Rasa's Inner Monologue

Uchiha Yu spotted Sarutobi Asuma from a distance.

Seeing the look of astonishment on Sarutobi Asuma's face, he grinned.

You little punk, you want to kill me? With just you?

Hyuga Tokuma and the five chunin remained expressionless upon seeing Sarutobi Asuma.

The Uchiha Clan's stance toward the Sarutobi was that they were merely a clan that had left the Land of Fire.

They had not yet categorized them as rogue ninja.

Therefore, although the relationship between Konoha and the Sarutobi was tense, it had not reached the point of drawing blades against one another.

As for the Shimura, who were a tier weaker than the Sarutobi, they had been reduced to subordinates of the Sarutobi after being left leaderless.

In Uchiha Yu's eyes, the Sarutobi and the Shimura were nothing more than grasshoppers at the end of autumn; they wouldn't be jumping around for much longer.

"Uncle Baki, hello there," Uchiha Yu said with a smile, his face full of innocence.

"Hmm..." Baki nodded, scrutinizing Uchiha Yu carefully.

According to Sarutobi Asuma's intelligence, Uchiha Yu was a master of the Mangekyo and the Wood Release bloodline limit, and possessed a heaven-defying physique capable of healing without hand signs.

But no matter how he looked at him now, he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary child.

However, Baki did not let his guard down; he knew that if given the chance, Uchiha Yu might bare his fangs.

Suddenly, Baki frowned.

What were the five chunin behind him dragging?

Five large sacks? The things inside... were they people?

The five chunin behind him tossed the sacks directly in front of Baki.

Five corpses rolled out from within.

They were the very ninjas Sarutobi Asuma had dispatched!

The expressions of the Sunagakure ninjas present, as well as Sarutobi Asuma, darkened instantly.

"We had just crossed the border of the Land of Wind when we saw these rogue ninjas from the Sarutobi Clan. They wanted to take us out, so we dealt with them along the way," Hyuga Tokuma said slowly.

After all, Hyuga Tokuma was the nominal leader of the team.

It wouldn't do to always let a seven-year-old child do the talking.

Uchiha Yu looked at Sarutobi Asuma and said, "Uncle Asuma, since you've joined Sunagakure, you should keep a tighter leash on your subordinates. It's very easy to damage the feelings between two villages this way!"

Asuma fell silent for a moment.

If he followed Uchiha Yu's logic, did that mean he had joined Sunagakure?

But his goal was to restore the Sarutobi Clan.

He wanted to reclaim the position of Hokage!

This Uchiha Yu was truly too cunning.

"I will keep an eye on them, but I, Sarutobi Asuma, will always be a Sarutobi of Konoha," Sarutobi Asuma said after a long silence.

Baki also nodded and said, "We will also strengthen our patrols to ensure this kind of thing doesn't happen again."

Afterward, Baki shot a glare at Asuma.

This Asuma actually dared to sneakily send people to assassinate Uchiha Yu and his group.

And it was at the border of the Land of Wind, no less!

What was he trying to do? Rebel?

I took you in, and you try to stab me in the back?

Baki snorted coldly at Sarutobi Asuma, then turned and led Uchiha Yu and the others toward the Kazekage Building.

Asuma, left standing there by Baki, felt his anger boil over.

In his fury, he punched a large hole into the nearby wall.

"Damn it, I never expected it to be Uchiha Yu who came!" Sarutobi Asuma stared at Uchiha Yu's retreating back, his eyes filled with nothing but hatred.

After all, Uchiha Yu was the man who had killed his father.

But at the same time, Uchiha Yu's strength still made Sarutobi Asuma feel a sense of dread.

Because it was Uchiha Yu and Uchiha Itachi who had joined forces to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen!

"What should we do?" a clansman asked from the side.

Sarutobi Asuma pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and exhaled a deep breath.

"Let him jump around for a few more days. I will make him know the consequences of laying a hand on our Sarutobi Clan! I, Sarutobi Asuma, will always be a Sarutobi of Konoha!"

In Asuma's eyes, the Uchiha were nothing but usurpers.

He was certain that the Uchiha Clan wouldn't be able to hold onto the position of Hokage for long!

"Take a few trusted men and return to the Hidden Leaf Village to spread the word. Anyone who has thoughts of restoring the Hidden Leaf and breaking free from the Uchiha's dictatorial rule can come to me! We must assemble a force of our own!"

Asuma knew that with the few people he had on hand, he couldn't accomplish anything.

His top-tier combat strength was even more negligible, with hardly any jonin to be found.

And he wanted to fight the Uchiha with this?

He had to develop his own strength!

"Will Sunagakure be willing?" a member of the Sarutobi clan beside him asked, his face full of worry.

This was, after all, assembling his own armed force right under Rasa's nose!

"If Rasa isn't willing to help us, why should we bother with him?" Sarutobi Asuma understood clearly that his relationship with Rasa was nothing more than mutual exploitation.

Since Rasa was unwilling to help him now, he had no choice but to save himself!

He couldn't be blamed for this!

"Yes! Lord Asuma!"

Inside the Kazekage Building.

On his way, Uchiha Yu did not see many familiar faces.

The number of ninjas in Sunagakure was not particularly high.

However, because Rasa used Magnet Release to collect gold dust and sell it to other ninja villages, he had accumulated a vast amount of wealth for Sunagakure.

Furthermore, he was dedicated to training elite ninjas, and the quality of their ninja forces was recognized throughout the Ninja World.

Therefore, in terms of strength and financial resources, they were second only to the Hidden Leaf Village, which possessed fertile land and an excellent geographical location among the Five Great Ninja Villages!

Inside the Kazekage's office.

Rasa sat in his chair with his arms crossed, watching as the guard led Uchiha Yu and Hyuga Tokuma into the office.

As for the others, they were all arranged to wait outside.

After all, the Kazekage's office was not a place just anyone could enter.

"Uncle Rasa, it's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. Please take care of me." Uchiha Yu wore an innocent and harmless smile.

Rasa nodded with a smile. "I heard that the day your father, Uchiha Fugaku, succeeds as Hokage is approaching. You're here to deliver the invitation, aren't you?"

Uchiha Yu nodded.

He then handed over the invitation.

However, delivering the letter was only an insignificant part of Uchiha Yu's mission.

His true mission was to investigate whether Sarutobi Asuma was plotting a rebellion.

If he truly was, then the problem would be significant.

Rasa nodded with a smile and said, "There is still over half a month left; why not stay here for a few days?"

As he spoke, a hint of conspiracy flickered in Rasa's eyes.

Although he had heard that Uchiha Yu was proficient in Wood Release and the Sharingan, no matter how he looked at him now, he was just a seven-year-old child.

Could the physical and mental energy of a seven-year-old child really sustain Wood Release and the Sharingan?

Rasa still felt that Sarutobi Asuma was being a bit alarmist.

He also wanted to test the true strength of Uchiha Yu.

"Sure, but first, give us our expenses. We have nine people in total; it's not too much to ask for a separate room for each of us, right? A daily food and drink allowance of one thousand ryo per person isn't too much, is it? And for the various tourist attractions in the Land of Wind, asking for ten thousand ryo in total isn't too much, right? Just give me one hundred and fifty thousand ryo directly, and if it's not enough, I'll ask you for more!"

Rasa: "???"