Rain Has Come, the Wolves Have Come!

Asuma was quite familiar with the terrain and geography of the ninja world.

It was currently the season when moist air blew in from the sea.

The Land of Rain happened to lie where airflow traveled northward from the Land of Rivers, hemmed in by the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire like a valley.

Then, upon reaching the Land of Rain, it was blocked to the north by the high mountains of the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass.

The airflow rose, cooled, and then produced rainfall.

Given the Land of Rain's location, it was destined to spend much of every year in the rainy season.

Clearly, the Rain Tiger Jutsu was absolutely the most suitable technique for the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers.

These two countries had an abundance of water resources.

Even when it was not raining, using ninjutsu to make it rain would consume far less Chakra.

As Chakra merged into the wind, Asuma's senses immediately spread outward with it.

Fifty meters.

One hundred meters.

One li.

Moreover, this sensing range did not expand linearly. As the wind swept outward, it spread across a vast area.

However, its drawback quickly became apparent.

The sensing range was beyond Asuma's control.

Because the natural wind was beyond his control.

At that point, Asuma realized that it was exactly as his earlier theoretical estimates had predicted.

Relying solely on natural wind for sensing offered a broad range, but it could not be controlled and was impractical.

"Still, on the battlefield, I could use Wind Style ninjutsu for precise sensing."

Asuma thought to himself.

Creating a ninjutsu could not be done overnight. This was not a technique like Wind Style: Rasenshuriken that could simply be "borrowed."

Original ninjutsu were not so simple.

Namikaze Minato had drawn inspiration from the Tailed Beast Bomb to create the Rasengan, yet it had still taken him years to complete it!

Setting those thoughts aside, Asuma focused on carrying out the mission.

In the blink of an eye, half an hour passed.

Patter! Patter!

Asuma looked up as rain fell from the gloomy sky.

"It's raining!"

Asuma sighed.

He did not like rain.

After all, Fire Style and Wind Style were what he excelled at most right now.

He also disliked muddy roads and the heavy dampness in the air.

Tweet! Tweet!

Suddenly, a rhythmic whistle sounded.

Asuma's expression sharpened.

It was Yūhi Kurenai's warning. Ninjas were approaching.

He immediately looked northwest, then crouched and pressed a finger to the rain-soaked ground.

This time, he used the Sensory Ninjutsu mastered by the Second Hokage and Namikaze Minato.

It transmitted and sensed Chakra through the earth, so it could be classified under Earth Style.

Although his Earth Style Chakra Nature Transformation was not particularly advanced, his Chakra Control and extensive research into Sensory Ninjutsu meant that his mastery of this technique was not bad.

"A four-man squad. Their Chakra signatures are only at the Chūnin level. Mainly Water Style, along with Earth Style..."

The benefits of mastering numerous Chakra Nature Transformations were now apparent.

Not only could Asuma sense their numbers, he could also distinguish the Chakra Nature Transformations he had already mastered.

Of the seven basic Chakra Nature Transformations, the only one he had yet to master was Yang Style.

Even Yang Style was only because he had not had the time yet.

Asuma quietly sighed in relief, but immediately extended his senses in other directions.

"Hmm?"

Asuma's expression changed, and his face grew grave.

Another ninja squad was rapidly approaching from the southwest. Judging from their direction and speed, they were clearly coming for their caravan.

At once, he used the Wind Body Flicker Technique and vanished.

By the time Asuma returned to the caravan, the group had already stopped.

The warriors had formed a circle around the caravan, Katana in hand as they prepared for battle.

"Teacher Sakumo, we've identified two ninja squads so far. Both are four-man teams, coming from the southwest and northwest respectively. Based on their Chakra signatures, they're at the Chūnin level."

Asuma reported.

The moment he finished speaking, Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune appeared as well.

They had also brought back intelligence. Aside from the two squads Asuma had sensed, there was another four-man ninja squad directly north.

Hatake Sakumo nodded. "There's also a four-man squad behind us. That makes four squads, sixteen people in total!"

"Now for the assignments. Kurenai, Shizune, you stay here and provide backup support."

"Asuma, we'll split up. You handle the squad to the southwest. Leave the other three to me. End this quickly!"

Asuma and the other two immediately acknowledged their orders.

The next moment, Hatake Sakumo and Asuma vanished from where they stood.

The rain grew heavier and heavier.

Asuma simply took off his raincoat. Chakra surged from within him and surfaced across his body, followed by clusters of flames that ignited and clung to him, constantly flickering.

The high temperature instantly evaporated every raindrop that fell on him.

This was not any kind of ninjutsu, but rather something Asuma had created purely through his superb Chakra Control... a Chakra Cloak?

He was not sure himself.

But it would reduce the impact of fighting in the rain.

Of course, it also looked much cooler!

Amid the hazy rain and mist, the four-man squad stopped over a hundred meters away from Asuma and stared at him uncertainly.

This Chakra... was so powerful!

And what was with that stance? They had never seen anything like it!

"I am Konoha Genin Asuma. Let me advise you: leave immediately, or I will regard you as enemies!"

Asuma shouted sternly.

The four ninjas, none bearing the markings of any ninja village, exchanged glances and revealed excited expressions.

Asuma!

The second son of Konoha's Third Hokage. He was exactly their target!!

"Take him down!"

With a loud roar, the four charged toward Asuma at incredible speed.

Two of them circled around from the left and right.

The other two advanced one in front of the other, nearly in a straight line.

Furthermore, the man in front completely blocked the one behind him from view, preventing Asuma from seeing any of the latter's movements.

"Trying tactics on me?"

Asuma smiled, then brought his hands together and blew from his mouth.

Rumble!

A violent gale swept forward like a storm, surging ahead in a fan-shaped arc.

Wherever it passed, it not only swept away the falling rain but also tore up a layer of soaked earth, crushing forward like a wall of mud.

This happened to be an open stretch of land with no obstructions, allowing the wind's power to be unleashed to its fullest.

Hearing the thunderous roar of air being swept up and seeing the dark storm rolling toward them, the four charging ninjas froze in shock.

That casting speed was too fast. No Hand Seals?

And besides...

Was this the C-rank Wind Style: Great Breakthrough?

How could it be this powerful?

Was he really just a newly minted Genin?

Could the rumors spreading out of Konoha be true?

Had this nine-year-old brat really created an S-rank Wind Style ninjutsu?

Even as terror filled them, the four ninjas began questioning their lives.

Asuma told them with facts that what determined a ninjutsu's power was not its rank.

It was the person!

Fortunately, they were people who had struggled through life-and-death battles, so they were not so frightened that they could not move.

After recovering, they quickly retreated some distance. Then, the four stood in a line and completed their Hand Seals before the storm arrived.

Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!

The four jointly cast the same ninjutsu, and four layers of Earth Wall rose from the ground in succession, blocking the storm before them.

But the next moment—

One Earth Wall after another was torn apart by the storm.

The four screamed as their bodies spun beyond their control, and they were all swept into the air.

After casting the technique, Asuma himself transformed into a gust of wind and merged into the storm.