Asuma tamed himself (keeping up the effort today, update 1/3)

Shortly after Orochimaru left, a travel-worn Ninja appeared at the Main Gate of Konoha.

The Ninja with a full beard looked sad and tired, but his appearance caused quite a stir.

Upon seeing him, the Konoha Ninja guarding the Main Gate, Izumo Kamizuki, instinctively exclaimed, "Asuma Sarutobi, you're back!"

The gatekeeper on the other side Kotetsu Hagane, was also taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Asuma Sarutobi, you're not going to be the daimyo's guard anymore?"

Asuma Sarutobi's face darkened, and he retorted without thinking, "My Hokage father is dead, what right do I have to be a Daimyo's bodyguard?"

Asuma Sarutobi, born in Konoha 58, had not yet experienced many things, and his temperament was far from mature.

His next sentence not only offended the Main Gate of Konoha, but also offended all the Konoha Ninja.

"My father was the Third Hokage, how could he be killed in Konoha? How did the Konoha Ninja manage to protect their Hokage?"

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane immediately turned grim and stopped talking to Asuma Sarutobi.

How do the Konoha Ninja protect their Hokage?

This is an utterly ridiculous question. The original purpose of establishing the Hokage position was to protect Miyake Village.

Moreover, the Third Hokage had shortcomings in this regard, and was criticized by Konoha Ninja more than once.

Of Acting Hokage, only the Second Hokage went to the battlefield as Hokage; the First, Third, Fourth, and the current Fifth Hokage did not.

However, everyone's situation is different.

When the First Hokage was alive, none of the ninja villages in the entire Ninja World dared to start a war.

The Fourth Hokage and Fifth Hokage served for such short periods that they never faced the threat of war.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi held the Hokage Position for a full 30 years, experiencing two Ninja World Wars, yet he always stayed in Konoha and never went to the battlefield to fight for Konoha.

Besides, the First Hokage, Second Hokage, Fourth Hokage, and Fifth Hokage all won the hearts of the people in the battles to protect Konoha, and thus became Hokage.

The Third Hokage was the only one who won the favor of the Second Hokage and was appointed to the position in a time of crisis.

From this perspective, it's not entirely wrong to say that the Third Hokage was protected by the Konoha Ninja.

But is this the kind of glory that can be loudly proclaimed?

Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi is not a complete slacker; when Konoha becomes a battlefield, he will bravely stand up.

Whether it was the Sneak Attack from the Hidden Sky Village or the great battle on the Nine-Tails Night, the Third Hokage stood at the forefront of the Konoha Ninja, preserving the last bit of his dignity.

However, the Third Hokage's final dignity was ruined by a thoughtless and foolish remark from Asuma Sarutobi.

Although Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane were only Chunin and didn't have any particularly outstanding reputations, they held high positions in Konoha and were both veteran Chunin who frequently participated in Jonin missions.

Looking back over time, these two gatekeeper Chunin were even more remarkable.

Konoha has faced so many major crises: the Nine-Tails Night, Nagato's attack on the village, Six Paths Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi.

The Ninja World is doomed, Kaguya Otsutsuki is resurrected.

Especially the last two disasters, which not only severely damaged Konoha, but also almost wiped out the entire Ninja World, with so many famous Ninja dying tragically.

However, the duo of Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane survived unscathed, without encountering any danger whatsoever.

After the apocalyptic war ended, they returned safely to their beloved posts and continued to guard the Main Gate happily and peacefully.

This is one of only two places that can rival Ichiraku Ramen Shop's Teuchi Ichiraku.

Their change in attitude implicitly signifies a change in the attitude of the Konoha Ninja community.

Asuma Sarutobi, however, recklessly rushed into Konoha, running all the way to the Hokage's residence, only to be stopped at the Main Gate.

He roared, "Get out of my way! Don't block my way home!"

Konoha Jonin Masatake Asada -smile, "Young Master Asuma Sarutobi, this is not the home of your Sarutobi Clan."

Asuma Sarutobi erupted in fury. "What did you say? I was born here, I grew up here, this isn't my home, so how could it be yours?"

Masatake Asada replied dismissively, "Of course this isn't my home; this is the Hokage's residence."

Asuma Sarutobi roared, "You're playing me! The Hokage's mansion is my home! My father is the Third Hokage!!"

Chunin Masatake Asada warned dismissively, "Asuma Sarutobi, the Hokage's residence is a perk of the incumbent Hokage! The Third Hokage has been impeached and removed from office; he has no right to continue occupying this residence!"

