Asuma was accompanied by Kurenai Yuhi, along with a Hyūga branch-family jōnin, an Akimichi jōnin, and an Inuzuka jōnin.
There was also a white ninja hound, visibly uneasy.
Asuma was the son of the Hokage. It was only because of this status that these jōnin dared to approach the forest at such a moment.
The forest was cold and oppressive.
Corpses lay everywhere.
The air was thick with the stench of death and ominous dread.
Kurenai Yuhi's beautiful crimson eyes trembled violently. Her small hands clenched tightly, her nerves stretched thin.
To ease her excessive vigilance, she shot Asuma an angry glare and said in a low voice,
"Put it out."
Kurenai disliked Asuma's smoking.
But because Asuma's father—the Third Hokage—was also a heavy smoker, she couldn't criticize him too harshly.
Asuma chuckled, revealing a few slightly yellowed teeth stained by tobacco under the moonlight. He reached out, trying to pull Kurenai into his arms.
"Don't be mad. It'll go out on its own."
Smack—
Kurenai slapped away Asuma's right hand and said coldly,
"Focus on the mission first."
"Haha, fine, mission first. But chasing you feels like my real mission."
With his hands in his pockets, Asuma joked shamelessly.
Kurenai sighed, unwilling to deal with his thick-skinned flirting, yet she silently followed the group.
She hadn't accepted him yet—at least, not truly.
"Alright everyone, let's get to work," Asuma said, snapping his fingers exaggeratedly.
"Once we finish this, it'll be a major merit."
The Akimichi jōnin moved to shield him, while the Hyūga and Inuzuka jōnin began their search.
One activated the Byakugan to scan the battlefield.
The other released his ninja hound—but the dog immediately fled in the opposite direction. The Inuzuka jōnin froze in confusion before hurriedly chasing after it.
Seeing this, Asuma's mouth twitched.
"There's a Root operative here—still alive and less seriously injured!"
The Hyūga jōnin discovered something and quickly moved deeper into the forest.
Asuma turned back and led the others after him.
The Hyūga jōnin finished interrogating the survivor.
The Root squad captain lay on the ground, several fingers missing. His thigh was pinned to the earth by a ninja blade, his body wracked with pain as he groaned:
"It… it was Uchiha Yin Yue…
He killed Lord Danzō.
Then… he fled the village with nine Uchiha rogue ninjas!"
"Uchiha Yin Yue?"
Asuma frowned deeply and slowly turned his head to look at Kurenai, whose face had gone pale.
Kurenai stared at the ground, unable to meet the doubt in Asuma's eyes.
Moonlight illuminated her fair and delicate profile, exposing the panic hidden beneath her slightly curled black bangs.
She wore a red inner layer, with an outer dress wrapped like bandages. Beneath the mesh armor, her figure was striking—soft curves and pale skin faintly visible.
White bandages wrapped her shorts beneath the skirt. Her legs were long, smooth, and beautifully shaped.
Asuma couldn't bring himself to pressure her. He withdrew his gaze, irritation flashing in his eyes.
"There's only one Uchiha named Yin Yue. It must be our classmate from the academy."
Kurenai bit her lip lightly and denied it at once.
"He's not that kind of person!"
"And besides, how could Yin Yue possibly be a match for Shimura Danzō?"
Kurenai was like a red rose—radiant and captivating.
Now an adult in the prime of her life, she had learned how to dress and apply makeup. Her refined appearance and mature beauty gave her every movement the aura of a graceful, composed woman.
"Red, you're right," Asuma said quietly.
"I also don't believe he could kill Shimura Danzō."
His expression darkened.
Back at the Konoha Ninja Academy, Uchiha Yin Yue had been their peer—gentle, kind, and especially considerate toward girls.
At first, half the girls admired the aloof Kakashi. The other half adored Yin Yue, warm as sunlight.
He shone just as brightly as Kakashi.
Unfortunately—or perhaps inevitably—Kurenai, Shizune, and even the young Anko had all once harbored feelings for Yin Yue.
Thankfully, Yin Yue had graduated early, just like Kakashi, and joined the battlefield near the end of the Third Shinobi War.
That was when Asuma finally had his chance to grow closer to Kurenai.
But that was all in the past.
He had no intention of reopening those wounds.
Taking a deep breath, Asuma calmed himself and looked at the Root operative on the ground.
"Tell me everything about the Uchiha's techniques that were exposed."
The Root captain clenched his teeth against the pain.
"Control… it was an irresistible ocular technique.
The leader—Uchiha Yin Yue—activated the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
The five of them were stunned into silence.
The Inuzuka jōnin felt a surge of fear.
None of them had ever fought a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder, but they all knew the terror such eyes brought to the battlefield.
They were eyes that symbolized death and curse.
Each pair carried god-given power.
"Please… take me… to Konoha Hospital…" the Root captain begged weakly.
Asuma glanced at him indifferently.
"Hold on for five more minutes. Someone will come for you."
With that, Asuma led his team deeper into the forest.
"Asuma… maybe we should give up this merit," the Inuzuka jōnin suggested nervously.
He struggled to restrain his ninja hound. As a handler, he could clearly feel the animal's terror—its refusal to enter the forest, the fear visible in its eyes.
Asuma shook his head.
"Let's go a little farther. Gather more intelligence before deciding."
But after only a few steps—
They froze in shock.
Ahead lay a clearing, occupied by an enormous pale tree.
A blade hilt was embedded in the trunk. In a dark hollow above, an old face hung lifeless, the body completely encased by the tree.
"Shimura Danzō?!"
Using the moonlight, Asuma recognized the face and cried out.
Kurenai and the others saw it too. The once lofty and untouchable visage now made their pupils quake and their breathing turn heavy.
The head drooped silently, unable to lift.
"This… was really done by Uchiha Yin Yue?" the Hyūga jōnin said in a deep voice.
That was the Darkness of the Shinobi World.
Shimura Danzō!!
And yet he had been tortured into this state by an Uchiha—almost certainly dead, and dead miserably.
"Did Yin Yue… really do this?"
Kurenai's face flushed as waves crashed through her heart.
Had the boy she once admired grown to such terrifying heights?
"How is this possible?!"
Asuma's face turned deathly pale. He pulled out a cigarette, his hands trembling as he flicked his lighter.
Uchiha Yin Yue had truly killed Shimura Danzō!
Click—click—click—
Sparks flew.
Asuma stared blankly, trying several times before the flame finally caught. He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag, forcing himself to steady the storm inside.
"So… what do we do now?"
The Akimichi jōnin asked. His clan followed orders—nothing more.
Asuma rubbed his temples, calming himself as his thoughts became clear.
Yin Yue must truly have awakened the Mangekyō. Otherwise, he would never have dared assassinate Danzō.
But even so—
After killing so many Root operatives, ANBU, and Danzō himself, Yin Yue must be at his limit.
A smile spread across Asuma's face. The cigarette had burned out. He flicked the ash, dropped it to the ground, and crushed it beneath his foot.
"Uchiha Yin Yue killed the Hokage's advisor and caused the deaths of countless Root and ANBU members.
He must be completely exhausted.
Cornered.
Whether it's his bounty or his status as a rogue ninja—
After tonight, it will rival that of Orochimaru, one of the legendary Three Sannin.
If we seize this opportunity—
Capture him alive.
Or bring back his corpse.
Everyone here will become a core figure within their clan."
He looked at them one by one.
"So, I propose—
We hunt down this group of Uchiha rogue ninjas!"
(End of Chapter)