Facing the Great Fireball Technique surging straight toward him, Asuma instantly poured an enormous amount of Wind-nature Chakra into Hien. The pale-blue Chakra blades flared violently, extending to nearly a meter in length.
Crossing his arms, Asuma confronted the oncoming fireball head-on, slashing downward as if cleaving against a raging current.
"Disperse!"
Sshhk—!
The razor-sharp Wind Release Chakra tore straight through the flames.
The massive fireball was split cleanly down the middle by Asuma's cross slash, bursting apart into a rain of fire that scattered to either side, trailing thick black smoke as it detonated.
"So strong… Is this the pressure of a Jonin?!"
The Genin watching from outside the field were completely stunned.
But at the exact instant the fireball was split—
"Now's the chance!"
Boruto, positioned on the flank, lit up with excitement. His hands blurred as he completed his seals at lightning speed.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Taking a deep breath, Boruto forcefully spat out a torrent of water.
However, the stream wasn't aimed at Asuma—it precisely extinguished the blazing fireballs that had been split apart around him.
Sizzle—!!!
Water and fire collided, producing an immense surge of steam. In an instant, dense white mist flooded the area around Asuma, completely swallowing him and robbing him of his vision.
"Using steam to create a blind spot? A clever bit of coordination—but useless against me!"
Asuma's calm voice echoed from within the fog. He swung Hien violently, generating a powerful whirlwind in an attempt to blow the mist away.
The moment a gap opened—
Two Wind Release Fūma Shuriken, gleaming coldly, screamed in from Asuma's blind spots, tearing through the air!
"Too slow!"
Relying on sheer combat experience, Asuma read their trajectories and flicked his Chakra blades left and right, knocking both shuriken aside with precision.
However—
Poof! Poof!
The deflected shuriken transformed mid-air into two Menma amid bursts of smoke.
They weren't shuriken at all, but feints created using the Shuriken Transformation Technique—one of Boruto's specialties.
As the two Shadow Clones flipped through the air, their hands slammed onto the ground slick with residual water. Brilliant blue arcs of electricity leapt from their fingertips.
"What?!"
Asuma's pupils shrank violently.
"Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Arrow!"
Zzzzt—!
The violent Lightning-nature Chakra surged along the water-covered ground, racing toward Asuma at terrifying speed through perfect conduction.
"Using Water Release for mist concealment, Shuriken Transformation to bait the counter, and then combining the residual water with Lightning Release for area-wide paralysis…"
Shikamaru stared in disbelief.
"This combo… is this really something a Genin could come up with?!"
With no time to evade the conductive lightning, Asuma's instincts screamed danger. His leg muscles tensed as he tried to leap clear of the electrified ground.
But he still underestimated Boruto's planning.
At some unknown moment, the real Boruto had used the fog as cover to leap directly into the air above Asuma.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
Boom—!
A crushing gust slammed downward like an invisible giant hand, forcibly driving Asuma—who had barely jumped half a meter—back onto the soaked ground.
Zzzzt!
Blue lightning surged up from the puddles, racing along the soles of Asuma's shoes. The intense current forced even this battle-hardened elite Jonin into a brief but deadly paralysis.
Boruto shouted excitedly from mid-air,
"Sasuke! Naruto! Now! He can't move!"
"Nice job, Menma!"
Naruto, already charging in from the left with a kunai in hand, roared back.
"I know without you telling me!"
The two tomoe in Sasuke's eyes spun rapidly as he rushed in from the right at full speed.
Just as the two were about to form a flawless pincer and land the decisive blow—
"Stupid Sasuke! Don't get in my way! The finishing hit is mine!"
"Idiot dead last! You're too slow—move!"
Years of rivalry, combined with the sudden addition of Menma and zero coordination, proved disastrous. At the final instant, Naruto and Sasuke slammed straight into each other from opposite sides, both fighting for position.
Thud.
Not only did they miss Asuma completely, they crashed together and tumbled into a tangled heap on the ground.
"…"
Boruto, still airborne, froze in disbelief.
Kakashi, watching from outside the field, covered his face.
The excitement that had just ignited in Shikamaru died instantly, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
And amid this absurd chaos, the paralysis wore off.
Asuma inhaled sharply as his Chakra erupted outward, instantly dispelling the numbness in his body. He stepped forward and flicked Naruto and Sasuke on the forehead in quick succession.
"Ouch!"
Both cried out at the same time, clutching their heads.
Dispelling the Chakra blades, Asuma wiped the cold sweat from his brow and looked at Boruto—who had just landed steadily—with lingering fear.
"Your tactical sense is nearly flawless. Unfortunately…"
His gaze flicked to the two still arguing on the ground.
"…your teammates' coordination is a complete disaster."
Letting out a long breath, the contempt in Asuma's eyes faded, replaced by genuine seriousness. He flexed his wrist, still faintly numb, and a dangerous smile curved across his lips.
"That combo just now nearly took me down.
You brats really do have skill… From here on out, I won't be holding back."
"What are you two idiots doing?!"
Boruto snapped after landing, glaring at Naruto and Sasuke.
"Now isn't the time to fight over glory! We're facing a real elite Jonin—if we don't work together seriously, we'll all be wiped out!"
"Dammit… so annoying! This is all Sasuke's fault for cutting in!"
Naruto growled as he scrambled up.
"Hmph."
Sasuke wiped dust from his mouth, the crimson Sharingan burning even sharper.
"But Menma's right. Dead last, pay attention from now on—don't drag us down again."
Watching the three finally regroup, Asuma exhaled slowly.
'Among these three… Naruto's Chakra reserves are the most dangerous, Sasuke's killing power is the greatest—but Menma is the real problem. His tactics and judgment are the core.'
With a Jonin leader's experience, Asuma made his decision instantly.
'I take Menma out first. Break their tactical backbone.'
In the blink of an eye, Asuma vanished without warning.
"So fast!"
The onlookers cried out in shock.