Chapter 114: Naruto Unleashes The Power Of The Nine-tails
“Sasuke-kun, if I remember correctly, your seat isn’t here, is it?” Iruka said, holding textbooks as he approached the classroom, looking at Sasuke sitting to Naruto’s left.
If I remember correctly, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, their relationship doesn’t seem that good, does it?
Sasuke, with several bandages on various parts of his body and some bruises visible on his skin, said, “It will be from now on.”
He put on a cold expression and continued, “I’ve already switched seats with someone, and that guy agreed to it too.”
Iruka: “…”
Shouldn’t arranging seat changes be the teacher’s job?
But the top prodigy in the class always gets preferential treatment.
Iruka pondered for a moment and ultimately didn’t say anything more.
“You’re faking it so hard…” Naruto muttered under his breath. He clearly remembered that arrogant guy almost crying last night when Teacher Ikeizumi “rejected” him.
Naruto glanced around and noticed quite a few fierce gazes fixed on him, seemingly from the girls in the class.
Damn it!
How can this arrogant guy be so popular with girls?
He grumbled enviously and couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, why do you have to sit next to me?”
Sasuke crossed his arms and snorted without answering.
Feeling like he was talking to himself, Naruto yawned. However, for the first time, someone was willing to approach him, which made him feel a bit novel. He couldn’t help but change the subject and ask, “Is your brother really going to exterminate the clan?”
Sasuke’s small face visibly grew cold.
He looked down at his desk, clenched his fist, and said, “Teacher Ike… Ikeizumi said that this is the ‘future evil’ of Uchiha Itachi, my brother. I won’t let him succeed. I will prove that his actions are wrong.”
“It’s just…” Thinking of the immense gap between himself and Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke’s emotions became dejected.
He was certain that by following Absolute Justice, he could gain great power; Uchiha Izumi was the best example.
Sasuke just didn’t know how much time this would take.
Nor did he know if, after gaining great power…
he would be able to stop Uchiha Itachi?
“Don’t worry!” Naruto said with a smile, crossing his hands behind his head. “Justice can never be alone! Even if you can’t defeat Uchiha Itachi then, I’ll help you. If the two of us go together, can’t we defeat him?!”
“Heh…” Sasuke thought Naruto was too naive and didn’t understand how powerful the Uchiha clan was.
But for some reason.
he felt a touch of emotion in his heart.
*Tap—* Suddenly, the sound of chalk falling to the ground rang out abruptly. Sasuke looked up and was stunned to see the expression on Iruka Umino’s face at the podium suddenly become extremely blank, his entire body frozen as if his gears had jammed.
It wasn’t until Sasuke saw a white feather gently float down from the sky, brushing past Iruka’s nose, that he was shocked to see Iruka-sensei standing and fast asleep!
Because he heard snoring sounds from him with his eyes closed!
*Bang—* Another noise sounded. Sasuke quickly turned his head and saw a classmate behind him slumped over his desk, snoring soundly.
No! It wasn’t just one!
As white feathers drifted down like snow, Sasuke couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
He was shocked to discover that everyone in the class, except for himself, had fallen asleep!
“What’s going on?!” Sasuke exclaimed in shock and abruptly stood up. He quickly turned to look at Naruto sitting beside him.
“He’s… asleep too?!”
Sasuke was utterly bewildered.
As footsteps suddenly sounded, Sasuke immediately turned his head to look in the direction of the classroom door. The pupils in his eyes visibly contracted slightly.
“Bro… Brother…”
Uchiha Itachi, who walked in openly, said coldly with a blank expression, “Sasuke, you’ve made the wrong choice. You shouldn’t choose this path that leads to an uncertain future.”
…
“Where… where is this…” Naruto looked around in confusion, realizing he seemed to be in a strange place.
The damp and dark environment made him frown slightly. On either side were rows of strange doors.
He was currently in a long corridor.
