"You unfilial son!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi trembled with rage, unable to imagine that those words had come from his own son!
"I am your father! As the Hokage's son, everything you do must match that identity, and you must fight for the Sarutobi Clan! You are the future clan head of the Sarutobi Clan, and also the future Hokage!"
"How could you speak for outsiders!"
"I had you study under Uchiha Akira so you could learn his ninjutsu and become a stronger ninja, not so you could oppose me!"
He hated that his son had failed to live up to his expectations, and he suddenly began to wonder whether it had been right to let Asuma study under Uchiha Akira.
"Asuma, remember your identity!"
If it had been before—
Upon hearing himself called the Hokage's son, Asuma Sarutobi would surely have felt disgusted and been seized by an uncontrollable urge to rebel.
But now—
There was not the slightest ripple in his heart. His gaze was as calm as a gently flowing river.
"Old man, of course I understand my identity. But I understand one thing even more clearly."
"Konoha does not belong to any one person. It belongs to everyone. You were the one who taught me that, but do your actions now still deserve those words?"
"I will lead the Sarutobi Clan to the battlefield and stop Kumogakure's assault. That is my duty as a member of the Sarutobi Clan!"
"And my teacher did not stop me from doing so."
He did not argue any further.
His eyes grew complicated as he looked at the mark on the back of his hand. It was a black kunai mark—the Flying Thunder God Mark.
His teacher's words echoed in his ears.
**"I'm sorry, Teacher. As a member of the Sarutobi Clan,