Chapter 115: Ambush Uchiha Ikeizumi! S-rank Ninja Mission
After watching his second son, Asuma, with whom he didn’t have a great relationship, leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked down at the Daimyo’s Edict in his hand and murmured in a deep voice, “What exactly feels a little off here?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi killed the Daimyo’s second son; it’s reasonable and normal for the Daimyo to be angry and want to kill Uchiha Ikeizumi.
It also seems logical that the Daimyo would not want to travel all the way to Konoha and have Asuma return with a message.
The only thing Sarutobi Hiruzen felt was a little off…
…was the Daimyo’s Edict in his hand, and the Daimyo’s very naive and childish plan that Asuma relayed.
To have Uchiha Ikeizumi leave Konoha and offend more people with his absolute justice, thereby using others to kill him—this is a revenge plan that the Daimyo would almost certainly fail to achieve.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that the Daimyo also knew the plan’s success rate was extremely low.
After all, who could guarantee someone would dare to become the blade aimed at Uchiha Ikeizumi?
And who would dare guarantee that once Uchiha Ikeizumi left…
he wouldn’t directly target the highly positioned Daimyo of the Land of Fire?
“The Daimyo must have another calculation,” Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered, frowning. “Asuma… he must know something about this, but he chose to cooperate with the Daimyo and hide it from me. Haa! Troubles just keep coming, one after another; it’s endless.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt deeply fatigued. For someone his age, handling so many troublesome matters was too much.
One major issue after another crowded Sarutobi Hiruzen’s mind, making him feel as though he had to split himself into countless pieces and even slowing down his thinking.
“Someone, come here,” Sarutobi Hiruzen called for an Anbu Ninja.
He ordered, “Have Ikeizumi come here.”
“Yes, Hokage-sama.”
“Wait…” Sarutobi Hiruzen called to stop them, and then issued another command: “Gather the Anbu first, then summon him.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen, in the end, was somewhat afraid to meet Ikeizumi alone.
The risk was too high!
…
“Hey, hey, hey… Jirō, why hasn’t your Asuma arrived yet?”
Outside Konoha Village.
Kazuma, with a senbon in his mouth and a kunai on his finger, spun the kunai and said sinisterly, “Could this be a trap? They said they’d come to deal with Uchiha Ikeizumi, but is it actually to deal with me? If I wait a few more minutes, will hundreds of Konoha Ninja come out to surround me?”
Having said that, Kazuma slowly stood up, his gaze unfriendly as he fixed it on Jirō, one of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi, before him.
The five people beside him also stood up in unison, causing the other three on Jirō’s side to become immediately alert.
“Kazuma, what do you want to do?” one of them shouted. “Don’t forget our mission. The Daimyo sent us to deal with Uchiha Ikeizumi, not to kill each other.”
Kazuma sneered, “That’s not necessarily true. The Daimyo naturally won’t do anything to me, as he trusts me greatly. But I’m not sure if Asuma might deceive the Daimyo.”
Jirō, with a blank expression, clasped his hands together, chanted a Buddhist phrase in a low voice, and then said, “Asuma isn’t the kind of person you describe.”
But his eyes were fixed on Kazuma before him.
If the latter made the slightest move, Jirō would not hesitate to act.
Just as the situation became tense, a sudden sound drew the attention of all ten people.
“Kazuma, you really know how to cause trouble…”
Asuma took a puff of his cigarette and said coldly to Kazuma.
“Tch!”
Kazuma played with his kunai and questioned, “Asuma, you have to give me a reason for being gone so long. Talking to the Konoha Hokage shouldn’t take this much time, should it?”
Asuma’s expression was somewhat complicated. He said in a deep voice, “I made some inquiries in Konoha regarding Uchiha Ikeizumi.”
Kazuma raised an eyebrow, “Didn’t you just return to Konoha a short while ago? After only a few days, you still need to inquire about him?”
Asuma fell silent for a moment.
At first, he also thought it was unnecessary to inquire, but he happened to discover that many people in the village seemed to be discussing Uchiha Ikeizumi.
After a bit of curious inquiry.
Asuma was immediately shocked.
