Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 419 S-Rank Rogue Ninja Asuma

Intelligence Room.

Looking at the four corpses on the platform, Yamanaka Inoichi felt melancholy and sentimental.

He possesses the ability to access the memories of the dead, and with this ability, he has access to information about many of them.

He never imagined that one day he would use this ability on four high-ranking officials in Konoha.

Yamanaka Inoichi sighed. There was no time for sadness; a group of people were still standing outside the door, anxiously awaiting the results.

He started with the Third Hokage. He reached out and pressed his hand on the other's cold forehead, closed his eyes, and focused intently. Using this move required extreme concentration, without any distractions.

After a long period of preparation, he entered a pitch-black space, his body floating, with a huge head in front of him.

Yamanaka Inoichi slid his hands into this brain, which contained many screens emitting white light. If you looked closely, you could see some images, like movie clips, which were the memories of the Third Hokage before his death.

The more distant the memory, the more difficult it is to explore. Exploring memories from one day ago and two days ago is on completely different levels of difficulty. Fortunately, the Third Hokage's death was discovered not long ago, and Yamanaka Inoichi immediately accessed the memories of the deceased.

In the scene, the Third Hokage is having dinner with a young man. This young man is tall with black hair and black eyes; he is none other than the Third Hokage's second son, Sarutobi Asuma.

Immediately afterwards, the scene shifts, and Asuma, taking his father by surprise, stabs him through the skin with a knife.

Yamanaka Inoichi found it hard to believe.

Asuma actually attacked his own father.

However, something even more surprising happened next: a man with white hair and red eyes sneaked into the house.

Upon seeing the man's face, Yamanaka Inoichi's astonishment was no less than that of Asuma's father, who had been ambushed.

Uchiha Aokiji!

It was him—!

After reading the subsequent content, Yamanaka Inoichi learned some of the inside information.

He withdrew from Hiruzen Sarutobi's memories, slowly opened his eyes, and found that the reality was much more complicated than he had imagined.

After that, he couldn't wait to examine the memories of the three corpses beneath him before they died, and gained a general understanding of what had happened.

Yamanaka Inoichi took a deep breath, then exhaled heavily, and ordered the men around him, "All of you, get out and bring Shikaku in."

Not long after his subordinate left, a middle-aged man with a distinctive pineapple-shaped haircut and scars on his face entered the room. It was none other than Nara Shikaku.

Being called to this room alone, Nara Shikaku vaguely sensed something and said in a deep voice, "Inoichi, what was the result?"

Yamanaka Ino sighed and shook his head: "Things are very complicated."

The truth was too cruel; revealing it directly would cause internal strife in the village. Therefore, he could only tell Nara Shikaku, who was known for his wisdom, and rely on him to make a decision.

Nara Shikaku pressed, "W-what exactly happened...?"

Yamanaka Inoichi looked around, took a step forward, and whispered into the other person's ear.

Upon hearing this, Nara Shikaku's eyes widened in astonishment, as if they were about to pop out: "W-How could this be..."

◎

Outside the intelligence room, the crowd paced back and forth, extremely anxious as they awaited the results.

"Click."

The door was pushed open, and two people walked out. Everyone noticed them and immediately went to greet them. A stocky, middle-aged fat man couldn't wait to ask, "What happened? Who exactly killed the Third Hokage and the others?"

Both Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku lowered their heads in unison, seemingly having something difficult to say, and remained silent.

Faced with their attitude, the middle-aged fat man became agitated, grabbed Nara Shikaku's arm with both hands, and shouted loudly, "What is the result? You're going to drive me crazy!"

As soon as the shout rang out, the others could no longer hold their breath and began to shout back, demanding an explanation.

Nara Shikaku raised his face and glanced at the person in the crowd without revealing his expression.

Seemingly noticing his gaze, the man who had caused all this twitched his lips, his emerald eyes turning crimson, and a faint threat emanating from his scarlet gaze: "Speak, who killed the Third Hokage?"

asshole--!

Nara Shikaku cursed inwardly, but forced by Aokiji's overwhelming strength, he could only swallow his anger and say, "Yes... Asuma."

Once the truth is revealed, the village will surely be destroyed by Aokiji.

For the sake of the overall situation, he may even have to cooperate with the exercises at times.

That's right, it's in conjunction with the exercise.

Judging from Aokiji's fearless and swaggering attitude, he doesn't care at all about the truth being revealed, or to put it more clearly, he has already calculated that he won't dare to make the truth public.

"What did you say?"

Upon hearing this name, everyone's expression froze.

Nara Shikaku reluctantly added, "Asuma, Sarutobi Asuma."

A pleased smile appeared on Aokiji's lips.

"This...this is possible—!"

Everyone looked incredulous. Asuma was the Third Hokage's biological son; how could he possibly do such a thing?

"I know it's hard to believe, but judging from the footage of the Third Hokage before his death, it was Asuma who ambushed him. Otherwise, the Third Hokage wouldn't have been left without even a chance to fight back."

"That's impossible. Asma would never do such a thing."

Nara Shikaku looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young woman with black hair and red eyes. She was very beautiful and was Esma's girlfriend. Naturally, she was the first to disbelieve that her boyfriend would do such a thing.

Nara sighed and turned to the crowd: "Have you seen Asuma?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

Right, where's Asuma?

Shouldn't he, as the only surviving son, rush to his father's side immediately after his death?

Why haven't they shown up yet?

Then there is only one possibility: fleeing to avoid punishment.

Furthermore, Nara's earlier statement was well-reasoned and supported by evidence. Even if one is unwilling to believe it, the undeniable facts are right before one's eyes.

They were well aware of the Third Hokage's strength; he was known as the "strongest" Hokage of all time. If the opponent was using a transformation jutsu, the Third Hokage, with his power, wouldn't have failed to recognize his own son.

If it weren't for this situation, the Third Hokage wouldn't have died so easily, without even a commotion.

And this is such a coincidence, it just happened to be around the time Asuma came back.

All signs indicate that Asma murdered her own father.

At this moment, a ninja brought up the topic directly: "Asuma hasn't shown up yet. Could he have fled to avoid punishment?"

Everyone remained silent.

In some cases, this possibility is tacitly acknowledged.

"How could this be...?"

Kurenai bit her lip, utterly dejected.

Someone asked doubtfully, "But even if he... he couldn't possibly have killed so many people overnight, and there wasn't even a whisper of it."

Shikaku lied against his conscience and said, "There were accomplices."

"accomplice."

"Those people were masked, so we couldn't see their faces, but they were all quite strong."

"Asuma, why do you do such a thing? The Third Hokage is his father."

"Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that he is the prime suspect. He can no longer be treated as an ally. From this day forward, he shall be treated as an S-rank rogue ninja, and the bounty shall be set at the highest level."

"..."

Seeing that everyone remained silent and had no objections, Nara Shikaku continued, "Then let's proceed with the election for the new Hokage."

(End of this chapter)