Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (2024)

Table of Contents
Part I Part II New Era References

Asuma was the son of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and Biwako. He became friends with Kurenai Yūhi during his entrance ceremony. Later, he was placed on a team with Kurenai and Raidō Namiashi during the Chūnin Exams.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (1)

When the Nine-Tailed Fox attack was unleashed in the village, Asuma along with the rest of the young Konoha shinobi were barred from involvement in the village’s defenses by Shinku Yūhi and other senior shinobi. A few years after the incident, Asuma became an uncle to Konohamaru. He also became jōnin at that point.

He had a disagreement with his father about seven years before the start of the series. Asuma left Konoha to pursue his personal interests, and he joined the Twelve Guardian Ninja, a force that guarded the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. During this period, he developed a close friendship with the monk Chiriku, who would go on to become the Fire Temple’s head monk.

Before returning to Konoha to continue military duties, he amassed a bounty of 35 million ryō on the black market, something he felt especially proud of because it was a tribute to his competence, and he even boasted that his bounty was 5 million more than Chiriku’s.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (2)

When Asuma returned to the village, he resumed his jōnin duties and became a teacher to Inomatsu and probably some other students. Watching his classmate fall deeper into self-pity after losing Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara, Asuma, along with Might Guy and Kurenai, decided to speak with the Third Hokage, and voiced their disapproval of Kakashi being in Anbu with such bitterness and suggested that he be re-assigned as a jōnin teacher in the hopes of restoring Kakashi’s kindness.

Part I

Chūnin Exams

When Chōji, fearful of the competition, considered forfeiting his match during the Chūnin Exam preliminaries, Asuma convinced him not to by offering to take him out for an “all you can eat” barbecue (yakiniku kr Korean kalbi). Asuma also stated that if the match got too intense, he would stop it. Both Ino and Shikamaru noticed that Asuma didn’t actually help in that situation.

Konoha Crush

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (3)

Shikamaru was left alone to defend against an invasion of Otogakure shinobi during the Konoha Crush. Later, just as Shikamaru was going to be killed by the nine Otogakure shinobi, Asuma appeared and single-handedly beat the group, rescuing his student. After the invasion, Asuma attended his father the Third Hokage’s funeral.

Search for Tsunade

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (4)

When Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha had entered the village, Asuma managed to catch Kisame off guard with his trench knives during his brief struggle, creating a wound on Kisame’s cheek below the eye. Kisame switched to ninjutsu noticing the blade made of wind chakra, while Asuma appeared to be still battle stationed with the swords. Soon, Kakashi Hatake arrived and copied Kisame’s technique to deflect the attack. Asuma, Kurenai and Kakashi battled the two Akatsuki members, but Kakashi was soon defeated by Itachi’s Tsukuyomi.

Might Guy arrived just in time to stop the Akatsuki duo and buy time for the rest of his comrades who were about to be attacked by Kisame, which led to him coaching Asuma and Kurenai on the fundamentals of fighting a Sharingan. The Akatsuki duo fled the area to pursue Naruto Uzumaki, their true target.

Asuma was later seen among the villagers at Tsunade’s inauguration ceremony as the next Hokage.

Sasuke Recovery Mission

Asuma chastised Chōji for eating too much and not practicing enough before he set out with Shikamaru’s unit to track down the rogue Sasuke Uchiha and the Sound Four. After the mission when Chōji requested Asuma for more severe training, the latter agreed and admired his student’s will.

Mizuki Tracking Mission

Tsunade assigned Asuma and Kurenai to bring the chūnin criminal Mizuki in for questioning about his alleged involvement with Orochimaru. The Legendary Stupid Brothers, Fūjin and Raijin, greeted the couple as they arrived at the Lead Village Maximum Security Prison. Soon, both Asuma and Kurenai were outnumbered and beaten unconscious, and were later found by Naruto, who brought them to the hospital for medical treatment.

In Naruto’s Footsteps: The Friend’s Path

Konoha planned to hold an early Chūnin Exams alongside Sunagakure about two years after Naruto left the village with Jiraiya for training. After the first exam, which was held in Konoha, Asuma and Kurenai served as the second exam’s supervisors, and alerted genin teams that weren’t among the first 30 to arrive at the checkpoint that they had already lost and couldn’t participate in the second round.

Later, after the second exam commenced, he, Kurenai and Guy received a message from Tsunade to stay alert for possible assassination attempts on Gaara since many still didn’t accept him as the Kazekage.

Part II

Asuma appeared standing at the grave of the Third Hokage, commenting on how he was finally beginning to grasp what the Third had taught him. He admitted that he had always felt disconnected from Konoha, but after witnessing his father’s sacrifice for the village, he was now happy to be a member of the Sarutobi clan.

Later, as Naruto began training to master wind chakra, he sought assistance from Asuma, who was also a wind-type user. Asuma agreed to offer him tips in exchange for paying for his team’s next lunch.

Twelve Guardian Ninja

When team Kakashi returned to Konoha after their failed mission, Asuma recognized a young monk from the Fire Temple named Sora who accompanied them. He invited Sora and the boys of the Konoha 11 to join him for a guys day out at a restaurant. He then confessed to Sora that he knew his father and that he murdered him for attempting to kill the Hokage. An infuriated Sora tried to attack him, but was stopped by a few Anbu members, and Sora stormed out.

Later, members of Furido’s 4-man team invaded Konoha, resurrecting multiple shinobi. Asuma recognized several of the resurrected shinobi from the Twelve Guardian Ninja, who planned to destroy Konoha with a deadly technique. He fought Kitane and eventually defeated him. Furido stayed after the three members of Furido’s 4-man team were killed.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (5)

Asuma found out that Furido was Kazuma, Sora’s father, and the man Asuma thought he had murdered. Kazuma then removed the seal he implanted on Sora over 15 years ago, exposing him to be a Pseudo-Jinchūriki of the Nine Tails. Asuma fought Kazuma, and later, with Sai’s assistance, killed Kazuma. Ultimately, Naruto was able to stop Sora by releasing the chakra sealed within the nine tails.

