DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (PRETTY SURE YOU GUYS KNOW WHO OWNS NARUTO, RIGHT? HAHA)

The Eye of a Needle

Naruto was sitting beside the campfire for he was tending its flames to prevent it from going out, he still had a few more hours to go before it was his turn to sleep. He then looked at his team to see if they were still asleep, and they still were. As Naruto was about to sit down once more, he noticed that Ino was feeling a bit cold. She was shivering in her sleep even though she was relatively near the fire, he then thought of something to help keep her warm. He took off his jacket and placed it on top of her as a makeshift blanket, it wasn't much but it did make her feel a tad bit warmer.

"So far so good" Naruto thought to himself, he pretty much did the same thing back when they were at the ranch. Naruto made clones and placed ordered them to spread out so that they could keep guard of their surroundings, none of his clones have dispelled yet and that was a good sign.

- 30 Minutes Later -

It was silent and all you could hear was the crackling of the campfire's flames, Naruto was starting to feel sleepy but he needed to press on for a little bit longer. Naruto then decided to use his Echolocation no Jutsu (Echolocation Technique) to survey their surroundings in case of danger, he then sent out a pulse in all directions. After a while, a mental image then popped up in his head and there he felt two chakra signatures from afar. Memories of his clones began rushing through his head, clone after clone was being dispelled at an alarming rate. Naruto then decided to wake their sensei up since this could mean trouble, he quickly approached their sensei and shook him.

"Asuma-sensei… Asuma-sensei…" Naruto said to the bearded Jounin.

Asuma then opened his eyes and looked at Naruto and asked him what was going on, Naruto then explained the situation to him. After hearing what Naruto had to say, he quickly got up and dusted himself.

Asuma didn't ask further questions as he woke up his two other students, he didn't have enough time to explain the situation to them. What he needed from them was to prepare for battle, things were certainly not their way for this mission. Asuma found this annoying but it is what it is.

Within a couple of minutes, both Ino and Shino were up and ready. Their initial plan of getting the jump on Kushimaru and Kimimaro quickly went out of the window, and any hopes of striking them first were squashed.

Each member of Team 10 watched their backs in case their opponents were to release a barrage of senbons and bones. But nonetheless, they were now prepared for what they had to throw at them.

Everything was quiet and tension was high, Team 10 listened intently to their surroundings. "Keep your guards up" Asuma reminded his students. Multiple projectiles then emerged out of nowhere in all directions, "Doton: Asudomo (Earth Release: Earth Dome)" Asuma said as he quickly performed the necessary hand seals. A dome quickly formed around them and blocked all the projectiles, Asuma then quickly ordered his students to perform the Meisaigakure no Jutsu (Hiding in Camouflage Technique) and Chakra Henso no Jutsu (Chakra Disguise Technique). And so, they did and all of them vanished after performing the jutsu. A section of the dome broke to reveal Kushimaru and Kimimaro, Kushimaru entered and as soon as he was inside the dome, the structure then crumbled to the ground. There was no one inside, Kushimaru was certain they were hiding somewhere and all he needed to do was smoke them out. He then looked over to Kimimaro and nodded, Kimimaro knew what exactly he needed to do.

Kimimaro jumped up high and pointed his fingers outward, "Teshi Sendan Danmaku (Ten-Finger Drilling Bullet Barrage)" Kimimaro said as he spun around whilst shooting out bones in all directions. Kimimaro released a flurry of bones which forced Shino to reveal himself, "Hijutsu: Mushiheki (Hidden Jutsu: Insect Wall)" he said as he erected a wall of insects to provide cover for his team. Kushimaru then smirked in response.

"Fouuuund youuu…" Kushimaru said, after which he cackled menacingly.

There was no point in hiding anymore since Kimimaro compromised their location by forcing them to break stealth. Asuma, Naruto, and Ino then released their jutsus as a result.

"It looks like our guests have returned, interested in a round two?" Kushimaru taunted, but Team 10 remained silent and didn't respond to Kushimaru's provocation.

"I'll take that as a yes, You… Let's take this somewhere else, shall we?" Kushimaru said as he pointed at Asuma, he really wanted to finish their battle the other day. It has been a long time since someone was able to entertain him, perhaps Asuma could provide that for him to make up for their previous battle that ended abruptly.

Asuma nodded without saying anything, all of a sudden both Jounins vanished in a flash as they both shunshined (body-flickered) away to another location. This then left the three of them alone once more, it was them against Kimimaro.

