The wind howled.
Outside Konoha Village—
Forty degrees northwest of the Land of Fire, leading toward the Land of Wind.
Though not the shortest or fastest path, this road was the flattest, and the jungle here was not as dense.
The five Sand Shinobi carrying Hyūga Hinata were moving swiftly.
Behind them, three Sand Jōnin and five Chūnin clashed fiercely against Sarutobi Asuma.
Although Asuma was alone…
He was Konoha's Elite Jōnin.
One man was enough to suppress eight enemies at once.
He had pursued them relentlessly, and for him to have caught up this quickly was already remarkable.
But now—
Just as he finally laid eyes on Hinata, eight enemies barred his path.
Though Asuma burned with anxiety, he couldn't simply abandon the fight and continue the chase.
Three Jōnin and five Chūnin… Sand truly places great importance on the Hyūga clan's bloodline.
After a flurry of taijutsu exchanges, Asuma's overwhelming strength pressed down on the Sand Shinobi like a mountain.
The eight shinobi fixed their full attention on him, sweat forming under the pressure.
By the seventeenth exchange, Asuma had already spotted openings in their formation.
With a swift motion, he drew his chakra blade from his pouch.
Chakra surged instantly, coating the weapon in a faint glow.
The Sand shinobi frowned and quickly armed themselves with kunai.
For a brief moment, silence fell.
Then—
Nine figures blurred and collided in an instant.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks showered the night sky, their movements so fast that they seemed like afterimages.
Huh!
Asuma's chakra blade sliced across a Sand shinobi's throat.
A thin red line appeared… then burst open in a spray of blood.
One Chūnin fell lifeless without a sound.
The metallic stench of blood spread through the air, choking and heavy.
The faces of the remaining seven twisted in shock.
Though they held the advantage in numbers, Asuma had already struck the first fatal blow.
The difference in power was undeniable.
An Elite Jōnin and an ordinary Jōnin… were worlds apart.
Even surrounded, Asuma remained calm and unshaken. These foes were no true threat—only obstacles.
He merely needed to finish them quickly and resume the pursuit of Hinata.
With that thought, Asuma tightened his grip on his chakra blade.
A sudden whirlwind burst beneath his feet as he charged forward at blinding speed.
Huh! Huh!
Twin arcs of light split the air, crescent-shaped chakra blades cleaving toward his foes.
Two Sand shinobi cried out as their shoulders were torn open, collapsing in pools of blood.
Another two down.
Fear flickered in the eyes of the remaining shinobi.
They could already sense it—if this continued, none of them would leave alive.
"If you surrender now, I'll spare your lives," Asuma suddenly declared.
The Sand shinobi froze, hesitation clouding their faces.
And in that moment—
A dark shadow flickered into being behind Asuma.
The faint whistle of slicing wind reached his ears.
Asuma's eyes narrowed as he spun around.
"Wind Style: Wind Blade!"
A deadly crescent of wind flashed past.
Asuma reacted instantly, retreating just far enough to avoid a fatal strike.
The blade of wind carved a shallow gash across his cheek, blood trailing down his face.
Breathing steady, he quickly regained his stance, eyes sharpening.
Sand's Elite Jōnin… Baki.
This was no opponent he could dismiss easily.
Even with his strength, the battle would take time. And with the five remaining Sand shinobi still standing, the odds tilted further.
The situation was grim.
It wasn't just a question of whether Asuma could win—every second spent fighting allowed Hinata's captors to slip further away.
If he failed to complete Hiashi's request… how would he face the Hyūga clan?
"Why now of all times…" Asuma muttered bitterly.
"Konoha's Elite Jōnin, Sarutobi Asuma," Baki said with a cold smile. "Impressive. I attacked from your blind spot with my hidden aura, yet you still survived."
His gaze shifted briefly to the corpses of his fallen comrades.
The squad brought on this mission were considered elites—yet Asuma had already cut them down despite the disadvantage in numbers.
Even Baki found it difficult to believe.
Asuma flexed his grip on the hilt of his chakra blade. "You are Sand's Elite Jōnin, Baki. Let the Hyūga girl go. If Sand continues down this path, it will ignite a war with Konoha. It could even become another Great Ninja War."
At this, Baki sneered.
"Ninja War? If that's the price, so be it. I will take the Hyūga girl back, even if it costs everything."
Words were meaningless now.
Asuma's expression hardened. He knew he had no choice but to fight. Yet the longer this dragged on, the slimmer Hinata's chances became.
Just as he was about to attack—
Whssshhh!
The sound of bodies slicing through air came from behind him, rapid and violent.
Huh! Huh! Huh!
A gale stirred, the friction of incredible speed tearing the air apart.
In the next instant, before Asuma's stunned eyes, a figure materialized from the rushing wind.
Nagano Yuichi.
He appeared upside down, standing lightly on a tree branch, wind still surging around him.
His sharp gaze swept over the battlefield—lingering briefly on Asuma.
For a fraction of a second, a cold light flashed in Yuichi's eyes. But it vanished just as quickly, as though it had never been there.
Baki's face turned ashen.
His expression twisted from blue to white, his eyes trembling with disbelief.
Impossible… How could he be here?
This boy shouldn't be able to chase us…!
Baki knew their route because it was planned.
But Yuichi? He couldn't have known the escape path.
Even if he was monstrously fast, finding their exact trail while moving at such speed should have been impossible.
Yet here he stood.