Chapter 115: Butterfly Hands, Sarutobi Asuma
After helping his teacher put on a proper show, Kenichi wiped the sweat from his brow and stepped outside, looking utterly worn out. There was nothing else for him to do now.
He could have stayed inside, but he wanted air more than polite conversation.
The moment he got out, he spotted the guardian shinobi from earlier.
They were not as numerous as they would be in the future. For now, there were only six, including Kazuma and a bald monk. The other four looked like background extras, but judging by their posture and the way they carried themselves, they were still elite.
Kenichi's eyes lingered on those four. He was curious whether they were the ones who would eventually master that strange Lightning Release technique.
He could not remember the Twelve Guardian Ninja incident clearly, but he did remember fragments: the Nine Tails, Konoha, necromancers, and a crisis that supposedly could destroy Konoha.
What left the deepest impression was one particularly unique jutsu. Kenichi could not recall the exact name, only that it was a Lightning Release technique with heavy limitations.
It required four people to use together. If even one of them could not perform it, the jutsu simply failed.
So Kenichi was not entirely sure whether they truly possessed the power to destroy Konoha.
Compared to the elusive and hard to pin down "Lightning Release Four," Kenichi paid far more attention to Kazuma. The reason was simple.
Kazuma had attacked him before.
As for Kazuma's jutsu, Kenichi was not too worried. All this guy had was Lightning Release: Ultimate Creation, Soil of the Dead.
That was basically a youthful version of the Impure World Reincarnation.
When Kenichi and his teacher researched the Impure World Reincarnation, his teacher had even commented that the restrictions on Soil of the Dead were far more troublesome than those of the Impure World Reincarnation itself.
And compared to those annoying preparations, Kenichi could now directly summon the undead on a large scale in land where people had already died. That was much simpler than hauling around "soil from the dead."
Of course, the skeletons he summoned were still cannon fodder at best.
"Hey, Kazuma. My mission is complete."
A strange voice cut in. A man walked over, not very old, but with a gloomy face that looked like it had lost an argument with the sun.
Kenichi stared at him for a moment. That face felt familiar, like he had seen it somewhere before.
"Asuma," Kazuma said, his expression darkening. "Didn't I tell you you could rest today?"
The name clicked into place instantly.
Sarutobi Asuma.
The Third Hokage's son. A Konoha jonin. A man who would eventually die at Hidan's hands.
Kenichi had not expected him to end up in this Guardian Ninja "entertainment organization."
"I'll come back and see who this is after I'm done with my stuff," Asuma said, glancing at Kenichi with curiosity. He had never seen this face before.
Kazuma's eyes shifted. "This guy? Come to think of it, he has some connection with your Konoha."
The daimyo had already told Kazuma Orochimaru's identity. Kazuma still did not know who the tag along was, but it was easy to guess the man beside Orochimaru was likely connected to Konoha as well.
"Is that so?" Asuma pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag, showing off lungs that clearly believed they were immortal.
Kenichi's mouth curled slightly.
Seeing Asuma smoke reminded him of Hiruzen, who had successfully developed lung cancer under his teacher's attentive "care," and had also picked up bone cancer in his newly acquired left hand.
Now Asuma was smoking too.
Kenichi thought it might be amusing to plant a little seed in him.
"Are you a Konoha shinobi?" Asuma exhaled smoke. "If you're that old man's man, then go back. I'm not returning to that boring village."
So it really was a Sarutobi habit, rebelling against Hiruzen. Asuma was like this, and even Konohamaru would be the same one day. The only difference was that Asuma's rebellion had more bite, to the point he actually left the village.
"Don't flatter yourself, Asuma," Kenichi said, curling his lip. "I'm just here to finish my mission."
Kenichi did not have any relationship with Asuma.
When Asuma still enjoyed the privileges of being a Konoha shinobi, Kenichi had been an orphan struggling in an orphanage. While Kenichi went through hardship after hardship with his teacher, Asuma had lived under the shelter his father provided.
"Really?" Asuma looked a little awkward, but he did not move. He only leaned against the wall and kept smoking.
"Yes," Kazuma added, voice heavy. "He came with Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin."
Asuma's gaze on Kenichi changed instantly.
Even if Asuma had left the village, he still knew about Orochimaru's defection.
For a brief moment, Asuma felt the urge to attack, but the rational part of him crushed it immediately. He could not defeat Orochimaru, and he knew it.
Asuma understood Orochimaru's strength. Orochimaru had once been a disciple under his father, and Asuma had even called him "uncle" back then.
But hearing "Legendary Sannin" made Asuma think of someone else he had met recently.
A blonde woman drenched in sweat, nervously slamming the table in a casino. The one he had called "sister" for so many years.
Yet when they met again, that word felt distant.
"If Tsunade were willing to step in, she could probably take down Orochimaru," Asuma sighed. But how could Tsunade of Konoha possibly move?
If it were about setting up a betting table, she would be very willing. Asuma still had no idea how Lady Tsunade accumulated so much debt. She had even borrowed money from him, though she did pawn a book to him.
Thinking of it, Asuma reached for his pocket. He vaguely remembered it was still on him. He had not read it at the time, but he clearly remembered Tsunade calling it a "very wonderful" book.
Where did he put it again?
"Then I'll take my leave, Your Highness."
At that moment, his teacher's voice came from inside.
Asuma finally found the book and pulled it out. Light slid across the cover, and his breathing hitched.
It was stunning.
But then he saw the name on the cover, and he froze.
The next instant, the door opened.
Orochimaru stepped out.
Asuma tried to shove the book away, panicking. The more he rushed, the worse it got. The book slipped from his hands, hit the ground, and slid straight to Orochimaru's feet.
Orochimaru glanced down.
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