"It appears we meet again, our battle the other day ended prematurely. In addition, I applaud you for your jutsu" he said whilst looking at Shino. "Your jutsu certainly did a number on me, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to finish the job" Kimimaro stated

- Flashback -

While Kimimaro was inside the tornado of insects, he was being cut and slashed all over his body. He had to do something or else he would end up being minced meat, Kimimaro rarely uses other jutsus other than his clan's techniques. With that being said, he found out he had an affinity for fire which was quite rare in Mizu no Kuni (Land of Water) with the help of his master. Kushimaru though being a Kiri shinobi, still knew some fire-style jutsus. He taught Kimimaro some of them just in case he ever wanted to use this nature of his.

Kimimaro wasn't necessarily an expert with elemental ninjutsu but he was good enough to break free from Shino's jutsu. "Katon: Gouka Senpuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Hellfire Whirlwind Technique)" Kimimaro said as a protective barrier of fire emerged and encircled him. It then grew larger as he continued to feed the cyclone his chakra, the jutsu then incinerated all the insects around him thus releasing him from the tornado altogether.

- End of Flashback -

Shino didn't say anything to Kimimaro though, he remained silent as usual. Naruto stared down Kimimaro from a distance, he was a little bit anxious since he wasn't certain that their plan would even work at all. That was their only shot, Naruto would certainly do everything in his power to defeat Kimimaro in the event their plan fails. But the real question remains, how would he do it?

"I suppose now that you three have seen the way I fight, I would assume you have formulated a plan to work around it" Kimimaro stated and has yet to receive an answer from the three of them.

Kimimaro then prepared himself for battle as he began sprouting bones all over his body, "Karamatsu no Mai (Dance of the Larch)" he said as he stood his ground.

Naruto looked at his teammates and nodded, it was now or never. Would their strategy fail? Or would they succeed? They did not know but there was only one way to find out, Naruto then threw a smoke bomb on the ground.

Kimimaro recalled Naruto's fighting style and that was to swarm him with a never-ending wave of clones, he found it annoying in all honesty but he was certain it would only be a nuisance to him rather than a threat.

Naruto, Ino, and Shino then ran out of the smoke. Naruto ran towards Kimimaro whereas Ino and Shino attempted to flank him and provide support for Naruto from afar. Naruto took out a kunai and attempted to slash Kimimaro, Ino and Shino then launched projectiles and aimed them at him.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu)" Ino said as she shot fireballs at Kimimaro, Shino on the other hand performed the Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique) thus sending a barrage of shurikens at him. Essentially, Kimimaro was surrounded from all directions but this didn't faze him.

He performed a double leg sweep which caused Naruto to fall down on the ground, Kimimaro quickly swiped his bone-covered arm at Naruto. His strike hit but he was surprised to find that it was just a clone as it puffed into smoke right in front of his eyes, now was not the time to question what he saw for he still needed to dodge the fireballs and shurikens.

Kimimaro did a series of backflips, dashes, and rolls to avoid the flaming projectiles. And whilst doing that, he also tried his best to deflect all the shurikens approaching him. He was able to deflect most of it but some were still able to graze him and slightly injure him.

Both Ino and Shino then took out a kunai from their pouch for they were planning on stabbing Kimimaro, they were only a few inches away from Kimimaro's body but he was quick enough to block their kunais. He then took advantage of the fact that he disarmed them, he quickly swiped his arms at them but his arms passed through due to the fact that they were merely clones but this time they were made of insects.

The insects then swarmed him, Kimimaro was then restrained by a rope made of insects. "Hijutsu: Mushi Nawa no Jutsu (Hidden Jutsu: Insect Rope Technique)", Kimimaro tried to get rid of the insects by sprouting more bones out of his body but his attempt failed. He would be able to kill off some insects but the rest would simply move away from the bones and continue to restrain him.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)" Naruto said, a large portion of their surroundings was then filled with copies of himself. They all took out kunais from their pouches, "IKUZE! (LET'S GO!)" all of them yelled as they all threw their kunais at him and rushed towards him much like their first battle.

A multitude of kunais was approaching him as well as a horde of Naruto clones, Kimimaro was then forced to use ninjutsu to break free from Shino's bonds. "Katon: Gouka Senpuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Hellfire Whirlwind Technique)" Kimimaro used the same jutsu he used back when he was caught by Shino's insect tornado, his jutsu both blocked the kunais and burned all the insects to a crisp thus freeing him as a result. He quickly entered a new fighting stance that was more suited to his situation, "Yanagi no Mai (Dance of the Willow)" Kimimaro said as sharp-jagged bones sprouted out of his knees, elbows, shoulders, and palms.

