Chương 170: Asuma Makes a Decision That Would Make His Ancestors Roll in Their Graves

Since the mission wasn't particularly urgent, Asuma's four-man team maintained a measured pace throughout the journey, conserving enough stamina to handle any unexpected developments. It was standard procedure for ninja on routine assignments. That evening, they camped near the border of the Land of Rice Fields. Only after a full night's rest did they set out the next morning to meet their designated contact. Behind them, Dongye zhen issued his orders.

"From this point on, we'll take a detour and move ahead of them. We arrive at the destination first." His gaze sharpened.

"Once we're inside the Land of Rice Fields, enemy contact is possible at any moment. Stay combat-ready."

"Yes, sir!" ×3 Concealing his team's presence with sensory suppression, Dongye zhen accelerated, bypassing Asuma's group and entering the Land of Rice Fields ahead of schedule. They headed straight for the rendezvous point agreed upon by Konoha and the Fūma Clan. Deep within the forests of the Land of Rice Fields, over a dozen Fūma ninja raced through the trees in silence. Most carried oversized weapons strapped to their backs. That was one of the clan's trademarks.

The Fūma specialized in developing and wielding massive ninja tools. Even the famous Fūma Shuriken that was known throughout the ninja world had originated from their clan. Among them was a younger, less experienced ninja. A moment of carelessness was all it took. His foot snagged a nearly invisible wire stretched across a branch. The trap activated instantly. Kunai and shuriken erupted from every direction. Clang! Clang! Clang! The Fūma ninja hurriedly raised their weapons to deflect the barrage.

Unfortunately, that was only the beginning. Hidden nearby, Genma's squad opened the ambush with ninjutsu.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Though it was famous as an Uchiha signature technique, the clan had never hoarded it. Plenty of Konoha ninja knew how to perform it.

"Wind Release: Violent Wind!" The gale fed the flames. The combined attack crashed down upon the Fūma ninja like an inferno. As they scattered to evade the fire-and-wind combination, Shiranui Genma struck from the flank.

"Ninja Art: Thousand Needle Rain!" The senbon he habitually held in his mouth weren't decorative accessories. A storm of needles descended upon the fleeing ninja. Cries rang out. Several Fūma members collapsed immediately, bodies bristling with senbon as they lost the ability to fight. The remaining survivors took one look at the situation and bolted in another direction.

"Ambush! Retreat!" They never made it far. From the forest ahead came a series of nearly invisible wind blades. The tiny crescent-shaped attacks sliced cleanly into their legs, robbing them of any chance of escape. Even enhanced by Wind Release, the Great Fireball still couldn't shake its notorious reputation for rarely killing anyone. Likewise, senbon were limited in lethality unless they struck vital points. As a result, most of the dozen-plus Fūma ninja were still alive. Just in miserable condition.

The leader, a man carrying an enormous executioner's blade, glared at Genma's squad.

"Damn you! You're Konoha ninja!" He struggled to rise. He had to escape. The clan leader needed this information. But before he could move, Dongye zhen appeared in front of him. Their eyes met. The world vanished. A genjutsu swallowed him whole. A moment later, Genma asked,"Captain, what's the situation?" Dongye zhen released the illusion.

"They were heading to the meeting point to set up an ambush." A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"The Fūma Clan certainly has guts." That was the ninja world in a nutshell. Most ninja weren't master strategists. They were reckless. Driven by dreams of clan revival, some would challenge even Konoha if they thought the reward justified the risk. Expecting them to calmly analyze the situation and devise flawless plans? Not likely. At their core, most ninja were simply heavily armed extremists who worshipped strength.

These people genuinely believed that capturing Konoha representatives would force Konoha into accepting unreasonable demands. Tatami Iwashi hesitated. His personality had always leaned toward the softer side.

"Captain... what do we do with them?" Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He glanced at the wounded prisoners.

"Are we really killing them all?"

"Kill them." Dongye zhen's answer was immediate.

"Then move out. We have another group to deal with."

"Understood." To avoid detection by sensory ninja, the Fūma Clan hadn't stationed their forces directly at the rendezvous point. Instead, they intended to stall negotiations until their reinforcements arrived, then surround the Konoha delegation completely. Whether they planned to kill the Konoha ninja afterward was irrelevant. The very act itself was a direct provocation against Konoha. And provocations like that required a heavy-handed response.

