Ever since Gengetsu had defeated the Twelve Guardian Ninja, killed the daimyo, and occupied the entire Daimyō's Residence,
Asuma Sarutobi, a former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, had fled back to Konoha in disgrace and stayed at the Sarutobi Clan compound to recover from his injuries.
As a result, Asuma knew very little about what had happened outside.
After this period of recuperation, Asuma had mostly recovered from his injuries.
Today, he came to Konoha's bustling streets, planning to take a good stroll and get some fresh air.
Subconsciously, Asuma still considered himself the lofty son of the Hokage, Konoha's "crown prince."
Even Elite Jonin had to politely address him as "Young Master Asuma" when they saw him.
That sense of superiority had long since been engraved in his bones.
But as he swaggered down the street, he noticed that the atmosphere was terribly wrong.
The villagers and ninja who would once have greeted him respectfully now kept their distance, pointing at him and whispering, their eyes filled with undisguised disgust and contempt.
"Look! That's a ninja from the Sarutobi Clan!"
"Isn't that Asuma Sarutobi?! He's not just a Sarutobi Clan ninja, he's Hiruzen Sarutobi's son!"
"So that's him! I heard he's incredibly strong and came first in the Ninja Academy exams every year!"
"Pfft, first place? That was only because his father was the Hokage. The examiners all went easy on him!"
"I'm telling you, Asuma's abilities aren't anything special! He only coasted into the rank of Jonin on his teammates' achievements!"
"Exactly! Without the Third Hokage's protection, what the hell is he?"
"Look at him acting so high and mighty. Does he still think Hiruzen Sarutobi is in charge?"
"How does trash like him deserve to be a ninja? He's a disgrace to Konoha!"
Hearing the blatant