Chapter 120: What To Do? Only Kill! The Anxious Daimyo Of The Land Of Fire
“Shizune, bring out the money we picked up last night.”
Just as Shizune was lost in thought, Tsunade’s sudden words startled her.
She quickly picked up the money bag from the ground and placed them one by one on the table.
Shizune said, “Lady Tsunade, we followed Uchiha Ikeizumi last night and picked up over forty-seven million ryo in cash. Fortunately, most of it was in large denominations of over a thousand ryo, so the quantity wasn’t too much to carry.”
“However…”
As she was about to open the money bag, Shizune immediately thought of something, paused her actions slightly, and hesitantly said, “Some of the cash is stained with blood, Lady Tsunade, your hemophobia…”
Tsunade glanced at the several bulging money bags.
She didn’t let Shizune open them further, but after taking a deep breath, she said, “…Just leave one million ryo.”
“Oh… Hmm? Huh? Eh?!”
Shizune couldn’t quite maintain her expression, her eyes widening as she looked at Tsunade as if she were a stranger.
“Lady Tsunade, you…”
“I haven’t taken the wrong medicine.”
Tsunade said, “There were seventy-nine children rescued from the basement yesterday. Forty million ryo divided among seventy-nine children means each child gets only a little over five hundred thousand ryo. This amount should be enough to raise them properly from this age until they become adults.”
Shizune: “!!!”
“Lady Tsunade, you’re going to adopt them?!”
Shizune was indeed shocked.
Lady Tsunade, who was addicted to gambling, would have surely considered this forty million ryo as her future gambling funds.
Based on past logic, Tsunade would have undoubtedly punched anyone who dared to touch this money and sent them flying.
But Shizune hadn’t expected that, without any external interference, Tsunade herself would decide to give this money away!
Tsunade rolled her eyes in exasperation and poked Shizune’s cheek, admonishing her, “Do I look like I have the free time to raise so many brats? Of course, I’ll send them to an orphanage! This money is to be given to the orphanage so they can raise them properly!”
Shizune covered her face and mumbled, “It does sound like a good thing, but with so much money… won’t someone pocket it?”
Before the events of last night, Shizune wouldn’t have dared to think of people so badly.
But after experiencing last night’s events, Shizune couldn’t help but instinctively assume the worst of others.
“What if…”
Shizune whispered weakly, “we encounter those scumbags again who want to use children’s bodies for their wicked deeds?”
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, the memories of last night also flooding her mind.
A shadow veiled her beautiful eyes.
“Then kill them!”
The moment Tsunade, one of the Konoha Sannin, finished speaking.
With a “crack,” the solid wood table she was supporting with one hand developed fine cracks.
A deep palm print was seared onto the sturdy and hard tabletop.
Shizune’s heart grew tense.
Ever since Lady Tsunade developed hemophobia, left Konoha, stopped caring about ninja matters, and became addicted to gambling… Shizune hadn’t seen such a killing intent radiating from Lady Tsunade.
From the current Lady Tsunade, she saw a glimpse of the “Princess Tsunade of Konoha” whose name once echoed throughout the Ninja World.
Why had Lady Tsunade changed like this?
As soon as this question surfaced in her mind, Shizune found the answer—it was because of Uchiha Ikeizumi!
After Uchiha Ikeizumi appeared on Tanzaku Street, after Uchiha Ikeizumi revealed the evil of the Ninja World to Lady Tsunade, after Uchiha Ikeizumi demonstrated his Absolute Justice in front of Lady Tsunade.
Lady Tsunade seemed to have changed somewhat.
It was as if…
she had become less self-destructive.
“Right, Shizune, where did that Uchiha brat and that ninja cat go?” Tsunade suddenly asked.
“They should be leaving Tanzaku Street soon, right?”
Shizune replied, “That ninja cat named Kijiro said Uchiha Ikeizumi was just passing through Tanzaku Street this time, and they were carrying an S-rank ninja mission from the Hokage. I think they only stopped in Tanzaku Street last night to rest.”
