Chapter 341 Divergence

Should Hokage exist?

This question has been haunting Asma's heart since a very early age.

It is true that, as the second son of Konoha Three Hokage, questioning the correctness of Hokage is not only for outsiders, but also for his own people, his own ideas may also be full of deviant.

As time passed, this kind of thinking did not disappear in Asma's heart, but grew stronger and stronger.

A few years ago, I and my father's three generations of Hokage faced each other tit-for-tat, gave up the future destined to be prosperous and rich in Konoha, and devoted himself to the Daimyo Mansion, becoming one of the twelve guardian ninja warriors of the Daimyo of the Fire Country at that time, just to practice the legitimacy of his own path.

But later, like-minded companions began to kill each other because of differences in ideas.

The guardian ninja twelve warriors are now only left with him and one other person.

The glory is no longer there, and Asma's enthusiasm for protecting the Twelve Ninja Warriors is gradually cooling down. Dejected, she returns to Konoha to spend her days in a daze.

However, after returning to Konoha, what I saw was a very old father. The father who had a very tall back in his impression is now just an old man who is dying.

Now Asma, who feels no interest in doing anything, has become slack, whether it is practice or ninja tasks.

After completing the C-level **** mission, Asma simply came over to report to his father, the Third Hokage, and explained how the mission was completed.

His careless attitude made Hirizan, the father, very worried.

Although he intends to enlighten Asma, what Asma thinks in his heart is to a certain extent deviated from Konoha's will, and he can be regarded as a betrayer of the will of the fire.

If the other party was not his son, he must be living under the strict surveillance of the Anbu.

Now, not only is it a major event in the village, but also the private affairs of the family are also what Hirizan is worried about.

Wife Sarutobi Lake Biwa died in the Nine-Tails Rebellion, and eldest son Sarutobi Takashi and eldest daughter-in-law Sarutobi Purinko also died heroically in the War of the Land of Winds not long ago.

The second son Asma, who hoped to revive the prestige of the Sarutobi clan, turned out to be apostate and deviated from the will of fire, and turned around and joined the daimyo's command, becoming the Guardian Ninja Twelve.

Although the Guardian Ninja Twelve came back disheartened because of their internal disagreement, the relationship between father and son has not been eased.

Silence without sound is the best resistance.

Hizan couldn't figure out why the second son Asma, who grew up in Konoha, had a hard time with the Will of Fire, and why he questioned the correctness of Hokage's existence so much.

As a ninja of Konoha, what should be guarded is Konoha's 'Jade', not the 'Jade' of the Land of Fire.

Although Konoha and the Kingdom of Fire are one, in many cases, the 'jade' of the two cannot be confused.

In Hirazan's view, Asma's path is the biggest betrayal against Konoha.

is also the bitter fruit of his educational failure.

This reminded him of Chiba Shiraishi who defected from Konoha.

The other party is also a ninja who grew up under the will of fire. At the critical moment, he abandoned Konoha without hesitation, deviated from the path of will of fire, and took some of the Uchiha and Hyuga clan away, lurking in the kingdom of ghosts, and starting anew.

Sun Zhan was very worried that the same situation would happen to Asma.

Sooner or later, because of this incorrect thinking, he will become Konoha's rebel.

Own disciple Orochimaru has already betrayed Konoha, if the parent and child also become Konoha's traitor... Just thinking about it, Hizaru feels extremely painful.

I feel that my breathing has become difficult.

"Is there anything worth paying attention to in the task?"

After receiving the work report submitted by Asma, Ri Zhan casually expressed concern.

"No, everything is normal."

Asma put her hands in her trouser pockets, looking indifferent.

Looking at Asman's unscrupulous boy standing, if he didn't know that this was his son, he would have thought it was a little gangster who came out of nowhere.

"Don't you have anything to tell me?"

Hi Zhan took a deep breath.

"The report is finished, can I go back, Hokage-sama?"

Asma said without raising her eyelids.

"Although I don't know what you've been thinking recently, the situation will become very dangerous if you continue like this."

Hizan doesn't want Asma to continue to be decadent, and he doesn't want to see his son deviate from Konoha where he is.

"Does Hokage-sama even care about this? If there is nothing else, the subordinate will leave first."

Asma frowned, obviously growing impatient with Ri Zhan's meddling.

"I don't want to pressure you as Hokage, Asma, can I go home for dinner tonight? In the name of my father."

Hi Zhan stared at Asma's back, who had already put his hand on the doorknob and turned it.

Asma paused for a while, without turning her head, she said, "I'm fine, but I've been a little distracted recently. You're busy with everything, so don't waste your time on a **** like me."

After finishing speaking, without waiting for Ri Zhan to speak, Asma left the office directly and disappeared from Ri Zhan's eyes.

