Chapter 124: Sarutobi Hiruzen: “why Did You Vote For It?” Justice At War With The Ninja World!
The intense heat of the lava instantly incinerated the internal organs of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to carbon. His body, which had begun to turn and flee in a panic, froze completely at that moment.
“Ugh… cough, cough…”
His terrified expression was permanently etched onto his face, and his gradually fading consciousness caused snot and tears to well up. He looked as undignified as one could be in his despair.
As the Lava Demon Dog receded from his body, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire’s body lost its support.
He lunged forward uncontrollably and fell heavily onto the ground.
With a dull thud, his face, which had landed on the ground, had its nose broken. Blood instantly sprayed across his face, and it gradually spread on the floor, seeping into the fine cracks.
However, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire could not utter another cry of agony, for his life had completely ceased at that moment.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire…
Has been executed!
The entire Daimyo’s Mansion seemed to have had its pause button pressed, falling into a deep silence at that moment. The samurai, retainers, and servants, who were isolated by the lava and dared not approach, all looked on in horrified astonishment at the shocking scene before them.
The Daimyo’s many offspring were also frozen on the spot, their faces filled with astonishment, bewilderment, and disbelief. They even doubted if everything they were seeing was real.
Even Mitarashi Anko, standing behind Uchiha Ikeizumi, couldn’t help but pinch herself hard with a trembling hand.
It hurts…
It hurts a lot…
She felt that the flesh she had pinched had turned at least bruised.
This also indicated that this was not a dream, and possibly not an illusion technique.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire… this man who stood at the pinnacle of power in the Land of Fire, above all its people. He was killed by Uchiha Ikeizumi as easily as one would kill a pig.
It was too simple, too hasty, too rushed.
Shouldn’t the death of such a high-ranking figure be accompanied by a grand spectacle?
No!
What am I even thinking? Shouldn’t I be thinking that such a high-ranking figure should not be killed at all?
Mitarashi Anko’s mind was in utter chaos.
She even felt a bit dizzy.
“D-Daimyo Lord!!!”
This strange silence, lasting for an unknown amount of time, was finally broken by a cry of utter grief. The exclamations and wails of the many retainers and servants in the Daimyo’s Mansion then erupted in succession.
“Father!!!”
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo was also weak all over, as if he had lost his parents. Even though he had anticipated such a possibility, seeing this scene unfold before his eyes and witnessing it firsthand, he found that he still couldn’t endure the psychological impact.
His steps faltered as he stumbled towards the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, frantically kneeling down to try and help his fallen father.
However, as soon as his hands touched the body of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, the Eldest Son of the Daimyo couldn’t help but cry out in pain.
It was too hot!!!
His hands instantly turned bright red.
He was scalded!
Rather than a corpse that had just died, its body was like one made of a branding iron, radiating intense heat from head to toe, leaving the Eldest Son of the Daimyo unsure where to even touch.
Although he was somewhat at a loss, one thing he could be sure of was that his father was truly dead!
That Konoha Ninja named Uchiha Ikeizumi.
He has no concept of “ruler and subject” at all!
When he says kill, he truly kills!
Wait…
Wait a minute…
A sudden alarm blared in his mind, and the Eldest Son of the Daimyo froze. He mechanically raised his head, his eyes still filled with lingering terror, and met Uchiha Ikeizumi’s completely indifferent gaze.
The thoughts in the Eldest Son of the Daimyo’s mind exploded with a “boom,” and what flooded his entire body was not anger, but fear!
Cold sweat instantly drenched the back of his clothes.
“I… I… I…” He wanted to say something, but he stammered and stuttered, unable to form a complete sentence. He was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead and his face turned pale.
“Once a person commits evil, regardless of their status, age, or gender, they must pay the price they deserve,” Uchiha Ikeizumi’s indifferent voice echoed slowly through the Daimyo’s Mansion. “Committing a minor evil requires reflection in prison; committing a great evil requires one’s life to atone for the sins committed.”