“Heh, resting, and killed six hundred and fifty-nine people?”
Tsunade chuckled, “That brat definitely passed through Tanzaku Street on purpose. Leaving such a huge mess behind and then leaving, it’s exactly the same style as nine years ago, truly hasn’t changed one bit.”
Shizune weakly corrected, “It was six hundred and forty people. Nineteen of them… were killed by you, Lady Tsunade, I couldn’t even stop you.”
“Ahem!”
Tsunade cleared her throat and changed the subject. She slowly stood up and said, “Let’s go, we need to find a suitable orphanage for the children. If we can’t find a good orphanage, we’ll bring all these children to Konoha.”
“Given that old man’s character, he definitely won’t ignore so many war orphans. Hmm… maybe we can even save that forty million ryo then.”
Shizune: “…”
Lady Tsunade really knew how to fleece the Hokage!
But wasn’t she also fleecing Konoha’s money? And thinking about how Lady Tsunade’s grandfather was the First Hokage.
So what was this…
Selling the grandfather’s land without a second thought?
…
At the same time.
In a dense forest not far from Tanzaku Street.
A person and a cat, who were rapidly moving through the dense forest, inexplicably slowed down and stopped.
Less than three seconds after they stopped, rustling sounds came from behind, and then Moonlight Hayate, looking somewhat breathless, appeared before them.
“Hoo…”
“Gone?”
Although Moonlight Hayate was less than ten meters away from Uchiha Ikeizumi, he looked around quite bewilderedly.
If one looked closely at his eyes, they would see a pattern resembling Sharingan reflected in the depths of Moonlight Hayate’s pupils!
He thought his tracking skills were superb, but he had unknowingly fallen victim to Uchiha Ikeizumi’s Illusion Technique.
In a daze.
Moonlight Hayate felt his head sink slightly. The sudden change made his pupils contract, and just as he immediately looked up, Uchiha Ikeizumi, who had “mysteriously” appeared before him, made him stagger back in shock.
“Don’t move around, meow.” A voice with a strange intonation suddenly sounded from above Moonlight Hayate’s head.
It was at this moment that Moonlight Hayate felt like his temple was being pressed by a sharp blade.
“Meow, you fellow… I remember you’re from the Moonlight Clan, right?”
Kijiro’s voice sounded again, “That sickly Moonlight Hayate?”
As a fluffy orange cat tail slowly dangled down and swished in front of Moonlight Hayate’s eyes.
Moonlight Hayate immediately realized that above his head was a talking ninja cat!
Without his knowledge, Uchiha Ikeizumi had already found out he was being followed!
And…
Moonlight Hayate felt that he had likely fallen victim to an Illusion Technique just now!
Even the Sharingan Illusion Technique had not been dispelled yet!
If Uchiha Ikeizumi made a move…
he might die in an instant.
“I… I have no ill intentions.”
Although Moonlight Hayate was sweating profusely, it wasn’t because he had suddenly backed down. It was because, from the moment he “quietly” started following, he had no intention of killing Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Or rather…
he didn’t have the courage.
Moonlight Hayate looked directly at Uchiha Ikeizumi, and the myriad complex thoughts in his heart transformed into the courage to speak: “Uchiha Ikeizumi, I just wanted to ask you a question. It’s okay even if you don’t want to answer, it’s okay even if you kill me in the next second. I just want to know, why must you use ‘killing’ to judge sinners who do evil?”
“Can’t…”
Moonlight Hayate, who no longer had any blood relatives, clenched his fist and looked directly into Uchiha Ikeizumi’s Three-Tomoe Sharingan: “Can’t you use some reasonable methods? I don’t have any problem with the justice you uphold, but… shouldn’t justice choose a method that is more agreeable to everyone?”
When he saw Uchiha Ikeizumi walking towards him.
Moonlight Hayate, who thought he had mustered enough courage, found himself still somewhat timid…
As Uchiha Ikeizumi got closer and closer, the fear that arose in his heart intensified.
He even felt reluctant to make eye contact with the other party.
