"Fire Release: Burning Ash!"
Thick black smoke spewed from Asuma's mouth, engulfing the large sedan chair in the distance along with the bearers carrying it. The moment Asuma lightly tapped the corner of his mouth, the dense smoke ignited in a blinding flash, triggering a violent explosion that shattered the quiet of the night.
"BOOM!!!!!"
The Burning Ash Technique functioned like a dust bomb—its smoke served as a diversion, while the real devastation came from the powerful explosion that followed once the smoke reached a certain concentration.
"You two... what the hell did you do?!"
Not far from the explosion site, Kuroma—who had been caught in Chiriku's attack—suddenly let out a terrified roar. A powerful gust of wind blades shot out around him, forcing Chiriku to halt his offensive and defend against the oncoming barrage.
However, the sheer density of the wind blades made them nearly impossible to avoid entirely. Even though Chiriku tried his best to deflect them, several blades managed to cut into his shoulders and thighs, leaving fresh wounds in their wake.
"He can unleash such powerful Wind Release techniques without even forming seals?"
"What kind of transformation has Kuroma undergone?"
Forced to retreat, Chiriku gritted his teeth and prepared to launch another assault. But before he could take a few steps forward, a stone wall suddenly erupted from the ground, separating him from Kuroma entirely.
Meanwhile, Asuma remained focused on the roaring flames in front of him. The sedan chair burned fiercely, yet not a single bearer was in sight.
More importantly, within the inferno, there were no screams—an ominous sign.
"Did my jutsu even reach its target?"
Asuma narrowed his eyes, watching as the sedan chair began to collapse within the raging fire. Suddenly, a soft explosion echoed from within the blaze.
A shadow emerged from beneath the collapsing wreckage, unmoving.
"Did it work?"
Doubt clouded Asuma's mind. He hesitated for a moment, but before he could act, the figure within the flames suddenly lifted their head.
In an instant, an overwhelming force burst forth, scattering the surrounding flames in all directions.
Sparks and embers flew wildly. Asuma instinctively stepped back, shielding his face with his arms while peering through the gaps between his fingers.
"It didn't work!"
A sinking feeling settled in Asuma's chest. He quickly glanced toward Chiriku's position and saw that his ally was locked in a fierce hand-to-hand battle with Kuroma, unable to disengage.
"Fire Release, Wind Release, even direct attacks—nothing is working. How do we kill this thing?"
"We have no choice—we need to retreat and come up with a new plan."
Asuma's mind raced. This wasn't his first encounter with their enemy.
The figure in the sedan chair was Tunggu, the only daughter of the Daimyō of the Land of Fire.
She had been a sickly child since birth. However, four years ago, her condition mysteriously improved. The Daimyō, overjoyed by his daughter's sudden recovery, hosted a grand banquet to celebrate.
But that was when everything began to change.
At first, only refugees went missing within the Daimyō's Mansion. Soon after, it wasn't just refugees—residents of the mansion began disappearing as well. Eventually, entire families were slaughtered overnight.
The first massacre caught the Daimyō's attention, prompting him to order the Guardian Twelve Ninja to investigate.
To his horror, their findings pointed directly at his own daughter.
At first, the Daimyō refused to believe it. He assumed she was being controlled by some sinister force and ordered his guards to search for the mastermind behind her actions.
However, in the moment of his hesitation, his daughter attacked him.
With the help of Chiriku and the others, the Daimyō and a few of his retainers managed to escape. But Wufang City had already fallen.
Tunggu had used her newfound power to create beings like herself—demons.
One of her first recruits was Kuroma, a former member of the Guardian Twelve who had succumbed to the lure of immortality and strength.
Originally, Asuma and Chiriku had planned to escape Wufang City and head to Konoha for reinforcements.
But something was wrong.
The city was no longer the same. A mysterious force had turned Wufang City into a labyrinth. No matter how hard they tried, no one could leave. Even communication methods were blocked.
The people left inside the city had become nothing more than food for the demons.
"Chiriku!"
Realizing his jutsu had failed, Asuma shouted out urgently. He quickly threw a smoke bomb and vanished in a blur.
Seeing this, Chiriku gritted his teeth, pulled out several smoke bombs of his own, and used the Body Flicker Technique to escape.
Their attack had barely begun—yet it had already ended.
"Tsk... They're fast."
As Asuma and Chiriku fled into the darkness, a figure slowly stepped out from the flames.
She was a young girl of stunning beauty. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, secured only by a simple red headband. She wore an elegant, light yellow noble kimono, adorned with intricate pink cherry blossom embroidery.
At first glance, she seemed completely human.
But the moment one looked into her eyes, it became clear—she was not.
Her right eye bore the symbol "One."
Her left eye displayed a chilling mark—"Upper Rank."
"Master Tunggu!"
Kuroma immediately dropped to one knee, bowing deeply.
"Asuma and Chiriku are elite jōnin. They must have set up a barrier somewhere in the city."
"Please give me some time—I will find them!"
Kuroma's tone was filled with absolute reverence.
The girl, Tunggu, nodded slightly but turned away.
Then, in the blink of an eye, a streak of light slashed across Kuroma's arm.
His right arm fell to the ground.
Despite being a demon, immune to pain for so long—Kuroma's expression twisted in agony. A sharp, unbearable pain coursed through him.
"This is your punishment."
Tunggu raised her hand slightly. Kuroma's severed arm flew into her grasp.
She took a slow bite.
A second later, she spat it out, frowning in disgust.
"Tch. Disgusting."
"You're not even good enough to be food."
She dropped the arm to the ground and turned away.
(End of Chapter)