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Asuma Sarutobi
Age: 27-28 Part I, 30 Part II
Ninja Rank: Jounin

Part In The Story

Not much was known about Asuma, only that he seemed very laid back and was always smoking a cigarette whenever he was seen. Asuma smoked about two packs of cigarettes a day, though, as Shikamaru Nara pointed out, he stopped the habit when there was "something going on" or something that bothered him. However, despite his laid-back attitude, he often worried about his team, which (as he put it) consisted of a "glutton" (Choji), a "loud mouth" (Ino), and a "slacker" (Shikamaru). Asuma was very close to his team, even though he admitted that they are very hard to work with. Most of them are underachievers who would rather pursue other pastimes than train or take on missions. The team was often shown snacking at the Amaguri Ama dango and teashop or eating at the Yakiniku Q restaurant.

Because his team was lazy, he learned several techniques to get them to do what he wanted, often through bribery and sometimes through outright trickery. He promised Choji barbecue dinners if he completes the day's mission, or whatever else Asuma may want him to do. Knowing that Shikamaru would never take a written test under any circumstances because it would be "too troublesome" (he wouldn't bother to lift his pencil at the academy, hence his low grades), Asuma disguised the I.Q. test as a series of puzzles and asked Shikamaru to solve them (knowing that Shikamaru couldn't resist solving a new puzzle). This method is how he discovered that Shikamaru has an I.Q. of over 200.

The sash under Asuma's vest indicates that he was one of the 12 Guard Ninjas of Fire who protected the Lord of the Land of Fire at one point in his life, before returning to active military duty as a Jonin (akin to Kakashi's stint as an ANBU operative before returning to the rank of Jonin in the ninja military). These ninja seem to be particularly skilled, and Asuma was no exception. Asuma used trench knives (brass knuckles with a blade on one end) to fight. He could extend the blades of his brass knuckles with his chakra to injure the enemy even though the physical portion of the blade didn't touch them. In Part II, he exhibited the ability to extend the blades by several feet. Coupled with his taijutsu skills, this made him a formidable combatant.

It has been heavily hinted that he was romantically involved with Kurenai Yuhi. During one episode, Asuma and Kurenai are at a dumpling shop. Kakashi mentions this and Asuma attempted to change the subject. The two were seen together almost constantly when not on duty, and are usually paired together when they are on duty. There has also been a flashback in which Asuma bought flowers for someone and refused to say who, though Ino told him to "Say hi to Kurenai-sensei" for her. When Asuma, Shikamaru, Kotetsu and Izumo are fighting Hidan and Kakuzu, various shots of Kurenai in her apartment are shown, indicating that she was concerned about him. At one point, when she was watering flowers, one of the flowers fell off of its stalk, symbolizing that something had happened to him. In chapter 330 when the report of his death is made to Tsunade, Kotetsu asks, "What about Kurenai?" Tsunade then offers to tell Kurenai the news herself, but Shikamaru interjects that Asuma had wanted him to tell her something. This same chapter then reveals panels of Shikamaru speaking with Kurenai. We are shown a close-up of her shocked face and her reaction of falling to her knees and then later the action of her laying flowers on Asuma's grave during his funeral.

Part I

Asuma's talent for getting his team to do what he wanted is shown during the preliminary matches of the Chunin Exam. Choji, fearing the leftover competition, thinks he should forfeit. Asuma convinced him not to by offering to take him out for "all you can eat" barbecue (yakiniku or Korean BBQ). He also claims that he'll stop the match if it gets out of hand, as the other Jonin did during Hinata's match. Both Ino and Shikamaru note to themselves that Asuma didn't help in that instance.

After the attack on Konoha begins and Shikamaru offers to hold back the enemy for Naruto and Sakura, it is Asuma that comes to his rescue, single-handedly defeating nine Sound-ninja without being hit once.

Revelations

In chapter 314, it is confirmed that Asuma is the son of the Third Hokage and in chapter 330, that he is Konohamaru's uncle. While standing at the Third's grave, he comments on how he's finally beginning to understand what the Third taught him. Asuma confesses that he's always been detached from Konoha, but after seeing how his father sacrificed himself for the village, he is now proud to be a member of the Sarutobi family. There were several clues leading to the revelation of Asuma's connection to the Third Hokage, including:

The Third is often seen smoking a pipe seeing as he is from an older generation, while Asuma is often seen smoking a cigarette as he is from a younger generation.
In flashbacks of the Third when he was younger, his facial features bore a resemblance to Asuma, minus Asuma's long sideburns.
He and the Third share a resemblance in terms of appearance. Note that they both have similar hairstyles and facial hair.
It is also revealed in Chapter 342 of the manga that Kurenai is pregnant with Asuma's child.

Asuma's trench knives

In chapter 317, the reasoning behind Asuma molding chakra around his trench knives is explained; by imagining his chakra being split into two pieces and rubbing them together, he can sharpen the chakra parts into fine pieces and compress them together. He emphasizes that "the thinner and sharper the better." Like Naruto, he has wind-based chakra. The split piece of paper that confirmed this for Naruto is symbolic of Asuma's technique. After molding chakra around the knife and throwing it, the knife possesses enough power to pierce through a tree and embed itself in a boulder behind the tree. Asuma told Naruto that if he hadn't restrained himself, he could have also sent the knife through the rock.

Asuma is one of the 12 Guardian Ninja and has a large bounty on his head. He boasted that his bounty is 5 million ryo more than Head Monk Chiriku's bounty, meaning his bounty is 35 million ryo.

Despite this sudden reprieve and his team's best efforts, Asuma doesn't make it back to Konoha. His last actions were some parting words to Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru, including revealing to Shikamaru (but not the reader) who the "king" is, and smoking one last cigarette. After avenging Asuma's death at the hands of Kakuzu and Hidan, Shikamaru talks with his father over a game of shogi, telling him that Asuma believed the unborn generation to be the king, and that protecting them was of utmost priority. Promptly after saying this, his father beats him at the game. Shikamaru vows to protect Kurenai's unborn child, and hopes that it will think of him as a 'cool' adult, just like Shikamaru thought of Asuma.

Recently, a funeral has been held by Konoha to honor Asuma's passing, much like the Third Hokage's funeral. Because of Asuma, it seems that Shikamaru has taken up smoking and has also begun using Asuma's trench knives.

Piczo