The whole point of this stance was to be as evasive as possible whilst dishing out damage back at your opponents without even trying, his rationale for this was that he wanted to focus more on dodging and avoid getting hit by Naruto's clones while dispelling some of them in the process. Each clone lunged at him only to be punctured by his bones, clone after clone was being dispelled.

"I may have underestimated them…" Kimimaro thought to himself, he then wondered how his master was faring against his opponent.

- Earlier With Asuma -

"This is far enough Sarutobi-san, now where were we? Ahhhh yes… Shall we continue our previous battle, I hope you won't chicken out this time" Kushimaru taunted as he cackled.

"Don't worry, I won't" Asuma replied

"Say Sarutobi-san, 35 million Ryo is quite a lot. What should I spend it on?" Kushimaru asked but Asuma didn't reply. Kushimaru then disappeared in the blink of an eye, Asuma stood his ground and this time he was prepared for Kushimaru.

His surroundings began to fill with mist like last time, but Asuma wasn't going to allow Kushimaru to give himself an advantage. But before he performed his jutsu, Asuma decided to wait for Kushimaru to strike and release his attack at the right moment. Asuma stood firmly and listened closely to his surroundings, he then heard a sound coming from behind but he was better than that. Asuma knew it was a decoy to psyche him out, he then felt a chakra signature approaching in front of him. Asuma quickly weaved the hand seals of his jutsu, "Katon: Haisekisho (Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning)" Asuma said as he spewed out a stream of chakra-infused gunpowder from his mouth. The ash did two things, it served as a makeshift smoke bomb to conceal his location and it also surrounded Kushimaru.

"A smoke screen?..." Kushimaru thought to himself, he wasn't surprised that Asuma didn't fall for his decoy and perhaps he might have underestimated him a bit. He then thought that he should've made more decoys to really throw him off but what has been done cannot be undone. Kushimaru decided to back off and strike once more but before he could do so, Asuma bit the flint in his mouth to ignite the ash. Kushimaru noticed that the temperature suddenly rose.

"SHIT!" Kushimaru said as he quickly performed a kawarimi (body replacement), he switched places with a log just in time. The log turned to ash instead of him but that did not mean he didn't come out unharmed, Kushimaru sustained burns on various parts of his body. He also noticed that the mist around them vanished due to the sudden increase in temperature, all the vapor in the air quickly condensed. Kushimaru was now out in the open but Asuma was nowhere to be found, the ground beneath then cracked open to reveal two hands that were about to grab him.

Kushimaru was surprised but he was quick enough to jump up to the air and avoid being grabbed though he felt another presence coming from up above. There he saw Asuma who was about to slash him with his trench knives, Kushimaru quickly grabbed his Nuibari and parried his blades.

"You sly dog!" Kushimaru laughed, and the two landed on the ground once more. They continued to fight with their weapons of choice, steel clashed against steel. They slashed at one another with haste and ferocity, but both Jounins were skilled blade masters for they were able to block, dodge, and parry each others' strikes. Sparks flew from their blades due to the amount of force both of them were applying.

Asuma slashed one of his trench knives but Kushimaru was quick enough to react and counter his attack, both their blades were pressing on each other. Both men were pushing against each other with all their might but none of them faltered, Asuma gritted his teeth whereas Kushimaru was cackling and enjoying himself.

Asuma pushed Kushimaru back after which he backed off and performed a fire-style jutsu, "Katon: Karyudan! (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet)" Asuma said as he exhaled flames from his mouth. The jutsu scorched the earth beneath it and it came at Kushimaru at high speeds.

Kushimaru may not show it but he was no slouch when it came to weaving hand seals in quick succession, he quickly performed forty-four hand seals to counter Asuma's jutsu. The hand seals were the following: Ox - Monkey - Hare - Rat - Boar - Bird - Ox - Horse - Bird - Rat - Tiger - Dog - Tiger - Snake - Ox - Ram - Snake - Boar - Ram - Rat - Yang Water - Monkey - Bird - Dragon - Bird - Ox - Horse - Ram - Tiger - Snake - Rat - Monkey - Hare - Boar - Dragon - Ram - Rat - Ox - Monkey - Bird - Yang Water - Rat - Boar – Bird, "Suiton: Suiryudan (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet)" Kushimaru released a similar jutsu but of the opposite nature. Both jutsus collided and canceled out one another, which resulted in steam surrounding them.

