Asuma Sarutobi
Asuma Sarutobi was a jonin-level shinobi from Konohagakure's Sarutobi Clan.
History[]
Asuma and his father, Hiruzen, plays Shogi
Asuma was born to Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, and Biwako Sarutobi. During the Academy entrance ceremony, Asuma became friends with Kurenai Yūhi. He later cheered on his classmates during the third round of the Chūnin Exams.[4]
During the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, Asuma along with the other young ninja were barred from participating in the defence of the village by Kurenai's father and the other senior shinobi.[5] A few years after the event, Asuma would become an uncle to Konohamaru. He later became a chūnin and later a jōnin.
Personality[]
Asuma's smoking habit
Asuma was typically a laid-back individual, and did not get himself involved in things unless absolutely necessary, as seen when he decided not to help save Hinata Hyūga during the Chūnin Exams. He was a heavy smoker but despite this, he would abruptly break the habit under certain circumstances, such as when his father died,[8] or learned that Kurenai was pregnant.[9][10] Not always seeing eye to eye with his father, Asuma later came to respect his father's role as Hokage: referring to him as a great father, and was proud to have been born into the Sarutobi clan.
Asuma and Kurenai
About seven years before the start of the series, he had a disagreement with his father and left Konoha to pursue his personal interests. During his absence, he became one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, a group that protected the Land of Fire's daimyō, indicated by the sash on his waist.[6] During this time he developed a strong friendship with the monk Chiriku, who would go on to become the head monk of the Fire Temple. Prior to returning to Konoha to resume active military duty, he accumulated a bounty of 35 million ryō on the black market, something he seemed to be particularly proud of.[7] After returning to the village, resumed his jōnin duties. About twelve years after the Nine-Tails' attack, seeing his classmate fall into deeper self-pity from losing Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara, Asuma, along with Might Guy and Kurenai decided to speak with the Third Hokage, voicing their disapproval of Kakashi being in Anbu with such bitterness and suggested instead that he be re-assigned as a jōnin sensei in the hopes of restoring Kakashi's kindness.
Abilities[]
Asuma taijutsu prowess
Asuma was a highly talented jōnin-level shinobi, having even once been part of the Twelve Guardian Ninja — an elite hand-picked team which served to protect the Land of Fire's daimyō, a role which later earned him a bounty of 35,000,000 ryō.[7] During the Invasion of Konoha he was able to kill nineOtogakure ninja — who were noted to have been chūnin-level or above — with very little effort.[17][18]He could also fight evenly with Hidan: a powerful member of Akatsuki while also protecting his team using his skill set. He also established a great record in military prowess — something which many upcoming shinobi greatly admired.
Ninjutsu and Nature Release
Asuma using Ash Release Ninjutsu
Asuma had the ability to use both Fire Release as well as Wind Release nature manipulations. He would mainly use his wind-nature manipulation abilities in combination with his trench knives to increase their lethality. When tutoring Naruto Uzumaki about wind-natured chakra, Asuma explained that enhanced with it by someone with an affinity for Wind Release, the trench knives possessed enough striking power to pierce through rock.[22] Asuma was also well-versed in ranged wind techniques, such as the Wind Release: Dust Cloud Technique. In the anime, it was shown that he could use his wind chakra to levitate his trench knives and control them remotely.
His proficiency with Fire Release techniques was demonstrated mainly through his use of the Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning technique to breathe out a cloud of superheated ash capable of causing third-degree burns. Because it was ash and not flame, the attack remained in the air around the target, and therefore remained potent for a longer period of time. The ash was in fact gunpowder, which could be ignited for a devastating explosion causing intense damage.
Asuma countering Hidan
Bukijutsu
Asuma was hailed as Konoha's foremost skill in the village with close-ranged melee combat.[3] His battle style revolved mainly around taijutsu, combined with his special trench knives to create a melee-type fighting style. These knives are made of a special metal that is capable of easily being infused with chakra. With his Flying Swallow, he could extend the blades with his chakra to injure an enemy several feet out of the blade's physical range, as well as increasing the cutting power of the blades to the point of easily slicing through trees, rocks and even iron. He was also physically strong enough to counter one of Kisame Hoshigaki's attacks using his trench knives.
Plot[]
Asuma as a jonin and leader of Team 10
When Chōji, fearing the competition, contemplated forfeiting his match during the preliminaries of the Chūnin Exam, Asuma convinced him not to by offering to take him out for "all you can eat" barbecue (yakiniku or Korean kalbi). Asuma also claimed that he'd stop the match if it got out of hand, as the other jōnin did during Hinata Hyūga's match. Both Ino and Shikamaru noted to themselves that Asuma didn't actually help in that instance. During the invasion of Konoha, Shikamaru was left by himself
Asuma arrives to rescue Shikamaru
to defend against a group of invading Oto-nin. Later, just as Shikamaru had run out of options, and the nine Oto-nin were about to finish him off, Asuma appeared and single-handedly defeated the group saving his student. After the invasion, he attended his Hiruzen Sarutobi father's funeral.