Uchiha Ikeizumi stood within arm’s reach of Moonlight Hayate.
“Is your kindness and tolerance meant to be bestowed upon villains?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi’s extremely cold voice rang in Moonlight Hayate’s ears: “When a villain kills an innocent person, what kind of method do you think should be used to give him the punishment he deserves? How should justice act to allow the innocent victims to rest in peace in the afterlife?”
“Don’t hold back, answer whatever you want to answer.”
Moonlight Hayate stood frozen.
He had come this far to ask Uchiha Ikeizumi why he couldn’t spare the life of his only blood relative back then.
However, every word from Uchiha Ikeizumi’s mouth, like thunder in his ears, prevented him from asking the question in his heart.
“The twisted and pathological Ninja World not only breeds a great deal of evil but also makes many people numb to ‘evil,’ even unable to feel enough indignation towards those repulsive ‘evils.'”
As Moonlight Hayate remained silent, Uchiha Ikeizumi slowly said, “Before you question why justice must kill your relative, why don’t you think about what he did? Why don’t you think about what your mother’s state of mind and feelings were before he killed her?”
“Moonlight Hayate, personally experience the despair of your mother dying at the hands of her most beloved son… This is my Absolute Justice, the answer to your doubts.”
The moment Uchiha Ikeizumi’s indifferent voice fell.
Moonlight Hayate suddenly realized that the scene before him had changed drastically. He immediately realized it was another Sharingan Illusion Technique!
The gap in strength between him and Uchiha Ikeizumi was too great.
He had fallen victim to illusion twice in a row without any precursor of awareness.
Wait…
Moonlight Hayate suddenly felt something was not quite right. He felt that the scene before him looked somewhat familiar.
“This is… the Moonlight Clan Residence?!”
The next second, he suddenly found his body moving uncontrollably.
No, this didn’t seem like his own body. It was more like his consciousness was possessing this body!
Then whose body was this?
“Mother, why?! Why is it that just because Moonlight Hayate is one year older than me, all the clan’s resources have to be tilted towards him? Just because he’s the elder son, the future of the Moonlight Clan has to be entrusted to that sickly guy? Is he going to be the future Clan Leader of the Moonlight Clan?”
Moonlight Hayate’s eyes widened.
The voice from behind… was that of his younger brother “Moonlight Seisui,” who had already died at Uchiha Ikeizumi’s hands!
Then…
was the body his consciousness had possessed that of his mother?
“He’s just a weakling! If the future of the Moonlight Clan is entrusted to him, we’ll never have a chance to avenge Father! Who knows if that sickly guy will suddenly die? Didn’t you forget, you have a husband-slayer to avenge?”
From behind, “Moonlight Seisui’s” voice became increasingly agitated.
Hearing this, Moonlight Hayate fell silent.
His younger brother…
viewed him, his elder brother, like this?
“Seisui.”
The woman’s voice, from the body Moonlight Hayate was attached to, said, “Don’t speak disrespectfully to your elder brother. While Hayate’s body is frail, his talent is higher than yours, and his personality is much more stable than yours…”
“Seisui, you are too extreme and blinded by hatred. If the Moonlight Clan were entrusted to you, with your personality, the entire Moonlight Clan would likely be dragged into the abyss in no time.”
Moonlight Hayate recognized the voice as his mother’s.
Wait…
Wasn’t this scene recreating the scene of his mother’s death?!
“I’m sorry… Seisui. The position of future Clan Leader of the Moonlight Clan belongs to your elder brother Hayate, this was decided long ago…”
——Bang!!!
A dull thud suddenly came from behind his head. Moonlight Hayate’s eyes widened, he felt a sympathetic blow to the back of his head.
His body tilted forward uncontrollably, an intense sense of disbelief rapidly brewed in his chest, the rusty smell of blood began to fill his nostrils, and a warm, wet sensation came from the back of his head.
Shock.
Astonishment.
Doubt.
Sadness.
