"Real illusion—"
Staring at Sarutobi Asuma, who was sleeping in his clothes, Uchiha Fugaku's right eye pattern spun as he activated Real Illusion.
Previously, activating Real Illusion required eye contact with the target.
However, after his eyes evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Real Illusion underwent a transformation and no longer required direct eye contact.
Now, as long as he looked in the direction of his target, he could activate it—even if there were obstacles in the way.
With a wider activation range, Real Illusion became even more difficult to guard against.
Even if his target was an elite jonin, Uchiha Fugaku was confident that no one would detect his technique.
Buzz—
As Real Illusion was activated, Sarutobi Asuma and Uchiha Fugaku both appeared in the illusion space.
Snap, snap, snap!
Uchiha Fugaku walked towards Sarutobi Asuma.
"Who…?"
Sarutobi Asuma, who had just laid down and was not yet asleep, suddenly turned over and sat up, reaching for his twin chakra blades under his pillow.
Bang—
Just as he grabbed his weapons, Sarutobi Asuma was kicked by Uchiha Fugaku.
With a muffled groan, he was sent flying backward, crashed through the wooden door, and landed in the corridor outside.
He rolled several times before standing up again, his body aching.
Snap, snap, snap!
Uchiha Fugaku stepped through the broken door, walking toward the corridor at a steady pace.
The moonlight shone on the corridor, casting shadows on his face.
"You are… Uchiha Fugaku!"
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku, Sarutobi Asuma was shocked.
He never expected Uchiha Fugaku, who was suspected of targeting the daimyo, to appear here and attack him instead.
A look of confusion crossed his face.
"Your target isn't the daimyo… it's me?"
"Along the way, I received so much attention from the Third Hokage. Now that I'm in the daimyo's mansion, it's only fair that I return the favor to his precious son. Consider it a courtesy."
Uchiha Fugaku smiled, but his expression made Sarutobi Asuma shudder, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Uchiha Fugaku, you'd better reconsider. If you dare attack me, you'll have no place left in Konoha or even the Land of Fire."
"Besides, the commotion here must have been noticed already. It won't be long before my companions arrive."
Sarutobi Asuma tried to threaten him.
If Uchiha Fugaku had truly awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, then fighting him directly was not an option.
At this moment, his only hope was to intimidate Uchiha Fugaku and make him hesitate.
"You're going to be disappointed. No one will come, and no one will even know that I killed you."
Uchiha Fugaku smirked.
"What… What do you mean?"
A bad premonition formed in Sarutobi Asuma's heart.
"So much time has passed, yet there's no noise nearby, and no one has come. Don't you think that's strange?"
Uchiha Fugaku chuckled.
"You… What did you do?"
Cold sweat began to form on Sarutobi Asuma's forehead.
"The dead don't need to know too much. Now, it's time to send you on your way."
The smile vanished from Uchiha Fugaku's face, replaced by an icy killing intent.
"Fire Style: Burning Ash—"
Unwilling to sit and wait for death, Sarutobi Asuma launched an attack.
A thick cloud of scorching ash erupted from his mouth, completely engulfing Uchiha Fugaku.
It blocked his vision while dealing high-temperature damage.
Finally, the ash ignited, exploding into a blazing inferno.
"Did he get hit?"
Staring at the flames, Sarutobi Asuma was stunned.
Could it be that Uchiha Fugaku was caught off guard by his jutsu?
Had the intel about his Mangekyō Sharingan been wrong?
Swoosh—
Just as he was wondering, a massive black skeletal hand reached out from the raging flames, grabbing him as easily as picking up an insect.
Then, emerging from the inferno, Uchiha Fugaku strode forward, his body encased in black Susanoo.
The blazing flames licked at Susanoo's surface, but they failed to harm him in the slightest.
"Ahh—!"
Sarutobi Asuma, caught in the giant black hand, screamed in pain as his body felt like it was being crushed.
Uchiha Fugaku had no intention of playing around.
The skeletal hand brought Sarutobi Asuma directly before him.
Puff—
A kunai swiftly slashed across Sarutobi Asuma's throat, killing him instantly.
With his death, the illusion space collapsed.
Everything that had occurred within the illusion disappeared.
Both Uchiha Fugaku and Sarutobi Asuma returned to the real world.
The only difference—
Sarutobi Asuma was dead.
A deep gash ran across his throat, blood gushing from the wound.
"If it's a corpse, might as well take it with me."
Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward, sealed Sarutobi Asuma's body into a scroll, and disappeared using the Mayfly Technique.
He was already being watched by Akatsuki, so extra caution was necessary.
If his corpse were taken by Akatsuki and given to Orochimaru for Impure World Reincarnation, it would put him at a disadvantage.
This was something he would not allow.
The next morning.
"Asuma, you still haven't woken up?"
Chiriku stood outside Asuma's room, knocking curiously.
It was time to switch shifts, but Asuma Sarutobi was still not up.
Normally, he was an early riser. It was unusual for him to sleep in.
"The door is locked from the inside. Why isn't he answering? Wait… there's a smell of blood!"
Chiriku sniffed the air, his expression darkening.
Channeling chakra into his palm, he slammed the door.
Crash—
The locked door broke open.
He rushed inside, scanning the room.
No sign of Asuma Sarutobi.
Then, his gaze fell upon a pool of dried blood on the tatami.
His expression hardened.
"What's going on?"
Hearing the noise, Fujika and Kitane rushed in.
"Asuma might be in danger. Look!"
Chiriku turned, pointing at the bloodstains.
"This… This much blood… Could Asuma have been killed? Someone snuck in last night, assassinated Asuma, and took his body away!"
Fujika examined the scene, her face filled with shock.
"Impossible! We heard nothing all night!"
"Even if a Kage-level ninja tried to assassinate him, it should have made noise!"
Kitane shook his head in disbelief.
"As unbelievable as it is… this is reality."
"Someone infiltrated last night and took him out."
"Judging from the blood loss, Asuma is probably dead."
Fujika's voice was grim.
A chill ran down her spine.
If the enemy could kill Asuma silently, then they could be next.
(End of this chapter)