Not far from the border, within a secluded valley of the Land of Rice Fields, Asuma's team arrived at the appointed location precisely on schedule. The Fūma Clan had seven representatives present. Their leader and two three-man squads. Konoha had only four. Yet none of them appeared concerned. That was the confidence afforded by belonging to the strongest hidden village in the ninja world. Before the meeting began, Aoba had already scanned the surrounding area and confirmed there were no detectable ambushes nearby.

Even so, Sarutobi Musashi remained vigilant. He tossed two scrolls toward the opposing leader.

"Clan Leader." His tone was formal.

"This letter contains the personal directives of the Third Hokage. The specific terms are outlined inside." He gestured toward the second scroll.

"The other is the agreement itself. If there are no objections, please sign it." The Fūma leader was named Fūma Kotarō. He unrolled the document. And read it very, very slowly. Clearly stalling for time. Truthfully, he had never intended to accept Konoha's demands in the first place. Still, after reading the contents, irritation bubbled inside him.

"Konoha is rather overbearing, don't you think?" His eyes narrowed.

"Even our efforts to establish a ninja village in the Land of Rice Fields are subject to your interference?" Musashi shook his head.

"Not at all."

"It is your Daimyo who opposes the proposal. Konoha is merely responding to his request." His voice turned colder.

"We hope you'll understand and refrain from further harassing your country's Daimyo." A pause.

"Otherwise..." Kotarō looked up.

"Otherwise what?"

"The next delegation won't consist of only four people." Kotarō sneered.

"Heh. It seems the Fūma Clan has been greatly underestimated." The Land of Rice Fields possessed average territory among the smaller nations, but its economy was relatively prosperous. What it lacked was a hidden village. Several independent ninja groups existed within its borders, the strongest among them being the Fūma Clan. Now that the great war had ended and the Five Great Nations had retreated home to lick their wounds, many smaller forces saw opportunity. The Fūma Clan certainly did.

They joined forces with several other local ninja clans and petitioned the Daimyo to establish a hidden village of their own. Unfortunately, the Daimyo preferred spending money on personal luxuries rather than financing ambitious ninja. Ninja were not generally renowned for their political finesse. When diplomacy failed, the Fūma Clan switched tactics. They decided to frighten the Daimyo into compliance. The problem was that the Daimyo of every nation shared certain common interests.

After receiving threats, the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields sought assistance from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, who in turn requested Konoha's intervention. Frankly, the Fūma Clan's methods were painfully crude. No wonder Orochimaru would one day manipulate them so thoroughly before they finally realized their mistake. After several more minutes of deliberate delay, Musashi finally spoke again.

"Well?" His patience was visibly thinning.

"Konoha's demands are hardly unreasonable. All we're asking is that the current balance within the Land of Rice Fields remain unchanged."

"No." Kotarō lowered the scroll.

"That is unreasonable."

"Why are you allowed to establish a hidden village while we are forbidden from strengthening ourselves?" Musashi frowned.

"You seem confused."

"It isn't Konoha objecting."

"It's your Daimyo."

"And you've already crossed the line by threatening his safety." Kotarō laughed.

"So what?" His expression hardened.

"Ninja settle matters through strength." He rose slowly.

"If we capture all of you..." A dangerous grin spread across his face.

"I imagine Konoha will become much more cooperative." Musashi stared at him.

"What did you just say?"

"Fūma Kotarō, have you lost your mind?"

"Attack!" Kotarō had no intention of waiting any longer. He barked the command. His six subordinates charged immediately. At the same time, he drew his weapon and lunged toward Musashi. Seven against four. The advantage was his. Or so he thought. The Fūma Clan possessed numbers but little true strength. Beyond their oversized weapons and a few obscure Earth Release techniques that few members could actually master, they had little to distinguish themselves. None of the people present knew those secret arts.

Kotarō himself was nowhere near Musashi's level. After barely blocking a Fire Dragon Flame Bullet with Earth Release, he quickly found himself overwhelmed in close combat. Elsewhere, Asuma was performing impressively. Though he had yet to acquire his iconic chakra blades, his abilities were already considerable. With genjutsu support from Kurenai and Aoba, he moved through attacks from six opponents with ease. Before long, he was pressing them backward instead.

The disparity between Konoha ninja and members of a small independent clan was painfully obvious. Even so, the Konoha side deliberately refrained from killing anyone. During the battle, a young Fūma ninja wielding a massive cleaver shouted desperately,"Leader! Where are our reinforcements?! Why aren't they here yet?!"

