At that moment, the sheer intensity of resentment radiating from Yuhi Kurenai was so palpable it startled Sarutobi Asuma, causing him to instinctively step back.
Right now, Kurenai-sensei was terrifying. He figured it was best to keep his distance.
But Asuma himself was hardly in normal condition.
His lips were swollen and covered with fever blisters—fresh and glistening from a recent application of ointment. Both of his hands were wrapped in medical bandages.
This battered state had become his norm in recent days. Despite receiving healing from Konoha's medical-nin every evening, his injuries mysteriously reappeared by morning.
He called them "the marks of relentless training."
---
That evening, a squad of Konoha shinobi arrived at a small town in the Land of Fire, choosing to stay the night before continuing their return to the Hidden Leaf.
They were not on an urgent mission; there was no rush.
Asuma, true to routine, visited the medics before heading to his inn room to rest.
However, on his way back, he was stopped by a familiar silhouette.
"Aoba? What's going on—do you need something?" Asuma asked, puzzled, his hand casually sliding toward the pouch at his waist.
If it was really Aoba Yamashiro, his teammate, there would be no reason to stop him like this.
Though the figure bore no signs of a transformation technique, his behavior was undeniably suspicious.
The man opposite him raised his hand and made a subtle hand signal—one known only to their squad. It was Aoba.
He then gestured for Asuma to follow him.
Reluctantly intrigued, Asuma complied. "You never call me out like this, especially not so close to returning home. What's going on, Aoba? Is this something big?"
They slipped into a narrow alleyway, out of sight. Aoba didn't respond immediately. Instead, he pulled something out from a strange, scroll-sealed space—a peculiar, gnarled fruit swirling with unnatural patterns.
"I made this recently… Think of it as a fusion between chakra and something else. It's modeled after the Five-Tails' chakra. I call it the Smoke-Smoke Fruit."
He continued, "If eaten, it grants the user a smoke-based transformation ability. Complete immunity to physical attacks, partial resistance to ninjutsu… Potential side effects include an intense weakness to seawater—or maybe no side effects at all. Honestly, I'm still figuring it out."
He was about to say more when—
"HEY!"
Aoba was stunned.
Asuma had swiped the fruit and taken a massive bite.
"GAAHH—ugh, it tastes like rotting sewage!" Asuma gagged, his face contorting in disgust. But he didn't spit it out—he chewed and forced it down.
Aoba stood frozen, wide-eyed.
"What? You were hesitating. I figured you made this for me." Asuma grinned weakly. "If you wanted to stop me, I wouldn't've even gotten close."
"I know I'm the weakest on the team. It stings, sure—but it never stopped us from being comrades. I'm grateful you made this. You're always thinking ten steps ahead, but you're still the guy I trust most on missions."
He looked up with a sincere smile.
"Even if I'm not Hokage material like you might be, I've got your back. My old man—yeah, that annoying Third Hokage—he's always telling me how sharp you are. Said I should learn from you, maybe even support you."
Asuma exhaled and laughed softly.
"I'm not good with brainy types like you. You think too much. Me? I just swing my blades and hope it works out."
"But I know one thing—you're my friend. That's all that matters."
Aoba was speechless. For once, his usual composure cracked, and he felt… humbled.
He smacked his forehead. "Alright, alright. I get it. I really underestimated you this time."
Asuma laughed heartily and struck a ridiculous pose. "Ha! Finally beat you at something, huh?"
With that, he took another big bite of the foul fruit.
Aoba didn't stop him.
After all, who knew how Devil Fruits would function in a world governed by chakra? Just to be safe, he let Asuma eat the whole thing.
And definitely not out of spite. Not at all.
When the last chunk vanished down Asuma's throat, Aoba stepped forward again.
"Now that you've eaten it, time to test it."
Without warning, he lunged with a kunai and drove it straight into Asuma's abdomen.
Asuma's eyes went wide, but… he felt nothing.
There was no pain. No blood.
He looked down—and saw his abdomen dispersing into smoke.
"...I'm… intangible?"
"Exactly. You're turning into smoke. Try controlling it," Aoba said calmly.
Asuma focused. His hand shifted into a swirling column of gray mist, reshaping freely in the air.
His smile returned.
Asuma continued experimenting—first with partial elemental transformation, then full transformation. After confirming there was no harm to his body, he began to let loose. He discovered that even when transformed into a cloud of smoke, he could still move freely and independently.
Even when the smoke split into multiple clouds and then reformed, there were no adverse effects on him.
Kawaki Aoba stood nearby, observing. Other than giving a short warning at the start, he allowed Asuma to freely explore the limits of his new powers.
