Reentering the Land of Rain!

"Tch, should I be proud, or proud?"

A 30 million Ryo bounty was definitely the kind of price placed on a Jōnin, or even a Senior Jōnin or Elite Jōnin.

Still, Asuma was quite pleased with the reward.

Constitution +1!

Asuma did not save the Attribute Point.

Then he opened the Skill Pack, and a flood of information poured into his mind.

Level 4 Lightning Style: False Darkness!

"Related to Kakuzu again?"

Asuma could not help raising an eyebrow after receiving the information.

Still, this ninjutsu was not bad.

At the very least, it had displayed tremendous power in Kakuzu's hands.

Its training difficulty was B-rank.

Having Level 4 directly instilled into him saved him a great deal of training time and allowed him to master it proficiently right away.

"This counts as my first Lightning Style Ninjutsu."

"Perfect. I'll learn Earth Style and Water Style Ninjutsu as well, so I can combine them!"

Asuma pondered to himself.

He had already exposed Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, so he needed new and more trump cards.

That night.

After dinner, Asuma directly selected two ninjutsu from the many techniques collected by the Sarutobi Clan.

One was Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall, and the other was Water Style: Water Shockwave.

This way, Asuma had mastered corresponding ninjutsu for each of the Chakra Nature Transformations.

Yin Release was Genjutsu, while Yang Release was Medical Ninjutsu.

Among the various Chakra Nature Transformations, Water Style was the one he had mastered the least, but casting ninjutsu with it was not a problem.

That night.

Asuma's main body rested, but his Shadow Clones continued to toil away, undergoing temporary intensive training to practice the two newly acquired ninjutsu.

The next day, August 2nd.

Asuma wore armor, carried a scroll and a Chakra Blade, and appeared at the village entrance on time.

Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune had both arrived early.

Before long, Hatake Sakumo arrived as well. Without much exchange, the four vanished in unison with a command from Hatake Sakumo, using the Body Flicker Technique.

After leaving the village, the four headed west all the way.

Hatake Sakumo said nothing, merely maintaining a travel speed clearly faster than during their first mission as they headed east.

"The mission location is in the Land of Rain?"

Asuma silently guessed, but did not rashly question Hatake Sakumo.

The four departed shortly after eight. They only rested for half an hour at noon before continuing their journey, and by a little after three in the afternoon, they had already reached the border of the Land of Fire.

Such a pace made Asuma and the other two sense that this mission was anything but ordinary.

After stopping to rest at the border of the Land of Fire, Hatake Sakumo finally said to Asuma and the others, "Our mission this time is to assist the Anbu in receiving intelligence. The location is within the Land of Rain."

Asuma pondered briefly upon hearing this, then asked, "Teacher Sakumo, are we responsible for covering the rear, protecting the intelligence, or serving as bait?"

Hatake Sakumo shook his head. "The exact situation is unclear for now."

"Our objective will depend on the circumstances."

"But no matter which of the possibilities Asuma just mentioned it is, we must be prepared."

Asuma and the other two nodded together. "Understood!"

Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Good. Rest for one hour, then enter the Land of Rain."

After that, no one spoke much. They all seized the time to rest.

Especially Kurenai and Shizune.

Asuma did not feel much from such high-intensity travel, but the two of them were already extremely exhausted.

Once they entered the Land of Rain, battle could break out at any moment, and there would likely be no more time to rest.

One hour later.

The four finished resting and set out once more, entering the Land of Rain directly.

At this time, the Land of Rain was enjoying a rare clear day.

Two hours later, the four stopped.

Hatake Sakumo pointed at two hills more than three hundred meters ahead, with a road running between them. "That is the agreed rendezvous point."

"Asuma, Kurenai!"

Asuma and Kurenai nodded immediately and each used a Sensory Technique.

Since the wind direction was favorable, Asuma directly used Wind Style Sensory Ninjutsu.

A moment later, Kurenai opened her eyes and said, "Teacher Sakumo, no ambushes detected."

Asuma followed with, "No problems detected either!"

Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Good, then we'll split into two groups."

"Asuma, you'll take Kurenai and Shizune as one group and cover the hill on the left. I'll take the other side!"

"Until we receive Early Summer, you must scan the surrounding environment every ten minutes!"

Asuma nodded immediately. "Understood!"

"Move out!"

At the command, all four vanished from where they stood.

On the left hill.

After concealing themselves, Asuma said to Kurenai and Shizune, "Use this time to rest. Try to restore yourselves to peak condition."

"Okay!"

Kurenai and Shizune nodded together.

The two knew what Asuma was capable of and did not stand on ceremony. They immediately sat down, replenished their water and nutrients, then closed their eyes again to rest.

Meanwhile, Asuma used Sensory Ninjutsu every ten minutes to monitor the surroundings, ensuring that no unknown ninja were lurking nearby.

At the same time, he took a Ration Pill every half hour to ensure his Chakra remained in ideal condition.

And so.

The team waited for two hours, and the sky had completely darkened.

More importantly, the weather had begun to change.

Thick clouds obscured all starlight and moonlight, and Asuma could feel the air growing increasingly damp.

It was going to rain!

"Someone's coming!"

Suddenly, Asuma's gaze sharpened, and he immediately woke Kurenai and Shizune.

"Kurenai, go to Teacher Sakumo right away."

"They're coming from directly in front of us. Five people in total!"

Asuma gave the order.

Kurenai nodded at once, but before she could move, Hatake Sakumo had already appeared beside the three of them. "I already know!"

"Asuma, the three of you stay and receive them!"

With that, Hatake Sakumo vanished again in a flash.

It was too dark to see clearly, so Asuma and Kurenai could only rely on Sensory Ninjutsu to judge the situation.

However, the people approaching were clearly not enemies.

Hatake Sakumo soon returned, and the five people arrived with him.

"Kurenai, Shizune, the two of you will protect the intelligence and return to the Land of Fire!"

Hatake Sakumo gave the order.

The so-called intelligence was an unremarkable middle-aged man.

"Understood!"

Kurenai and Shizune accepted the order immediately.

Hatake Sakumo turned to Asuma. "Asuma, I need you to draw away some of the enemy and serve as bait!"

"Understood!"

Asuma nodded. The next moment, four Shadow Clones appeared beside him. Including his main body, all of them used the Transformation Technique and became identical to the five people who had arrived with Hatake Sakumo.

"Very good!"

Hatake Sakumo nodded in satisfaction. "Head northeast later!"

Asuma nodded without speaking.

Of the five people, two remained behind, while the other three, along with Kurenai and Shizune, immediately set off toward the Land of Fire.

Two minutes later.

The Anbu wearing a fox mask crouched down and touched a rock. "They're here. Thirty people, less than two kilometers away. They have a Sensor Ninja too. Asuma, you can go now. Be careful!"

"Understood!"

Asuma nodded. After exchanging another glance with Hatake Sakumo, he set off at high speed toward the northeast with his Shadow Clones.