“Wasn’t I in the Ninja Academy…” As Naruto muttered, a terrifying roar startled him, and when he quickly looked back, he was stunned.
Behind Naruto stood two towering, massive iron gate doors, as if some terrifying monster was imprisoned beyond the bars.
“Heh heh, brat, you look exceptionally delicious! Come a little closer, let me eat you!” A deep, resonant voice suddenly sounded, making Naruto look up in shock.
“Such a… huge… fox…” Amidst his shock, Naruto suddenly realized and exclaimed, “Are you the Nine-Tails Demon Fox that the Fourth Hokage sealed inside me?!”
“Brat, thanks to your strong emotions a few days ago, the seal left by the Fourth Hokage has loosened.”
Kurama bared its fangs and lowered its head to stare at Naruto. “Otherwise, it would have been really difficult to see you!”
Naruto came to his senses and asked, “Did you seek me out?”
Kurama narrowed its eyes and grinned menacingly, “Brat, look up.”
Naruto was astonished. Looking up, he saw that above him was a scene from a Ninja Academy classroom!
He saw Sasuke.
He also saw a ninja around Uchiha Izumi’s age.
“Your companion is quite ‘dangerous’! The one who made everyone fall asleep is your companion’s brother,” Kurama’s voice was full of temptation as it said, “Are you going to stand by and do nothing… and just fall asleep?”
“He… is Uchiha Itachi?!” Naruto was even more shocked.
“Brat, do you see the seal sticker on the door?” Kurama said slowly. “As long as you tear it off, I will grant you great power, allowing you to break through his illusion technique. At the same time, I can give you a hand, the strength to defeat him.”
“Do you see this chakra?” Kurama instantly unleashed an astonishing chakra fluctuation, with large amounts of visible red chakra spreading throughout the sealing space.
Kurama continued, “Tear it off, it’s all yours!”
“I really don’t want that arrogant guy to be hurt by Uchiha Itachi. Even if I don’t particularly like him, he, like me, believes in Teacher Ikeizumi’s Absolute Justice.”
“But…”
Naruto clenched his fists and looked directly up at Kurama, saying, “You, who caused the tragedy of the Night of the Nine-Tails, are yourself the embodiment of sin! If I have to use the power of sin to help that arrogant guy, then I refuse!”
“Because I don’t believe you’d be that kind! You must have another motive, you must be using me. Once I accept your manipulation, it will definitely lead to very bad consequences.”
“If I accept your power, I’ll probably just hurt everyone in the village… Am I right, Nine-Tails Demon Fox!”
His words caused a visible look of disbelief and astonishment to appear on Kurama’s ferocious face.
What followed was a breakdown and embarrassment from being exposed by a seven-year-old child.
“You little brat!!!”
Kurama extended its massive claws, attempting to reach out to Naruto.
However, the powerful seal prevented it from touching Naruto even an inch.
Naruto took half a step back and said, “I don’t care for your power at all, because as long as one chooses to believe in Absolute Justice, Absolute Justice will bestow its blessings of power.”
“Brat! You are not qualified to refuse what I, this old man, want to give you!”
Kurama gnashed its teeth; a single massive canine tooth was almost larger than Naruto himself.
Rolling red chakra spread out from the iron gate.
“Feel my power, brat! You’ll get addicted! This is far more powerful than any justice you’ve never even heard of!”
A large amount of chakra surged towards the young Naruto.
The seal sticker on the iron gate was shaking wildly, as if buffeted by strong winds.
Naruto: “!!!”
…
In the classroom, white feathers slowly drifted down.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Sasuke tightly gripped Uchiha Itachi’s arm, trying to pry open his not-so-burly arm, but Itachi’s grip around his neck was like iron clamps, unyielding even with Sasuke’s desperate strength.
The intense suffocation caused Sasuke’s face to turn red and then blue.
Uchiha Itachi lifted his young body with one hand.