Killing Shimura Danzo, killing contraband drug dealers, killing fellow Uchiha, and annihilating the Shimura Clan—these were the earth-shattering events that Sarutobi Asuma’s Uchiha Ikeizumi had accomplished in the few days he had been away from Konoha!
And this was only what he could find out; Asuma believed there were many things he couldn’t uncover.
“Our enemy is far beyond our imagination,” Asuma said in a deep voice. “This is a life-or-death battle.”
Following that.
He revealed all the information he had gathered.
Even the disdainful expression on Kazuma’s face subsided as he listened.
“Hey, hey…”
Kazuma’s fingertips brushed against his kunai. “Are you really not exaggerating at all? This guy… he’s working around the clock, twenty-four hours a day, doesn’t he need any rest?!”
Jirō’s expression remained unchanged. “We have the advantage; he doesn’t know we’ve set an ambush for him outside.”
Asuma exhaled a breath and nodded. “This is our only advantage. I lied to the old man and had him release Uchiha Ikeizumi. As soon as he comes out, he’ll step into the ambush we’ve laid for him. To kill such a troublesome individual, he must be killed in an extremely short amount of time.”
“Even a moment of respite for him would be extremely disadvantageous to us. This also means none of us can hold back; we must bring out all our trump cards, or we will only lead everyone to their deaths.”
Kazuma spat out the senbon from his mouth and grinned menacingly. “Such a formidable Konoha Ninja, and you, Sarutobi Asuma, are willing to kill him. Perhaps the cruelest person isn’t that Hokage, but you?”
Asuma took a deep breath and said slowly, “He threatened Konoha. That’s all. So, are you scared?”
Kazuma’s eye twitched. “Asuma, say that word again, and I’ll kill you first!”
Asuma felt a slight relief in his heart.
The provocation had succeeded.
It didn’t matter that Kazuma and he didn’t get along; as long as the other party didn’t retreat at a crucial moment, it was enough.
He looked at one of the Guardian Shinobi and asked, “Have the summoned beasts been sent to inform the Daimyo that we are about to act?”
The other nodded slightly. “It was sent last night. My summoned beast is very fast, so the Daimyo should have received the letter.”
…
At the same time.
The Ninja Academy.
“Hiss…”
Yamanaka Yoshinobu, who had taken a sharp breath, slowly opened his eyes. He felt a pain in his neck and his mind was somewhat hazy.
“…No!”
His eyes widened suddenly, and he sprang up from the ground.
He remembered seeing a pair of crimson eyes before he lost consciousness. Then he was stunned for a moment, felt a pain in his neck, and instantly lost consciousness.
Yamanaka Yoshinobu realized he had been caught in an illusion technique, most likely a Sharingan illusion technique!
Furthermore, to be safe, the attacker had struck him with a hand chop to knock him out before he could try to break the illusion!
Yamanaka Yoshinobu knew his duty was to monitor the Jinchuriki.
The reason he was knocked out was definitely not because he himself was targeted.
It was because the Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto, was targeted!
Yamanaka Yoshinobu broke out in a cold sweat. Especially when he looked up and saw the two large holes in the wall of Iruka’s classroom, the ominous premonition in his heart made him feel that he had caused a great disaster this time.
Failing to monitor and protect the Jinchuriki would not simply disappoint the Hokage!
“You’re awake?” The sudden crisp voice made Yamanaka Yoshinobu’s pupils contract. He quickly turned his head and saw that it was someone he knew—the little follower of Uchiha Ikeizumi!
If he remembered correctly…
Her name was Uchiha Izumi?
Yamanaka Yoshinobu’s heart leaped. “Was it you who used an illusion technique on me?!”
Izumi shook her head. “It wasn’t me; it was Uchiha Itachi.”
Yamanaka Yoshinobu: “!!!”
“Don’t worry… his target is Uchiha Sasuke, not Uzumaki Naruto. The reason he made you ‘sleep’ for a while was probably because he thought your presence might get in his way.”
Izumi kindly explained. She had been concentrating on observing Yamanaka Yoshinobu for a while and found that he was not a red-named villain.