“You believe I shouldn’t have killed him, right? Because you think his status is special, that he’s different from ordinary people. You believe that the moral and justice standards of normal people don’t apply to the esteemed Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Right?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi’s indifferent questions struck the Eldest Son of the Daimyo like a series of life-or-death inquiries.
Uchiha Ikeizumi might not have intended it, but the Eldest Son of the Daimyo felt… if he answered incorrectly, he would die!
He would end up like his father!
The title “Daimyo” might carry weight in the eyes of others.
But before this Uchiha Ikeizumi…
It had become a death sentence for him!
“N-No…” The Eldest Son of the Daimyo tried very hard to speak a coherent sentence, but he couldn’t. “Daimyo… Daimyo are also people. Father… perhaps he was too accustomed to being high above, perhaps he no longer looked down upon those below him. He… *gulp*… everything he did… he might have thought nothing of it, but it was different when it affected others.”
“It’s like that saying, that…”
“Ugh!” The Eldest Son of the Daimyo’s mind suddenly froze. He was so anxious he felt an itch all over his body, but he didn’t dare to scratch it.
“A grain of dust from an era, a mountain for a commoner,” Uchiha Ikeizumi coldly completed the sentence the other person couldn’t recall.
“Yes! That’s it! Father ignored the commoners, he only thought of his privileges as Daimyo. That’s why he indulged Kyusuke, that’s why he enacted many rules that exploited and bled the commoners dry…”
“He never considered what kind of evil consequences his actions would bring, because it wasn’t him, the Daimyo, who had to pay the price, but many commoners of the Land of Fire.”
“Therefore…”
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo knew that if what he said now got out.
He would likely be branded as “unfilial” and “cowardly.”
However.
Being branded with such a reputation was better than being killed by the other party.
He was only in his thirties!
He was still very young!
As he became so nervous his mouth went dry, he heard Uchiha Ikeizumi ask him, “Therefore?”
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo gritted his teeth fiercely, his desire to survive finally overcoming his shame, his weakness suppressing his backbone. He bowed his head and hastily said, “Therefore, Father met this fate, but it was his own doing. He sowed the seeds and reaped the fruit. All of this is simply the destiny he was meant to experience.”
These words fell.
The retainers, samurai, servants within the Daimyo’s Mansion, as well as the other offspring of the Daimyo, looked at the Eldest Son of the Daimyo with utter disbelief.
With the Daimyo dead, as his eldest son, he was supposed to inherit the position of Daimyo and become the next Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
And for someone of his unique status, to say these words in front of so many people, and even in front of his father’s killer.
Wasn’t this essentially defining the Daimyo’s death?
It would even eliminate any excuse for revenge in the future!
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo had almost uttered the incredibly disloyal and cowardly words, “You were absolutely right to kill him!”
Could it be…
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo couldn’t possibly harbor the slightest thought of revenge in his mind at this moment?!
Everyone couldn’t help but look at Uchiha Ikeizumi.
They were all silent.
The criticism they had felt towards the Eldest Son of the Daimyo vanished entirely.
Because they didn’t dare to.
Under Uchiha Ikeizumi’s gaze, the bowed Eldest Son of the Daimyo stared at his father’s corpse lying on the ground, his emotions of nervousness and fear making him feel somewhat dazed.
At this moment, even without Uchiha Ikeizumi speaking to him further, he began to speak on his own: “The laws of the Land of Fire from now on will definitely need a much more thorough revision than before. The revised laws cannot only consider the upper echelons of power in the Land of Fire, but must also consider ordinary commoners more, and also…”
He carefully raised his head and glanced at Uchiha Ikeizumi.
“In the name of justice, new national policies must be implemented that are more decisive, more resolute, and more absolute than before.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi added expressionlessly, “The Land of Fire today, and even the entire Ninja World today, is overly pathological and twisted due to a lack of justice, breeding countless evils that are almost impossible to eradicate.”