“Sasuke, Uchiha Ikeizumi’s Absolute Justice is not suitable for you. Or rather, this ideal is not suited for Konoha. It conflicts with Konoha’s Will of Fire, and the existence of such an ideal will only plunge Konoha into endless internal strife.”
Uchiha Itachi’s eyes displayed a scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
“Look at Danzo Shimura, who was killed by him. Look at the Shimura clan, which was exterminated by him. Look at the clan members and compatriots who died by his hand, and then look at the fear ordinary Konoha villagers have of him.”
“My foolish little brother… why do you disappoint me every time? Since you want to believe in so-called absolute justice, then I will make you kill someone with your own hands.”
“With blood on your hands, you will not be worthy of believing in so-called absolute justice. Only then can you walk a true, correct path to the future.”
“And abandoned by justice, you will witness firsthand how I exterminate the entire Uchiha clan.”
“Of course…”
“You will never recall a portion of what I’ve said in your lifetime. You will only live on with deep hatred, like a stray dog, clinging to life.”
Sasuke’s already wide eyes widened even further.
“Heh… cough, cough, cough! Uchiha… Itachi!”
Sasuke, his little face red, squeezed out each word with all his might: “You… are truly… insane!”
A single-tomoe Sharingan began to faintly appear in Sasuke’s eyes.
Gazing into Sasuke’s eyes, Itachi’s lips curved into a smile that was difficult for even the nearby Sasuke to discern clearly.
‘Sasuke, it must be this kind of hatred! This hatred can awaken the true power of the clan within the Uchiha bloodline. Compared to this hatred, Uchiha Ikeizumi’s Absolute Justice is nothing.’
‘Only the path I’ve chosen for you is the most suitable one. Forgive me, Sasuke… one day, you will touch the truth. On that day, you will surely understand my painstaking efforts.’
‘However, it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. As long as I know that everything I’ve done is for your own good, that’s enough.’
‘After all, I never seek emotional rewards for my contributions.’
Uchiha Itachi, his expression devoid of emotion, felt emotional turbulence within his heart no less than Sasuke’s at that moment.
Uchiha Itachi closed his eyes slightly, forcibly suppressing the tears that were about to well up as he succumbed to self-pity.
When he opened his eyes again, Sasuke before him was on the verge of suffocation, his eyes rolling upwards.
The hand that Uchiha Itachi had gripped his throat with loosened slightly.
Suddenly!
A small hand reached out from the side and grasped Uchiha Itachi’s wrist.
“…Hm?!”
…
*Boom!!!*
A deafening roar echoed within the Ninja Academy, startling the Konoha Ninja, who had been on edge for the past few days, especially the teachers at the Ninja Academy.
“The disturbance seems to be coming from Iruka’s class!”
As they put down their students and hurried over, they suddenly discovered an Anbu ninja slumped unconscious on a tree outside the window.
Before they could be surprised for long, the wall of Iruka’s class not far ahead suddenly shattered!
A figure shot out along with the debris of the broken structure. If they weren’t mistaken, it looked like an Anbu Ninja.
Then another figure burst out of Iruka’s class.
This…
It looks a bit like a red fox?!
“Wait!” A Ninja Academy teacher’s pupils constricted. Looking at the back of the “red fox,” he muttered, “Could this be that demon fox brat, Naruto Uzumaki?!”
Although his voice wasn’t loud, several nearby Ninja Academy teachers heard him clearly.
They were instantly startled.
The terrifying scene of the Nine-Tails Rebellion seven years ago flashed through their minds. Many of them were survivors from that period, and some had even almost died on the night of the Nine-Tails Rebellion, leaving them with considerable psychological trauma.
“This is bad!!!”
…
Not far away.
“Lord Ikeizumi, there seems to be some activity over there.” A cat’s ears are always more sensitive than human ears. Kijiro reminded him and then leaped high from Izumi’s shoulder.
When it landed, it almost knocked the girl over.
Kijiro said with a serious cat face, “It looks like the Ninja Academy. It seems like two ninjas are fighting inside the Ninja Academy.”