Kushimaru could not see where Asuma was once more, he also couldn't see the grin on Asuma's face for this was what he wanted.

Asuma then performed another jutsu, "Katon: Yakedo no Jutsu (Fire Release: Scalding Technique)". The purpose of this jutsu is to injure an opponent using a hot liquid or steam, the presence of pre-existing steam amplifies the strength of this technique as well.

Kushimaru on the other hand had to react quickly or else he'll be severely burned, he had to counter Asuma's steam by lowering the surroundings' temperature in order to get rid of the steam and force it to condense once again. "Suiton: Daibaku no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Explosion Technique)" is an A-rank jutsu that sends out a massive tidal wave in all directions, the presence of cold water was able to eradicate the steam in the area thus canceling Asuma's move.

Asuma saw this and was disappointed that his attempt was foiled, he planned it perfectly, and yet it failed. Perhaps the execution wasn't fast enough, Asuma decided to cease fire for now since they were simply countering each other's jutsu using a move of the opposite nature. It was a battle of two formidable chakra natures, fire against water. Two sides of the same coin as they would call it. Both of them then heard a massive explosion from a distance, this worried Asuma about his students but he had to trust them for he needed to focus on his own battle for now.

Both Jounins were now out in the open with nowhere else to hide, they pretty much wrecked the portion of the forest they were in. Trees were uprooted, flames and puddles of water were scattered everywhere, as well as craters here and there. So far, Kushimaru has been on the defensive, unlike last time when he was on the offensive. Asuma decided to press on as he rushed towards Kushimaru, he then threw a kunai with a tag wrapped around it.

"Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Kunai Shadow Clone Technique)" Asuma said as the kunai multiplied in number, the projectiles were traveling so fast that Kushimaru had to resort to blocking each one using the old fashion way. He dodged and blocked each one using his Nuibari (Sewing Needle), Kushimaru would've opted on using ninjutsu but he knew it wouldn't be fast enough to form on time. He was able to avoid and deflect most of the kunais but one was able to nick him on the leg, Kushimaru was surprised to feel that he was unable to move his body.

What he didn't know was that Asuma wrapped a tag with a jutsu-shiki (technique formula) on it that contained the Kanashibari no Jutsu (Temporary Paralysis Technique). Asuma also modified it by pouring in more chakra to strengthen the hold of the jutsu and lengthen its duration.

With Kushimaru frozen in place, now was the time for Asuma to strike. He gripped his trench knives tightly as he quickly closed the gap between him and Kushimaru in the blink of an eye. Asuma headbutted him and followed by three quick jabs to the face, Asuma then landed a punch on the back of Kushimaru's head causing him to lean forward. Asuma continued his attack by delivering a powerful uppercut and a punch to his abdomen making his opponent stumble backward, Asuma quickly dashed forward and landed a hook which was then followed by multiple successive left and right punches. He finished the barrage with a powerful punch, but Asuma wasn't finished yet as he slashed one of his trench knives at Kushimaru which caused his opponent to flinch. Seeing this he saw the opportunity to deliver a hook kick at him which caused him to fly across the air, Kushimaru's back then hit a tree which made a loud crack. And as a final blow, he threw one of his trench knives at Kushimaru. It logged itself in Kushumaru's shoulder which made him yell in pain, Asuma's breaths were shallow for he was panting after finishing his combo. Kushimaru remained silent and motionless for a while and then he saw him cackling.

"How could he be laughing right now?" Asuma thought to himself, perhaps this man was even more unhinged than he thought. So far, he has been wiping the floor with him. Kushimaru grunted as he tried to pull Asuma's trench knife out of his body, he pulled it out and threw it away moments later. Kushimaru then got back up on his feet, he struggled at first but he was able to stand back up nonetheless. Kushimaru clutched his shoulder due to feeling pain, his breaths were shallow as well but that did not stop him from bantering with Asuma.

"You wanna know something Sarutobi-san?" he asked Asuma, Asuma did not reply but he did raise his eyebrow

"I didn't just pick a random spot in the forest" Kushimaru cackled menacingly. "Choto Ninpo: Kakureta Kumonosu (Longsword Ninja Art: Hidden Spider Web)" Kushimaru said and all of a sudden, multiple ninja wires revealed themselves as he pulled a single wire out of nowhere. Asuma didn't notice the wires due to the fact that Kushimaru camouflaged all the wires with the use of the Meisaigakure no Jutsu (Hiding in Camouflage Technique).