The girl generally held goodwill towards those who were not villains.
“If you are here, then Uchiha Ikeizumi…”
Yamanaka Yoshinobu couldn’t help but look around nervously.
“An Anbu Ninja just came and said the Hokage wanted to meet with Senior Ikeizumi, and he’s already been gone for a while.”
Yamanaka Yoshinobu was taken aback.
…
Hokage’s Office Building.
“A ninja mission?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi met Sarutobi Hiruzen’s gaze. Even though he had already sensed that there were more than just the two of them in the Hokage’s Office, his expression did not change much.
“Yes, a ninja mission,” Sarutobi Hiruzen handed a mission scroll to Uchiha Ikeizumi and cleared his throat. “Ikeizumi, you haven’t undertaken a ninja mission in a long time, have you?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi stated a period of time: “About two and a half years.”
To him.
The term “ninja mission” had not been heard for a long time.
“This is an S-rank mission,” Sarutobi Hiruzen said slowly. “Don’t worry, I won’t have you undertake a ninja mission that goes against absolute justice. That was our agreement back then, wasn’t it?”
He also added an explanation: “Lately, there have been fewer and fewer personnel available in the village to undertake high-level ninja missions, so after much thought, I decided to assign this mission to you.”
This was not Sarutobi Hiruzen lying.
It was just… why were there fewer and fewer people capable of undertaking S-rank ninja missions in the village?
It was truly a bit difficult to guess!
Thinking this, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s gaze towards Uchiha Ikeizumi held a hint of helplessness and resentment.
“The scroll contains several classified documents that need to be delivered to the ninja in the border areas of the Land of Fire as soon as possible,” Sarutobi Hiruzen explained. “According to known intelligence… spies from other villages are aware of the existence of these classified documents, and they are constantly watching everyone entering and leaving Konoha. This means you will need to deliver the classified documents to a certain location under the watchful eyes of spies from other villages.”
“Konoha is in the open, while the spies from other villages are in the shadows. There is a high probability that they will launch sneak attacks on the ninja transporting the classified documents. But exactly when will they strike? How many of them will there be? Will there be any very powerful ninja from other villages… I am still unsure.”
“Therefore, this mission is S-rank, and the process is extremely dangerous.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused and said, “I originally intended to have Might Guy, who has already returned to the village, undertake this mission. But after careful consideration, I believe you are more suitable for this task.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi played with the scroll in his hand and said, “You want to get me out of Konoha, don’t you, Third Hokage?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen: “…”
Communicating with intelligent people is always so bothersome; it felt as though his thoughts were seen through at a glance.
And Ikeizumi was an exceptionally intelligent person. After seeing through his thoughts, he even voiced them out loud.
This made Sarutobi Hiruzen’s old face feel a bit embarrassed.
But he quickly concealed it.
“Ahem! Regardless, Ikeizumi, you are the most suitable Konoha Ninja to undertake this mission, aren’t you?” Sarutobi Hiruzen said. “Your eyes, which can see through ‘future evil and past evil,’ will instantly identify who is a spy from another village; they will be exposed before they even get close to you.”
“Those spies from other villages, they have all taken lives, directly or indirectly. For the sake of their espionage missions, they have undoubtedly killed not only Konoha Ninja but also innocent Konoha civilians. For Ikeizumi, isn’t this an opportunity to execute justice?”
“Therefore, after much deliberation, I felt you were the most suitable.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi looked thoughtfully into Sarutobi Hiruzen’s eyes.
Sarutobi Hiruzen involuntarily averted his gaze. He felt he wasn’t being guilty, just a little wary of Ikeizumi’s Mangekyo.
Uchiha Ikeizumi weighed the scroll in his hand and asked, “What time?”
“Today,” Sarutobi Hiruzen replied.
Just as Uchiha Ikeizumi was about to leave with the scroll, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly said, “Ikeizumi, the Daimyo already knows what you’ve done. In his eyes, you are his son’s killer. He might take some drastic actions, but… you should know that his drastic actions won’t pose a threat to you.”