“Only by using absolutely strong and just means to thoroughly cut out evil from its roots can the great Ninja World be set right.”
“Wouldn’t you agree, Goyuen Kanjin?”
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo: “!!!”
His cautious gaze instantly turned to one of horror.
How did this person know his name? Oh wait, as the Eldest Son of the Daimyo, it seems reasonable for the other party to know his name?
“…Yes!”
His hesitation lasted less than half a second before he frantically nodded like a pecking chick.
He quickly added, “Moreover, the funding the Daimyo’s Mansion has provided to Konoha Village in recent years has been a bit low. And the funding was too general; it should be itemized.”
“For example… the Uchiha Clan, as the Konoha Military Police Force, should receive separate funding from the Daimyo’s Mansion. For instance, two hundred million ryo per year? Or… five hundred million ryo per year?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi’s gaze visibly became colder.
The temperature in the air also rapidly climbed.
A terrifying killing aura enveloped everyone.
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo: “!!!”
No, his surname is Uchiha, shouldn’t he be a member of the Uchiha Clan?
Shouldn’t he… if I give the Uchiha Clan separate funding…
Wait!
Could this Uchiha Ikeizumi be seriously offering suggestions on how to amend the laws of the Land of Fire?
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo suddenly remembered why his younger brother, Goyuen Kyusuke, had died at the hands of Uchiha Ikeizumi.
According to what Father heard from Sarutobi Asuma, Uchiha Ikeizumi believed in 「 absolute justice 」.
It was a very thorough and extreme form of justice.
A justice that was not mixed with any impurities.
But its greatest flaw was its extremism, to the point that he dared to kill the second son of the Daimyo, and even the Daimyo himself today!
In other words.
Could his attempt to unilaterally increase the funding for the Uchiha Clan be considered bribery in Uchiha Ikeizumi’s eyes?
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo, who had finally exhaled with relief, feeling as though he had narrowly escaped death, was once again drenched in sweat.
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo forced a smile, racking his brain to keep up with Uchiha Ikeizumi’s thought process, his lips trembling as he said, “I-I take back everything I said. Perhaps, we should first clear out all the complex personnel in the capital’s police force, leaving only those with righteous intentions.”
“Perhaps, we should also thoroughly investigate the various magnates of the Land of Fire, not letting a single minor figure slip through, nor letting a big fish escape. Perhaps, we should also re-examine old, unresolved cases and seek justice for the innocent victims.”
“Perhaps, we also need to…”
…
Meanwhile.
Konoha Village.
Koharu Utatane, with a grim expression, rushed to the Hokage’s Office. She did not see Hiruzen Sarutobi, only Homura Mitokado, though she wasn’t surprised.
Upon arriving, Koharu Utatane, her face dark, questioned Homura Mitokado, “Why didn’t you notify me in advance about such a major event happening in the capital of the Land of Fire?”
Yes.
Neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Homura Mitokado had informed Koharu Utatane.
Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi had instructed many people before leaving the village with the Anbu, Koharu Utatane was not among them.
Upon learning of this matter, Koharu Utatane nearly lost her composure.
As a result, her mood was extremely bad, and her first reaction was not to care about the extent of Uchiha Ikeizumi’s actions in the capital of the Land of Fire, but to question why she hadn’t been notified.
Homura Mitokado sighed and said, “Koharu, since you took over from Danzo and managed the Root Organization, haven’t you noticed that you’ve become more impatient than before?”
“Hiruzen thought that notifying you in advance would only complicate matters further. Besides, you know about it now, don’t you?”
Koharu Utatane gritted her teeth, “If it weren’t for that Uchiha Ikeizumi being so extreme, would I be this impatient every day?”
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and asked, “So, what is the current situation?!”
