High-spirited!
That was the only phrase that could describe Asuma at this moment.
The moment he gained control of the Rinnegan, he had instantly risen to the level of a top-tier super Kage. Combined with the Sage Mode he had learned, his combat power could reach its peak.
Most importantly, unlike Nagato, he was not a tragic case.
Implanting the Rinnegan during its immature stage required an immense amount of Life Force and Chakra to nurture its growth.
The current Rinnegan was a "finished product" and would no longer absorb Life Force or Chakra.
Otherwise, Asuma's meager Life Force and Chakra would not have lasted even a few days.
In that sense, he could be considered a Child of Destiny.
First, the Rinnegan had matured, and then there was the Chimera Technique. Without either one, he would have had only death awaiting him.
Yet he happened to possess both, allowing him to implant the Rinnegan with ease and gain control of it smoothly.
Although his control was not much better than Nagato's, Nagato indeed did not possess Chimera. Still, he had used his own Life Force and Chakra to nurture the Rinnegan from its immature stage to maturity, so his control was not weak either.
Asuma, meanwhile, had relied on a single forbidden technique to directly catch up to all of Nagato's progress.
Fortunately, Nagato did not know any of this. Otherwise, he would definitely have cursed up a storm.
The child he had painstakingly raised had somehow become someone else's possession—and the kind that was practically inseparable from them. Was there no justice? No law anymore?
Leaving that aside for now, Asuma stood beside Jiraiya with six figures whose bodies were entirely concealed beneath broad cloaks.
One tiny detail was that he stood level with Jiraiya.
That alone showed