Sarutobi Shinnosuke

"Hahahahaha!"

Sugiyama Kenji laughed wildly, his body having been transformed into a half-mud, half-human monster due to the relentless barrage of taijutsu attacks from Might Guy.

Following the recent coordination between Yatsuhashi's genjutsu and Might Guy's taijutsu, Sugiyama Kenji's desire for battle had been thoroughly ignited.

"Let me show you all what true despair looks like!"

He slammed a massive amount of chakra into the ground, simultaneously weaving hand seals and roaring, "Mud Release: Mud Swamp Domain!"

"Watch the ground!"

Despite Yatsuhashi's sharp warning, Sugiyama Kenji's ninjutsu had already been activated.

In an instant, with Sugiyama Kenji at the center, the ground within a hundred-meter radius began to churn as if it were boiling.

The once-solid earth transformed into a viscous, bottomless black swamp.

Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma and Ao who were currently engaged in combat, and even Uchiha Itachi in the distance, were all instantly plunged into the mire.

Uchiha Itachi found half of his body submerged in the blink of an eye, the black sludge acting as if it were alive, coiling tightly around his legs and making every movement excruciatingly difficult, causing him to sink deeper with every struggle.

"It's not over yet!"

"Mud Release: Mud Binding Eternal Burial!"

Following Sugiyama Kenji's explosive shout, countless mud-formed hands erupted from the swamp.

Like venomous snakes, they coiled around everyone trapped in the mire, desperately dragging them toward the depths.

A look of fanaticism appeared on Sugiyama Kenji's face.

"Within my ninjutsu, you are all nothing but lambs waiting for the slaughter!"

"Itachi!"

Seeing those mud hands about to drag Uchiha Itachi into the depths of the swamp, Yatsuhashi's eyes turned cold.

While nimbly dodging the attacks of the mud hands, he grabbed the wooden staff that Chiriku had dropped earlier.

Since these viscous mud hands could not be defeated by taijutsu alone, he swung the staff in a wide arc.

"Pa! Pa! Pa!"

The wooden staff accurately shattered every mud hand reaching for Uchiha Itachi.

"Thank you."

With Uchiha Itachi shielded behind him, he felt a renewed sense of goodwill toward this Anbu wearing the Eagle Mask.

But these mud hands were endless; there was simply no way to finish them off.

On the other side, Kakashi and Might Guy were also tightly bound by the mud hands.

"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"

Kakashi let out a low shout, condensing invisible blades of wind in his hands to sever the mud hands binding him and Might Guy.

But the next second, even more mud hands surged up from the swamp.

"Damn it! I can't move at all!"

Although Might Guy possessed astonishing strength, the extreme viscosity of the mud hands severely hampered his taijutsu.

"Hahahahaha! It's useless!"

Sugiyama Kenji laughed wildly within the mud pit, his laughter arrogant and grating.

"Hurry up and turn into nutrients for the mire, become a part of the mud!"

Just as the four of them were struggling to cope.

Ao, the Anbu Captain who had been fighting Asuma Sarutobi, slammed his hands together. "Hah!"

A thick, earthy-yellow chakra erupted instantly.

"Earth Release: Earth Core!"

"Boom!"

From the bottomless mud pit, a massive rock suddenly rose from the ground.

The hard rock pierced through the black mire, forming a stable, wide platform amidst the swamp, lifting Yatsuhashi and the others to safety.

"Whew..."

Kakashi let out a sigh of relief, looking at the towering rock beneath his feet, his heart filled with shock.

Is this the terrifying strength of Anbu Captain Ao? An Earth Release that can alter the terrain so casually must consume an unimaginable amount of chakra.

Ao, the Anbu Captain, was truly worthy of being called the man who "cannot be defeated as long as he stands upon the earth."

However, the mud pit did not disappear.

It continued to spread beneath the rock, and countless mud hands climbed upward, attempting to swallow it whole.

Asuma Sarutobi, having gained a moment of respite, gritted his teeth and rescued the heavily injured and unconscious Chiriku from the mire.

But those omnipresent mud hands, like maggots on rotting bones, entangled them without distinguishing between friend or foe.

"Damn it! Sugiyama Kenji! What are you doing?!"

Asuma roared, and although he slashed wildly with his Chakra Blade, it seemed futile against the endless mud hands. Within moments, the mud hands had tightly bound him and Chiriku, dragging them bit by bit toward the abyss of the mire.