“The Ninja Academy?” Izumi didn’t have time to retort to Kijiro. She exclaimed, “Isn’t today a school day?”
“Keep up, rookie,” Uchiha Ikeizumi said, then rushed towards the Ninja Academy.
“Huh? Senior, wait for me!”
The Uchiha Police Force naturally had the duty to maintain order in Konoha, and Uchiha Ikeizumi couldn’t be killing people every second.
Otherwise, Konoha as a whole wouldn’t be enough for him to kill.
More often, Uchiha Ikeizumi patrolled Konoha as a member of the Uchiha Police Force, maintaining the peace.
Matters like disturbances at the Ninja Academy.
Naturally, he had to go and see what was happening.
“It probably has nothing to do with Naruto and Sasuke, right?” The girl, struggling to keep up with Uchiha Ikeizumi, muttered worriedly.
Kijiro said, “Meow, with the power of those two brats, how could they cause such a commotion?”
“But… isn’t Naruto a Jinchuriki?” Izumi hesitated.
Kijiro’s cat face stiffened. Gripping Izumi’s fluttering hair and pulling it hard, he shouted, “Rookie, shut your crow’s mouth! Do you know the consequences of a Jinchuriki losing control?”
Izumi’s expression turned somber, her emotions sinking. “My father died in the last Nine-Tails Rebellion… My Three-Tomoe Sharingan also awakened that night…”
Kijiro: “…”
Meow! How could I forget that?
Damn me!
…
“Nine-Tails… Jinchuriki…” Uchiha Itachi retreated and then leaped onto the roof of a building in the Ninja Academy. He looked down at Uzumaki Naruto, who was engulfed in a ball of red chakra.
Uchiha Itachi frowned. This situation was completely beyond his expectations. Naruto Uzumaki had also been hypnotized by genjutsu, so why did he suddenly wake up? And why did he suddenly erupt with such astonishing chakra?
“The seal suppressing the Tailed Beast has loosened?” But he felt something was not quite right.
Because Naruto Uzumaki did not look like he had lost control.
Even though the red chakra on his body was very wild.
He could still discern a hint of reason in the eyes of the young Jinchuriki.
“This situation… is more like the Jinchuriki borrowing the Tailed Beast’s chakra!”
Uchiha Itachi’s heart was shocked. Although he didn’t know much about Jinchuriki, he was generally aware that this was a deep level of connection between a Jinchuriki and a Tailed Beast.
“It is indeed a powerful strength, but at your age, you cannot unleash its full potential. Moreover… although you appear to be maintaining your reason, it’s better to be safe than sorry. You should get a good night’s sleep.”
The three-tomoe in Uchiha Itachi’s eyes instantly transformed into Mangekyo.
The moment their gazes collided in the office.
The genjutsu from the Mangekyo was directly implanted into Naruto’s body.
……
“Hmph, Mangekyo Sharingan…” Kurama’s eyes narrowed sharply within the sealing space, but he quickly shook his head slightly, “No, it’s different from that Mangekyo Sharingan from back then.”
Kurama had the ability to break through Uchiha Itachi’s Mangekyo genjutsu targeting Naruto. All it needed to do was to use its chakra to disrupt the chakra of this brat.
But recalling the arrogant demeanor of this damned brat from before.
Kurama was so angry that he couldn’t help but bare his teeth.
“Hmph!” Kurama snorted coldly, letting Naruto’s eyes roll back, and his entire body weakly collapsed onto the ground.
……
“Phew! Cough!” Uchiha Itachi coughed slightly. Even using a simple genjutsu, not Tsukuyomi or Amaterasu, from his Mangekyo abilities left his body feeling somewhat weak.
He glanced at the Ninja Academy teachers not far away, and then at Iruka-class’s classroom, where two large holes had been broken in the wall.
Although he felt a bit unwilling, he knew that if he made too much of a scene, many people would be attracted soon.