One emotion after another exploded uncontrollably in Moonlight Hayate’s heart. He was certain these were not his own emotions. Were these… his mother’s emotional fluctuations?
At this moment, Moonlight Hayate genuinely felt all the emotions and sensations his mother had in her final moments of life.
His mother couldn’t understand why her second son suddenly attacked and killed her.
His mother began to blame herself, wondering if she hadn’t done something well enough.
His mother wished she could have seen her child one last time before closing her eyes, wanted to say a few more words to him.
“Hah, hah, hah…”
“Moonlight Seisui’s” heavy gasping voice sounded from behind: “This… this is all your fault… you never treated me as your own son, you unilaterally gave my future to that sickly guy! You even forgot about avenging my father’s death! Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be my mother!”
“Wait… wait, calm down, *huff*, I need to calm down. I need to hide your body, no one can find it… otherwise I’m finished. *Huff huff*… I can’t bury it in Konoha Village, it has to be buried outside the village…”
Moonlight Hayate once again felt his mother’s emotional fluctuations. She actually wanted to ask her second son, who had killed her, not to bury the body outside the village, because it would definitely be discovered.
If it were discovered, her life from then on would be ruined.
However, she could no longer speak.
At the moment of her complete death, his mother bore no hatred towards her second son who had killed her!
At this moment.
Moonlight Hayate became enraged, and this rage instantly transformed into killing intent. His killing intent was not directed at Uchiha Ikeizumi, but at the irredeemably twisted Moonlight Seisui!
He desperately wanted to sever the arms of Moonlight Seisui that had killed his mother and question him face-to-face why he had done it!
He even more desperately wanted to cut off Moonlight Seisui’s head and make this utterly twisted brother properly sober up in the underworld!
He wanted to decapitate Moonlight Seisui even more, to make this brother, who had already become extremely twisted, truly sober up in the underworld!
Immediately after, Moonlight Hayate, from a first-person perspective, “watched with his own eyes” as his younger brother picked up their mother’s corpse.
He then, under the cover of night, used his Light Release bloodline limit to secretly transport the corpse to the outskirts of Konoha.
He watched as his younger brother, with a contorted face, threw the corpse into a deep pit and buried it with handful after handful of soil.
Until their mother’s face was covered by dirt.
The Sharingan illusion technique abruptly ended!
…
Moonlight Hayate, whose eyes had unconsciously shed two streaks of tears, heard Uchiha Ikeizumi’s voice: “These are the memories of your younger brother and your mother’s corpses, obtained by the Yamanaka Clan.”
“You people who believe in Absolute Justice do not understand me. Likewise… I do not understand you people at all.”
“I have answered your doubts about the absolute means of justice. Moonlight Hayate, you should also tell me why you bestowed your kindness and tolerance upon a villain?”
With a “thump,” Moonlight Hayate, as if all his strength had been drained, immediately knelt on the ground on both knees.
He looked down at his trembling hands.
Every word from Uchiha Ikeizumi echoed in his ears.
He…
found that he couldn’t answer at all!
That’s right!
Why did he bestow kindness and tolerance upon that kind of person?
Was it because that person was his younger brother?
Was it because of a close blood relation?
But… Chousui had become so twisted and pathological that he would even kill his own mother!
“I am so sorry!!!”
Moonlight Hayate, who was already crying uncontrollably, performed a perfect dogezu for Uchiha Ikeizumi.
At this moment, although he couldn’t understand why he had such thoughts, he understood why Uchiha Ikeizumi had to execute justice with such absolute methods.
If you ask how to punish those twisted villains?!
—Then there is only killing!!!
…
Three days later.
Konoha Village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had already been discharged from the hospital, had not recovered much of his spirit, but the village’s affairs still needed him, the Hokage of Konoha, to handle.
Especially the mess Uchiha Ikeizumi had stirred up in the village some time ago, which required him, the Hokage of Konoha, to personally investigate.
However, speaking of which, during the days Uchiha Ikeizumi was away from Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that the village had become much quieter, and Konoha had become “more peaceful.”