"When the Fourth Hokage took office, the Third Hokage should have stepped down, but your Sarutobi Clan acted like scoundrels and refused to relinquish the position, forcing the Fourth Hokage to pay for the construction of another house himself."

"The Fifth Hokage successfully impeached the Third Hokage, but Hiruzen Sarutobi, relying on his advanced age, still refused to leave, leaving the Fifth Hokage to live in his original house."

"While the Fifth Hokage may prefer to live in his old house, that is not a reason for your Sarutobi Clan to occupy the Hokage's residence!"

"Now that even the former Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, is dead, and you're just a Chunin, how dare you still try to occupy the Hokage's residence?"

"Roll!!"

Masatake Asada's merciless rebuke struck Asuma Sarutobi like a thunderbolt, causing him to tremble violently.

The attitude of Jonin Masatake Asada Jonin the Chunin Konoha behind him made Asuma Sarutobi realize that after the death of his father, the Third Hokage, he was no longer the Third Hokage's son.

Without that identity he once looked down upon, Asuma Sarutobi was just a Konoha Chunin.

Although his strength had reached the level of Jonin, he was only Chunin without undergoing a general promotion.

How could Chunin loudly reprimand a Konoha Jonin?

Asuma Sarutobi asked in a low voice, "Asada Jonin, where did my family move to? And where is my nephew Konohamaru?"

Masatake Asada pointed to a large area across the road and said, "Ninja of your Sarutobi Clan are there, and your family and nephew must be there too."

"However, it won't be long before the Sarutobi Clan can no longer occupy such a large area."

"When the Third Hokage was in power, you took advantage of the village at all costs. Now that the Fifth Hokage has taken over, it's time to give back West City you've taken for granted."

Asuma Sarutobi gritted his teeth, but ultimately did not draw his Flying Swallow and fight Masatake Asada here.

The series of setbacks and heart-wrenching humiliations made Asuma Sarutobi grow up in an instant.

Even when he was clearly at a disadvantage, he was able to swallow his anger and remain silent.

Upon entering the Sarutobi Clan's Uchiha Compound, Asuma Sarutobi was quickly surrounded by elderly Sarutobi Clan Ninja, who all complained at once.

"Asuma Sarutobi, go talk to the Hokage and tell him not to make us move. All my family's assets are here. How am I supposed to live if we move?"

Asuma Sarutobi recognized the old man; he was Asuma Sarutobi's tutor who had given him his first lessons in chakra and was a witness to Asuma Sarutobi's first Chakra refinement.

In the past, Asuma Sarutobi would have stood up for the old man without hesitation and gone to his own Pops to protest.

But today, the Third Hokage is no longer here, and Asuma Sarutobi himself has been repeatedly ignored and ostracized by the Konoha Ninja. It's impossible for him not to think about these things more.

He realized that the old man had two sons who were Chunin, and their strength and skill level were quite good, and their income was also considerable.

However, their family earned very little money through Ninja missions because they occupied 26 properties and shops within the Sarutobi Clan Compound, misappropriating rental income that should have belonged to Konoha.

If they are forced to move and cannot produce the corresponding property ownership certificate, their misappropriation of the property will inevitably be discovered.

The best-case scenario is losing most of the income, and the worst-case scenario is being pursued for rental income from the past ten or twenty years, plus huge fines.

The old man could even go to jail for it.

Just as Asuma Sarutobi realized what was happening, he heard another middle-aged Ninja pleading, "Cousin Asuma Sarutobi, the Fifth Hokage dismissed me from my post, and he dismissed hundreds of Ninja from their posts as well. The Third Hokage is barely gone, his body is still warm, and he dares to be so ruthless?"

"Cousin Asuma Sarutobi, we can't just sit here and wait to die. Go and see the Daimyo, report the major events that have happened in Konoha, and ask him to take charge for us and appoint a new Hokage!"

Asuma Sarutobi chuckled.

Five years ago, he defied his father's wishes and refused to become the deputy Department Head of the Anbu. Instead, he ran away from home and became Twelve Guardian Ninja of the daimyo.

At that time, he and his cousin both believed that the Daimyo was more important than the Hokage, and that the head of state of the Land of Fire was the one who could decide who would become the Hokage.

During his time as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Asuma Sarutobi's relationship with the other Ninja was so-so, and his relationship with the Ninja of the Fire Temple was the worst, but he increasingly agreed with their belief that "the Twin Jewels of the Nation are a mistake."

Just a few days ago, Uchiha Homura arrived in the Land of Fire Capital as an envoy of Konoha and announced, in an extremely rude and arrogant manner, that Lord Shazo Zuo had become the Fifth Hokage.