“Although I feel some things need to happen in advance, no matter how early, there’s still a year’s buffer. You and I have plenty of time, Sasuke, you can’t escape…”
Uchiha Itachi muttered, and after releasing all genjutsu, his figure instantly disappeared.
The moment he disappeared, Sasuke, in Iruka-class’s classroom, clutching his throat and leaning against the wall, stumbled out.
“Cough… dead last… *cough cough cough*…” The discomfort in his throat and the previous suffocating feeling made him dizzy.
But he still insisted on walking to the corridor and looked again at the two large holes in the wall.
Sasuke struggled to lift his head and looked outside through one of the large holes.
He couldn’t see Uchiha Itachi, who had strayed from the path.
But he saw Naruto, who had collapsed on the ground not far away.
“Damn… why are you meddling, dead last! It wasn’t your business in the first place… *cough*!” Sasuke said disdainful words, but still struggled to move towards Naruto’s location.
When Sasuke arrived, he saw Uzumaki Naruto already surrounded by a group of Ninja Academy teachers.
“You are…” One of the Ninja Academy teachers turned around as if sensing something. Upon seeing Sasuke, he pondered, “Is that the young genius Uchiha Sasuke from Iruka-class?!”
Sasuke: “…”
The term “young genius” stirred Sasuke’s nerves. If he were truly a genius, how could he have seemed so weak against Uchiha Itachi?
How could he have had no power to resist throughout the entire encounter, being controlled by the opponent’s single hand to the point of almost being choked unconscious?
A true young genius…
In Sasuke’s mind, the image of the strange red chakra that had been wrapped around Naruto earlier flashed involuntarily. A complex expression flickered across his pale little face, but it was immediately followed by intense anticipation—even the dead last could obtain such power from the gift of absolute justice, so what about himself?
“What happened in your Iruka-class? Where is Iruka?” the Ninja Academy teacher continued to ask Sasuke.
Sasuke replied in a hoarse voice, “He was hypnotized by genjutsu. Only I and the dead… Uzumaki Naruto were awake in the entire class.”
Just as the Ninja Academy teacher was about to ask something else, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of an outsider entering the Ninja Academy.
Turning his head to get a clear look, he discovered it was a Uchiha Police Force Ninja.
Wait!
That guy looks like…
Uchiha Ikeizumi!!!
Not only were a few Ninja Academy teachers startled, but the other Ninja Academy teachers also quickly retreated a few steps.
A man’s reputation precedes him. Although Uchiha Ikeizumi’s reputation had been somewhat corrected recently, the fear accumulated over many years could not be eliminated overnight.
They also saw a ninja cat run over quickly and place one of its paws on Uzumaki Naruto’s neck.
“Meow, Lord Ikeizumi, the Uzumaki brat is still alive. A bit of wild, strange chakra is still leaking from him. If I recall correctly, this should be the Nine-Tails Demon Fox’s chakra.”
Kijiro, after an initial examination, spoke human words as if he were professional: “He was probably implanted with genjutsu, and it’s Sharingan genjutsu at that. This kind of genjutsu shouldn’t cause him much harm; at most, it will make him fall asleep.”
“It’s a bit like the Tailed Beast inside him lost control, and then a passing Uchiha hypnotized him, meow.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi walked over and picked up Naruto.
It was like picking up a sleeping golden little fox.
“He… the dead last, didn’t lose control, *cough cough*!” Sasuke’s dry, hoarse voice suddenly rang out.
He looked directly at Uchiha Ikeizumi: “Teacher Ikeizumi, the dead last… he helped me stop, *cough*, stop Uchiha Itachi. Because Uchiha Itachi broke into the Ninja Academy, he wanted to use Sharingan to control me to kill people… He said that if I killed someone with my own hands, then 「Absolute Justice」 would abandon me…”
Izumi’s hand instantly rested on her ninja sword. She stared at the handprint on Sasuke’s neck.
Connecting it with Sasuke’s words, she had already guessed many things.