Homura Mitokado shook his head, “We don’t know yet. There’s no news from the capital of the Land of Fire yet. And it will take Hiruzen and the Anbu a full day to reach the capital of the Land of Fire.”
Koharu Utatane stood restlessly, agitated, “Why did Hiruzen let that guy out of Konoha Village?”
“…It was Sarutobi Asuma.”
Homura Mitokado sighed again, “To lure Uchiha Ikeizumi out of the village, he deceived Hiruzen with some excuse. His impulsive actions have led to irreversible consequences.”
Koharu Utatane was silent for a few seconds.
“None of these younger generation are easy to deal with!”
She said through gritted teeth.
…
“Kakashi, why did the Hokage tell us to keep an eye on the Uchiha Clan?” Might Guy, standing on the rooftop of a building and gazing at the Uchiha Compound ahead, asked Kakashi beside him curiously.
“I don’t know.”
Kakashi replied expressionlessly, “We don’t need to speculate on the Hokage’s thoughts. He must have his reasons for issuing such an order.”
Although he said that, Kakashi still had his suspicions.
He didn’t believe the Daimyo had invited Hiruzen Sarutobi to the capital of the Land of Waves.
After all, the Daimyo’s second son had died in Konoha Village.
The relationship between the Daimyo and the Hokage was likely already strained.
So, who was the Hokage’s sudden departure from the village related to?
Who would be qualified to have the Hokage personally go out?
An answer popped into Kakashi’s mind.
——Uchiha Ikeizumi!!!
And the reason for watching the Uchiha Clan now was likely because the Hokage was afraid that during his absence, the radical faction of the Uchiha Clan might take some undesirable actions.
…
Within the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Several elders of the Uchiha Hawks faction gathered, and Uchiha Setsuna was naturally among them, holding the chief position.
“Setsuna, this is definitely a good opportunity!”
A hawk elder’s wrinkled face twitched, his emotions flaring as he said, “Hiruzen Sarutobi leaving Konoha with a large number of Anbu ninjas, this intelligence has currently been confirmed! Now is when Konoha’s strength is at its most hollow, so weak that if our Uchiha clan were to mobilize entirely, we could control the entire Konoha village in one day!”
“By then, when Hiruzen Sarutobi returns to Konoha, he will be forced to become Konoha’s third Hokage! By then, the one in charge of Konoha will be the Fifth Hokage! And the surname of the Fifth Hokage will be – ‘Uchiha’!!!”
The impassioned emotions in his words touched Uchiha Setsuna as well.
Uchiha Setsuna was naturally tempted.
This opportunity was too rare, like a great prize suddenly given to him by heaven.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not here, Uchiha Ikeizumi was not here, and the Konoha Anbu were not here either.
All that remained was Root, which had been crippled by Uchiha Ikeizumi long ago, and some Konoha ninja clans that couldn’t unite. In this situation, it was indeed a perfect time for a coup d’état.
Uchiha Setsuna felt that the so-called “one can become Hokage by gaining the approval of everyone in the village” was utter nonsense.
He believed that the village’s ninja clans sided with whoever was winning.
For instance, Uchiha Ikeizumi had repeatedly defied Hiruzen Sarutobi.
And he had repeatedly won those confrontations.
Didn’t the Ino-Shika-Cho choose to stand with that brat?
If he led the Uchiha clan to a successful coup d’état, if he won, they would all help him too.
“Good!!!”
Uchiha Setsuna slammed his hand on the table, his old face flushed with excitement.
Just as he was about to say something, a commotion suddenly erupted outside, causing him to frown.
Suddenly.
The tightly shut door of the hall was forcefully opened, and Uchiha Fugaku entered with a group of Uchiha ninjas, their expressions blank.
To Uchiha Setsuna’s astonished gaze, Fugaku found a seat and calmly sat down.
“Senior Setsuna, for such an important meeting, shouldn’t we gather the entire Uchiha clan? So… may I ask what you were just discussing?”
