Since the mission wasn't particularly urgent, Asuma's group of four didn't move very fast. They maintained a steady pace that preserved enough stamina to deal with unexpected situations at any time.
This was standard practice for ninjas during normal missions.
That night, before reaching the border of the Land of Rice Fields, the four of them rested. Early the next morning, after fully recovering their energy, they prepared to make contact with the mission target.
Behind them, Makoto ordered: "From now on, we'll take a detour and move ahead of them, arriving at the mission site in advance."
"Once we enter the Land of Rice Fields, we may encounter enemies at any moment. Stay ready for combat."
"Yes!" x3
Makoto used his perception to conceal the presence of the group. Moving at a faster speed, they bypassed Asuma's team, entered the Land of Rice Fields ahead of time, and headed toward the agreed meeting location between Konohagakure and the Fūma Clan.
In the forests of the Land of Rice Fields, more than a dozen Fūma Clan ninjas were moving swiftly in silence. Most of them carried exaggeratedly large weapons on their backs.
This was a trademark of the Fūma Clan—they specialized in developing and using such ninja tools. The famous Fūma Shuriken came from them.
Among the group, a relatively young and inexperienced ninja accidentally kicked a steel wire stretched close to a tree branch—almost invisible to the naked eye. The trap was triggered immediately.
Kunai and shuriken rained down densely from all directions.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Everyone instantly swung their weapons to block, but that wasn't all. Lying in ambush nearby, Genma's squad opened with a barrage of ninjutsu.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Although this technique was a signature of the Uchiha Clan, they didn't mind it spreading. Many people within Konoha could use it.
Wind Release: Gale Blast!
Wind fueled the flames, and the combined attack came crashing down on the group.
Ninja Art: Senbon Rain!
As the Fūma ninjas leapt away to avoid the wind-fire combination, Genma attacked from the side, unleashing a rain of senbon needles.
What he usually held in his mouth wasn't a toothpick.
Several people were hit on the spot—bodies covered in senbon, collapsing to the ground and losing their combat ability. The remaining few saw the situation turn bad and tried to flee in another direction.
"There's an ambush—retreat!"
But from that direction, a series of nearly invisible small wind blades suddenly flew out, striking precisely at their legs and destroying their ability to escape.
Even enhanced with Wind Release, the Great Fireball still couldn't shake off its awkward reputation of being unable to kill.
The killing power of senbon was limited—unless they hit vital points, they would usually only wound and disable. So the dozen or so Fūma ninjas were basically still alive.
Just… in pretty miserable shape.
After recognizing Genma and the others' attire, the leading ninja carrying a massive cleaver cursed: "Damn it—you're Konoha ninjas!"
He struggled to get up, trying to escape. He had to report this information to the leader.
But Makoto appeared in front of him in an instant. With a single glance, he dragged the man into a genjutsu.
A moment later, Genma asked, "Captain, what's the situation?"
"They were Fūma ninjas heading to the meeting point to set up an ambush. Quite bold, aren't they?"
That's just how the ninja world was—ninjas tended to be reckless. Sometimes, for the so-called rise of their clan, they'd even dare provoke Konoha.
Expect them to calmly analyze and devise clever strategies? Don't joke. Most ninjas weren't cut out for that. To put it bluntly, they were just a bunch of violence-worshipping terrorist groups, thinking that if they captured Konoha ninjas, they could force Konoha into agreeing to unreasonable demands.
Tatami Iwashi, who had a more timid personality, hesitated.
"Captain… what should we do with these guys? Are we really going to kill them all?"
"Kill them without exception. Move. We still have another direction to cover."
"Yes!"
To avoid being detected by sensory ninjutsu, the Fūma Clan hadn't set up their ambush at the meeting point. Instead, they planned to stall after the meeting until all their people arrived, then surround the Konoha ninjas completely.
Whether they intended to kill or not, this behavior was already a provocation against Konoha. Against such troublemakers, only a heavy-handed response would do.
...
Land of Rice Fields, a small valley not far from the border.
Asuma's team met the Fūma Clan at the agreed time.
The other side had seven people—one leader with two squads.
Konoha only had four, but they showed no fear. That was the confidence of the strongest ninja village.
Before the meeting, Yamashiro Aoba had already scanned the surroundings and confirmed there was no ambush.
But the experienced Sarutobi Musashi did not relax his guard. He tossed two mission scrolls to the other party and said: "Leader, this is a personal letter from our Third Hokage, outlining the requirements. The other is the agreement. If there are no issues, please sign it."
The leader of the Fūma Clan, Fūma Kotarō, opened the scroll and read slowly, seemingly deliberately stalling for time.
Even though he had never intended to agree from the start, the contents still made his blood boil.
"You people from Konoha are being far too overbearing, aren't you? You even want to interfere with our plan to establish a ninja village in the Land of Rice Fields?"
"Not at all. However, your Daimyō does not seem willing to approve this matter. That's why Konoha is here. We hope you can understand and stop disturbing your Daimyō. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise, next time, it won't be just the four of us."
Fūma Kotarō sneered. "Heh. It seems our Fūma Clan has been completely underestimated."
The Land of Rice Fields was mid-sized among smaller nations, with decent economic strength, but it had never established its own ninja village.
There were several ninja factions within the country, the strongest being the Fūma Clan.
Now that the great ninja war had ended and the Five Great Nations had withdrawn to lick their wounds, it was the perfect opportunity for clans like theirs to rise.
