Asuma: Kuro is the man who can become my father!!

"Snort."

Scorpion snorted disdainfully, shifting his gaze away from Kou's murderous face.

He didn't bother to refute the arrogant Uchiha brat in front of him.

In his view, there was absolutely no need for him to waste his breath on a guy who neither understood his own strength nor could he break through his immortality.

He simply turned his gaze back to Hatake Sakumo and said in a hoarse, low voice:

"If you want to fight, I'm ready anytime."

But don't forget, we still have missions assigned to us by the organization.

He raised Scarlet Amber's rough wooden arm and pointed southeast towards the Cloud Thunder Mountain Range.

The mountains in that direction were even more precipitous, with layers upon layers of dense forest stretching from the mountainside to the horizon, appearing exceptionally deep and secluded under the midday sun.

"According to intelligence, Orochimaru's whereabouts are in that area."

If we start fighting here, that stinky snake will most likely notice the commotion and sneak away while we're fighting.

By then, our mission will have been a complete failure.

"Don't forget, as a ninja, the mission... comes first."

He withdrew his arm, and the eyes hidden beneath the puppet's shell slowly swept over Itachi before finally settling back on Hatake Sakumo:

"Why don't you leave this place to me, and you go and carry out your mission to hunt down Orochimaru?"

"Wouldn't it be better to kill that stinking snake first, then come back to deal with me?"

Sasori stared at Hatake Sakumo Scarlet Amber, his small eyes filled with naked killing intent and anticipation.

Although I hate waiting for others and don't like making others wait.

But killing this man, disposing of his body, and waiting for you to return was quite interesting."

"... an arrogant fool."

Kou coldly uttered these words, then turned around and cast his gaze towards the southeast direction of the Cloud Thunder Mountain Range.

The core of his plan lay within those towering, layered mountains.

--The tomb of the previous Indra, hidden deep in the primeval forest!

His original plan was to use this mission as an opportunity to lure Uchiha Itachi to the vicinity of that tomb, observe his reaction, and thus determine whether that tomb was related to the Totsuka Blade.

If he were to be held back by Sakumo Hatake and Asuma here, it would be tantamount to abandoning the mission of hunting Orochimaru, and his entire plan would be disrupted.

Having Sakumo Hatake and Asuma hold off Sasori here while I and Itachi act alone might not be such a bad arrangement...

He murmured to himself, silently extending his senses and quickly scanning Hatake Sakumo and Asuma ahead.

He sensed the strength within them, which was in no way inferior to that of a scorpion, and quickly made a judgment in his mind:

"If Uncle Sakumo Hatake and Asuma join forces, Sasori would definitely be no match for them."

"But this guy's got a strange knack for it. To deal with him, we'll definitely need to let Uncle Sakumo Hatake and the others know some crucial information..."

Having made up his mind, he then feigned complete disinterest in the farce unfolding before him and casually waved in Itachi's direction.

Itachi stood there, stunned, watching Koko's familiar waving gesture.

In that instant, a dull ache arose in his heart, which had long been frozen solid.

"Knock, you really..."

He murmured to himself, and something seemed to be silently extinguishing in his scarlet eyes.

"Hey, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and follow, don't delay the mission!"

A hurried, impatient voice came from not far away.

Itachi slowly raised his head and looked at the black-haired youth who was walking towards the Cloud Thunder Mountain Range with his back to him.

As if he had finally made up his mind, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes was completely suppressed at this moment.

With a heavy heart, Itachi took a step towards the direction of the knock...

"Wait a minute--knock!!"

Just before Kou was about to leave, Asuma's deafening shouts echoed through the forest.

The voice was hoarse and trembling, as if it had been squeezed out from the depths of the throat with all the strength it had taken.

Knock's footsteps abruptly stopped the moment he heard Asuma's call.

As Itachi watched Koko stop walking, a glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes.

Kou slowly turned around and looked at Asuma in the distance, who was looking at him anxiously with reddened eyes.

He sighed deeply, then looked at Asuma's face, which was flushed with anxiety.

The relaxed smile he had been feigning was gone from Kou's face.