However, as the experiments continued, Asuma frowned in confusion.
"Strange. Isn't this supposed to be similar to the Five-Tails' power? But I recall the Five-Tails used steam. Why isn't this smoke hot?"
Kawaki Aoba: "…"
After some time, Asuma returned to his human form, panting slightly from the prolonged transformation.
Kawaki Aoba spoke again, his tone analytical. "Now that we've tested your elemental resistance, it's time to evaluate how much damage you can withstand from ninjutsu."
Asuma tensed up. "Wait, Aoba—you're not seriously thinking…?"
"Exactly what you're thinking."
Before Asuma could respond, Aoba raised a hand, and a bolt of Byakurai (White Lightning)—a Kidō technique from the Shinigami arts—shot from his fingertip.
Though Byakurai is considered a low-level technique in the Shinigami arsenal, Aoba's spiritual pressure had increased dramatically over time. The spell he cast now was comparable in strength to a standard C-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu.
As the white bolt struck Asuma, he braced himself for a shock. Surprisingly, though the lightning clung to his smoke-form body and released crackling energy, it caused no pain—only slight fatigue and white steam rising from his form.
"Huh," Asuma muttered in awe, eyes lighting up.
Even Aoba went silent, clearly having underestimated the power of this Smoke-Smoke Fruit, a Logia-type ability reminiscent of Smoker's Moku Moku no Mi in the One Piece world.
The experiments continued with progressively stronger Kidō techniques:
Hadō #12: Fushou (not canon—assumed custom flame-based Kidō)
Hadō #31: Shakkahō (Red Flame Cannon)
Hadō #33: Sōkatsui (Blue Fire, Crash Down)
Eventually, Aoba even unleashed the formidable Twin Lotus Blue Fire Cradle, forcing Asuma to raise his hands—not from pain, but exhaustion.
Despite his Logia intangibility granting immunity to chakra-based and spiritual attacks, the cost was evident: stamina depletion. The stronger the attack, the more energy was drained maintaining his smoke form.
This wasn't a drawback, exactly—more like a trade-off. With flight capabilities and preemptive elementalization, Asuma could potentially rival even elite jōnin like Kakashi in survival. He'd essentially become another 'Mr. 50-50'.
Still, that didn't mean he could run rampant across the shinobi world. Sealing jutsu and chakra barriers still existed. With planning and prep time, even a Logia user could be neutralized.
This led Aoba to a realization—tactics used against the Third Raikage, now under his control through forbidden reanimation or puppeteering, could also apply to Asuma. If so…
"Does that make Asuma… equal to the Third Raikage?"
Aoba laughed to himself at the boldness of the thought. Still, the potential was there.
Seeing Asuma drained, he handed over a recovery potion. Whether it was red or blue—chakra or stamina—either could restore his condition instantly.
After downing a blue potion, Asuma perked up.
"Thanks, Aoba. I feel amazing. Like I could beat a hundred of my past selves. If only I were on the battlefield right now…"
Aoba's expression grew peculiar.
"No need for regrets. You'll have your chance to test it in real combat very soon."
Asuma blinked, expression serious. "You don't mean…? We're in the Land of Fire."
Aoba (internally): What did this guy even guess? You cryptic types are all the same. Except me.
Out loud, he said, "So what if it's the Land of Fire? We're not in the village. And if even the Raikage can be targeted outside his borders, so can we."
Asuma frowned. They had just returned from the front lines—who would dare target them here?
He was about to ask more when Aoba revealed the truth.
"The Xuanyuan Group—an underground mercenary syndicate. Their mission is to capture you alive, Asuma. They've been tailing us since we entered this town. Only Kurenai-sensei and I noticed them. Don't underestimate them—they're elite, even among bounty groups."
What Aoba didn't mention aloud was that before the Akatsuki gained power, the Xuanyuan Group was the most feared underground organization in the shinobi world.
Asuma's expression darkened. The thrill of new power faded, replaced by tension.
The two continued walking, chatting casually as they exited the alley and headed for a less populated area.
Unbeknownst to them, five figures trailed them from a street away.
"That chakra flare just now… Strong. Did those kids fight each other? No signs of damage, though."
"Konoha's golden boys? Just their luck to cross paths with us."
"They're clearly from the same squad. Isn't Konoha known for valuing teamwork? That myth seems overrated now."
"Perfect. Not only are they heading to a secluded place, but they might be fighting among themselves. We may not even have to intervene."
"That other one's named Kawaki Aoba, right? There's a pretty penny on his head too…"
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