"Ahem."

After Asma left, Hirizhan immediately coughed angrily, but there was no obvious anger on his face, it was reflected in his heart.

After a long time, Ri Zhan's thousands of words turned into silent sighs.

As the Hokage of the village, I am already a little unqualified, but I didn't expect that as a father, I am also so unqualified.

He didn't know what judgment Asma was based on, and he questioned the Will of Fire and Hokage, but if he continued to let this result go on, Asma would end up on a road of no return sooner or later, and he might end up confronting his father.

This kind of thing must be resolutely put an end to it.

The best way is to conduct a thorough investigation of everything about Asma immediately, and put all his actions under the eyes of Anbu for surveillance.

But the other party is always his own child, a temporary mistake is not irreversible, he wants to give Asma a chance to make amends.

If the other party can grasp it, I don't want to make drastic moves against my second son and imprison him.

If he can't, he can only kill his relatives righteously.

Among Konoha, no one will be allowed to appear against the will of fire.

In a single apartment.

is the current residence of Asma. Because of disagreements with his father Hirizan, to avoid the embarrassment of meeting, he moved out of his original home and rented an apartment outside with the reward for completing the task.

Although the space in the house is a little smaller, there is no depressing atmosphere in the original home, so it is very suitable for a person to relax here.

"I thought I had gone somewhere, but it turned out that I was hiding there drinking alone."

A familiar voice came from the window next to him, and he put down the bottle with only half of the wine left in his hand. Asma's eyes slanted slightly, and he saw Kakashi entering the room through the window.

The other party looked over with a smile on his face, as if he had discovered something interesting.

"As the Minister of Anbu, you are a busy person, what do you want to come to me at this time? Could it be that you are here to be Hokage-sama's lobbyist?"

Asma seemed to have seen through Kakashi's mind, and asked a very flat question.

He knows that Kakashi, as the head of Anbu, has too many things to deal with every day. Even the gatherings among friends are rarely attended because of work.

In the end, I had time to visit this useless man, no matter how I looked at it, it was Hokage's order.

"Don't say that, Asma, shouldn't old friends meet each other? And since you became the Guardian Ninja Twelve, the number of times you return to Konoha every year has become less and less, and sometimes you only come back once every six months, but you leave in a hurry."

Kakashi walked over casually.

Asma clicked his tongue, as he thought, Kakashi is indeed Hokage's lobbyist.

From the father's point of view, he has failed to correct his thinking, and now from the friend's point of view, he is playing the emotional card against him.

As for the Guardian Ninja Twelve, that is already an organization that exists in name only.

For the companions who do not agree with each other and kill each other, their resoluteness and hostility before their death still remain in Asma's mind, as if they will remain in his life, becoming a nightmare that will never go away in his heart.

"I've heard about your guarding of the Twelve Ninja Warriors. In the end, you also broke with your companions in order to protect the life and safety of Master Hokage."

Kakashi patted Asma's shoulder and said so.

"Ah, yes, in the end I also became a betrayer of the organization in order to protect the old man. When I think about it now, things in my mind are really chaotic."

Asma smiled wryly.

He, who was supposed to be a radical, suddenly turned against him at a critical moment, which led to the failure of the assassination plan of Hokage by the radicals who guarded Shinobi.

No matter how much he disagrees with his father, he is still his father. Even if Tiger Poison does not eat children, Ri Zhan's connivance and protection for him are still in his heart.

How could I attack such a father? Wouldn't that be inferior to a beast?

But if you don't do it, you are betraying your original philosophy.

Only one 'Jade' of the Fire Kingdom is enough.

That is the name of the Land of Fire.

And Hokage, the 'jade', is hypocritical, and it is a stumbling block before the road of national reunification, and must be eliminated.

The conflict between loyalty and filial piety made Asma extremely painful, suffering in this vortex.

He didn't know how to choose to achieve a perfect ending.

At that time, killing like-minded companions was also muddled.

I don't have any memory of how I returned to Konoha in the end.

Reject the memory of that battle.

"This may be the growth that we ninjas must experience. The conflict between will and philosophy seems to be unconnected and full of chance, but there is also a certain inevitability in it. In the past, I was as confused as you."

But it is different from Asma's confused direction.

I don't understand why my father committed suicide.

I also don't understand why the tolerance of the villagers is so narrow after just failing a mission.

Up to now, Kakashi has not investigated what the mission his father was performing at that time, and what secrets were in it.

Maybe it has been eliminated, or it is just a task process, there is no so-called secret at all.

Companions are better than tasks, or tasks are better than peers.

I fell into that kind of hopeless daze in the past, so why is the current Asma not the original self?