“For the sake of Konoha, I hope you will not aim the blade of justice in your hand at the Daimyo. Konoha needs the Daimyo, and the Land of Fire needs the Daimyo. If the Daimyo is harmed, the entire Land of Fire will fall into chaos, and more sin will breed.”
“So…”
“Uh…”
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could finish speaking, he noticed that Uchiha Ikeizumi’s back had already vanished.
“Alas!” Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply, only able to hope that the Daimyo would stubbornly stick to his naive and childish plan.
…
“Huh? A ninja mission?!”
“And it’s S-rank!”
Izumi did not expect the Hokage to assign Senior Ikeizumi an S-rank ninja mission.
She knew that after graduating from the Ninja Academy, the highest-ranked mission she had encountered was only C-rank. For Genin, S-rank missions only existed in “legend.”
“Meow, Lord Ikeizumi, I’ll go with you!”
Kijiro volunteered, saying, “The rookie has grown up to some extent. Although she can’t handle things alone, she’s capable enough to deal with some less powerful villains.”
“Coincidentally, while she’s dealing with those less powerful villains, she can also take those two brats to experience it. Let them gain a deeper understanding of absolute justice, meow!”
Izumi silently interjected, “Senior Kijiro simply doesn’t want to bring two children, does he?”
Kijiro’s cat face looked at Izumi in shock. “Who are you disguised as, meow?”
Izumi: “???”
Kijiro pondered, “Normally, only Lord Ikeizumi and I can see through your thoughts. How can you see through mine?”
Izumi’s mouth twitched. “…You admitted it really quickly.”
“Kijiro will accompany me. Uchiha Izumi, you will remain in Konoha and continue to uphold justice. If you encounter a red-named villain that you cannot handle within your capabilities, note them down, and I will execute justice.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi said indifferently, “Absolute justice is not blind justice that makes you rush to your death without thinking. Remember to keep your life and dispense justice for more innocent victims.”
Although she instinctively felt that Senior Ikeizumi wasn’t genuinely concerned about her, but merely stating a fact calmly.
Still, Izumi felt that she had been cared for by her senior.
She immediately shouted, “Yes! Senior!”
“Kijiro, it’s time to go,” Uchiha Ikeizumi turned around and said.
“Meow? Aren’t you going to prepare?”
“No need.”
…
As the central figure in several recent public opinion storms in Konoha.
The moment Uchiha Ikeizumi stepped out of the Konoha Gate, the news of his departure from Konoha quickly spread.
“Uchiha Ikeizumi has left the village?” Inside the Uchiha Clan Compound, Uchiha Setsuna frowned, completely at a loss.
“It is said that before Uchiha Ikeizumi left the village, he went to the Hokage’s office once, and after he came out, he left Konoha,” an radical Uchiha ninja reported to him.
Uchiha Setsuna’s brow furrowed tighter, desperately wanting to know what Uchiha Ikeizumi was planning to do.
Every time he remembered his grandson, who had died miserably at the hands of Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Uchiha Setsuna’s killing intent could not be contained.
“Investigate further,” Uchiha Setsuna narrowed his eyes. “It would be best to follow him and see where he is going.”
“Yes, Elder Setsuna!”
…
“Ikeizumi has left the village…”
In the Police Force’s office, Fugaku couldn’t help but take a deep breath, stood up, and looked out the window, murmuring to himself, “Lord Hokage has finally let this fierce tiger go.”
To be honest, for Fugaku, Uchiha Ikeizumi’s departure from the village was good news.
Because the longer Ikeizumi stayed in Konoha, the more trouble he would cause, and he might even implicate the Uchiha clan.
But…
When Fugaku remembered what his eldest son, Uchiha Itachi, intended to do, he suddenly didn’t want Uchiha Ikeizumi to leave the village anymore.
“Ikeizumi is the only one who can make Itachi hesitate. If he is not in Konoha, will the end awaiting the Uchiha clan be that tragic future?”
Fugaku rubbed his temples.
His expression was very complex.
…
Inside the Hokage’s office building, upon receiving the news, Koharu Utatane rushed from the Root base to the Hokage’s office.
“Hiruzen, do you know what it means to let Uchiha Ikeizumi go?”