Fugaku said coldly.
“Fugaku!!!”
Uchiha Setsuna’s eyelids twitched violently.
Although Fugaku hadn’t said anything else, Uchiha Setsuna could tell that the other party had come to cause trouble!
The so-called Uchiha Clan Head.
He looked more like the Hokage’s dog!
Facing Uchiha Setsuna’s glower, Fugaku’s expression remained unchanged, as he was accustomed to it. Moreover, for the sake of the Uchiha bloodline to continue in Konoha, he could only side with the Hokage now.
At least, Fugaku didn’t think the Uchiha clan had reached a point where a coup was necessary.
And Uchiha Setsuna’s actions would surely provoke Itachi.
Before leaving, the Hokage had instructed him to keep an eye on Itachi.
Thus.
Fugaku had to personally intervene to stop Uchiha Setsuna’s actions.
The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.
As if it would erupt into conflict at any moment.
…
On a street in Konoha, Uchiha Izumi, with a gash on her forehead bleeding profusely, thrust the blade of her sharp ninja sword into the chest of a Konoha ninja.
As the opponent’s eyes gradually lost focus, Izumi couldn’t help but pant heavily.
It could be seen that she was also quite disheveled, with a shuriken deeply embedded in her left shoulder.
“Today, in the name of absolute justice, I pass judgment on you.”
Mimicking a phrase Senior Ikeizumi had once said, she slowly pulled out the ninja sword and then pushed the villain’s corpse forward with one hand.
Bang—
Seeing the corpse fall heavily to the ground, Izumi slowly exhaled and said to the stunned Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, “No matter who the perpetrator is, even if they are a member of the Sarutobi clan or a relative of the Hokage, absolute justice will not show them any mercy, nor will it overlook their evil deeds.”
The Konoha ninja killed by Izumi was, in fact, a Special Jonin from the Sarutobi clan.
She had not forgotten the mission that Senior Ikeizumi had assigned her.
While enforcing absolute justice in the village, she also had to properly teach these two brats, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.
To make them realize the correctness of absolute justice!
“But…” Naruto swallowed hard, and he couldn’t help but point at a ninja nearby, who had lost an arm and was lying on the ground, howling: “He’s not a villain, is he?”
Naruto remembered clearly that when Uchiha Izumi was fighting the Sarutobi clan ninja, this ninja suddenly intervened, wanting to “break up the fight.”
As a result, Senior Izumi unhesitatingly turned her ninja sword towards him and severed his right hand with one strike!
That scene had terrified Naruto; he had initially thought Uchiha Izumi was a gentle older sister.
But now it seemed her methods were anything but gentle.
“I already warned him not to obstruct justice, or he would be killed, but he acted as if he didn’t hear me,” Izumi said as she pulled the shuriken from her shoulder.
The wound on her shoulder was deep enough to see bone.
Enduring the pain, she said in a deep voice, “Since he made his choice and stood on the side of evil, then I will make my choice too – by tolerating his wickedness, he is no longer innocent.”
“In the eyes of absolute justice, his actions are aiding and abetting evil. Absolute justice will clear all obstacles in its path, no matter who they are.”
These were words that Senior Ikeizumi had once told her.
Now, she was relaying these words to Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke as someone with experience.
This gave Izumi a rather strange feeling.
It made her unable to stop imitating Senior Ikeizumi in every aspect.
For example…
Even though her shoulder was in pain, she stubbornly endured it without a sound.
Mm!
Senior was such a tough guy!
Speaking of which.
So much time had passed, and Senior hadn’t returned yet?
…
One day later.
Outside the capital of the Land of Fire.
“Hoo!” Hiruzen Sarutobi, squatting on a thick branch, panted heavily. The last time his old bones had exerted themselves so much was on the night of the Nine-Tails’ rampage.
Now, several years later, he was even older.
Rushing from Konoha Village to the capital of the Land of Fire left him feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
If he were younger, he wouldn’t even break a sweat.