Izumi gritted her teeth and said, “Uchiha Itachi, he’s gone too far!”
Sasuke continued, “At the critical moment… the dead last, who fell asleep from genjutsu, suddenly woke up. There was a lot of red chakra on him, and he helped me drive away Uchiha Itachi.”
Sasuke did not exaggerate or belittle Naruto.
Even though he felt a little jealous of Naruto’s power, Sasuke’s heart was filled with a sense of inexplicable gratitude.
If it weren’t for Naruto’s sudden intervention, he might have really been controlled by Uchiha Itachi and killed innocent people.
At that time…
「Absolute Justice」 would have abandoned him.
“What a beast, meow!” Kijiro’s claws popped out in anger, and he couldn’t help but curse, “To treat his own brother this way, does he have a brain? I should have risked my own cat life back then and killed that guy! And that Uchiha Shisui, if he hadn’t strongly protected that beast back then, he wouldn’t be alive now, meow!”
“Meow! I really wish I could use that Edo Tensei Jutsu to revive Uchiha Shisui and let him see what disgusting things the beast he protected back then is doing to people outside, meow!”
Of course, Kijiro couldn’t use Edo Tensei. He only knew about this ninjutsu from Lord Ikeizumi.
“Don’t worry…” Uchiha Ikeizumi glanced at the uneasy and lingering fearful Sasuke. He said, “Even if you were controlled to kill innocent people, 「Absolute Justice」 would not abandon you, because it wasn’t your intention to kill. You were forcibly turned into a weapon; the one who truly killed was him, not you.”
“If 「Absolute Justice」 were to abandon a person who upholds justice for such a reason, then who else would be willing to maintain justice? Don’t be influenced by that beast’s extreme ideology. Someone who is already extreme sees everything in an extreme way.”
Sasuke was taken aback.
For some reason, Sasuke didn’t feel angry at all when Kijiro and Uchiha Ikeizumi called his older brother a “beast” one after another.
Although he felt the word was a bit inappropriate.
He still felt it was inexplicably fitting.
Moreover.
What Uchiha Ikeizumi said did indeed reassure Sasuke a lot.
……
Konoha, Hokage’s Office Building.
“Itachi… what is this?!” Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been exhausted by various troublesome matters in recent days, looked at Uchiha Itachi, who was kneeling on the ground, with some astonishment.
Uchiha Itachi lowered his head and said, “I am here to beg for your forgiveness, Hokage-sama. I accidentally caused the Jinchuriki to lose control today, but… it doesn’t seem like it was really out of control…”
Hiruzen Sarutobi: “!!!”
It was already troublesome enough with Uchiha Ikeizumi and Uzumaki Naruto causing him worry, now Uchiha Itachi was starting too?
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He frowned and asked, “Itachi, what exactly happened?”
Uchiha Itachi did not hide anything and informed Hiruzen Sarutobi of the cause, process, and outcome of the incident.
Listening to him, Hiruzen Sarutobi found himself unable to utter any reprimands.
After all…
Everything Itachi did was for Konoha. What he did to his younger brother was also to ensure that his younger brother could wholeheartedly dedicate himself to Konoha in the future.
This selfless spirit left Hiruzen Sarutobi with no grounds for criticism.
If he had to nitpick… it was that Hiruzen Sarutobi felt Itachi’s actions seemed a bit too extreme. Would a seven-year-old child experience any strange psychological trauma from going through such an experience?!
In that case, Naruto’s sudden “loss of control” was indeed an accident.
“A ‘loss of control’ with reason…” Hiruzen Sarutobi clasped his hands behind his back and pondered with a frown, “It sounds more like he’s beginning to grasp the power of the Tailed Beast within him. This power is only rational when Naruto is in control. Otherwise, the new Nine-Tails Rebellion would have already occurred.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi was well aware of what this meant—Naruto was heading towards becoming a true Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
“It’s a bit too early…”
In Hiruzen Sarutobi’s plan, he felt that he should at least let Naruto graduate from the Ninja Academy before gradually guiding him to control the power of the Tailed Beast within him.