Seeing the chance, the Fūma Clan united with other ninja groups in the country and petitioned the Daimyō to establish a ninja village.
Unfortunately, the Daimyō only wanted to spend money on personal enjoyment and had no intention of funding them.
Ninjas… not many of them were particularly thoughtful. When persuasion failed, the Fūma Clan turned to force, giving the Daimyō a "scare" to pressure him into agreement.
However, Daimyō across the ninja world shared common interests. After being threatened, the Land of Rice Fields' Daimyō sought help from the Fire Nation's Daimyō, requesting Konoha to handle the matter.
In short, the Fūma Clan's methods were crude. No wonder they'd later be ruined by Orochimaru before waking up.
...
A moment later, seeing the other party still dragging things out, Musashi urged: "Well? Our conditions aren't excessive. The ninjas in the Land of Rice Fields only need to maintain the status quo."
"No. This is excessive. Why can you build a ninja village, but we're not allowed to strengthen ourselves?"
"Are you misunderstanding something? It's not Konoha forbidding you—it's your Daimyō. And you've already crossed the line by threatening his safety."
"So what? Ninjas speak with strength. If we capture you, I think Konoha will compromise, don't you?"
"What did you say? Fūma Kotarō, have you lost your mind?"
"Attack!"
Kotarō had no interest in talking or waiting anymore. He immediately ordered his six subordinates to strike, while he himself drew his weapon and charged at Musashi.
Seven against four—advantage is ours.
The Fūma Clan had numbers, but their overall strength wasn't high. Aside from their large ninja tools, they knew some peculiar Earth Release secret techniques, but those were said to have strict conditions and were difficult to learn—few could master them.
At least none of them here had.
Kotarō was far inferior to Musashi. After barely blocking a Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb with Earth Release, he quickly fell into a disadvantage in close combat.
On the other side, although Asuma had yet to obtain his signature chakra blades, his strength was already solid.
With genjutsu support from his teammates Yūhi Kurenai and Yamashiro Aoba, he moved with ease under the attacks of six opponents, soon turning the tables and suppressing them instead.
The strength gap between small-clan ninjas and Konoha ninjas was obvious. Still, Konoha's side did not go for the kill.
During the fight, a young ninja wielding a large cleaver shouted anxiously: "Leader! Where are our people? Why haven't they arrived yet?"
"Hold on! They'll be here soon. These Konoha bastards won't escape!"
But in the end, no reinforcements came.
Soon, Kotarō was kicked down, kneeling on one knee. Musashi appeared behind him in a Body Flicker, pressing a kunai to his throat. The other six Fūma ninjas were also taken down by Asuma's group.
The young ninja named Hanzaki spat out blood unwillingly and looked at Kotarō with hope.
"Leader… where are Hikari and the others…?"
Kotarō let out a long sigh.
"Konoha came prepared… The Fūma Clan admits defeat. I'll agree to your terms. Let our people go."
Musashi didn't respond. He wasn't surprised in the slightest that Konoha had backup behind him.
Asuma and the others, however, hadn't expected it and were still looking around in confusion.
Four figures appeared on the battlefield in an instant.
Makoto looked at the naïve leader and said coldly: "Sorry, I can't grant that request."
"Why? I've already agreed to your terms!"
"Because they're all dead."
Those cold words shattered Kotarō's composure.
"Impossible… That was over forty ninjas. You only had four people."
"Four is enough. Did you think provoking Konoha comes without consequences?"
Musashi seized the moment: "Leader, you wouldn't want the remaining few to die here as well, would you? They look quite young… probably the future of your clan."
"…I understand. I'll sign."
Kotarō had completely lost his earlier arrogance. He suddenly seemed to age years, obediently signing the agreement.
He had thought his clan was finally strong enough to have a voice in the ninja world. But a single Konoha ANBU squad had wiped out his ambush forces completely.
Only now did he realize that the gap between small-nation ninja clans and major villages was so vast it was beyond his comprehension.
Rise? Forget it. Might as well go home and lie flat.
...
Although Makoto wore ANBU gear, his reputation within Konoha was too great—Musashi and the others recognized him immediately.
They had worked together on the battlefield before and were fairly familiar with each other.
Seeing that ANBU had been secretly following this mission—and someone of Makoto's level at that—Asuma instantly felt a heavy "fatherly concern."
But he didn't want it.
To him, it just meant his father didn't trust him at all.
"Makoto, was it that old man who told you to come?"
Musashi snapped: "Asuma! What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't I teach you the ANBU confidentiality rules?"
Makoto didn't care about being called by name.
"Asuma, you're overthinking it. Our purpose wasn't to protect you—it was to make the Fūma Clan abandon their foolish ideas."
"Don't try to fool me."
"I'm not. In fact, you did well just now. You don't need protection, do you?"
After saying that, Makoto couldn't be bothered with the rebellious brat anymore.
"Musashi-senpai, the mission is complete. We'll take our leave."
"Understood. Thank you for your efforts."
After Makoto's group left, Asuma clenched his fists tightly. He felt that no matter what he did in Konoha, he couldn't escape that old man's shadow.
Kurenai asked worriedly: "Asuma… are you okay?"
Musashi patted his shoulder as well.
"Asuma, stop fighting your father. You're just wasting time. There are many goals in Konoha still worth chasing."
"I understand, sensei."
Asuma slowly relaxed his fists. At that moment, he had an epiphany.
If staying in Konoha meant constantly being under that old man's influence…
Then he'd just leave.
Asuma had decided to run away from home and go out into the ninja world to make his own path.
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