“…I really can’t deny getting old.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear.
Behind him, a large number of Anbu had gathered.
“Hokage-sama?” a Anbu ninja asked from the side.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s expression remained normal, concealing the fatigue on his face. He straightened up, gazed at the capital of the Land of Fire ahead, and said, “Enter the capital! Protect the Daimyo!”
“Yes! Hokage-sama!”
The defensive measures of the capital of the Land of Fire were almost non-existent to these ninjas.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Anbu ninjas infiltrated the interior of the capital of the Land of Fire, and the samurai noticed nothing.
After walking only a few steps within the capital of the Land of Fire, Hiruzen Sarutobi could clearly sense that the atmosphere around them was wrong.
The pedestrians on the street were all hurrying, and their faces showed a hint of unease.
Many shops on the street were even closed for business.
From a distance, there seemed to be the sound of funeral music.
The entire atmosphere of the capital of the Land of Fire looked very strange.
This also made Hiruzen Sarutobi’s heart skip a beat.
“This is bad…” As he hurriedly led the Anbu ninjas towards the Daimyo’s Mansion of the Land of Fire, he passed by a rather large estate belonging to a noble family. When he looked, he saw bodies being carried out by samurai, each covered with a white cloth.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped immediately, and the large group of Anbu ninjas behind him also stopped with their Hokage.
Their group of ninjas startled the samurai carrying the corpses.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s old face was filled with a complex expression. He directly asked, “These nobles… were they all killed?”
As the Hokage, his aura was indeed strong, and the dark cloud the ninjas had cast over the capital of the Land of Fire had not yet dissipated.
A samurai swallowed hard and quickly replied, “It was a ninja named ‘Uchiha Ikeizumi’.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s suspended heart sank completely.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a dryness in his throat and asked again, “Ike… Uchiha Ikeizumi, how many people did he kill?”
“I don’t know.”
The samurai shook his head vigorously. “I only heard that many people died yesterday. That ninja… killed from daytime into the night, and from night into this morning before finally stopping.”
“When I went out today, I felt like the air I breathed carried the scent of blood. The people at the Daimyo’s Mansion didn’t say much, they just told us to dispose of the bodies.”
Wait!
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly noticed a discrepancy – why did this samurai refer to Uchiha Ikeizumi as “Ninja-sama”?
Weren’t the people at the Daimyo’s Mansion calling Ikeizumi a ninja villain before?
But this person was just a samurai from the Police Force.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that this was the extent of what the person knew.
He quickly said thank you and disappeared with the Anbu ninjas.
…
Not long after.
The Daimyo’s Mansion.
Anbu ninjas from Konoha, like flocks of crows descending from the sky, each stood in various corners of the Daimyo’s Mansion, concealing themselves well.
Their individual positions, subtly, had already surrounded the entire Daimyo’s Mansion.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in front of the main gate of the Daimyo’s Mansion.
Only two Anbu ninjas followed him.
“There’s a smell of blood… although it’s not as strong as the smell from the noble family’s estate I passed earlier, it’s not far off.”
As Hiruzen Sarutobi’s nose twitched slightly.
His mood grew even heavier.
And for some reason, there wasn’t a single samurai or ninja guarding this vast Daimyo’s Mansion! Didn’t the Lord Daimyo worry about his personal safety at all?
Or perhaps…
Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not think further.
He walked straight in.
“Hokage, Hokage-sama?!” A clear voice made Hiruzen Sarutobi pause. When he shifted his gaze, he saw Mitarai Anko.
“…Anko?”
Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn’t fully registered yet when he saw Uchiha Ikeizumi standing next to Anko!
“Ikeizumi!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his ominous premonition had become a reality.
Upon seeing Uchiha Ikeizumi within the Daimyo’s Mansion, upon seeing the bloodstains on Ikeizumi’s clothes, he knew that the Daimyo of the Land of Fire might have already met an untimely end!
