"No."
"It's a date!"
The two grew flustered, their words no longer matching up. Asuma Sarutobi admitted manfully that he was indeed dating Kurenai Yuhi. As a woman, Kurenai Yuhi was thin-skinned, but who would have expected them to run into Kakashi Hatake?
"You two moved pretty fast!" Kakashi Hatake said with a sense of loss. He was no longer young, yet on long, lonely nights, only Icha Icha Paradise kept him company.
"By the way, Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Asuma Sarutobi asked.
"I was just taking a stroll." As he spoke, Kakashi Hatake gave them a meaningful look. The three of them then turned their gazes toward the tea stall in front of them. Through the half-drawn beige curtain, they could see two steaming cups of green tea on the table, with money pressed beneath them.
"Looks like trouble has entered the village. I need to report this. Asuma, Kurenai, please pursue them first." After saying that, Kakashi Hatake vanished into the rain.
Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi did not hesitate and immediately rushed off in one direction.
The reason Kakashi Hatake had sent Sasuke Uchiha away, and why Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi had come to this street, was because they had all sensed an unusual presence.
The three exchanged information with a single glance when they met. That was the tacit understanding of Konoha's jonin.
Meanwhile, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi had already pursued their targets beyond the village and spotted two figures in the rain by the riverbank.
Asuma Sarutobi raised his hand, and a row of shuriken sliced through the air, embedding themselves in front of the two men.
The two halted, then turned around.
"Who are you? What business do you have in Konoha?" Asuma Sarutobi asked coldly, already prepared for battle.