Danzo, That Old Bastard!

BOOM!

The terrifying flames blasted straight through the forest, plowing a charred trail through it.

The three hidden Root Shinobi were immediately forced to reveal themselves.

Uzumaki Kushina snorted coldly but said nothing.

Namikaze Minato frowned at the three of them. There was no way he had failed to sense their presence earlier.

It was customary for a Jinchuriki to be "protected." With him around, there usually would not even be Anbu personnel, let alone Root.

It was only because Asuma had been there earlier that he had tacitly accepted it.

Asuma did not look at Namikaze Minato or Uzumaki Kushina's expressions, nor did he pretend to know nothing of the situation. He stared coldly at the three Root Shinobi. "Danzo sent you to monitor me?"

The three Root Shinobi replied coldly, "Anbu mission. You have no right to know!"

Asuma sneered. "Get lost!"

"Or I'll kill you!"

"Don't think I don't know that old bastard Danzo's twisted mindset. I went to the Land of Bears on a mission, and Bounty Hunters came after me so quickly. They even knew Teacher Sakumo was there. Do you take me for an idiot?"

Both Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato were shocked by those words.

They had naturally heard that Asuma had a bounty of Ten Million Ryo on his head. They had not expected there to be more to it.

But did the Third Hokage know about this?

Asuma was his second son!

Beneath their masks, the expressions of the three Root Shinobi changed for the first time.

This brat really did not play by the rules.

Wind Style: Rasenshuriken appeared directly in Asuma's hand as he said, "Go back and tell that old bastard Danzo that if I could break into his nest and kill him right now, I would have done it already!"

"Don't compare me to my father. He'll consider the bigger picture. I won't!"

Uzumaki Kushina's eyes lit up when she heard that, and she practically itched to join in.

Namikaze Minato secretly had a headache, but his gaze had turned dangerous as well.

If Asuma made a move, he would definitely act too and subdue the three Root Shinobi at once.

Sensing the danger, the three Root Shinobi exchanged glances and vanished together.

Uzumaki Kushina was somewhat disappointed and could not help muttering, "Cowards!"

How great would it have been if those three Root Shinobi had not left so decisively? Then they could have had a proper fight!

Namikaze Minato secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Asuma dispersed his ninjutsu and smiled. "Kushina, now isn't the time. When the opportunity comes, I'll take you into Root's headquarters and drag Danzo out."

"Okay!"

"You have to bring me along!"

Uzumaki Kushina immediately said excitedly.

Namikaze Minato had a headache and hurriedly said, "Asuma, don't joke around!"

"And what did you mean earlier? Could it be..."

Uzumaki Kushina also looked at Asuma with concern.

Though they had not known each other long, she found the little guy very much to her liking.

Asuma roughly explained the attack he had encountered during his mission, then smiled. "Before, I only suspected it. After all, I had no concrete evidence, and there are spies within the village too. Maybe a spy leaked the information."

"But now, I'm certain."

When Kakuzu came for the second time, Asuma had grown suspicious.

Those Jōnin had been unusual. They gave him the same feeling as Root.

Of course, Konoha was not the only village with ninja who felt like emotionless killing machines.

So it had only been a suspicion.

After all, he had become famous and was considered a rare genius. It was perfectly normal for other ninja villages to put a bounty on him, even send powerful ninja to kill him alongside Kakuzu.

Was that not the sort of work the major ninja villages did most often?

But just now, he suddenly realized that with Minato present, why would Root be the ones monitoring a Jinchuriki?

Even if they were monitoring the Jinchuriki, it should not have been only Root Shinobi.

Did his old man trust them?

Once he thought about it, he got the feeling that those three had come for him, to gather intelligence on him.

So he had tested them on instinct. He had not expected the test to bear fruit.

Though the three Root Shinobi had not said anything.

Asuma already knew.

Of course, he wanted nothing more than to kill Danzo.

But with his current strength, he could not.

And no one would help him right now, either.

After all, Danzo still held considerable prestige in Konoha.

But the harsh words he had spoken earlier were not just empty threats.

After hearing Asuma's words, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina exchanged glances. Then Minato said, "Asuma, for now, it would be best not to provoke that man. It won't do you any good."

Even as the Hokage's son, without the Hokage's support, he would never gain an advantage against someone as powerful and influential as Danzo!

"Don't worry, Minato. I'm not stupid," Asuma said with a smile.

Now that he was making such wild claims, probably no one aside from those who truly knew him would take him seriously.

Kill Danzo?

What a joke.

"Alright, Kushina, let's continue!"

Asuma did not want to keep wasting time on that old bastard Danzo.

"Okay, let's continue!"

Uzumaki Kushina nodded with a smile.

Thus, the two resumed their spar.

Wind Style ninjutsu, Fire Style ninjutsu.

Asuma had only mastered one Fire Style ninjutsu, but he knew quite a few Wind Style ninjutsu.

Other than Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, Asuma used them one after another. He also treated Uzumaki Kushina as a sparring partner to grind levels and farm experience from.

After all, it was truly difficult to find a sparring partner as "tough-skinned and durable" as Uzumaki Kushina.

Yet as Namikaze Minato watched Asuma, he grew increasingly astonished.

It was one thing that the Three Basic Ninjutsu and Shadow Clone required almost imperceptible Hand Seals. He could do that too.

But for Wind Style and Fire Style, he could barely see any Hand Seals at all.

The reason he said barely was because Asuma either pressed his hands together or raised one hand upright.

Were those Hand Seals?

No matter how he looked at it, they seemed utterly half-hearted.

Such casting speed was truly astonishing!

Root.

Danzo's expression immediately darkened as he listened to his subordinates' report.

That brat Asuma had actually insulted him...

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Danzo said, "End the intelligence gathering on that brat!"

"Yes!"

The three Root Shinobi accepted the order and left.

Danzo stood where he was, his eyes flickering.

He did not care about Asuma, nor did he take those threatening words seriously.

But he could not ignore Sarutobi Hiruzen's warning.

He knew this companion's personality and methods very well.

When the critical moment came, Hiruzen would not show mercy either.

The reason he had targeted Asuma before...

Was because that brat was connected to too many people.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Hatake Sakumo, and now he was even getting along so well with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Such a genius brat was also the Hokage's son. If he were to inherit the position of Fifth Hokage in the future...

As he thought of this, Danzo's expression grew even darker.

At the training ground.

After an intense and satisfying spar, Asuma and Kushina stopped to rest. As they rested, they went through questions and answers about Fūinjutsu knowledge.

It was both a test of Asuma's foundational Fūinjutsu theory and a chance to resolve the doubts he had accumulated during his studies.

Seeing that the two had rested enough, Namikaze Minato suggested, "Since you're done fighting, it'll be more convenient to study at home!"

"Okay, let's go home!"

Uzumaki Kushina stood up and smiled at Asuma. "Asuma, I prepared some Fūinjutsu for you!"