Body Flicker Technique!
Asuma moved like a raging gale, instantly closing the distance and appearing right in front of Boruto.
"Kid, your brain is impressive," Asuma growled, "but your body just can't keep up yet!"
His right leg snapped out in a brutal kick, aimed straight at Boruto's chest.
Boruto's pupils shrank. Faced with such a ferocious assault from an elite Jonin, there wasn't even time to form hand seals. He could only instinctively cross his arms in front of his chest to protect his vitals.
Bang—!
It felt as if a massive sledgehammer had smashed into his forearms. A bone-grinding pain shot through him, making his scalp tingle.
Boruto was launched clean off the ground, flying backward like a cannonball.
"Menma!"
Naruto's face went pale.
After landing a clean hit, Asuma kicked off the ground with both feet, clearly intending to press the advantage and completely take Boruto out of the fight.
But at that moment—
A black figure wrapped in blinding lightning tore into the battlefield like a thunderbolt, blocking Asuma's path.
It was Sasuke.
Violent blue arcs of electricity danced faintly across his body. Lightning Release Chakra wasn't just concentrated in his palms—it was spread throughout his entire body, stimulating his cells to their limit.
Sizzle—!
Under the enhancement of Lightning Release cell activation, Sasuke's speed surged explosively, leaving an afterimage where he had been standing.
Asuma was forced to abandon his pursuit of Boruto and raise his arms to meet Sasuke head-on.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A rapid series of taijutsu collisions erupted in the clearing.
With his speed greatly increased, combined with the dynamic vision and predictive insight of his two-tomoe Sharingan, Sasuke actually managed to suppress Asuma for a short time.
Each strike was sharp and precise. Not only could Sasuke anticipate Asuma's counterattacks, but the paralyzing effect of the Lightning Release coating his body also restricted Asuma's movements, preventing him from taking hits head-on.
"Well done, Sasuke!"
Boruto, who had been blasted away earlier, struggled to his feet. Shaking his still-numb arms, he shouted encouragement as he watched Sasuke successfully hold the line.
And within the extremely precious opening Sasuke had fought so hard to create—
Naruto, protected behind him, crossed his hands into a familiar cross seal.
Poof.
A Shadow Clone appeared beside him.
The original and the clone faced each other, their four palms moving in unison as a dense vortex of blue Chakra was rapidly compressed and shaped in Naruto's hand.
The violent Chakra fluctuations kicked up sand and stones around them.
"Sorry for the wait, Asuma-sensei!"
Naruto lifted his head, azure eyes blazing with fighting spirit. Gripping the shrieking blue Chakra sphere, he charged forward like a raging whirlwind.
Feeling the immense pressure coming from these three Genin, Asuma bit down hard on the cigarette in his mouth, his gaze turning deadly serious.
"I can't treat them like ordinary kids anymore," he thought grimly. "If I don't get serious, I might actually lose here today!"
Asuma suddenly exerted force with both hands. Hien erupted with terrifying cutting power, its blade light slicing out like white silk and forcibly driving Sasuke back several steps despite his Lightning Release.
The moment Sasuke was pushed away, Asuma took a deep breath and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"
A massive cloud of extremely dense black ash spewed violently from his mouth, instantly filling the battlefield.
This wasn't simple smoke—it was highly volatile gunpowder-like ash.
"Taste this!"
At that moment, Naruto happened to be holding the fully formed Rasengan. Using his forward momentum, he plunged straight into the black ash, smashing the Rasengan toward Asuma's original position.
But Asuma had already used Body Flicker to retreat. His mouth twitched slightly, and his teeth clicked together.
"Ignite!"
Boom—!!
A violent explosion tore through the clearing, sending a scorching shockwave outward. Naruto's Rasengan smashed into empty ground, missing completely, and he was blasted away by the explosion, rolling several times in a miserable heap.
On the other side, Sasuke—who had been forcibly maintaining his Lightning Release state—dropped to one knee, gasping for breath. The blue arcs around his body faded rapidly; the heavy Chakra consumption had pushed him to his limit.
At that moment, Boruto, who had been sent flying earlier, finally shook off the numbness in his arms and climbed back to his feet.
Asuma's eyes darkened as he made a decisive move.
He formed seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof.
Without hesitation, Asuma split half his Chakra and created a Shadow Clone.
The clone lunged forward like a tiger descending the mountain, pouncing on the exhausted Sasuke and the just-recovered Naruto, pinning them down in an instant.
Meanwhile, Asuma's true body advanced rapidly toward Boruto, chakra blades gleaming.
Facing the oncoming Asuma, Boruto clenched his teeth, sensing how little Chakra remained in his body.
"Not much left… I'll have to gamble everything!"
He took a deep breath and gathered every last drop of Chakra into his right palm.
An azure vortex began spinning and compressing violently—
Seeing that familiar blue sphere, Asuma's pupils contracted sharply.
"Rasengan?!" he shouted in disbelief. "How do you know that technique, kid?!"
Before Asuma could recover from the shock, a sly glint flashed through Boruto's eyes.
He did something that shattered Asuma's expectations even further—
Boruto swung his arm and hurled the Rasengan forward like a concealed weapon.
"Throwing a fully compressed Chakra sphere with shape transformation?!"
Asuma dodged instinctively. "You've got to be kidding me!"
But then, something that made his scalp prickle happened.
The Rasengan flew for less than a second before vanishing into thin air with a faint buzz.
"It disappeared?!"
Asuma skidded to a halt, scanning his surroundings warily. "What kind of trick is this?!"
The next instant—
Bang—!!
A dull explosion erupted behind him.
The invisible Rasengan had reappeared behind Asuma's Shadow Clone, striking with pinpoint accuracy.
The clone didn't even have time to scream before it burst apart into white smoke.
"So that was your real target!"
Asuma was both shocked and furious, realizing he'd been completely played.
Without hesitation, he surged forward, chakra blades exploding into a storm of blue light as he slashed toward Boruto.
With his trump card spent, Boruto could only rely on agile footwork, dodging desperately as he struggled to buy time.
On the other side, Sasuke—freed from the Shadow Clone—lifted his head, eyes burning with resolve.
He bit his finger, rapidly formed seals, and slammed his palm into the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Poof.
As the smoke dispersed, a small monkey clad in tiger-skin garments appeared beside Sasuke.
It was Enma.