Unexpectedly, under Itachi’s provocation, Naruto achieved this ahead of schedule, and he also came into contact with the Nine-Tails’ power earlier.
Speaking of which.
“Itachi, wasn’t it Sasuke you provoked? Why was Naruto also stimulated?” Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly thought of a question that puzzled him endlessly.
Uchiha Itachi was also taken aback and guessed, “Perhaps it’s the bond between Sasuke and him. After all, they both believe in absolute justice.”
“Bonds…”
Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked his pipe.
Suddenly, he felt a headache.
Why did it have to be a bond with a ninja of the Uchiha clan?
If possible…
He wished Naruto had a bond with a junior member of the Sarutobi clan.
“Hokage-sama,” Uchiha Itachi suddenly spoke, interrupting Hiruzen Sarutobi’s thoughts. He said, “The Uchiha clan is becoming somewhat uncontrollable under Uchiha Ikeizumi’s influence, and Uchiha Setsuna has also become more radical than before. Many moderate Uchiha have recently chosen to join the radical faction or have become quite interested in 「Absolute Justice」.”
Hearing Itachi’s report, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s brow furrowed. This was also one of his concerns during this period.
If the Uchiha clan were to cause trouble, or even launch a coup d’état that they thought no one knew about but was actually an open secret… then Konoha would fall into internal strife.
Other Ninja Villages would very likely take advantage of the situation.
Although the Third Shinobi World War had ended not long ago, it did not mean that those ambitious individuals with irreconcilable internal contradictions wouldn’t want to start a Fourth Shinobi World War.
“Hokage-sama, I will handle all of this.”
Uchiha Itachi said slowly with his head bowed, “Hokage-sama, you don’t need to worry about the Uchiha clan affecting Konoha in the future.”
These two sentences startled Hiruzen Sarutobi.
“Itachi…” He recalled the rumors circulating in the village about the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall a year later.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and said with a serious expression, “Itachi, some things don’t need to be done so decisively. What truly affects Konoha is only a small portion of people.”
He did have the idea of purging some of the restless Uchiha.
But it was only a part, not a complete extermination of the Uchiha.
Itachi’s approach was a bit too extreme.
Hiruzen Sarutobi found it difficult to accept.
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat, his face grim, and reiterated, “Itachi, sometimes there’s no need to go to such extremes. The Uchiha clan is ultimately useful to Konoha.”
“…Understood, Hokage-sama.” Uchiha Itachi replied, concealing an unusual expression in his eyes.
He stood up.
Turned and left.
‘I’m sorry, Hokage-sama… I should have known long ago that you, who love the village, would not allow me to do such a thing. But, if I don’t do some things, it might be too late. The Uchiha already seriously threaten Konoha…’
Uchiha Itachi muttered inwardly as he walked out the door.
Although the Hokage might not understand some of his ideas.
But why should he expect others to understand?
‘The path I have chosen for Konoha, for the Uchiha, and for Sasuke… is the most correct path.’
Muttering to himself, Uchiha Itachi suddenly looked up.
He saw a ninja with a considerable amount of beard pass by him, and the other person seemed to have noticed him as well; their surprised gaze lingered on his face for half a second.
If he remembered correctly…
That person seemed to be the Hokage’s second son.
Sarutobi Asuma!
……
Staring at the empty office door, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and chewed his pipe, thinking about how to deal with the Uchiha clan to bring them a bit of stability…
An unexpected person appeared before him.
“…Asuma?!” Hiruzen Sarutobi was surprised. He asked, “Weren’t you in the Capital of the Land of Fire a few days ago?”
Asuma walked in, closed the door, and leaned against the wall, saying, “Old man. I’ve told the Daimyo about it.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused his actions but didn’t scold Asuma, merely asking a couple of questions: “What was Lord Daimyo’s reaction? Did he say anything?”