Fluctuating between two wills, not knowing what path to take next, and not knowing how to go, can it be called correct... It is because of this that I feel boundless pain and annoyance.

Kakashi believes that if Asma continues to be allowed to continue like this, his existence will be an unstable element for Konoha, and he will be rejected by Konoha as a group.

It was like myself who initially chose the task over my companions, but was not tolerated by the villagers and companions, and became an isolated object by them.

Therefore, even if Asma is the son of Hokage, there is a limit to his tolerance.

When necessary, it is likely that Hokage himself will solve the restless Asma with his own hands.

"It's too early for you to instill faith in me, Kakashi. But you are right about one thing, we have all experienced some unknown things."

The idea of disagreement and conflict, and then being isolated, the feeling of being the enemy of the world, just thinking about it makes me feel heavy and depressed to the point where I can't breathe.

Asma also knew that Kakashi finally compromised.

Whether it was a spontaneous behavior, or was changed by the late Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato as rumored, only Kakashi himself knows these things.

Looking at Kakashi's current appearance, he also knows that the other party has come out of the original shadow, instead of being like himself, still wandering at the crossroads of confusion, hesitating.

From this point of view, Asma is very envious of Kakashi.

Kakashi has found his own path, what about himself?

Do you really want to be so decadent?

But what else can I do now?

Setting up a new life goal seems simple, but can the beliefs that have been firmly established in the past really be let go?

Is it really right to give up the path I have been walking on firmly?

Kakashi's choice is ultimately Kakashi's own, not his choice.

He wanted to change Konoha, but even the villagers and his companions couldn't convince himself, what qualifications did he have to shake Hokage's belief.

After thinking about it, Asma took another sip of the mulled wine and poured it into her mouth.

"Do you want to go out and relax? Now you urgently need to untangle the depression in your heart and come out of the previous experience."

Seeing that Asma was still hesitating, Kakashi breathed out, pressed Asma's shoulder, and suggested to him.

"Relaxing?"

Asma lowered her head, as if she was considering Kakashi's proposal.

Indeed, the current self is not suitable for staying in Konoha.

And I don't want to see Hokage either.

Continuing like this will only further intensify the contradictions and prejudices between himself and Hokage.

If possible, he didn't want to go on the road of confrontation with his father.

But Hokage... seemed to think of the scene where his guardian ninja companion died at his own hands, Asuma couldn't help laughing bitterly, and in the end he just drank his wine sullenly and didn't say anything.

Drunk to the point of intoxication, Asma woke up slowly at noon the next day.

Kakashi had already left, and Asma didn't care, but simply tidied up the room, cleaned up the mess in the room, and then went to meet Hokage. According to the suggestion given by Kakashi, Asma proposed to Hirizan the plan to go out to perform a long-term mission.

"Are you out on a long-term mission?"

For Asma's proposal, Ri Zhan is still a little happy.

This also proves that Asma is not so arrogant that there is no cure.

It seems that yesterday, privately asking Kakashi to comfort his second son was quite effective.

At least in this way, Asma has the determination to change her past.

After that, slowly guide him to believe in Konoha again, believe in the will of fire, and let everything return to the original point.

Asma still had that casual look, as if she wasn't worried at all that Hokage would reject his request.

In fact, he may be more anxious than himself.

"Okay, I will approve this. But can you tell me where you plan to go next?"

Although Asma doesn't need to reveal all the details, I should know roughly where Asma is going to relax.

Asma did not answer, but said something else: "Two days ago, the daimyo sent me a letter."

Ri Zhan nodded, he knew about it, and he could roughly guess what was written in the letter.

"Damyo, he hopes to return to the Daming Mansion and re-form the Twelve Guardian Ninja Warriors."

Asma said in a neutral tone.

"What about your choice?"

"I haven't considered going back for the time being. In addition, the daimyo seems to be planning to send a mission to the kingdom of ghosts for diplomacy recently."

Asma got down to business.

Ri Zhan's heart sank, seeing the determination in Asma's eyes, he couldn't help feeling nervous.

Where Asma wants to go next...Is it the country of ghosts?

If so, it's a bit of a hassle.

Seemingly seeing through Hirizan's thoughts, Asma replied: Don't worry, I will restrain myself when I get there. My elder brother and sister-in-law died on the battlefield. Even if I want revenge, I will do so on the battlefield.

"I'm sorry about Long and Purlin. But, Asma, you'd better not get close to the ghost country."

Ri Zhan solemnly advised Asma.

What he is most worried about is that Asma will not be able to restrain his belief in revenge, which will lead to many troublesome things.

Even though Asma said that she would restrain her impulses, Asma's temper seemed calm, but in fact she was as fierce as a fire. As a father, Hirizhan knew the character of his second son very well.