Koharu Utatane stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said in a deep voice, “Don’t forget, he dared to kill the Daimyo’s second son! If you let him go, what if he encounters those magnates outside?”
“You should know how those magnates treat ordinary people. In Uchiha Ikeizumi’s eyes of extreme absolute justice, most of the magnates of the Land of Fire deserve to die.”
“You couldn’t even explain the death of the Daimyo’s second son to the Daimyo. What if more people die, what will we do?”
Although Koharu Utatane found Uchiha Ikeizumi very displeasing to the eye.
And considered absolute justice a thorn in her side.
She knew even better that only by keeping Uchiha Ikeizumi confined within Konoha village could absolute justice be controlled. At least, prevent such extreme justice from spreading throughout the Land of Fire.
Hiruzen Sarutobi handed Koharu Utatane a Daimyo’s Edict. He said slowly, “This is the Daimyo’s will. He already knows that his second son died in Konoha.”
Koharu Utatane was stunned.
…
“It seems I can take a vacation for a while…”
Kakashi, with his dead fish eyes, breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Uchiha Ikeizumi wasn’t in Konoha, he couldn’t come into contact with Uzumaki Naruto, and he wouldn’t have to supervise Uzumaki Naruto.
“Uchiha Ikeizumi!” Might Guy next to him stroked his chin and suddenly grinned, revealing teeth so white they almost blinded Kakashi. “Justice! Youth! Passion! A perfect match, right, Kakashi?”
“I’ve also heard a lot about his deeds. Although his actions are a bit extreme, isn’t this another form of passion?”
He enthusiastically patted Kakashi’s shoulder with all his might.
Kakashi’s eyelids twitched, and he grimaced in pain.
Might Guy said excitedly, “Kakashi! Why don’t you just quit your Anbu job and accept the baptism of youth with me!”
Ever since Kakashi joined the Anbu, he had become increasingly depressed.
Might Guy had always wanted to pull Kakashi out of his despair. To that end, he had even suggested to the Third Hokage that he also wanted to join the Anbu and team up with Kakashi.
Of course…
Such a request was naturally politely refused by the Third Hokage.
If someone who always talked about passionate youth were to enter the Anbu, the style of the Anbu might change one day.
“Sigh…”
Kakashi suddenly felt that this guy was more troublesome than Uchiha Ikeizumi, who instilled the concept of absolute justice into a Jinchuriki.
…
Outside Konoha Village.
A certain location.
A ninja crow flapped its wings and landed on a ninja. The ninja crow spoke in a sharp tone, “Uchiha Ikeizumi has left the village! Uchiha Ikeizumi has left the village! He is heading this way! He is heading this way!”
“Tch, is he coming already…”
Kazuma, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, stood up. He stretched his wrists and ankles, fiddled with his ninja tool bag, and said menacingly, “Asuma, don’t hold me back.”
Asuma extinguished a cigarette and said in a deep voice, “I want to kill him more than you do. Stop talking nonsense.”
“Asuma, if the situation turns bad, will we have backup?” Jirō suddenly said next to Asuma. “Uchiha Ikeizumi doesn’t know our intelligence, but we don’t know much about him either. This operation is quite risky.”
“No.”
Asuma shook his head. “The old man doesn’t know about our operation. Even if he senses movement outside the village, by the time he sends Anbu Ninja, it will all be over.”
His expression turned serious. “Everyone, be prepared!”
…
Swoosh—
Two figures, one large and one small, moved rapidly through the dense forest outside Konoha Village, so fast that even Special Jonin would have trouble seeing them.
Kijiro’s speed suddenly slowed down a bit.
Its fluffy cat face displayed a range of emotions. Kijiro immediately said to Uchiha Ikeizumi beside him, “Lord Ikeizumi, something feels a bit off… While it’s not completely silent, this kind of disturbance feels unusual.”
Kijiro had participated in the Third Shinobi World War alongside Uchiha Ikeizumi, having survived the chaotic and bloody battlefield.
Its intuition gave it an ominous feeling.
Kijiro’s vigilant eyes scanned the surroundings but found nothing strange.