When the invaders failed, Sora, having come to his senses, left Konoha. After that, Asuma was seen playing shōgi with Shikamaru.

Akatsuki Suppression Mission

Asuma was assigned to the Twenty Platoons alongside Shikamaru, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki. His crew, along with the rest of the group, was tasked with tracking down and, if possible, capturing a pair of Akatsuki members who had infiltrated the Land of Fire.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (6)

Asuma and his squad ultimately tracked down the Akatsuki members, Hidan and Kakuzu, at a Bounty Station, where they found out that Hidan had become immortal following their first attack. Hidan told Kakuzu to stay out of it because he wanted to do this on his own. Asuma chose to approach him directly and fight him, while Shikamaru supported him from a distance with his shadows, keeping Hidan on his toes.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (7)

Hidan’s counter-attack worsened the situation when he “linked” himself to Asuma via a ritual. Hidan took a Grim Reaper-like form, causing any bodily harm to himself to be shared with Asuma while at the same time not hindering himself in any way. Shikamaru’s quick thinking allowed Asuma to decapitate Hidan with his chakra-extended trench knives after breaking Hidan’s ritual and pinning him down. Surprisingly, Hidan’s served head began to speak, hurling expletives at Asuma and then Kakuzu for failing to assist him.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (8)

Kakuzu finally intervened, and chastised his partner for letting his guard down and then briefly attacked Asuma, so he couldn’t stop Kakuzu from sewing Hidan's head back onto his body. Hidan resumed the rite after his body was restored, and impaled himself in the heart. Though the attack did not kill Asuma immediately, it was lethal. The rest of Team 10 arrived as backup, which forced the Akatsuki duo to depart due to a telepathic call from Pain. Before passing away, Asuma said his final goodbyes to his students and smoked one last cigarette.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (9)

Later, Shikamaru took revenge on Hidan for killing Asuma, where he appeared in front of Shikamaru and congratulated him for finally slaying the immortal. Asuma vanished in a puff of cigarette smoke after entrusting his Will of Fire to Shikamaru, just as his student killed Hidan with a massive explosion. Shikamaru was also able to comprehend who the “King” of Shōgi was in the actual world thanks to his flashback memories. It is the next generation of shinobi, such as Asuma and Kurenai’s unborn child, and how they will be taught to care for and live peacefully by the great shinobi of today. That’s why Asuma gave his child to Shikamaru as an apprentice and future sensei.

Fourth Shinobi World War

Kabuto Yakushi revived Asuma Sarutobi to fight against the Allied Shinobi Forces in preparation for the Fourth Shinobi World War. He was later called up together with Hizashi Hyūga and Dan Katō.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (10)

Asuma moved to the coast of the Land of Lightning and appeared from the sea with the White Zetsu Army and a few other resurrected shinobi before assaulting the enemy First Division. He initially confronted Chōza Akimichi with Dan, but soon parted from them and began battling other shinobi, engulfing several in a massive explosion.

Later, Asuma was confronted by his former students, whom he praised for their progress before engaging them in battle. Asuma moved involuntarily to attempt to assist them by advising them about the best ways to counteract his attacks. Shikamaru and Ino were able to battle despite their unwillingness to harm their teacher, but Chōji couldn’t bring himself to attack his beloved sensei. Asuma got an opportunity to attack but Ino managed to throw Chōji out of the assault’s direction. Asuma intentionally tried to irritate Chōji, whom he even called obese, but was ultimately forced by his comrades to come to his help once again.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (11)

Ino then took control of Chōji’s body to battle Asuma in his place, but Asuma took advantage of her confusion by attacking with his Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning technique. Chōza, on the other hand, dived in front of the attack, sparing them from injury and eventually supplying Chōji with the necessary motivation after remembering the oath he swore as the next Akimichi leader. Asuma cheerfully encouraged them to defeat him after observing Chōji’s new found confidence and makeover. Despite the combined efforts of Ino and Shikamaru, Asuma was unable to dodge Chōji’s attack and was sent flying over a neighboring cliff, where he is hilariously immobilized with his previous weapons. He thanked his students after complimenting them on their perfect formation before being completely tied and sealed by the Sealing Team.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (12)

When the Impure World Reincarnation technique was released, a light encased Asuma’s sealed body as the technique was dissolved and his soul returned to the afterlife.

New Era

Time Slip Arc

An adult Sasuke and Naruto’s son, Boruto Uzumaki, followed Urashiki Ōtsutsuki back in time, arriving just after Sasuke’s desertion from Konoha, to protect the young Naruto from being captured by the enemy. While Sasuke and Boruto claimed to be traveling entertainers in order to not disrupt the chronology, Boruto was eventually invited to join Naruto and Team Asuma at a BBQ restaurant, much to Asuma’s dismay at having to spend even more money than normal.

Who is Asuma Sarutobi in Naruto? (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Foster Heidenreich CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 6042

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (56 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Foster Heidenreich CPA

Birthday: 1995-01-14

Address: 55021 Usha Garden, North Larisa, DE 19209

Phone: +6812240846623

Job: Corporate Healthcare Strategist

Hobby: Singing, Listening to music, Rafting, LARPing, Gardening, Quilting, Rappelling

Introduction: My name is Foster Heidenreich CPA, I am a delightful, quaint, glorious, quaint, faithful, enchanting, fine person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.