Scorch Release Chakra Mode!

"You're Asuma?"

A Sand Ninja standing on a tree branch, a katana in hand, spoke up.

He recognized Asuma.

Mainly because there were not many young yet powerful people in Konoha these days.

And Asuma was especially famous. After all, there was a thirty-million bounty on him, and many people had seen his portrait.

It was only because Asuma had grown considerably over the past year or two that he had not been recognized immediately.

Asuma said nothing and reached for his sword.

But just as his hand settled on the hilt, three Wind Style ninjutsu erupted from three different directions and swept toward him.

Other than underground, they sealed off every angle.

Yet, just before the Wind Style ninjutsu reached him, Asuma had already activated Lightning Style Chakra Mode.

Blue electric light flashed through the pitch-black forest, followed by a scream.

To the left of where Asuma had been standing, the Sand Ninja using Wind Style had his ninjutsu pierced head-on before being cut down with a single slash.

Before the scream could fully spread, Asuma vanished again.

In less than a second, the second man's head rolled to the ground.

"So fast!"

"Block his movements!"

A leading Jōnin shouted as his hands rapidly formed Hand Seals.

But the moment his words fell, the third Sand Ninja was already separated from his corpse without even managing a scream.

Boom!

Wind Style erupted.

A large number of shuriken, kunai carrying Explosive Tags, and wide-area Shuriken such as Deadly Poison-coated Senbon fired from puppets sealed off Asuma from every direction.

Blue electric light flashed. Asuma cleaved through the Wind Style ninjutsu with one stroke, letting the many Shuriken strike his body and bounce away. Without slowing in the slightest, he charged straight at the leading Jōnin who had just issued the orders.

Clang!

Two blades collided. Lightning Style met Wind Style, and the Sand Ninja's blade snapped apart.

Then their figures crossed, and the Sand Ninja fell with his eyes wide open.

Asuma did not stop. His figure flashed repeatedly, evading powerful attacks before reaching a puppeteer in an instant. With a boom, the puppet exploded. Blue light flashed, a head rolled away, and he did not pause for even a moment.

He was too fast.

And under Lightning Style Chakra Mode, his defense was greatly enhanced. Ordinary kunai and shuriken could not hurt him, even if they carried Explosive Tags.

Wind Style restrained Lightning Style, but only when they were of equal strength—or stronger.

Besides, Asuma was far too fast in Lightning Style Chakra Mode. He never stopped for more than two seconds at a time, and small-scale Wind Style techniques could not hit him at all.

"Spread out!"

"Use large-scale Wind Style to seal him in!"

Shouts rang out one after another.

Four or five had died in the blink of an eye, leaving the Sand Ninja utterly horrified.

Wind Style: Net!

Wind Style: Wind Cutting Technique!

Wind Style: Sickle Weasel Technique!

After spreading out, they unleashed one large-scale Wind Style technique after another. Grass and trees were swept clean in an instant, and the rapidly moving Asuma was finally forced to stop.

However.

Even when struck by the Wind Style, he was not injured.

His gaze swept around. Only five Sand Ninja remained.

Asuma dispelled Lightning Style Chakra Mode. Under the gazes of the remaining Sand Ninja, he brought his hands together with a clap.

"Kill!"

The Sand Ninja shouted and attacked one after another.

Scorch Release Chakra Mode!

Blue-white flames spread from within and covered his entire body. Then, a high-temperature storm erupted from around him, forming a terrifying tornado that spun and expanded outward at high speed.

The Sand Ninja's Wind Style crashed into it but failed to break through.

The Sand Ninja wielding swords in close combat were sent flying, while the puppets that lunged at him were instantly shredded to pieces by the storm.

Then, two Chakra Hands extended from beneath each of Asuma's arms, and a small Scorch Release Rasenshuriken condensed in every hand.

Suddenly.

Asuma raised a brow and stomped down. With a boom, the ground beneath his feet sank before exploding, and screams came from underground.

Sand Ninja did not only know Wind Style.

The next moment.

Four Scorch Release Rasenshuriken shot out, and Asuma vanished from where he stood.

Rumble!

The full power of the four small Scorch Release Rasenshuriken erupted. Their effective range covered only around twenty meters; beyond that lay the high-temperature storm, where their lethality dropped sharply.

Within that twenty-meter range, there were not only dense Chakra Needles like those of Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, but also extreme heat capable of turning a person into a dried corpse in an instant.

The dense Chakra Needles might not kill outright, but they could completely rob someone of the ability to move before the high temperature turned them into a dried corpse.

And then there was Asuma, finishing them off.

Three seconds later, no living person remained among those who had surrounded him.

The entire battle had taken less than two minutes.

More than a dozen Sand Ninja, including at least three Jōnin, had all met their end.

But Asuma did not dare pause for even a moment. He dispelled Scorch Release Chakra Mode once more, switched to Lightning Style Chakra Mode, and raced toward the third line of defense.

One minute later.

The memories of a Shadow Clone returned.

Yūhi Kurenai and the others had been surrounded!

Aside from his side, the two defensive lines in the other directions had already been completely breached by the Sand Ninja.

A minute and a half later.

Asuma arrived. Before he even reached them, intense electric light burst from his body.

Lightning Style: False Darkness!

The surrounded Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune immediately and decisively interfered with the Sand Ninja who had their backs to Asuma's real body.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Clone was responsible for blocking the attacks of the other Sand Ninja.

Although it was only interference from poison needles and minor Genjutsu—the Genjutsu was dispelled in less than a second, and the poison needles had not struck any vital points.

That brief moment was enough for Asuma's terrifying lightning spear to engulf them.

Two Sand Ninja became charred corpses amid screams.

Drawing his blade, he charged into the encirclement!

"Ah!"

"So fast!"

"Spread out!"

Screams, roars, and terrified shouts rang out in succession.

But they quickly faded, leaving only corpses scattered across the ground.

"Asuma, the defensive line has already been breached. What do we do now?"

Yūhi Kurenai asked anxiously.

It was her first time facing such a situation.

They could now be said to be within the enemy's encirclement.

The Sand Ninja vanguard was ahead of them and on both sides, while the main force behind them had surely already swept in from their rear.

They had effectively been surrounded by the enemy!

"Was the message sent out?"

Asuma asked.

"Yes, it was sent!"

"The Shadow Clone we used just relayed the information."

Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune nodded together.

"Then use the Transformation Technique and blend in with the Sand Ninja. Create chaos when they engage the border defense forces," Asuma decided. "If we're discovered along the way, immediately break through their line and link up with the border defense forces."

"According to the original plan, I'll cover the rear. You two retreat first!"

Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune immediately nodded. "Understood!"

The three immediately used the Transformation Technique, turning into the Sand Ninja they had just killed, then set off.