Walking along the main street, Sarutobi Hiruzen unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance.
Sarutobi Asuma hadn't expected that within less than an hour of returning to Konoha, he would run into his old man.
Come to think of it, when he had stormed out of the village years ago, his father had been a big part of the reason why.
So when the two met eyes again, both father and son fell into a heavy, silent understanding.
"Grandpa Third, why'd you stop walking?"
Seeing Hiruzen halt in the middle of the street, Naruto, who was impatient to get to the river for fishing, asked curiously.
"Ah, it's nothing, little Naruto. Let's go."
Hiruzen smiled, patted Naruto on the head, and followed the kids ahead. As for Asuma, all he left behind for his father was the sight of his back.
"Tch, still as damn annoying as ever."
Asuma muttered irritably and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up.
Truth be told, his return to the village was thanks to Takeshi.
Originally, after Kazuma and the others had been killed, the Twelve Guardian Ninja were practically finished, and the Daimyo had lost all interest in maintaining the group.
Recently, Konoha had bundled up a bunch of jōnin and chūnin and sent them over to the capital—two of whom were even former village advisers. So, naturally, those like Asuma, whose allegiance had always been shaky, were kicked aside.
The Daimyo's personal guards were now entirely handled by that loyal bunch.
Still, after years of service, Asuma had already grasped much of the capital's internal military affairs, and he had reported everything that needed to be reported back to Konoha. It was about time he returned and contributed to the village again.
According to Asuma's plan, once he was back in Konoha, he would work in the Internal Affairs Department, following the same guiding principle Danzō had once drilled into him—to serve the village from the shadows.
But as if fate wanted to mock him, barely a minute after he lit his cigarette, a messenger from Internal Affairs arrived with his assignment.
"Lead jōnin? Me?"
Asuma wanted nothing more than to find his old friend and ask him directly why the hell he'd been given such a post.
But before he could even move, the messenger added another piece of news—
A jōnin meeting would be starting in one hour.
A jōnin meeting, huh? That definitely called for a serious attitude.
A sharp gleam flashed in Asuma's eyes. He'd already heard bits and pieces about the Ōtsutsuki incident, and if a meeting was being held now, it had to concern something crucial—perhaps even the fate of the entire shinobi world.
Finishing his cigarette in record time, Asuma demonstrated the true power of his "iron lungs," then flicked the butt to the ground and started to walk away.
"Please stop right there."
Only to be halted by members of the Police Force.
"Jōnin Asuma, littering is punishable by a fine of one thousand ryō. Considering that you just returned to the village, the fine will be reduced to five hundred ryō this time."
The officer extended his hand, clearly expecting payment.
By the time Asuma finished paying the fine and made it to the meeting hall, most of the jōnin were already gathered.
"Yo, if it isn't Asuma-san! Long time no see!"
Anko, now promoted to Special Jōnin, greeted him cheerfully.
"Anko, huh? I thought you were working under Orochimaru-sama. What are you doing here...?"
"Heh, being by sensei's side all the time gets boring, so I requested to return to active duty."
Anko explained with a grin.
"Too bad you came at the wrong time. Kakashi and Obito aren't in the village right now. Otherwise, our old classmates could've had a long-overdue reunion party."
Then she added, "Of course, a few who haven't been promoted to jōnin yet don't have the qualifications to attend this meeting, so you won't be seeing them either."
"That so? But Anko, are you sure your promotion to Special Jōnin had nothing to do with your friendship with Takeshi?"
Seeing her same old lively self, Asuma couldn't resist teasing her.
"What are you talking about? Everything I've achieved today is through hard work—pure hard work!"
Anko protested indignantly, with a hint of resentment.
"Besides, our Fifth Hokage spends all day running around with that Uchiha girl. Do you think he still has time for us old classmates?"
"Uchiha girl?"
Asuma wasn't sure who this so-called girl was, but that didn't stop him from joking further.
"Sounds like her looks must be way above yours, huh, your childhood friend?"
"Excuse me?"
That comment instantly sparked Anko's competitive spirit. She straightened her chest proudly and snapped,
"There's no way I lose to that flat-chested brat!"
"What are you two talking about over there? Huh? Asuma—you're back?"
Hearing Anko's loud voice, Shiranui Genma poked his head out from afar. He, too, had been promoted to Special Jōnin and now had the right to attend the meeting.
"Yeah, just got back recently."
Asuma glanced at the senbon hanging from Genma's mouth—even during a meeting—and silently admired his dedication.
"Where's Ebisu?"
"That guy's still a chūnin," Genma shrugged. "And he's not on the front lines anymore—took up a job at the Academy not long ago."
"Well, that fits him better than fighting anyway."
Given his bloodline and talent, Ebisu was indeed more suited to teaching and training the next generation.
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