“…Meow, I felt it wrong?!”
“You’re not wrong.” Uchiha Ikeizumi’s speed also slowed slightly. Within a few breaths, he even stopped, and Kijiro next to him quickly stopped as well.
Uchiha Ikeizumi calmly looked towards a certain point ahead.
His eyes, although not open in Sharingan, seemed to perceive anomalies that ordinary people couldn’t see.
Uchiha Ikeizumi raised his hand and gently placed it on the hilt of his ninja sword.
The words he spoke made Kijiro startle: “It seems someone is hiding from the Third Hokage and wants to kill me outside the village.”
Kijiro’s guess of “outside spy” was instantly dismissed.
The information “hiding from the Third Hokage” was too significant!
Therefore, the other party absolutely could not be an outside spy.
“Lord Ikeizumi, who is he?” Kijiro became vigilant, its fur standing on end.
“Not ‘he,’ but ‘they.’ They are elite Jonin like Sarutobi Asuma, Jirō, and Kazuma… Tsk, they really think highly of me! The Twelve Guardian Shinobi have come out in full force. Of course, one is missing, ‘Nan Wu,’ who already died by my hand.”
At the exact moment Uchiha Ikeizumi finished speaking, a sudden, strange sound erupted from all directions. Numerous invisible steel wires shot out from various tricky angles, forming a net that enclosed Uchiha Ikeizumi!
At the same time, the surging killing intent hidden in the shadows could no longer be contained. Three figures appeared on three treetops, subtly surrounding Uchiha Ikeizumi.
“Kita,” “Saito,” and “Tōmō,” three of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi, appeared first. Each of them stood on a tangle of steel wires, with many more wires spreading and intertwining in the air.
“Raiton: Raifu Tōga no Jutsu!!!”
Without any preamble, the three quickly formed hand seals and shouted in unison.
Instantly.
A large amount of blinding arcs of electricity rapidly climbed along the steel wires, and the lightning-intertwined wire mesh descended upon Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Centered around Uchiha Ikeizumi and Kijiro, the area within a hundred-meter radius was filled with intricate, dazzling arcs of lightning!
The arcs of electricity, like the fangs of savage beasts, continuously struck downwards. Where the terrifying lightning spread, even the towering trees were instantly turned into debris by the thunder!
At this very moment, six figures appeared simultaneously.
They were the six Twelve Guardian Shinobi, led by Kazuma.
Kazuma took the lead, forming hand seals.
“Doton: Daichi Numa Kawa!!!” He slammed his palms onto the ground, and the earth in front of him instantly turned into a swamp. Uchiha Ikeizumi’s feet immediately sank into it. The swamp, as thick as glue, made lifting one’s foot extremely difficult.
The blinding lightning in front reflected on Kazuma’s scarred face, which bore a smug grin. He laughed wildly, “Uchiha Ikeizumi, this is a tomb we’ve meticulously prepared for you. Are you satisfied! Hahaha!”
The other five also attacked simultaneously.
A dazzling array of ninjutsu, whether Earth Style, Fire Style, or Wind Style… all surged towards Uchiha Ikeizumi and Kijiro, the one-man-and-one-cat duo.
“Jirō!”
The moment Asuma’s light shout rang out, Jirō, with a solemn expression, struck a dignified Buddhist pose. Chakra, as brilliant and solemn as golden Buddha light, erupted from his body. He shouted loudly, “Kannon: Senshu Fusō!!!”
The golden chakra seemed to transform into a Kannon Bodhisattva image. Numerous arms rapidly surged forward. Upon reaching hundreds of meters away, the many arms reached out to grab Uchiha Ikeizumi.
“Fūton: Fūjin no Jutsu!!!”
Asuma naturally wouldn’t stand idly by. He knew his Fire Style ninjutsu might not do much damage to Uchiha Ikeizumi’s Lava Release, but he believed Wind Style could still play a role.
Rolling dust, accompanied by a fierce wind, swept forward. Wherever it passed, it cut a gully into the ground.
The moment the numerous ninjutsu collided simultaneously.
