I didnīt expect him to die, specially after he made all the way through ītill the reinforcements arrived...Well, this will make the rest take Akatsuki more seriously now. Also maybe weīll see Kurenai go crazy and do something, because she hasnīt done anything worth mentioning in the series yet (fillers apart).
BTW, Shika starts smoking? Hahaha....but I think it has something to do with that thing Asuma told him about the king and we couldnīt hear/read...anyway I think it fits him well, I canīt imagine any other character smoking (maybe Sasuke?).
Farewell Asuma.