Asuma Saved by Konan

When Shiraishi arrived at the front lines near the Hidden Cloud, the main force led by Minato had already established their camp.

Upon receiving word from his subordinates, Minato walked out of the command post with a face full of joy and approached Shiraishi.

"Shiraishi, what brings you here?"

"I am here under the orders of the Third Hokage to ensure Asuma's safety." As Shiraishi spoke, he handed Danzo's written order to Minato.

Minato took the order, read it carefully, tucked it into his inner pocket, and looked up at Shiraishi.

"That child Asuma will be a burden to you." Minato seemed to shed a heavy weight, appearing much more relaxed.

As a top-tier combatant in this war, Minato possessed the greatest mobility and bore extremely important strategic tasks.

Under such circumstances, having to divide his attention to look after a reckless youth eager to prove himself placed a significant amount of pressure on Minato.

Especially after the tragedy of losing two of his disciples in the war, Minato was deeply worried that his own negligence or carelessness might lead to misfortune for Asuma on the battlefield.

Now, with Shiraishi here to protect Asuma, it could be said that a great deal of pressure had been lifted from Minato.

"It seems this is not an easy mission," Shiraishi said, looking at Minato with a relaxed tone.

Minato sighed at these words and explained to Shiraishi, "Asuma is an excellent ninja with decent strength, but his personality is a bit impulsive, and he is eager to prove himself."

Facing Minato's tactful complaint, Shiraishi smiled again and said with great confidence, "Leave him to me. I will take him away from the camp under the guise of a mission and keep him in a safe place for a while."

Minato's eyes lit up; he felt that Shiraishi's idea was excellent.

"Then I'll leave it to you. I'll go call Asuma right now; please wait a moment."

With that, Minato vanished from the spot.

Before long, Minato led Asuma to stand before Shiraishi.

"Asuma, this is Shiraishi, a Jonin of the village. There is a classified mission coming up, and he will lead you to complete it," Minato introduced.

Fourteen-year-old Asuma, wearing the typical arrogance of an adolescent, crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Shiraishi with suspicious eyes.

"You're really a Jonin of the village? You aren't trying to trick me back to the village, are you? I'm telling you, I won't leave the battlefield!"

Minato stood to the side, offering an apologetic smile to Shiraishi, preparing to explain the situation to Asuma on Shiraishi's behalf.

But before Minato could speak, Shiraishi moved first. His right hand blurred into an afterimage, and before Asuma could react at all, he was struck unconscious.

Minato's eyes widened, and he stared at Shiraishi in astonishment.

Shiraishi supported the unconscious Asuma with his right hand and smiled slightly at Minato. "Just leave him to me to handle."

With that, Shiraishi picked up Asuma with one hand and turned to leave.

Minato stood where he was, watching Shiraishi's retreating figure and seeing Asuma, who was being dragged by his feet as Shiraishi carried him, his mouth slightly agape, words failing him.

Is this the style of the Root? That was certainly direct!

Darkness, endless darkness. Asuma felt himself sinking into a bottomless mire of blackness.

He struggled continuously, but the intense pain radiating throughout his entire body left him powerless to break free.

"Hey! Wake up, don't sleep, hold on!"

A gentle female voice, like a heavenly melody, dispelled the endless darkness, and a pair of delicate hands grasped Asuma's body, slowly pulling him from the abyss.

Asuma's consciousness gradually returned, and the pain in his body became increasingly clear. He struggled to slowly open his eyes.

Through his hazy vision, Asuma saw a beautiful, gentle face, filled with concern, like an angel descended to earth.

"Where... where am I?" Every word Asuma spoke felt like a knife cutting through his body.

His vision gradually cleared. A young woman with purple hair and orange eyes, beautiful in appearance and gentle in temperament, was kneeling beside him, carefully tending to his wounds.

What a beautiful woman; she is just like an angel!

Asuma looked at the woman beside him and instinctively tried to sit up, but as soon as his body moved, the woman gently pressed him back down with one hand.

"Don't move. Your injuries are severe and need to be stitched and bandaged immediately."

Asuma's mind was a complete mess. He couldn't figure out what had happened. Why was he in the camp with Jonin Minato one second, and the next, lying on the ground with severe injuries, receiving treatment from a stranger?

"Who are you? Where am I?" Asuma asked the woman urgently.

"My name is Konan. Your caravan was attacked by bandits, and everyone else was killed. When I arrived, you were the only one still alive."

Indeed, the female ninja who had saved Asuma—or rather, the body Asuma had reincarnated into—was none other than one of the founders of the Akatsuki, Konan.

"Konan..." Asuma felt even more confused. How did he get involved with a caravan?

Asuma wanted to continue questioning, but the weakness of his body made him drowsy, and darkness began to erode his vision once more.

Soon, Asuma lost consciousness again.

When Asuma woke up again, he found himself lying on a bed in a room. He struggled to rise, but his severe injuries, with his entire chest, abdomen, and arms wrapped in gauze, left him unable to move.

"You're awake? That's wonderful." The familiar female voice sounded again. Asuma turned his neck, the only part of him he could move, to look toward the right where the sound originated.

Konan walked to the bedside with a gentle smile, leaning over to check his injuries.

"You can't move around right now. Be a good boy and stay here to recover," Konan said in a tone one might use to soothe a child, reaching out to gently wipe the sweat from Asuma's forehead with a towel.

Asuma stared blankly at Konan; as a boy in the throes of puberty, this was the first time he had encountered such a gentle and beautiful woman.

"Konan, where are we now?" Asuma asked, concerned about his current situation.

"Call me Big Sister Konan." Konan smiled, lightly pinching Asuma's cheek as she corrected him.

Asuma felt his face grow hot, and not daring to meet Konan's gaze any longer, he slowly turned his head to the side.

Konan straightened up, watching the shy Asuma with a smile.

"Um... Big Sister Konan, where are we now?" Asuma asked again in a faint voice.

"We are in a base near Amegakure. You are safe now, so there is no need to be afraid; just focus on recovering from your injuries," Konan said comfortingly.

Suppressing his pain, Asuma whipped his head around to look at Konan, exclaiming with an agitated expression, "Amegakure?"

"Yes, we are in a town right next to Amegakure, so you don't need to worry," Konan soothed him gently.

Asuma stared blankly at Konan, a myriad of questions flooding his mind.

Why would I appear in Amegakure? What on earth happened?