A deafening roar of explosions erupted, and a violent chakra shockwave swept in all directions. The turbulent airflow almost blew Kita, Saito, and Tōmō, who were standing on distant treetops, away.
As everyone quickly looked towards the direction of the explosion,
they saw an exaggerated mushroom cloud slowly rising.
“With this power… perhaps the residential areas of three major ninja clans could be leveled in an instant?”
Asuma exhaled slightly, the strong wind blowing towards him making it difficult to open his eyes.
He squinted his eyes but did not relax his vigilance. Instead, he took out two chakra knuckle knives and held them in his hands.
That was Uchiha Ikeizumi, who had killed Danzo Shimura and annihilated the entire Shimura clan.
Was it possible for him to die from such a surprise attack and heavy blow?
“Hmm?!”
As the smoke and dust in front gradually dispersed, Asuma’s pupils constricted, a flicker of disbelief crossing his eyes. He stared with wide eyes at the faint, huge shadow within the smoke and dust.
“Is that… a ninja cat?!”
“How is it so big!?”
…
In Konoha, inside the Hokage’s office building.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was talking with Koharu Utatane, suddenly caught a glimpse of a bright light from outside the window that was clearly visible even in daylight. The next second, he felt the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly, followed by a booming sound.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Koharu Utatane’s expressions changed in unison.
Koharu Utatane immediately walked to the window, gazing at the giant mushroom cloud slowly rising in the distance outside Konoha. She exclaimed in shock, “…What’s going on? There shouldn’t be any flammable or explosive hazardous facilities outside Konoha?!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen also walked to the window. His expression immediately sank. “That direction… it’s a main road leading from the outside to Konoha. Besides trees and dirt roads, there’s almost nothing there.”
“If there’s nothing, how could there be an explosion?” Koharu Utatane said gravely. “And the power of this explosion…”
She took a deep breath. “It’s probably more powerful than the explosion caused by the hundreds of explosive tags used by the Shimura clan to assassinate Uchiha Ikeizumi.”
When Koharu Utatane mentioned the name “Uchiha Ikeizumi,” both she and Hiruzen Sarutobi froze for a moment.
“It’s Ikeizumi!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen was startled. “He just left the village on a mission not long ago, and given his speed, he would be right in that direction!”
Koharu Utatane frowned deeply. “So… is it an outside spy?”
“Whether it’s Ikeizumi who is in trouble or not, whether it’s an outside spy or not. Phew, an explosion of this magnitude near Konoha Village requires investigation.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen, with a hint of foreboding in his heart, said in a deep voice.
At this moment, Koharu Utatane really wanted to say, “Why not wait for them to fight each other to a mutual defeat, and then go take a look.”
After all…
If Uchiha Ikeizumi were to be assassinated by outside spies and die.
It might not be a bad thing.
At least the so-called absolute justice could finally subside. Even if there was Uchiha Izumi, she couldn’t cause much trouble. Moreover… Uchiha Izumi’s weaker absolute justice could be used by Konoha, making the new absolute justice a knife for Konoha.
Of course, Koharu Utatane couldn’t say these thoughts aloud.
…
“That is…”
Kakashi, who was deep in thought about how to escape Might Guy, suddenly noticed the mushroom cloud rising in the distance.
His listless expression turned serious. “It doesn’t look like an explosion from explosive tags. It’s more like an explosion from the collision of different ninjutsu. At least multiple elite Jonin must be using ninjutsu simultaneously.”
A hint of doubt crossed Kakashi’s eyes. Why would Konoha’s Jonin create such a large commotion for no reason?
Unless…
It’s not Konoha ninjas!
“Guy, something might have happened,” Kakashi slowly pushed up his forehead protector, revealing one Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Looking at the distant scene, he said in a deep voice, “Let’s go take a look.”
…
“Mmm…”
Naruto, who was sleeping soundly, felt like he was woken up by some noise. As he sat up, holding his head, he suddenly remembered something, startling him awake.
As Naruto frantically looked around, a familiar voice sounded from beside him: “He has already left.”
Naruto turned his head and saw Sasuke standing beside him.