But before Hiruzen Sarutobi could say anything, a probing question came from the other side: “Are you… Konoha Village’s Third Hokage? Senior Hiruzen Sarutobi?”
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head again and saw a man who bore some resemblance to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
He recognized the man – the Eldest Son of the Daimyo, “Mizurain Kōjin”!
He saw the look of fatigue on the man’s face.
He also saw his cautious demeanor.
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.
He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. He could only nod slightly to the Eldest Son of the Daimyo, indicating that he was indeed the Konoha Hokage.
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo seemed to have seen through the thoughts of the suddenly visiting Konoha Hokage. He forced a smile onto his stiff, tired face and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, “Father paid the price for his wrongdoings yesterday.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi: “!!!”
As expected!!!
Extreme horror flashed in the depths of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes, and he felt as if the sky had fallen.
Even the two Anbu ninjas behind him, and the Anbu ninjas hidden all around, changed their expressions slightly at the same time.
The next second.
Eyes one after another focused on Uchiha Ikeizumi, each filled with disbelief.
This Uchiha who believed in absolute justice…
Had truly personally assassinated the Daimyo of the Land of Fire!
And what’s more!
After killing the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, he had the audacity to remain in the capital of the Land of Fire, even staying within the Daimyo’s Mansion!
This…
Was there any ninja more arrogant than this? Was there any Uchiha more extreme than this?
Compared to Uchiha Ikeizumi, Uchiha Madara, who had ideological differences with the First Hokage, was probably not considered extreme.
At the same time, they also understood the deeper meaning of the Eldest Son of the Daimyo’s words.
Especially the phrase “wrongdoings.”
Did this mean that the Eldest Son of the Daimyo, whose own father was killed, chose to endure in silence?!
This would explain why Uchiha Ikeizumi could openly stand within the Daimyo’s Mansion, and the Eldest Son of the Daimyo said nothing.
Hiss!
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s scalp tingled. He couldn’t bear to think about how the powerful figures of the entire Land of Fire would view him, the Konoha Hokage, in the future. They would surely assume that Ikeizumi was acting on his orders!
Especially when he saw that the Eldest Son of the Daimyo’s eyes flickered slightly as he looked at him, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt as though the sky had fallen.
He probably wouldn’t be able to wash away the injustice, even if he jumped into the Konoha River.
It’s a misunderstanding!
He, the Konoha Hokage, was also a victim of absolute justice!
“Ikeizumi!” Amidst his turbulent emotions, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s gaze fell upon Uchiha Ikeizumi. His old face could barely maintain its composure.
If only the Eldest Son of the Daimyo wasn’t standing next to him…
He would have broken down!
“What exactly are you doing?” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s words were squeezed out from between his teeth: “That’s the Daimyo, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire! Equivalent to a country’s monarch! A Konoha Ninja is a vassal to the monarch! The monarch’s sharp sword for expanding territory and their shield for protecting the home! Not a venomous snake that turns around and bites its sovereign!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer describe his current emotions.
He felt that his eyes must be bloodshot right now.
He even felt his fingertips trembling with anger.
“And you…”
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his breathing become somewhat difficult. He had thought that killing hundreds of people on Tanzaku Street was the limit of what Uchiha Ikeizumi could do.
And those hundreds of people were indeed villains. Hiruzen Sarutobi had already decided not to hold Ikeizumi accountable for that matter.
But who would have thought that after leaving Tanzaku Street, Uchiha Ikeizumi would pull off a stunt that could shock the entire Ninja World for him, the Hokage!
“And you chose to become that venomous snake! You are no longer executing justice; you are destroying the order and rules of the entire Ninja World! Do you want to be an enemy of the entire Ninja World?!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s tone was full of disbelief.
