vs. 8!

On the hillside.

The Anbu ninja in the fox mask crouched down and said, "Lord Sakumo, they've split up. Two four-man squads are heading toward Asuma!"

Hatake Sakumo drew his blade. "Let two squads go. End this quickly!"

The two Anbu ninjas nodded in unison.

There were only three of them against twenty-two enemies. Stopping every one of them was impossible.

So, letting part of the enemy go first and quickly eliminating the rest was the best choice.

Very soon.

The twenty-two attackers arrived.

Hatake Sakumo leaped into the air, turning into a streak of white electric light that tore through the night.

Splat! Splat! Splat!

Blood sprayed.

In an instant, Hatake Sakumo had cut down three people.

"Watch out, it's Konoha's White Fang!"

"Spread out!"

"Damn it, hold him back!"

Rumble!

Screams, furious roars, the clash of ninjutsu, and the thunderous sounds of the earth shaking and exploding mingled together, carrying far into the distance.

In the darkness, the white electric light was incomparably dazzling and unstoppable.

Moreover, with the cooperation of the Anbu ninja in the fox mask, the terrain was continuously altered to divide the enemy, preventing them from surrounding Hatake Sakumo and making him even more terrifying.

But.

There were only three of them in the end.

Of the twenty-two enemies, eight still bypassed this battlefield and continued after Yūhi Kurenai and the others.

At the same time.

In another direction, Sarutobi Asuma, who had used the Transformation Technique to put on a fox mask, came to a halt, turned around, and blew.

A fierce wind howled as it swept toward the direction he had come from.

Soon, he sensed the enemy.

"Eight people!"

"Judging by the intensity of their Chakra, four are Jōnin, and the rest are basically veteran Chūnin as well."

Beneath the mask, Sarutobi Asuma frowned in thought, then took out two smoke bombs from his ninja tool pouch.

After waiting a moment, he tossed down the smoke bombs.

Rolling purple smoke immediately enveloped the area.

By then, the eight pursuers had closed to within a hundred meters.

"Spread out!"

With a loud shout, the eight split into two groups and scattered, forming the shape of an eight. At the same time, the leaders of both groups formed Hand Seals and unleashed ninjutsu.

Boom!

The air churned, forming two violent gusts that swept toward the billowing smoke.

But at that moment, Sarutobi Asuma, wearing the fox mask, appeared. He blew, and with a boom, a storm erupted, forcefully scattering the incoming winds before continuing onward toward the eight enemies.

Wherever the gale passed, trails appeared across the ground, as though it had been scraped by blades.

This technique was not just Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, but also Wind Style: Wind Cutting Technique!

One was a level-six ninjutsu, the other a level-four ninjutsu. Combined, the former gave it a wide range and tremendous force, while the latter condensed the wind into blades.

However, the enemies reacted quickly. The instant they saw their ninjutsu broken, their defensive ninjutsu were immediately activated.

Or rather, before their ninjutsu had even been broken, they had already completed the Hand Seals for their defensive techniques and were ready to activate them at any time.

Earth Walls rose from the ground, blocking all the remaining force of Sarutobi Asuma's Wind Style ninjutsu.

And at that moment.

A sharp, piercing sound rang out.

The spreading smoke began to rotate.

Sarutobi Asuma's real body, holding Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, leaped high into the air and out of the smoke-covered area. Blazing white light illuminated the night sky.

Go!

With a flick of his arm, the giant windmill descended from the sky at an angle, passing over two Earth Walls.

"Scatter!"

The enemies' shrieks and roars rang out, only to be drowned out by the sound of Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.

The sphere of light swelled, illuminating the surroundings as it swallowed one figure after another.

Then, amid a violent roar, a storm swept in all directions, instantly clearing away every trace of smoke.

Sarutobi Asuma had already dispelled the Shadow Clone that had used the Wind Style. His real body used the Wind Body Flicker Technique, merging into the storm created by Wind Style: Rasenshuriken's eruption and rapidly retreating.

A moment later, the storm subsided.

Corpses lay scattered throughout the enormous crater.

At its edge, three figures stared at the crater and their companions within it, stunned for a moment.

They had never seen such terrifying Wind Style ninjutsu in their lives.

A single technique had nearly wiped out their entire group.

Suppressing the fear in his heart, one of the Jōnin said, "That Wind Style ninjutsu... it must be the one developed by Sarutobi Asuma, the second son of Konoha's Third Hokage!"

