Upon arriving at the tent, a bustling crowd of many Jonin greeted him, including Minato, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Sarutobi Asuma and Minato nodded at each other.
Seeing Sarutobi Asuma arrive, Orochimaru spoke, "According to the intelligence from Jonin Minato, the Fourth Kazekage has already left Sunagakure with an elite unit, heading for the front lines!"
"Undoubtedly, this is a counterattack that the Sand Ninja have been planning for a long time."
"But for us, this is a decisive battle!"
His gaze swept across everyone, finally settling on Sarutobi Asuma. "Asuma, I want you, along with Senior Sakumo and Jonin Minato, to intercept the Fourth Kazekage and delay him for at least two days!"
"Understood!"
Sarutobi Asuma nodded solemnly.
Orochimaru's gaze then shifted to Sarutobi Amayo. "Jonin Amayo, your unit will be responsible for the Sand Ninja reinforcements coming from the Land of Rain. You absolutely cannot let them cross your lines and pose a threat to the main force!"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
Sarutobi Amayo gravely accepted the order.
Orochimaru continued to issue commands and make arrangements.
The Sand Ninja had been preparing for this battle for a long time.
They deployed a portion of their forces into the Land of Rain, intending to march south from that direction to avoid Konoha.
Meanwhile, Sand Ninja who had been causing trouble within the Land of Fire were also moving towards the battlefield, clearly planning to launch a rear attack, possibly targeting logistics and medical units, or even attempting to rescue Granny Chiyo, who had not yet been sent back to Konoha.
As for the Fourth Kazekage and the elite troops he led, Sarutobi Asuma suspected they had no intention of hiding their movements. Their goal was likely to draw out powerful individuals like himself, Namikaze Minato, and Hatake Sakumo.
This would allow the main Sand Ninja army on the front lines to engage the Konoha army in a "fair" decisive battle with their numerical advantage.
Now, Orochimaru intended to fulfill the Sand Ninja's plan!
After the meeting, Sarutobi Asuma left behind two Shadow Clones and then approached Namikaze Minato.
Namikaze Minato nodded to Orochimaru, then placed a hand on Sarutobi Asuma's shoulder.
The next moment, the two of them vanished from their spot.
In the Land of Wind, endless yellow sand stretched to the horizon.
On a barren hill, Sarutobi Asuma and Namikaze Minato reappeared.
"Such an incredible Body Flicker Technique!"
Sarutobi Asuma praised sincerely.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was far more practical than his Substitution Technique.
Minato could place his kunai all over the world, but Sarutobi Asuma couldn't.
He couldn't deploy his Shadow Clones in various locations across the ninja world and have them remain there for extended periods.
Furthermore, the endurance of his Shadow Clones was nowhere near as great as Minato's specially made kunai.
"I need to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique in the future!"
Sarutobi Asuma secretly resolved.
With his nerve reaction speed, using the Flying Thunder God Technique wouldn't be a problem.
"With your talent, learning the Flying Thunder God Technique won't be an issue,"
Minato chuckled, then crouched down to retrieve his kunai. He then grabbed Sarutobi Asuma's shoulder again, and the two vanished once more.
When they reappeared, they were beside Hatake Sakumo.
"Teacher Sakumo!"
Sarutobi Asuma quickly paid his respects.
Hatake Sakumo smiled and nodded, looking at Sarutobi Asuma with immense satisfaction.
In just a few months, Sarutobi Asuma's reputation had even surpassed his own.
Asuma was, in a way, his disciple. He had surpassed his teacher, and Hatake Sakumo felt honored by it!
"Senior, what's the situation with the Fourth Kazekage?"
Minato asked.
"The Kazekage has already spotted me and is currently stationed at an oasis up ahead."
"Furthermore, he only has his guards with him. Another unit of four hundred elite soldiers separated from him and headed straight for the front lines. One of my Shadow Clones has been following them."
Hatake Sakumo stated gravely.
Minato was taken aback. "Does he think that he and his guards are enough to stop us?"
"It appears so, at the moment."
Hatake Sakumo nodded. "After all, he is the Fourth Kazekage, possessing the Magnet Release Bloodline Limit. He manipulates gold dust, making him immune to any magnetic weapons. In the desert, the power of his ninjutsu will be amplified tenfold."
"His guard consists of eight people, all of whom are Jonin skilled in Wind Style and Earth Style. They also have an advantage here."
"Moreover, this is the Land of Wind. The weather here is unpredictable, and the terrain changes with sandstorms. They are familiar with this place, adapted to it – this is their home turf!"
"He doesn't necessarily need to defeat us, just keep us busy for a few days."
Sarutobi Asuma and Minato nodded in unison, fully agreeing with Hatake Sakumo's analysis.
"Minato, how do you think we should respond?"
Hatake Sakumo asked.
Namikaze Minato replied, "Let's hold back the Kazekage and take care of the four hundred Sand Ninja reinforcements!"
"The Kazekage and his guards are mine!"
Sarutobi Asuma immediately declared.
Namikaze Minato and Hatake Sakumo exchanged a look. Minato said, "Sakumo-senpai, you stay and deal with the Kazekage with Asuma. I'll handle the four hundred Sand Ninja!"
Sarutobi Asuma shook his head upon hearing this. "Big Brother Minato, this is the Land of Wind, and the desert is everywhere. It'll be difficult for you to intercept those Sand Ninja alone."
As he spoke, with two thump sounds, two Shadow Clones appeared beside him.
Sarutobi Asuma chuckled, "Teacher Sakumo, Big Brother Minato, don't worry. My chakra is extremely abundant."
He then released his Yin Seal, and a vast amount of chakra surged out, surprising both Hatake Sakumo and Minato: "The One-Tail's chakra!"
"Yes, I borrowed it from the One-Tail,"
Sarutobi Asuma said with a smile.
Hatake Sakumo and Namikaze Minato couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Was that borrowing?
They felt too awkward to call him out on it!
The two exchanged another glance. Hatake Sakumo said to Namikaze Minato, "Let's do as Asuma suggested."
"Asuma, your mission is to stall the Kazekage. You don't need to fight him head-on."
He then said to Namikaze Minato, "Minato, leave one of your kunai for Asuma."
Sarutobi Asuma, however, shook his head. "Big Brother Minato, please keep the kunai. Just leave a mark on me directly."
He knew Minato would need plenty of Flying Thunder God kunai to rapidly take down enemies.
"Alright!"
Namikaze Minato nodded and immediately left a Flying Thunder God mark on Sarutobi Asuma's shoulder.
"Bring my two Shadow Clones with you. The Sand Ninja might split up and head towards the front line."
Sarutobi Asuma suggested.
Namikaze Minato nodded and didn't refuse.
Frankly, the chakra Sarutobi Asuma was currently emitting was immense.
He first took Sarutobi Asuma's two Shadow Clones with him, transferring the mark through the kunai held by Hatake Sakumo's Shadow Clone.
In just about 2 seconds, Namikaze Minato reappeared and took Hatake Sakumo with him.
"That's so fast!"
Sarutobi Asuma was quite envious.
His speed was also very fast under Lightning Style Chakra Mode, comparable to natural lightning, but it still wasn't as fast as the spatial movement between two points using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
However, he vowed to master the Flying Thunder God Technique eventually and upgrade it beyond level 10, to see how powerful he could become then.
Collecting his thoughts, Sarutobi Asuma entered Scorch Release Chakra Mode and shot up into the sky, heading straight for the oasis where the Kazekage was located.
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