Uchiha Ikeizumi calmly stated with no ripple in his eyes, “Before this, wasn’t I already an enemy of the entire Ninja World? Especially in your eyes, absolute justice is an ideology that you cannot tolerate, isn’t it?”
These few words from Uchiha Ikeizumi left Hiruzen Sarutobi momentarily speechless.
“Ikeizumi! This is different!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi, having calmed down slightly, said with a stern face, “Before this, your justice was only against sin. But from now on, both sin and order will be your enemies!”
“The Ninja World… cannot accommodate a ninja who assassinated a Daimyo!”
Uchiha Ikeizumi said indifferently, “Let me correct that. I walked in openly and, in the name of absolute justice, killed the wicked Daimyo of the Land of Fire, ending the source of this sin.”
“Absolute justice never does underhanded things like assassination; even when wielding a blade against evil, it is done openly and honorably.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi: “…”
No.
What does he mean by correcting that? Has he completely ignored the real substance of my earnest plea?
Hiruzen Sarutobi was almost angered to death.
The biggest trouble Uchiha Ikeizumi had caused in the past was killing the Second Son of the Daimyo. Although it was a major issue, it wouldn’t have had such profound repercussions, otherwise Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn’t have had the nerve to conceal the corpse until now.
But this time, the mess had brought down the entire sky, a mess so large that he, the Konoha Hokage, was powerless to deal with it.
Yet, the instigator of all this appeared completely unfazed.
How could this not make Hiruzen Sarutobi furious?
How could he possibly maintain his composure?!
“Ikeizumi, I have truly been too lenient with you in Konoha!” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s expression was uncertain, and just as he was about to grit his teeth and say something more, he was directly interrupted by Uchiha Ikeizumi.
“Third Hokage.” Uchiha Ikeizumi said coldly, “The Eldest Son of the Daimyo has no objections to the fact that the Daimyo died by the judgment of absolute justice. Yet, you, the Konoha Hokage, are here pitying the death of a villain. As the esteemed Third Hokage of Konoha, do you lack even basic moral discernment between good and evil?”
Hiruzen Sarutobi: “???”
He couldn’t help but look at the Eldest Son of the Daimyo next to him and was shocked to find that the Eldest Son of the Daimyo actually nodded slightly: “Hokage-sama, Father made mistakes, and you don’t need to cover for him.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned.
“Your Highness?” Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly came to his senses and said solemnly, “Perhaps Your Highness has some misunderstanding about Konoha. Konoha Village has always been on the side of the Daimyo’s Mansion. Ikeizumi’s absolute justice does not represent the Will of Fire of Konoha.”
He felt that the Eldest Son of the Daimyo must be worried that he and Ikeizumi were in league.
Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi sincerely declared his stance.
Ninjas are not engaged in production, and without the support of the Daimyo or magnates, he couldn’t imagine how long Konoha’s economy could be sustained.
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo paused.
He couldn’t help but look at Uchiha Ikeizumi, whose expression was impassive, and then at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
He felt a flicker of temptation.
However…
He recalled the bloody day in the Capital of the Land of Fire yesterday, thought of the noble families who were annihilated house by house, remembered the gruesome corpses covered in blood, the tragic death of his Father, and the cowardly words he himself had spoken in front of so many people.
Breathing in the faint scent of blood that still lingered in the air, the fleeting temptation that had just sparked in the Eldest Son of the Daimyo’s heart was instantly extinguished.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
He forced a smile.
“Hokage-sama… My Father was indeed blinded by the power of the Daimyo, leading him to make many foolish decisions. You… truly don’t need to make excuses for him. As the eldest son of Father, I only wish to spend the rest of my life making amends for the mistakes Father once made.”
“This will allow the Land of Fire, which has collapsed in its values and morals, and is devoid of justice, to repossess correct values, correct morals, and the most correct absolute justice.”
The words the Eldest Son of the Daimyo spoke with a dry tone.
Nearly caused Hiruzen Sarutobi’s brain to short-circuit.
…
…
