The Uchiha Clan's Blind Swordsman

At this moment, he felt as if his spirit had completely collapsed.

--Today, the woman you like isn't here, so it doesn't matter how much you embarrass yourself!

Chiba's words were still echoing in his ears.

And then--

"Asuma, what were you running off to do in such a hurry just now?"

That was Kurenai's voice.

Kurenai Yuhi had followed him out of concern.

However, she wasn't worried about Asuma; she was worried that Asuma would actually go through with his revenge.

But when Kurenai Yuhi saw the disheveled Asuma and the injuries on his face, she knew.

Asuma had gone after all.

And it seemed he had been defeated once again.

At the same time, the heart of the youth named Asuma Sarutobi completely shattered.

To kill a man is not enough; one must also destroy his spirit!

Asuma still didn't want to recall how he had managed to escape from Kurenai Yuhi.

Even now, only that one casual remark from Chiba continued to echo in his ears.

--Today, the woman you like isn't here, so it doesn't matter how much you embarrass yourself!

Unfortunately, Kurenai Yuhi had found out anyway.

It was too humiliating.

Asuma had never felt so humiliated in his life; the feeling of having nowhere to hide was so intense that he wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it immediately.

The double blow from Chiba and Kurenai Yuhi had left Asuma utterly broken.

And the final strike that truly finished Asuma off came from his father.

Suddenly, an Anbu ninja appeared before Asuma.

The cat-faced mask was the best proof of his identity.

"Asuma, the Hokage requests your presence at the Hokage Building!"

At that moment, Asuma was still trapped in the psychological shadow cast by Chiba, and he prepared to brush the messenger off.

"I know, I'll go in a little while!"

However, the Anbu ninja blocked his path.

Asuma felt deeply annoyed.

"I already told you, I'll go in a little while!"

"My apologies, but my orders are that the Hokage requires you to go immediately. Please do not make this difficult for me."

"Hmph, that damn old man, he's overstepping his bounds!"

The Anbu ninja had no interest in listening to Asuma's grumbling.

He moved in an instant, binding Asuma's hands and feet with lightning speed before hoisting him onto his shoulder.

"What are you doing? Put me down!"

"My apologies, but I must offend you."

With that, the Anbu carried Asuma, performed a single-handed seal, and vanished from the spot using the Body Flicker Technique.

When they reappeared, the Anbu carrying Asuma had already arrived at the Hokage Building.

After passing through a hidden door, the Anbu untied Asuma and shoved him directly into the Hokage Office.

Asuma was burning with rage.

"You just wait--!"

It was the same old threat.

But coming from Asuma's mouth at this moment, it lacked its usual sharpness.

Asuma was cursing and swearing, but the moment he looked up, he saw the Third Hokage, his own father, Sarutobi Hiruzen, standing by the window and gazing into the distance.

Even though Asuma and his father didn't see eye to eye.

However, when he truly faced his father, Asuma still felt a bit intimidated.

Because, prior to this, Sarutobi Hiruzen had told him not to go looking for trouble with Uchiha Chiba.

At the same time, he also knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen was at his angriest when he was silent.

The silence at this moment was like death, making Asuma feel doubly tormented.

Sarutobi Hiruzen still stood quietly by the window, though it was unclear what he was looking at.

He held a pipe in his mouth, puffing on it incessantly, and the office was filled with swirling smoke.

The length of the silence seemed to represent the degree of Sarutobi Hiruzen's anger.

Asuma knew that this time, the old man was truly furious.

"Asuma..."

Finally, Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice broke the silence.

He turned around, took the pipe from his mouth—the tobacco had already burned out—tapped it against the ashtray, and then sat down in his chair.

"Do you remember what I said to you before?"

"I remember!"

"What was it?"

"Do not go looking for trouble with Uchiha Chiba!"

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned back tactically and gave a cold smile.

"I see, so you do remember... and yet, what did you do?"

"I went anyway."

"The reason? I can listen to your explanation."

"I couldn't swallow that resentment."

"So, have you swallowed it now?"

Asuma fell silent.

How could he possibly swallow it?

Not only had he failed to swallow his pride, but the incident had actually left Asuma with psychological trauma.

Now, whenever he thought of Uchiha Chiba, he felt an inexplicable fear.

It was a trembling he could not avoid.

"I told you long ago."

"If you want to accomplish great things, you must be able to keep your cool. Because of a woman, you lost your head. Did you really not notice the gap in strength between you and Uchiha Chiba?"

Did I not notice?

Asuma asked himself.

Perhaps he hadn't, or perhaps he had, but simply refused to admit it.

"In this incident, you made three mistakes!"

"First, wanting to show off in front of a woman you like is not wrong, but you went too far!"

"Second, you miscalculated the gap in strength between yourself and Uchiha Chiba. You should have realized it the first time at the Dumpling Shop!"

"Third, after I warned you, you still went to cause him trouble. This point is fatal."

"This is making a fool of yourself, and it is also causing trouble for me!"

For Sarutobi Hiruzen, who wanted to pull Uchiha Chiba into his own sphere of influence, this was very disadvantageous.

However, through this incident, Sarutobi Hiruzen at least learned just how much strength Uchiha Chiba possessed.

This made Sarutobi Hiruzen want to obtain him even more.

Even without the Sharingan, Uchiha Chiba was a one-of-a-kind genius among the Uchiha.

A genius could not be allowed to remain with the Uchiha.

To Sarutobi Hiruzen, this was practically common sense.

"Perhaps I have been too good to you over the years, too lenient!"

The moment he heard these words, Asuma's pupils constricted, and his eyes widened to their limit.

"After this incident, you will..."

Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could finish his sentence, Asuma erupted.

"What do you know?"

"What do you mean by being too good to me? When have you ever cared about me?"

"In your world, it is always the village, always discussing the Uchiha. Is the Uchiha really that special? You don't know anything at all! Do you think finding me the best ninjutsu teachers is being good to me? Screw that!"

"I've had enough of you, old man!"

Asuma's words caused Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows to furrow deeply.

"Asuma, you had best stop provoking my anger."

"I am the Hokage. What I manage is the entire village, the entirety of Konoha—"

"Is that so? Then you go right ahead and manage your village... As for my affairs, I will handle them myself!"

Having said that, Asuma stormed out the door in a fit of resentment.

The blow dealt by Kurenai Yuhi and Uchiha Chiba had already been heavy enough.

And his father, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had delivered the final strike.

This was what one might call...

The final straw that broke the camel's back.

Watching Asuma storm out, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a sigh.

He was his son, after all, so he spoke to the Anbu hidden in the shadows.

"Go watch over him. Don't let anything happen to him!"

More importantly, do not let him further escalate the conflict with Uchiha Chiba.

"Asuma... one day, you will understand me!"