"Hold on!" Kotarō roared back.

"They'll arrive soon! Those Konoha bastards aren't escaping!" Unfortunately for him— the reinforcements never came. Moments later, Musashi's kick sent him crashing to the ground. The clan leader dropped to one knee. In a blur, Musashi appeared behind him and pressed a kunai against his throat. At the same time, Asuma's team finished subduing the remaining six Fūma ninja. A young ninja named Hanzaki spat blood onto the ground and looked toward Kotarō with desperate hope.

"Leader..." His voice trembled.

"Where are Hotaru and the others?" Kotarō closed his eyes. Then sighed.

"Konoha came prepared." His shoulders sagged.

"The Fūma Clan admits defeat."

"I accept your terms."

"Release our people." Musashi said nothing. The existence of hidden Konoha support never surprised him. Asuma, Kurenai, and Aoba, however, were stunned. All three immediately began searching the surroundings. Four figures appeared in a flicker of movement. Dongye zhen stepped forward and looked calmly at the defeated clan leader.

"Sorry." His voice was utterly emotionless.

"I can't do that." Kotarō's eyes widened.

"Why?"

"I've already agreed to Konoha's demands." Dongye zhen's answer shattered him.

"Because they're all dead." The color drained from Kotarō's face.

"Impossible!"

"That was over forty ninja!"

"There were only four of you!"

"Four was enough." Dongye zhen's gaze remained icy.

"Did you really think provoking Konoha came without consequences?" Musashi immediately seized the opening.

"Clan Leader." His tone softened slightly.

"You don't want the few survivors here to die as well, do you?" He glanced at the younger clan members.

"They seem quite young."

"The future seeds of your clan, perhaps?" Silence. The fight drained out of Kotarō completely. Finally, he nodded.

"... I understand."

"I'll sign." The arrogance that had filled him earlier was gone. In only a few minutes, he seemed to have aged by years. Taking the agreement, he quietly wrote his name. Only now did he realize how vast the gap truly was. He had genuinely believed the Fūma Clan possessed enough strength to earn a voice in the ninja world. Instead, a single Konoha ANBU squad had exterminated all of his hidden forces. The disparity was so overwhelming he couldn't even comprehend it. Rise to greatness? Forget it.

Maybe going home and giving up wasn't such a bad idea. Though Dongye zhen wore a standard ANBU uniform, his fame within Konoha had long since made him impossible to mistake. Musashi and the others recognized him immediately. They had fought alongside each other more than once during the war. Asuma stared. A mission shadowed by ANBU was one thing. A mission shadowed by Dongye zhen was another entirely. In an instant, he felt an overwhelming amount of fatherly concern. And he hated it.

It only reinforced his belief that his father trusted him far too little.

"Zhen." He pointed accusingly.

"Did that old man send you?"

"That's enough." Musashi barked immediately.

"Asuma!"

"Have I taught you nothing about ANBU confidentiality regulations?" Dongye zhen didn't seem bothered by being identified.

"Asuma." He shrugged.

"You're overthinking things."

"We weren't here to protect you."

"We were here to make the Fūma Clan abandon a stupid idea."

"Yeah, right." Asuma clearly didn't believe him.

"I'm serious." Dongye zhen smiled faintly.

"Besides, you handled yourselves well."

"You didn't need protecting." After that, he completely lost interest in the village's resident source of parental headaches. Turning toward Musashi, he nodded.

"Senior Musashi, the mission is complete."

"We'll be departing." Musashi returned the nod.

"Understood."

"Thank you for your assistance." The ANBU squad vanished shortly afterward. Asuma remained where he stood, fists clenched tightly. No matter what he did inside Konoha, he could never seem to escape his father's shadow. Kurenai looked concerned.

"Asuma..."

"Are you alright?" Musashi placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Asuma." His voice softened.

"Stop fighting with your father."

"You're wasting your time." He glanced toward the horizon.

"Konoha still has plenty of people worth chasing after."

"I know." Asuma slowly relaxed his fists. And at that moment— he achieved enlightenment. If Konoha was filled with his father's influence... then why stay? Sarutobi Asuma made a decision that would probably horrify generations of his ancestors. He was leaving home. And venturing out into the wider ninja world to forge his own path.