At that moment, Asuma felt utterly hopeless.
Deep down, he already had some vague suspicions about why Kurenai had left Konoha.
But he could only force himself not to believe them.
Right now, all he wanted was to hurry to Hidden Xuan Village and see how Kurenai was doing.
Yet he was also afraid that his fantasies would shatter the moment he saw her.
He felt as though his heart was being put through unbearable torment.
He returned to the Sarutobi Clan Compound like a walking corpse.
When his clansmen saw him, some lowered their heads and avoided him, while others looked as though they wanted to say something but stopped themselves.
A few younger male cousins gathered around him, all clamoring to air their grievances.
They said that after Tsunade recovered the stolen funds, the Sarutobi Clan's fortunes had plummeted. Their shops had been confiscated, and their funding had been cut.
But Asuma simply listened without a word, smoking one cigarette after another.
As far as he was concerned, these people had only themselves to blame.
Besides, could they possibly be suffering as much as he was?
In this state of torment, Asuma endured three incredibly long days.
The day of departure finally arrived.
The sizable procession set out from Konoha, traveling along the main roads of the Land of Fire toward the Land of Fire Port in the east.
Two hundred Genin were led by four Jōnin.
These Genin were all outstanding members of their graduating class.
Some were descendants of shinobi clans, while others were exceptionally gifted civilian prodigies.
They were full of curiosity about Hidden Xuan Village, their destination, and chattered nonstop along the way.
"I heard Hidden Xuan Village is even more prosperous than Konoha. Hundreds of ships come and go from its port every