In the mud, Sugiyama Kenji revealed half his body, a cruel and triumphant smile on his face:

"Asuma Sarutobi, as a Guardian Shinobi, you should have given everything for the Daimyo. But since you can't even stop these Konoha brats, then use your life to strike a blow against the conviction of the Third Hokage!"

This was the order given by Kazuma. As long as Asuma died, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi would surely be thrown into chaos!

"Go to hell!!"

Countless mud hands suddenly dragged the two downward, the mire already submerging Chiriku's chest.

Just at this critical moment—

"Hah!"

Ao performed hand seals once more. "Earth Release: Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

Accompanied by his cold voice, a small rock barrier suddenly protruded beneath Asuma's feet, acting like an isolated island to forcibly lift Asuma and Chiriku out of the deadly mud pit.

Ao stood atop the rock, The voice beneath the Monkey Mask was low and grave.

"Asuma, it is not too late to turn back now."

"Do not let the paranoia of the Guardian Shinobi continue to blind you."

Asuma Sarutobi froze.

He looked at the churning mud pit beneath his feet, then back at the man in the Monkey Mask in the distance.

For the first time, Asuma Sarutobi felt his convictions waver.

The mud hands that kept trying to drag him into the mire made Asuma Sarutobi begin to doubt:

Was the "King" he protected truly the right path?

"Damn it! This is absolutely infuriating!"

Sugiyama Kenji was incensed; his Mud Release had been repeatedly countered by Ao, causing him to lose all face.

"Can't you just obediently let yourselves be swallowed by my mud pit?!"

He slammed his hands together, pouring nearly all of his chakra into the mire.

"Mud Release: Mud Dragon Technique!"

The surrounding swamp instantly converged, fusing with Sugiyama Kenji at the head to form a massive, clawing dragon made of pure sludge.

The mud dragon churned, surging toward Ao on the cliff face with the momentum to devour everything in its path!

However, Ao merely performed hand seals with indifference.

"Earth Release: Earth Mountain Technique."

Two massive, hemispherical rock formations suddenly protruded from either side of the mud dragon.

Like two great mountains, they slammed shut with a thunderous roar.

"Pfft—"

Mud and water splashed everywhere as the mud dragon, formed by Sugiyama Kenji, was crushed firmly between the two giant boulders, leaving him without even a sliver of room to struggle.

Yatsuhashi stood on a nearby rock, watching the scene with a secret sense of dread.

Is this the terrifying strength of the Anbu Captain, Ao?

Fortunately, Yatsuhashi had been holding back his strength, not revealing the truth of his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Otherwise, with Konoha filled with experts, who knew who—besides Danzo—might take an interest in his eyes?

On the other side, Asuma Sarutobi, who had been trading blows evenly with Ao, saw his expression change drastically.

This guy, Sarutobi Shinnosuke... he was holding back when he fought me earlier?

Asuma Sarutobi finally realized that the previous battle had been meaningless.

He hadn't even caught a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of Ao's true power.

Looking at the suppressed Sugiyama Kenji, then at the dying Chiriku in his arms, Asuma Sarutobi hesitated no longer.

Taking advantage of the fact that the surrounding mud had all been fused into the mud dragon by Sugiyama Kenji, he turned and, carrying Chiriku, vanished from the area in a few leaps.

Asuma Sarutobi prepared to head for the Fire Temple; it was likely the only place left that could save the critically injured Chiriku.

Ao's goal for this mission was not only to prevent the tragedy of father killing son, but also to avoid the outcome of brothers turning on one another.

That was why Ao had never used his full strength against Asuma Sarutobi.

At this moment, he finally revealed his true strength, completely shattering the confusion in Asuma Sarutobi's heart.

Seeing that the battle here had already ended, and that almost everyone who had arrived were elites of the Konoha Anbu, the fight against the Guardian Shinobi had become a one-sided affair.

Furthermore, with Hiruzen Sarutobi engaged in battle against Kazuma, Ao had no need to worry. After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the strongest Hokage in history.

Watching the back of Asuma as he departed, Ao turned his head and said to Kakashi, "Kakashi, I'll leave this place to you. I'm going to bring Asuma back to Konoha."

This was also the mission of Sarutobi Shinnosuke, in his capacity as Asuma Sarutobi's older brother.