Chapter 9: The Divide Beneath the Surface

The gates of Konoha opened slowly as the team returned, dust and wind curling past their boots. The sun was high, but the air felt heavier than it should. Like something had been lost in the mist... and something else had awakened in its place.

Team 7 had succeeded.

Zabuza was dead. Haku, shackled and silent, had been taken into custody. The Hokage would deal with her fate. But none of that lingered in their minds longer than a few minutes.

What lingered...

...was Asmodeus.

He walked ahead, quiet, calm, untouched. His cloak swayed behind him, his face unreadable as always. But to those watching closely—especially Kakashi—something had changed.

Something had grown.

The team stood near the Hokage monument, just outside the mission briefing hall.

Kakashi turned, hands in his pockets. His voice came soft, but firm, like a knife through silk.

"From today, Asmodeus will no longer be part of Team 7 for standard missions."

The silence that followed was instant.

Sasuke blinked. Naruto tilted his head, confused. Sakura furrowed her brows. None of them understood what they had just heard.

"He'll be receiving missions of a higher rank. B to A-level. Effective immediately."

The words hit like kunai to the chest.

Naruto's mouth fell open. "Wait… what? Why him?!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Sakura looked between the faces, seeking answers.

"It's the Hokage's decision," Kakashi replied. "And... it's a logical one."

He turned to the others.

"Teams only have three members. Four is an anomaly. To keep things fair for other teams, the Hokage has decided to separate Asmodeus."

Kakashi paused.

"Also... he's ready. More than ready."

Sasuke's jaw tightened. "Ready?"

"He's been handling himself on a level most elite jōnin can't keep up with."

That statement silenced even Naruto.

Sasuke clenched his fists. That same ache in his chest he had felt since the bridge mission was back. It wasn't jealousy.

It was fear.

Fear that someone had already reached a level he couldn't even comprehend.

"Then let me take those missions," Sasuke said, stepping forward. His voice held no tremble, but his rage burned behind every syllable. "Let me prove I can do it."

Kakashi shook his head.

"You can spar with him if you want. But the missions aren't mine to assign. The Hokage made the call."

Asmodeus stood beside him, still silent, his gaze unreadable, but cool. There was no satisfaction on his face.

No pride.

Only acceptance.

Kakashi turned to leave.

"We have an audience with the Hokage. Don't be late tomorrow. We'll resume your standard missions then."

Asmodeus followed without a word. His cloak moved like it belonged to a shadow. And just like that, he was gone.

Sasuke watched the place where he had stood.

"He thinks he's above me... But I will surpass him. I swear I will."

With Asmodeus gone, things returned to normal.

Or so they pretended.

Naruto fumbled through missions, trying too hard to be noticed.

Sakura kept glancing at the empty spot to her left, missing the quiet assurance that used to be there.

And Sasuke... Sasuke trained harder than ever. More than before. Because he could feel it.

The gap.

It wasn't small anymore. It was a chasm.

Asmodeus had crossed into a world none of them were allowed to touch. Not yet.

Scene III – The Phantom in the Mist

While Team 7 caught cats and cleaned streets, Asmodeus lived in the shadows.

ANBU.

He completed missions that would break seasoned shinobi. He eliminated traitors, retrieved forbidden scrolls, infiltrated borderlines.

And with each death... he Devoured.

His power climbed.

His instincts sharpened.

Every skill, every heartbeat stolen.

And no one knew.

Except Kakashi.

The reports he read in private left him in stunned silence. The boy had killed an elite assassin in the Land of Rain without leaving a trace. Stopped a coup in the Land of Claw. Uncovered a sleeper cell beneath the Wind Daimyō's palace.

He had succeeded.

And disappeared.

Kakashi closed one such report and leaned back.

"He's twelve... and stronger than most ANBU captains."

But even he didn't know how deep Asmodeus's plan went.

The Chūnin Exams approached.

Excitement filled the air.

Naruto bragged more than usual. Sakura studied furiously. Sasuke trained until his fingers bled.

But one of them wasn't participating.

Asmodeus.

He watched from rooftops. From the woods. From crowded marketplaces.

He wasn't a candidate.

He was a shadow.

Because he had other plans.

He knew Orochimaru would come. He knew Sarutobi would fall. And when he did...

Asmodeus would be there.

To Devour.

The Third Hokage. One of the Legendary. One of the last flames from the old era.

His death would not be in vain.

It would be a catalyst.

A feast.

And when it was done, Asmodeus would rise beyond all definitions.

Beyond jōnin.

Beyond ANBU.

Beyond the Kage.

The village didn't know it yet.

But the strongest being to ever walk the Hidden Leaf...

Had already been born.

And he no longer needed permission to exist.

End of Chapter 9