“Very angry,” Asuma said. “Lord Daimyo wants the killer of his son to pay the price.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, “If I were to act against Ikeizumi because of this, Konoha would descend into chaos. If Lord Daimyo sent you to urge me to act, I can only pretend not to hear. Asuma, don’t underestimate Ikeizumi. He can absolutely plunge Konoha into unprecedented chaos, a destruction no less than that night of the Nine-Tails Rebellion.”
How could Hiruzen Sarutobi not have considered killing Uchiha Ikeizumi?
As Hokage, he had considered all sorts of bold ideas, even contemplating what would happen if he suddenly committed suicide.
It was precisely because he had considered and analyzed… that Hiruzen Sarutobi absolutely refused to engage in conflict with Uchiha Ikeizumi within Konoha.
The cost of conflict was too great for Konoha to bear.
It was like how the First Hokage, despite serious disagreements with Uchiha Madara, eventually only agreed to battle at the Valley of the End, rather than fighting within Konoha Village.
Asuma, hearing this answer from Hiruzen Sarutobi, a flicker of disappointment quickly masked itself in his eyes.
He took out a cigarette, bit the stem, but didn’t light it.
“Old man, you’ve misunderstood. Lord Daimyo isn’t asking you to kill Uchiha Ikeizumi. He probably understands your difficulties and won’t force you, nor does he have the right to force the Hokage.”
Asuma said expressionlessly, with one hand in his pocket, “I’m just here to give you advice.”
“Since Uchiha Ikeizumi is causing trouble in Konoha, making things difficult and making you feel helpless… why don’t you release this terrifying tiger and have him carry out missions outside the village?”
Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback.
Asuma continued calmly, “He is a Uchiha Police Force Ninja, but he is also a ninja of Konoha. Konoha ninjas must accept the ninja missions assigned by the Hokage, right?”
“I know you placed this tiger in Konoha Village before to deter some people. Now that your goal has been achieved, those people have been deterred, right?”
“Or perhaps…”
Asuma’s eyes narrowed. “Those people are almost all dead at Uchiha Ikeizumi’s hands, old man!”
“Since your goal has been achieved, why not release him? Uchiha Ikeizumi carrying out justice outside Konoha Village, within the Land of Fire, will have nothing to do with you, the Hokage.”
“Then you won’t have to worry about him, because those magnates, those bureaucrats, and the Daimyo will have to worry about him.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s tightly furrowed brow did not relax.
“Asuma, what do you want to do?” Sarutobi Hiruzen simply asked a crucial question.
Asuma replied, “The Daimyo wants to kill Uchiha Ikeizumi, to let him know that he doesn’t have the power to kill him. He wants Uchiha Ikeizumi to offend many people in the Land of Fire, preferably to the point of making him an enemy of the entire nation. That way, someone will eventually be able to kill him.”
Asuma took out a document from his breast pocket. He threw it towards Sarutobi Hiruzen, who caught it with one hand.
Opening it, he found it was in the handwriting of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
“Old man, the Daimyo didn’t ask you to personally deal with Uchiha Ikeizumi, he just wants you to release him and let him carry out his 「Absolute Justice」 in the Land of Fire.”
“And the Daimyo has also decided to increase Konoha’s funding by thirty percent next year. This kind of request… you should be able to grant it to the Daimyo, right?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent for a few seconds.
“A very naive scheme. To achieve the goal, too many coincidences are needed. It’s even entirely the unrealistic delusion of the Lord Daimyo. Even if I temporarily let Ikeizumi leave Konoha, the Lord Daimyo will likely not achieve his goal.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused and asked with a stern voice, “But, is this matter really that simple? Asuma.”
Asuma retorted, “Old man, don’t you trust me? Although… I don’t always like what you do, have I ever lied to you before?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath.
“…Alright.” Perhaps it was out of trust for his second son, perhaps out of guilt towards the rebellious Asuma.
He trusted Asuma.
…
…