The country of ghosts is too far away from the country of fire. It will take at least three or four days, or even longer, for the ninja to reach it just by running at full speed.

If something unexpected happens to Asma in the Demon Kingdom, Konoha will be beyond her reach.

Because once Asma makes trouble in the ghost country, the people there will not be afraid of his identity as the son of Hokage, and will show mercy to his subordinates.

I have already lost one son, and I don't want to lose another.

Asma didn't speak, just kept silent and looked at Hizhan, the determination in his eyes couldn't be hidden.

For the ghost country that can rise among the great powers, no matter who it is, it will have a strong interest in it.

People, including ninjas, are used to the five great powers being superior. For hundreds of years, even going back hundreds of years, this pattern has not changed.

Now a ghost country that threatens the status of a big country suddenly appeared, which made many people not used to it.

However, the Kingdom of Demons has already proved itself with its strength, defeating the Kingdom of Wind head-on, and forcing the Kingdom of Fire and Konoha to compromise at the Five Kages Conference. This is by no means something a small country can do.

At the beginning, Ugakure, the demigod Hanzo, only resisted the ninjas of the three major ninja villages, but finally declared Konoha's victory.

Rain hidden is stronger than Hanzo, but also weaker than Hanzo.

Except for Hanzo, there is no powerful ninja that can be used.

The country of ghosts is different. They have advanced fighting ninjas and a plurality of powerful ninjas. As for the fighting strength of the backbone, although they have not shown it, the country of ghosts has been hidden for many years, and it is impossible to rashly provoke a big country. Therefore, there is a high probability that the kingdom of ghosts will not lack the backbone combat power, but it is not necessary to show it on the battlefield of the kingdom of wind.

It seemed that he also sensed the determination in Asma's eyes, and the beheading hurt even more.

The strength of smoking became stronger, and I sat there and coughed vigorously.

He really hoped that his eldest son, who did not die on the battlefield, could replace him and enlighten Asma so that he could fully integrate into the big family of Konoha.

"Although in name, I have canceled Chiba Shiraishi's status as a traitor, but their existence is still too dangerous. Moreover, the kingdom of ghosts is still carrying out secret plans in the kingdom of wave near the kingdom of fire recently. It can be seen that their wolf ambitions have begun to seek the status of a big country. If you go to the kingdom of ghosts now, it is tantamount to throwing yourself into a trap."

"But Uchiha Ruri also went to Konoha before, didn't he? Although it was a secret visit, it was not made public. Only a very few people in the village knew about it."

Asma said.

Hi Zhan felt even more depressed.

That's not only because of the deal between himself and Chiba Shiraishi, but also because Uchiha Ruri itself is powerful, and it will cost an extremely heavy price to kill the other party.

In contrast, Asma's strength is not at ease.

I heard from Shikajiu's report before, that Uchiha Ruri's daughter easily suppressed Asma in a frontal battle, and the opponent was only twelve years old. Compared with Uchiha Itachi who joined the mysterious organization and served as a spy, his strength may be almost the same.

The military power of the ghost country is by no means what it shows on the surface.

"If I am not allowed to go to the ghost country, then the long-term mission will be cancelled."

Sun Zhan's repeated silence also aroused the rebellious psychology in Asma's heart.

The more he didn't want him to do it, the more he wanted to try it and impress everyone.

He doesn't want to be a young eagle that will never grow up under the protection of Hokage.

Son of Hokage, this identity has brought him countless honors, but it also put him under a lot of pressure.

He wants to get rid of the shackles of "Hokage" on himself. He is Sarutobi Asma, not just the son of Hokage.

"Alas... If Long and Purlin were still there, they wouldn't allow you to mess around like this."

Ri Zhan smiled wryly, saying so was also a disguised compromise.

"Brother and sister-in-law know, they will only support me, instead of just reprimanding me for my mistakes like you. You are only firm in your own way, and I am firm in my own way. Who is right and who is wrong, how will you know if you don't go to the end?"

Asma said so.

Ri Zhan knew that he could not convince Asma, and he had no time to waste on housework.

Let the other party leave Konoha for a period of time, and you can also let yourself be clean for a while.

"I allow you to go to the Kingdom of Ghosts with the Daming Mission. However, you must promise me that you will not cause trouble there, and you must change your impulsive temperament. In addition, when the Daming Mission leaves, you must also leave together, and you are not allowed to stay in the Kingdom of Ghosts for too long."

"What if I disagree?"

"Then I will let Anbu accompany you. You don't want to go out to relax, and you have been watched by Anbu all the time?"

Ri Zhan has a firm attitude.

"I see, I will follow the mission's arrangement."

It was already the limit to obtain such a condition, and Asma didn't say much, and turned to leave the office, leaving behind a melancholy and depressing expression.

(end of this chapter)