He didn't even bother to listen to Da Ming's reply and left on his own.

The Fire Daimyō was trembling with rage, but he forced himself to suppress it and pretended nothing had happened.

Asuma Sarutobi then realized that, in the Fifth Hokage's eyes, the so-called Fire Daimyō was merely a tool for external diplomacy and internal rule.

It was from Uchiha Homura's announcement that he learned his father had been dead for several days.

Such a major event, and the daimyo was completely unaware of it unless Konoha specifically notified him—what kind of jewel is he, the Land of Fire?

It turns out that the Land of Fire doesn't have two "Jades" (a symbol of power), but only one: the Hokage of Konoha.

Realizing this, and grieving over his father's death, Asuma Sarutobi finally broke free from the daimyo's control and returned to Konoha.

Then came a series of setbacks.

Every request his tribe made of Asuma Sarutobi was one that he could not fulfill even if he tried his hardest.

Moreover, based on his common sense observations and experiences around the daimyo, the resources possessed by the Sarutobi Clan were indeed far too many, probably more than ten times the amount.

Moreover, in the mere five years he was away, the number of the Sarutobi Clan members had more than doubled.

This doesn't mean that all Sarutobi Clan are prolific ninjas; rather, it's because many Ninja and Civilian Ninja joined the Sarutobi Clan and adopted the Sarutobi Clan surname.

This made Asuma Sarutobi realize that the Sarutobi Clan had become too arrogant, and in the process of growing stronger, they had swallowed too many resources, far exceeding their own strength.

It's time to lose weight.

Ignoring the chaotic demands of his clansmen, Asuma Sarutobi pushed them aside, found his new home, and found the neglected Konohamaru Sarutobi.

He picked up his nephew and left the Sarutobi Clan's Uchiha Compound.

Unlike the Hyuga Clan's Uchiha Compound and the Uchiha Clan's old Uchiha Compound, the Sarutobi Clan's Uchiha Compound expanded too quickly, and there was simply no time to build a unified perimeter.

Furthermore, the Shopping Street that have been constantly encroached upon would lose much of their value if walls were added, so the Sarutobi Clan has neither walls nor Main Gate.

Just as Asuma Sarutobi stepped out of the alley from this bustling neighborhood, a female Ninja appeared before him.

This Ninja was tall and slender, with long black hair tied in a high ponytail, and bright red Three-Tomoe Sharingan that revealed her identity.

Uchiha Izumi said expressionlessly, "Asuma Sarutobi, Chunin, the Fifth Hokage wants to see you, and also— Konohamaru Sarutobi."

Asuma Sarutobi looked at the girl, who was more than ten years younger than him, and sensed a strength far greater than his own. He exclaimed, "Congratulations, Uchiha Clan Head."

"After the devastating Massacre Night, the Uchiha Clan was ultimately reborn from the ashes."

Asuma Sarutobi's attitude sent a positive signal, and the frost on Uchiha Izumi's face melted away.

She smiled gently, "Asuma Sarutobi, you are the rightful new Clan Leader Chunin the Sarutobi Clan, so the Lord Hokage needs to discuss the fate of the Sarutobi Clan with you. Please hurry."

Asuma Sarutobi, not daring to delay, carried his nephew and followed Uchiha Izumi to Shazo's small courtyard.

As soon as he entered, Konohamaru Sarutobi exclaimed with delight, "Ah, it's Naruto -Big Brother!"

Naruto Uzumaki, wearing a "mask" to absorb and isolate Asura's Chakra influence, immediately responded, "Ah, Naruto, Konohamaru 're here too!"

Then the two mischievous children chased each other into the room to "explore".

Hearing the ping-pong sounds coming from the room, Shazo's lips twitched as he glanced at Uchiha Izumi.

Quan, go teach those two Bear Child some manners.

"Tell them that if they break something, their own butts will break too!"

Uchiha Izumi entered the room with a smile, leaving only Shazo and Asuma Sarutobi in the courtyard.

Asuma Sarutobi stood in the sunlight, staring intently at Shazo without blinking.

Shazo sat under the shade of a tree, his eyes lowered as he pondered the application techniques of the Steel Style Kekkei Tōta.

After a few minutes of this standoff, Asuma Sarutobi slowly knelt on one knee and lowered his once proud head.

Using the trilled "r" sound he had learned from the Daimyo's court, he earnestly pleaded, "Fifth Hokage, please take good care of the future of the Sarutobi Clan!"

Asuma Sarutobi finally let go of his pride and dignity.