The Crimson Rose

Kurenai Yuhi stood beside Asuma, along with a Jonin from the Hyūga branch family, one from the Akimichi Clan, and one from the Inuzuka Clan.

There was also an uneasy white Ninja Hound.

Asuma was the Hokage's son. With these Jonin following him, they dared approach the forest at a time like this.

The forest was cold and gloomy.

Corpses littered the ground.

The place was saturated with an ominous aura of death.

Kurenai Yuhi's beautiful red eyes trembled violently. Her small hands clenched tightly, her heart filled with unease.

To ease her excessive vigilance, she shot Asuma a furious glare and said in a low voice, "Put it out!"

Kurenai Yuhi disliked Asuma smoking.

But because Asuma's father, the Third Hokage, was also a chain smoker, she could not criticize him too harshly.

Asuma chuckled. Under the moonlight, he revealed several slightly yellowed teeth stained by smoke as he reached out to pull Kurenai Yuhi into his arms.

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

Smack—

Kurenai Yuhi slapped away Asuma's outstretched right hand and said coldly, "Focus on business first!"

"Ha ha, sure, business first. Though dating seems to be my real business."

With his hands in his pockets, Asuma cracked a slick joke.

Kurenai Yuhi sighed. She did not want to pay attention to the shameless Asuma, but she silently followed the group anyway.

She clearly had not accepted this guy yet.

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

Asuma snapped his fingers with exaggerated flair. The chubby Akimichi ninja guarded his side while the Hyūga branch family Jonin and the Inuzuka Clan Jonin began their work.

One activated his Byakugan and scanned the battlefield.

One released his Ninja Hound, but instead of investigating, the hound fled in the opposite direction the moment it was free. The Inuzuka Clan Jonin was baffled and hurried after it.

Seeing this, Asuma's mouth twitched.

"There's a Root Organization survivor over there with relatively light injuries!"

The Hyūga branch family Jonin spotted something. After speaking, he quickly headed deeper into the woods.

Asuma turned and led the others after him.

The Hyūga branch family Jonin finished questioning him.

The Root Organization captain lying on the ground was missing several fingers, and a ninja blade had pinned his thigh to the earth. He groaned in agony.

"It was... Uchiha Ingetsu...

He killed Lord Danzō!

Then...

He fled the village with nine Uchiha traitor ninja!"

"Uchiha Ingetsu?" Asuma frowned deeply and slowly turned to look at the pale-faced Kurenai Yuhi beside him.

Kurenai Yuhi stared sideways at the ground, unable to meet Asuma's questioning gaze.

Moonlight fell across her fair, lovely profile, exposing the panic hidden beneath the slightly curled black hair at her forehead.

Kurenai Yuhi wore a red inner layer beneath a dress that wrapped around her like bandages.

Beneath the outline of her fishnet armor, her curves rose and fell in striking definition, her jade-like skin faintly visible.

Under her skirt were white bandage-wrapped undergarments. Her legs were long, rounded, and beautiful, her calves slender and smooth.

Asuma could not bear to make things difficult for her. He withdrew his questioning gaze, a trace of displeasure flashing through his eyes. "There's only one Uchiha named Ingetsu. It should be our classmate from the same Ninja Academy year."

Kurenai Yuhi lightly bit her red lip 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 had already come of age. At the height of her beauty, she had also learned how to dress and apply makeup. With her refined makeup and mature, beautiful appearance, every word and gesture she made carried the air of an elegant older woman.

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

Asuma's expression gradually darkened.

Back in their Konoha Ninja Academy days, Uchiha Ingetsu had been their classmate. He had been gentle and kind, especially good at taking care of girls.

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

That Uchiha had been just as dazzling as Kakashi.

Unfortunately, Kurenai Yuhi, Shizune, and even Anko, who had yet to experience her first stirrings of love, had all held Uchiha Ingetsu in extremely high regard back then.

Fortunately, Ingetsu had excelled academically. Like Kakashi, he had graduated early from the Ninja Academy and joined the war in the final stages of the Third Shinobi World War.

Only then had Asuma gotten the chance to grow close to Kurenai.

But that was all in the past.

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

Asuma took a deep breath, calming his gloomy emotions, and looked at the Root Organization member on the ground.

"Tell me everything about the Uchiha's exposed ninjutsu."

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

"Control... it was an irresistible control-type Dojutsu. The one leading them, Uchiha Ingetsu, awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Asuma and the other four were stunned, exchanging glances. The Inuzuka Clan Jonin immediately felt the urge to retreat.

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

Those were eyes that symbolized death and curses.

Every pair possessed an ability bestowed by God!

"Please... send me to... Konoha... Hospital..." the Root Organization captain pleaded in agony.

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

With that, Asuma led his companions deeper into the forest.

"Asuma... I think we should give up on this merit!"

The Inuzuka Jonin suggested weakly.

He was struggling to restrain the Ninja Hound on its leash. As a dog trainer, he could directly sense his beloved hound's agitated resistance to entering this forest, as well as the fear exposed in its eyes.

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

But the five of them had only taken a few steps.

They were shocked to discover that a gigantic pale tree occupied the clearing ahead.

A sword hilt was embedded in the tree. Above it, within a dark, sunken hollow, hung an old face devoid of life, its body enveloped by the tree.

"Shimura Danzō??"

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

Kurenai Yuhi and the others also saw the old face that usually looked down on everyone from on high. Their pupils constricted, and their breathing grew heavy.

Yet that face could not lift itself, merely hanging silently within the tree hollow.

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

The Hyuga Jonin asked in a deep voice.

That was the Darkness of the Shinobi World.

Shimura Danzō!!

He had actually been tortured into this state by an Uchiha. From the look of it, he was most likely dead—and had died miserably.

"Did... Ingetsu really do this?"

Kurenai Yuhi's face flushed red, waves surging through her heart. Had that boy she once admired truly grown to such heights?

"How is that possible!"

Asuma's face instantly turned pale. He pulled out a cigarette, stuffed it into his mouth, and took out a lighter with slightly trembling hands.

Uchiha Ingetsu had really killed Shimura Danzō!!

Click—click—click—

Sparks flew everywhere.

Asuma's gaze was vacant as he flicked the lighter several times. Only when a flame finally flared up did he light his cigarette and take a hard drag, calming the turbulent waves in his heart.

"What should we do now?"

The fat Akimichi Clan Jonin looked to Asuma. When carrying out missions, the Akimichi clan only needed to follow orders.

Asuma raised a hand and rubbed his temples. Once he had calmed down, he looked over the corpses of Root Organization members and ANBU scattered across the ground, then at Danzō's lifeless body. His thoughts gradually became clear.

Uchiha Ingetsu must truly have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Otherwise, he would never have risked assassinating Danzō.

But even so.

After dealing with so many Root Organization members and ANBU, as well as Danzō, Ingetsu had probably reached the end of his rope.

A smile appeared on Asuma's face. The cigarette in his hand had already burned out. He flicked off the ash, tossed it to the ground, and crushed it beneath his foot.

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

He must be utterly exhausted.

He has entered a dead end!"

Whether it was the bounty on his head, or his status as a rogue ninja, after what happened tonight, he probably would not rank below Orochimaru, one of the Three Ninja, when he defected from Konoha.

If we could seize this opportunity

and capture him alive, or bring back his corpse!

Everyone, those of you who earned such a feat would surely become core members of the family!

Therefore, I propose—

hunt down this band of Uchiha Rogue Ninja!!"