"The one who used that technique just now must have been that brat!"

Another immediately said, "I heard he was traveling with Konoha's White Fang. Are we going up against Konoha's White Fang?"

The third man rose to his feet, clutching his left arm. "If Konoha's White Fang had been here, we would already be dead!"

"Konoha's White Fang must be over there. The ones we chased here were most likely bait!"

"But if we can't capture the target, catching or killing Sarutobi Asuma could still make up for our losses!"

The Jōnin who had spoken first nodded and sprang after him. "Such a powerful ninjutsu must consume a great deal of Chakra. That brat is supposedly only nine years old. He can't have much Chakra left. Hurry, after him!"

Elsewhere.

When Wind Style: Rasenshuriken erupted, Hatake Sakumo and the other two Anbu ninjas all noticed it.

The commotion was simply too great. In the darkness, the blazing white light released when the ninjutsu erupted was far too conspicuous.

Hatake Sakumo immediately felt half his worry lift.

Very soon.

All the enemies were dealt with.

Hatake Sakumo said to the Anbu ninja in the fox mask, "You should go help Asuma!"

The Anbu ninja in the fox mask shook his head. "No, I believe in Asuma!"

Hatake Sakumo hesitated slightly, then nodded and chased after Yūhi Kurenai and the others.

The two Anbu ninjas immediately followed close behind.

At the same time.

Sarutobi Asuma's real body caught up with the four Shadow Clones and came to a stop.

Only three enemies remained. He could fight them!

The Shadow Clones dispelled, and the Chakra that had been divided among them returned. Sarutobi Asuma drew his Chakra Blade and used the Transformation Technique, taking on Hatake Sakumo's appearance.

Soon, the three enemies caught up.

Crackle!

White Electric Arcs appeared across Sarutobi Asuma's body, and in an instant, his entire figure was enveloped in white electric light.

"Konoha's White Fang!"

The three enemies cried out in alarm. They exchanged a glance, then immediately turned and fled without hesitation.

"Tsk, tsk!"

Sarutobi Asuma clicked his tongue, then blew.

Boom!

A wild gale rose.

The electric light around him faded, and he immediately merged into the gale.

The three fleeing men were swept up by the wind, and Sarutobi Asuma arrived with it.

Blue light flashed. Heads separated from bodies, and blood scattered like raindrops in the sweeping gale.

"Tsk, tsk. A single Transformation Technique scared you into this? What cowards!"

Sarutobi Asuma's mocking voice reached the other two.

They'd been tricked!

The two Jōnin were startled. One of them sensed danger and instinctively swung his sword.

The next moment, accompanied by the ring of clashing steel, his long sword split in two. Sarutobi Asuma appeared, and after his Chakra Short Sword severed the enemy's blade, its incomparably sharp edge sliced diagonally from the man's shoulder to his waist with a splat.

"Argh!"

The enemy let out a shrill scream as blood spurted out, yet his feet instinctively carried him backward at high speed.

At the same time, the other Jōnin instantly appeared at Sarutobi Asuma's side and brought his blade down.

Sarutobi Asuma raised his left hand. The Rasengan collided with the blade, then exploded with a boom.

The enemy was blasted away, while Sarutobi Asuma used the momentum to retreat. Before he had even landed, he opened his mouth and fired in succession.

Fire Style: Fire Bullet!

Two orange Fire Bullets shot toward the two enemies respectively.

The enemy who had been slashed had no way to dodge such a swift attack this time and was directly hit. With a boom, his corpse was torn apart and fell to the ground in blazing chunks.

Sarutobi Asuma cast his techniques too quickly. The other man had no time to respond with ninjutsu or evade. Roaring furiously, he swung his sword and cut the Fire Bullet apart, only to let out a shrill scream in the next instant.

The divided Fire Bullet brushed past his sides. The terrifying heat instantly reduced the clothes on both his arms and shoulders to ash, while the flesh on his upper arms and shoulders split open in moments.

Such pain and injuries almost rendered both his arms useless in battle.

But Sarutobi Asuma did not pause for even a moment. In the blink of an eye, he closed in. His Chakra Blade, covered in blue light, fell once more, effortlessly cutting the enemy's sword in two before slicing diagonally through his face.

He sheathed his blade.

Without stopping, Sarutobi Asuma headed southeast.

Behind him, the enemy standing stiffly suddenly had his head split into two.