"Ran away?"
"Rebellious kids are always a hassle!"
Hearing from Kurenai that Asuma Sarutobi just ran away and wasn't injured by the Mist Ninja's pursuit, Yasuke let out a sigh of relief.
Why?
Because if Asuma Sarutobi had been injured by the Mist Ninja's pursuit, Yasuke would have had some responsibility. Even though Asuma disobeyed Yasuke's orders and left on his own, as a member of Yasuke's team, Yasuke had the duty to ensure Asuma's safety.
In short, if anything happened to Asuma during the mission, some people could blame Yasuke for it. Especially the Uchiha clan, who might use the incident to sow discord between the Nara clan and the Third Hokage.
However, since Asuma ran away after returning to the Leaf camp due to the camp's negligence, it had nothing to do with Yasuke.
If the sky falls, it's the higher-ups' problem, right? Besides, Yasuke didn't believe anyone in the Leaf Village would dare to stir trouble between the Fourth Hokage and the Third Hokage.
Given that, Asuma running away was a trivial matter in Yasuke's eyes. In the original story, Asuma ran away because of issues with the Third Hokage. Whether he ran away earlier or later didn't matter, as long as he didn't get killed. The Third Hokage couldn't blame Yasuke for it, and Yasuke could maintain a detached attitude.
But since Kurenai showed concern for Asuma, as her former team leader, Yasuke had to patiently console her. Fortunately, Kurenai had already developed some bias against Asuma during their mission, seeing him as a bit too reckless.
Now, besides worrying about Asuma as a comrade, Kurenai didn't say much more about him to Yasuke and secretly looked down on Asuma's behavior.
Compared to Yasuke, Asuma was almost a negative example.
Not following orders, not abiding by rules, it seemed that apart from his "noble" status, Asuma had no redeeming qualities.
On the other hand, Yasuke, despite his young age, was already part of the Anbu and had made significant contributions to the Leaf Village.
If Yasuke were older, Kurenai might even have some different thoughts about him.
After talking a bit about Asuma's situation, Yasuke started asking Kurenai about what happened while he was unconscious.
It was from Kurenai that Yasuke gradually learned about the recent developments in the war between the Leaf Village and the Mist Ninja during his week-long coma.
First, there was the matter of the Leaf medical unit Yasuke was originally assigned to.
The day Yasuke returned to the Leaf camp with Kakashi, Kakashi reported the situation to the Fourth Hokage.
Who was the Fourth Hokage?
Despite his usual friendly and approachable demeanor, on the battlefield, the Fourth Hokage was a fearsome "god of death" whom everyone feared.
Upon hearing that the Mist Ninja dared to surround the Leaf medical unit and disrupt the rear, the Fourth Hokage ordered several ninja units to move out and eliminated the Mist Ninja's encirclement within three days, successfully freeing the Leaf medical unit.
The captain of that medical unit was shocked to hear that Yasuke and his team were the ones who completed the mission and saved them. Apparently, even the medical unit captain hadn't placed much hope in Yasuke and had sent out many other teams for help.
Who would have thought that all those later teams would be wiped out by the Mist Ninja, while only Yasuke's team completed the mission?
Second, another significant recent event was that the Mist Ninja had secretly sent a unit to infiltrate the Land of Fire.
This was a task for Kakashi to handle.
After returning Yasuke to the Leaf camp, Kakashi completed his mission while the Fourth Hokage was rescuing the medical unit.
However, hearing from Kurenai that Kakashi had been downcast since completing his mission made Yasuke's heart sink.
Clearly, Yasuke suspected that Kakashi had received news about Rin, which explained his recent mood.
Moreover, considering the third piece of news Kurenai mentioned, that the Fourth Hokage planned to split his forces—one to engage the Mist Ninja in full combat and the other to return to the Land of Fire to deal with the infiltrating Mist Ninja unit—Yasuke's already heavy heart became even more burdened.
However, in front of Kurenai, Yasuke maintained a cheerful demeanor while chatting with her. Only after Kurenai left to avoid disturbing Yasuke's recovery did his expression darken, and he thought to himself:
"The tragedy of the original story is about to unfold!"
"Based on Kurenai's information, Minato-sensei will soon order a full-scale battle with the Mist Ninja while secretly sending Kakashi to rescue Rin. Under Madara's manipulations, even if Minato-sensei wins the battle, the seed planted in the shadows will sprout, leading Minato-sensei, Kakashi, and even 'deceased' Obito Uchiha towards the path of the original story because of Rin."
Gritting his teeth, Yasuke's eyes filled with determination.
Especially when he glanced at the wound on his arm, he sighed deeply, thinking, "Damn it, if only I weren't injured!"
"If I weren't injured, I could follow Kakashi on the mission and use my knowledge of the original story to change the tragic outcome!"
"And Kakashi, I told you about the problem with the Mizukage, why didn't you report it to Minato-sensei?"
"Forget it! Since there's still time, I have to take a risk!"
"Whether it's for Minato-sensei, Kakashi, the 'deceased' Obito Uchiha, or the 'wronged' Rin, I have to try!"
With a determined gaze, Yasuke, despite having some ulterior motives in his interactions with the Fourth Hokage and Kakashi, had formed deep bonds with them over time. Even though he didn't get along well with Kakashi, Yasuke didn't want him to suffer too much, so he decided to take a risky move.
But just as Yasuke struggled to get up and talk to the Fourth Hokage, a stern voice echoed in his ears, stopping him in his tracks.
"Yasuke, lie down properly!"
"You're injured and need to rest, don't you know that?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Yasuke froze, then quickly lay back down.
The person who came was none other than Uncle Nara, the leader of the Nara clan, Shikaku Nara!
If it were anyone else, Yasuke might not listen, but he couldn't ignore Shikaku.
So, no matter how urgent the situation, Yasuke obediently lay there, then awkwardly asked, "Uncle Nara, why are you here?"
"Hmph, if I hadn't come, you'd be dead already!"
Seeing Yasuke's severe injuries, Shikaku's eyes flashed with a hint of concern, which warmed Yasuke's heart.
But Shikaku clearly had important matters to discuss, so despite his concern, he maintained a serious expression and said slowly:
"Yasuke, I came to check on you first."
"As for the other reason..."
"I have both official and personal matters to discuss with you. Which do you want to talk about first?"
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