During the invasion of Konoha, Shikamaru was left by himself to defend against a group of invading Oto-nin. Later, just as Shikamaru had run out of options, and the nine Oto-nin were about to finish him off, Asuma appeared and single-handedly defeated the group saving his student. After the invasion, he attended his father's funeral.
Asuma manages to fend off Kisame's Samehade
Prior to Chōji's setting out with the squad assembled by Shikamaru to track down the renegade Sasuke Uchiha and the Sound Four, Asuma berated him for eating so much and not training enough. After Chōji's recovery from his battle against Sound ninja Jirobo, he quickly regained his lost weight, but also approached Asuma for more intense training, which Asuma agreed to, with some admiration.
During his brief battle with Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, Asuma managed to catch Kisame off-guard with his trench knives, leaving a cut on Kisame's cheek below the eye. Witnessing the blade made of wind chakra, Kisame switches to ninjutsu using Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique with Asuma seemingly still battle stationed with the blades. Kakashi Hatake arrived in time to copy the technique, and used it to block the attack for Asuma's own surprise. Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi then faced off with the two Akatsuki members, only for Kakashi to fall victim to Itachi's Tsukuyomi. Might Guy arrived just in time to stall the Akatsuki duo and buy time for the rest of his comrades who were about to get targeted by Kisame, leading to him coaching Asuma and Kurenai on the essentials on how to fight against a Sharingan using shinobi when the pair fled to pursue Naruto Uzumaki, their true target.
Asuma as the leader of the newly formed Niju Shotai
Asuma made his Part II début standing at the Third Hokage's grave, where he commented on how he was finally beginning to understand what the Third had taught him. Asuma confessed that he'd always been detached from Konoha, but after seeing how his father sacrificed himself for the village, he was now proud to be a member of the Sarutobi clan.
Later, when Naruto began training to master wind chakra, he came to Asuma, who was also a wind-type user, for help. Asuma agreed to give him pointers, if he agreed to pay for his team's next meal which, Naruto forgot, included Choji.
Asuma analyzes the battle and set a formation
Asuma was teamed up with Shikamaru, Kotetsu Hagane, and Izumo Kamizuki as members of the Nijū Shōtai. His team, along with the entire group, was ordered to search for and, if possible, capture a pair of Akatsuki members who had entered the Land of Fire.
Asuma and his team eventually tracked down the Akatsuki members, Hidan and Kakuzu, at a Bounty Station, where they quickly discovered that Hidan was immortal after their first attack. The situation worsened, when Hidan's counter-attack resulted in him becoming 'linked' to Asuma through a ritual.
Hidan defeats and humiliates Asuma
Hidan assumed a Grim Reaper-like form, causing any bodily damage to Hidan to be shared with Asuma, while at the same time not hindering Hidan at all. Some quick thinking by Shikamaru managed to break Hidan's ritual, allowing Asuma to decapitate him with his chakra-extended trench knives. Surprisingly, Hidan's severed head started to talk, uttering expletives at Asuma and then Kakuzu for not helping him.Kakuzu finally stepped in as he admonished his partner for letting his guard down, and sewed Hidan's head back onto his body. With his body restored, Hidan resumed the ritual, and impaled himself in the heart. Though the blow did not instantly kill Asuma, it was still quite fatal. The rest of Team 10 arrived as back-up, which, combined with a telepathic call from Pain, forced the Akatsuki duo to leave. Before dying, Asuma left some parting words with his students, and smoked one last cigarette.Later, while Shikamaru exacted revenge upon Hidan for killing Asuma, Asuma appeared before Shikamaru, and congratulated him for finally defeating the immortal. After entrusting his Will of Fire to
Asuma suffers a fatal defeat
Shikamaru, Asuma disappeared in a puff of cigarette smoke just before his student finished off Hidan with a huge explosion. Also, in his memory from the flashback, Shikamaru was finally able to understand who the "King" of Shōgi was in the real world. It is the next generation of shinobi, like Asuma's and Kurenai's unborn child, and how they would learn to care and live peacefully by the great shinobi in the present day. That was why Asuma entrusted his baby to Shikamaru, as apprentice and future sensei.
Legacy[]
Though somewhat understated, the legacy Asuma left behind was one of great value. Within Konoha, and the wider shinobi world he left a sterling record of military prowess which many young Konoha shinobi look up to, wanting to emulate. He is also forever recognised for this prowess having been selected as one of the twelve people deemed strong enough to protect the leader of their country. Though initially also confused about the role of the Hokage and the Will of Fire which his father told him of, Asuma came to understand all of these in time and also came to appreciate his father, and the role the Hokage played in protecting the villagers. Along with this, Asuma was also responsible for training the current generation of the famed Ino-Shika-Cho trio who are the future leaders of their respective clans as well as completing the all-important ceremony concerning the three clans and the Sarutobi. He was also integral in assisting Naruto with his nature transformation training with Wind Release. Asuma left behind spouse Kurenai Yūhi whom he fathered a child with. This child he views as his "king" whom he asked his student Shikamaru to protect with his dying breath.