emotions, then looked toward the Root member on the ground.

"Tell us every jutsu those Uchiha revealed."

The Root captain, unable to bear the pain, gritted his teeth and spoke.

"Control. It was an irresistible control-type ocular jutsu. The Uchiha Ingetsu leading them awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Asuma and the other four were shocked. They exchanged glances, and the Inuzuka jōnin began to regret coming.

They had never fought an Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan, but they had heard of the terrifying destructive power Uchiha shinobi with those eyes possessed on the battlefield.

Those were eyes symbolizing death and curses.

Every pair possessed an ability bestowed by the gods!

"Please... take me to... the Leaf Village... hospital..." the Root Organization captain pleaded in agony.

Asuma glanced at him and said indifferently, "Hold on for another five minutes. Someone will take you for treatment."

With that, Asuma led his companions toward the depths of the forest.

"Asuma... listen, why don't we give up on this accomplishment?"

The Inuzuka jōnin proposed it nervously.

He was doing his utmost to control the ninja hound he was holding. As a dog handler, he could directly sense the agitation and resistance in his beloved hound as it refused to enter the forest, as well as the fear revealed in its eyes.

Asuma shook his head. "Let's go a little farther and gather more information before deciding."

But after the five of them had gone only a few steps,

they were astonished to discover that a huge, pale tree occupied the forest clearing ahead.

A sword hilt was embedded in the tree. In the shadowy hollow above it, an old face hung limply, drained of all vitality, while the rest of the body was wrapped inside the tree.

"Shimura Danzō?"

By the moonlight, Asuma recognized the old face and cried out in shock.

Kurenai Yuhi and the others also saw that usually lofty old face. Their pupils shook violently, and their breathing grew heavy.

But the face could not lift itself. It hung silently in the hollow of the tree.

"This... was really done by Uchiha Ingetsu?"

The Hyuga jōnin spoke in a low voice.

That was the Shinobi of Darkness.

Shimura Danzō!

He had actually been tortured to this state by an Uchiha. Judging by appearances, he was most likely dead—and had died horribly.

"Was... was this really done by Ingetsu?"

Kurenai Yuhi's face flushed, and emotions surged within her. Had the boy she had once admired truly grown to such heights?

"How is this possible?"

Asuma's face instantly went deathly pale. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and put it between his lips, his hands trembling slightly as he took out a lighter.

Uchiha Ingetsu had really killed Shimura Danzō!

Click—click—click—

Sparks flew in every direction.

Asuma's eyes were blank. He flicked the lighter several times before a flame finally sprang up. Only then did he light the cigarette and take a deep drag, calming the tumult in his heart.

"What should we do now?"

The fat jōnin from the Akimichi Clan looked at Asuma. When carrying out missions, the Akimichi only needed to obey orders.

Asuma raised a hand and rubbed his temples. Once he had calmed down, he looked at the corpses of the Root Organization and ANBU scattered everywhere, then at the lifeless Danzo. His thoughts gradually became clear.

Uchiha Ingetsu had probably truly awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Otherwise, he would not have risked assassinating Danzo.

But even so,

after Ingetsu had dealt with so many Root members, ANBU members, and Danzo, he was probably at the end of his rope.

A smile appeared on Asuma's face. The cigarette in his hand had already burned out. He shook off the ash, threw it to the ground, and stamped it out.

"Uchiha Ingetsu killed the Hokage Assistant and caused the deaths of so many Root and ANBU members.

"He must be exhausted.

"He has entered a desperate situation!

"His bounty or

"his status as a missing-nin—

"After what happened tonight, neither will likely be lower than Orochimaru's after he defected from the Leaf Village as one of the Three Legendary Sannin.

"If we can seize this opportunity

"and capture him alive,

"or bring back his corpse,

"everyone,

"with this achievement to your names, you will surely become core members of your clans!

"So I propose that we hunt down this Uchiha band of missing-nin!"