Sasuke looked into the distance and explained, “You were affected by his Sharingan Illusion Technique and fell asleep. During that time, Teacher Ikeizumi came. Teacher Ikeizumi said… if I watched over you for a while, you would wake up.”
Naruto scratched his head. “Still can’t beat him! Your brother Uchiha Itachi is indeed quite strong.”
Sasuke’s tone deepened slightly. “He is no longer my brother.”
Naruto was taken aback. He realized he might have brought up an uncomfortable topic, so he awkwardly followed Sasuke’s gaze towards the distance, but what he saw there stunned him.
Naruto exclaimed, “What is that thing, believe it!”
“A big explosion,” Sasuke replied.
Naruto was dumbfounded. “Such a big mushroom!”
…
“Such a big… ninja cat!” Asuma’s eyes showed a trace of shock as he looked up at the giant shadow before him.
When a gust of wind blew, scattering most of the smoke and dust,
A large, mountain-like orange ninja cat, with an intensely striking visual impact, appeared in front of everyone.
The fur of the giant cat was covered in various wounds, from impacts by Water Release, scorch marks from Lightning Release, and cuts from Wind Release.
“Hah!” A ferocious expression covered the giant orange cat’s face. “It hurts, meow! You scumbags!!!”
Just a single huff from the giant orange ninja cat made Asuma smell a pungent, fishy wind.
“This guy seems to be Uchiha Ikeizumi’s ninja cat!”
Asuma suddenly recalled information about Kijiro; Kijiro, who had fought his way through seven times following Uchiha Ikeizumi during the Third Shinobi World War, was somewhat famous. “It’s using the Akimichi Clan’s Expansion Jutsu!”
“Pure Expansion Jutsu couldn’t possibly block our eleven ninja’s ninjutsu attacks for Uchiha Ikeizumi. And it only looks lightly injured, not heavily injured,” Jirō said solemnly from the side. “It must have also used ninjutsu to harden its fur, thereby strengthening its defense, and forcibly withstood our attacks.”
Kazuma let out a “Tsk,” his expression gloomy as he complained to Asuma not far away, “Hey, Asuma! You didn’t mention that this guy was also accompanied by such a troublesome ninja cat!”
“To not kill Uchiha Ikeizumi in an instant…” Shido said with a solemn expression. “We’re in for a tough fight. For Nan Wu, who has died, there is no word of retreat in this battle!”
Just as Asuma was about to say something, he suddenly smelled a pungent sulfur scent amidst the fishy wind.
He could also acutely sense the surrounding temperature seemingly increasing.
Asuma’s heart jolted, and he immediately shouted a warning, “Everyone be careful! Uchiha Ikeizumi, the ‘Lava Release Ferocious Beast,’ is about to make a move!!!”
The moment his voice fell, Asuma’s pupils contracted to pinpricks.
His eyes reflected a crimson lava.
The rolling heatwave rushing towards him set off his alarm bells; the opponent’s extreme speed made him smell death!
“Raijin: Thousand-Hand Kill!!!”
Beside Asuma, Jirō, whose chakra had transformed into a Kannon form, roared. Chakra arms, fists clenched, struck out at the crimson lava rushing towards Asuma!
Thousands of fists rained down on the lava, causing the ground in front of Asuma to be blasted with scattered rocks and debris.
“No! This isn’t his main body, this is just a lava clone!” Jirō, sensing something was amiss, was immediately startled. At this moment, he also suddenly felt a heatwave rushing towards him.
Turning his head in a hurry, he was so shocked his hair stood on end. Cold sweat instantly covered his entire body, only to be instantly evaporated by the approaching heatwave.
Uchiha Ikeizumi had, without anyone noticing, closed the distance!
His right arm, transformed into a hellish crimson lotus demon dog, swiftly struck towards him!
Jirō slammed his hands together with all his might, at the fastest speed he had ever moved.
“Kannon Form: Buddha’s Bell!!!”
—Boom!!!
The Lava Demon Dog instantly pierced through the giant golden bell formed by chakra. As Jirō watched with disbelief, the Lava Demon Dog’s ferocious fangs had already bitten through his chest!
……
……