He looked at Asuma and gently advised her:

"Asuma, you... you should try to accept life without me."

Feeling Asuma's eyes filled with reluctance and unwillingness, Kou solemnly said:

"I... can never return to Konoha."

After saying this, Kou no longer looked at Asuma's eyes, which had suddenly lost all their light, but instead slowly shifted his gaze towards Hatake Sakumo.

He glanced at Sasori, who was staring intently at Hatake Sakumo as if he wanted to pierce through him with his gaze, out of the corner of his eye. Then, very naturally, as if adjusting his clothes, he lightly tapped his left chest twice.

Hatake Sakumo's eyes, which had been somewhat dimmed by Kotori's resolute words, suddenly flashed with a subtle light the moment he caught Kotori making that gesture, as if he understood something.

But he immediately noticed Scorpion's gaze and suppressed the surge of joy in his heart, maintaining his somber expression on the surface.

After confirming that Hatake Sakumo had received his hint, he silently breathed a sigh of relief.

He gave Asuma one last, deep look, a flicker of barely perceptible worry in his eyes.

Kou immediately shook his head, then resolutely turned away.

The next instant, his figure vanished from the spot.

Only a few wisps of lightning remained in the air.

Itachi stood there, staring blankly in the direction where Kouchi had disappeared, remaining silent for a long time.

He sighed wearily, his gaze fixed intently on the direction where the knock had disappeared.

There was no longer any hesitation in those scarlet eyes.

Itachi then followed closely behind and disappeared from the spot.

Asuma stared anxiously in the direction where Ko had disappeared, then took a sudden step, preparing without hesitation to rush in the direction Ko had gone.

He had finally managed to see Kou again, and he absolutely couldn't... he absolutely couldn't miss this opportunity!!

"Wait a minute, Asuma!"

Hatake Sakumo instantly sensed Asuma's emotions were on the verge of spiraling out of control, and grabbed Asuma's shoulder, trying to stop him from acting impulsively.

"Knock on him just now..."

"Shut up!!"

Asuma abruptly shook off Hatake Sakumo's hand, his usually resolute and tough face now filled with uncontrollable pain.

Hatake Sakumo was momentarily stunned by Asuma's intense reaction.

In his memory, Asuma had always been a calm and composed child.

Even though he's usually a bit stubborn, and occasionally displays a youthful impulsiveness and recklessness,

However, his years of traveling alone through the Ninja World have taught him to control his emotions and helped him grow into a mature ninja.

This is the first time I've ever seen him so unable to control his emotions.

Hatake Sakumo suppressed the shock in his heart, adjusted his tone, and spoke again in the gentlest possible voice:

"Asuma, I understand how you feel right now, but Kota just now..."

"Please stop talking!!"

Asuma roared, his figure trembling.

He lowered his head in anguish, his resolute face now filled with unbearable pain and resentment. Even the Chakra Blade in his hand trembled slightly from the excessive force.

Hatake Sakumo watched Asuma's increasingly unwell state, his sense of foreboding grew stronger.

He stepped forward, firmly placing his hands on Asuma's trembling shoulders, and said in a solemn, low voice:

"Asuma, calm down, what he just did..."

However, before he could finish speaking, he was abruptly interrupted by Asuma's next shocking words.

How could you possibly understand how I feel?!

Asuma abruptly raised his head, staring at Hatake Sakumo before him, and roared out the words he had kept bottled up inside for so long, words he had never uttered to anyone:

"He's... someone who could be my father!!!"

The air in the forest seemed to stand still for a moment.

Sasori's arm, which was secretly manipulating Chakra Threads, instinctively froze in mid-air.

For the first time ever, a deep sense of bewilderment appeared in the eyes of his true self, hidden within Scarlet Amber's body.

Hatake Sakumo's expression froze completely at that moment.

His hand, which had been resting on Asuma's shoulder, slipped down uncontrollably.

Hatake Sakumo stood frozen in place, as if his worldview had been reshaped.

As he struggled to process the words that were far more shocking than he could bear, a soft, utterly bewildered sound escaped from deep within his throat:

"... well?"

"Well?!!"