A single strike directly shattered the body of the guy who called Asuma a beast, and a cloud of blood mist, mixed with bone fragments and shredded flesh, burst open.
"Asuma is my son! If you want to kill him, then I'll kill all of you!"
After dealing with one person, the rod in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand had already grown over ten meters long.
Hiruzen Sarutobi then gripped the rod with both hands, his face expressionless, and looked at the guy who said Asuma was bought off by the Village, then swung again, saying,
"Bought off by the Village? Remember, I am the Sandaime of Konoha Village!"
As expected, before he even finished speaking, that person exploded.
The others tried to flee, but Hiruzen Sarutobi, unhurriedly, took them down one by one with a single strike, his efficiency a world apart from Asuma's.
In less than a minute, besides Hiruzen Sarutobi, there was no one left standing in the arena.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
A round of applause accompanied by footsteps rang out.
"Advisor Hiruzen's strength is truly among Konoha's best, not diminished at all from his younger days!"
Yuuki praised him with a smile on his face.
Upon seeing Yuuki emerge, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not at all swayed by the false flattery.
Among the best?
The head I most want to smash is yours!
Hiruzen Sarutobi could only think this to himself, knowing it was impossible to act on, and then asked aloud,
"You've already gotten what you wanted, can you let Asuma go?"
Yuuki nodded, then took a camera from a Ninja behind him and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"No problem, Asuma Jonin is an excellent Ninja who inherits the will of fire and will continue to shine for Konoha!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took it and immediately opened it to watch, from beginning to end.
Yuuki waited quietly; he hadn't actually tampered with anything. Asuma had come forward on his own, and his target was never Asuma.
In fact, because of Asuma, this guy who forcefully added himself to the drama, Yuuki had to make additional arrangements.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully watched, his Chakra burst forth, and the camera instantly shattered into pieces.
Looking at Asuma lying on the ground, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart was filled with grief. His left hand was already ruined, beyond saving.
There was hardly a single good piece of flesh on his body; even if he recovered, he would be covered in scars like a demon.
The culprit for all this was right before his eyes, yet Hiruzen Sarutobi lacked the courage to act. Besides a suicide attempt, there would be no benefit, and it might even cause Asuma to suffer more in the future.
I'm sorry, Asuma, as your father, I am powerless to protect you!
No matter how much grief he felt, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed no trace of it. He slowly squatted beside Asuma and whispered,
"Asuma, live on. You are not a sinner!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi deeply cherished this rebellious child of his. He believed that Asuma, given more time to grow, would eventually mature.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi predicted the beginning but not the end.
Asuma did mature, but the price paid was too great.
"You discovered that I, unwilling to lose the position of Hokage, attempted a coup and led the elite of the Sarutobi Clan to desperately resist, ultimately successfully thwarting my conspiracy and preventing the coup!"
After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished telling Asuma the script he had fabricated, he looked at Yuuki, with a hint of pleading in his eyes, and asked,
"Is that acceptable, Fifth Hokage-sama?"
No matter how unwilling, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only put aside his dignity. He knew he was just an actor, and Yuuki was the director.
If you lose face once, it's much easier the second time.
Moreover, this was no longer about Konoha; it was simply a father putting aside his dignity for his son's future. Hiruzen Sarutobi did not hesitate much and very directly discarded his dignity.
"Of course, Advisor Sarutobi, there's no problem at all. To eliminate danger in its infancy, someone always has to make a sacrifice. Although I firmly believe in the will of fire, I never force others to sacrifice themselves voluntarily. Your will of fire, I acknowledge it, as the Hokage!"
Yuuki had no objections to this, but someone else didn't think so.
"Fifth Hokage, it's no use. Everywhere in the Village..."
Asuma had not forgotten his experiences when he went out during this time; rumors of the Sarutobi Clan attempting a coup were being discussed everywhere in the Village.
Yuuki and Hiruzen Sarutobi's act of distorting the truth with a few words, in Asuma's eyes, was both disgusting and useless.
Asuma's words were cut short by Yuuki's smiling face.
And one sentence from Yuuki made Asuma's entire body, despite the pain, unable to mask the sudden chill, and his heart nearly collapsed.
"Asuma Jonin, don't worry, those are just things you heard!"
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