Asuma's eyes widened as he realized what Kushimaru meant. He then saw ninja wires coming in fast, he dodged the first few wires that were coming his way. He planned on releasing his trump card once he finds a window of opportunity but until then he has to keep weaving through every single wire. And not only that, Kushimaru began to pepper in multiple senbons using his one good arm. Asuma needed to avoid being hit by both wires and senbons alike, he alternated between using a jutsu or his trench knives to deflect incoming senbons.

As he was doing that, Asuma noticed something. He observed that the number of wires was beginning to dwindle, it must mean that Kushimaru's jutsu was about to end. Once the final wire revealed itself, Asuma landed on the ground and performed his jutsu. "Futon: Tatsumaki no En (Wind Release: Tornado's Edge)" Asuma said as he released a destructive tornado toward all of Kushimaru's wires, the wires were snapped with ease due to the cutting force of the tornado. Kushimaru had to brace himself due to the tornado's powerful gust, the tornado also lifted up dust and debris in its path which made it difficult for Kushimaru to even see at all. Asuma took advantage of this once the tornado settled down, he quickly sprinted toward Kushimaru after the tornado dissipated.

Kushimaru opened his eyes to see that Asuma was mere inches away from him, Asuma channeled chakra through his trench knives to make it sharper and longer. He was about to slash his opponent, not until he saw Kushimaru smirk.

"Choto Ninpo: Gyakusatsu Hojin (Longsword Ninja Art: Massacre Method Formation" Kushimaru said as wires hidden underground revealed themselves. The wires first caught his arms which lifted him up, his legs and torso were then caught as well moments later. Asuma was hanging up in the air as if he was crucified, the wires were wrapped tightly around him. Asuma tried to break free but it caused him discomfort and pain, the wires weren't sharp enough to chop him up but it was adequate enough to bound him. Asuma had to think of something fast, time was of the essence.

Kushimaru laughed as he took out his Nuibari (Sewing Needle) for he planned on finishing the job. Usually, Kushimaru would impale his victim to make them bleed to death so that they could suffer a slow and painful death. But he wasn't taking any chances this time, Kushimaru was aiming for Asuma's heart.

Kushimaru was about to deliver the final blow to his opponent to end the battle once and for all, he laughed maniacally but his laugh was cut-off when one of Asuma's trench knives embedded itself in his windpipe.

Asuma was able to pull off one final jutsu of his in time, the Futon: Suiranrenppuu (Wind Release: Jade Severe Gale Wind). With the use of this jutsu, Asuma is able to remotely control his trench knives in case he is restrained or unable to move. He applied enough wind chakra to make it powerful enough to penetrate through the back of Kushimaru's neck.

"Kimi-…" Kushimaru grunted as he fell to his knees and dropped his Nuibari (Sewing Needle), after which he fell flat on the ground. Asuma was certain that Kushimaru would not survive after that, he was certain that he would bleed out since Asuma made sure to at least hit an artery. And if that wasn't enough, this would also cause him to drown in his own blood.

Asuma sighed to himself for that was a close call, he did not expect Kushimaru to lay another trap. He was disappointed in himself that he fell for it and Kushimaru played him like a fiddle. He knew he was better than that but he was so caught up in finishing that battle that his judgments were a bit clouded at the time. But that didn't matter to him anymore, he was just glad that it was over. Yet Asuma was still worried about his students, and the outcome of their battle.

(A/N: Jeez... This chapter took me a while to finish haha, also if you guys are wondering why the hell Asuma has a lot of jutsus. Well... In canon, he has like what? Seven, at least that's according to the wiki. I simply needed to expand his arsenal, same applies to Kushimaru and Kimimaro since they have so few moves listed on their wiki pages haha. The long-ass hand seals are a reference to Kakashi VS. Zabuza battle where Kakashi first showed the power of the Sharingan. Also, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, I apologize in advance if I messed something up when it comes to fighting. I am not certain what would happen if someone were to be stabbed through the throat (they would feel pain obviously but how would they suffer and how long would it take before they die is what I'm referring to), I wouldn't know since I've never done it and I don't plan to do it anytime soon. My search history is a bit sketchy right now because of this chapter haha, I'm probably being monitored for it haha XD. Also sorry for the cliffhanger once more, the last cliffhanger was back at the ranch chapter lmao. Hope y'all are still enjoying the ride, show me some love and RnR, that's all cheers! )

(P.S: This fic is also on AO3, but only the first three chapters for now haha. Just wanted to share)