It also allowed him to hold a proper funeral for Sarutobi Asuma.
In the past few days, although the Uchiha Police Force occasionally arrested criminals and put them in jail, at least no one had died.
During the time Uchiha Ikeizumi was in the village, one person died a day, which was merely warming up.
Usually, several people died a day, and during exaggerated times, over a dozen people died a day!
This made the business of the Konoha Funeral Home very brisk.
If one didn’t know, they would think Konoha was in a state of war!
However…
What Hiruzen Sarutobi did not expect was that this rare peace and tranquility did not last long.
When an Anbu ninja rushed over to report some information, Hiruzen Sarutobi almost bit the pipe stem he was holding into pieces.
“Hokage-sama!” the Anbu ninja said anxiously, “Uzumaki Naruto… nearly killed someone just now!”
“Cough… cough cough cough!!!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi was choked, tears welling up. After finally recovering, he stared at the Anbu ninja in front of him with disbelieving, slightly red eyes.
“What happened?!”
The Anbu ninja immediately replied, “Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, following Uchiha Izumi, were ‘executing justice’ in Konoha Village. They found a criminal who had committed a crime. It seemed that the criminal’s actions had angered Uzumaki Naruto, and Naruto stabbed the criminal in the abdomen with a kunai.”
“Fortunately, the Anbu ninja Yamanaka Yoshinobu, who was monitoring Naruto, intervened in time. The criminal stabbed in the abdomen only suffered serious injuries and was not killed by Uzumaki Naruto.”
“However… Uchiha Izumi followed up with a finishing blow, beheading the criminal with a single strike.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi: “…”
Every word the Anbu ninja spoke made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel somewhat dazed.
What on earth was going on? Why had Naruto become even more uncontrollable after Ikeizumi left Konoha?
When Ikeizumi was still in Konoha, Naruto wouldn’t have used such a dangerous weapon as a kunai against a criminal, right?
This matter involved the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so Hiruzen Sarutobi could only set aside his official duties, stand up, and say with a grave face, “Take me there to see.”
“Yes, Hokage-sama!”
Soon.
Led by the Anbu ninja, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at the Nara Clan Residence.
Standing before the main gate of the Nara Clan Residence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn’t help but fall silent for a moment.
The events that had occurred at Konoha Hospital a few days prior flashed through his mind.
It was precisely the combined pressure from the Ino-Shika-Cho that forced him to swallow his pride, causing many clan members of the Sarutobi Clan to look at him, their Third Hokage, strangely.
A barely perceptible gloom flickered in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes.
However, he quickly concealed it.
“Hokage-sama.”
“Hokage-sama.”
Nara Shikahisa from within the Nara Clan Residence and Yamanaka Inoichi greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi in unison.
It was as if they had known the Third Hokage would come.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath.
He nodded slightly at them.
Soon…
He saw Naruto, with bruises on his face and blood on his hands; Sasuke, with minor abrasions on his knees; Uchiha Izumi standing beside the two children; and Yamanaka Yoshinobu, monitoring the Jinchuriki from a distance.
He also saw a corpse lying on the ground, and a Yamanaka Clan ninja using a Yamanaka Clan secret technique on the corpse.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to reprimand Izumi—how had she been watching these two children, letting them engage in such dangerous actions? Is this how your and Ikeizumi’s so-called Absolute Justice turned a child into a near-murderer?
However, in the next second, he suddenly realized that this Uchiha girl was also only twelve years old; she was also a child.
“Ahem!”
After clearing his throat, Hiruzen Sarutobi forced a kind and gentle smile, half-crouching down to the gloomy Naruto and said, “Naruto, Grandpa Hokage already knows. Can you tell Grandpa Hokage why you hurt that person?”
He thought the gloomy expression on Naruto’s small face was one of guilt.
However…
Naruto in front of him replied, “Grandpa Hokage! That guy was no different from a beast! This morning, Senior Izumi said that a ninja cat discovered a case, and that I and Sasuke could experience how Absolute Justice handles cases.”
“Then we discovered that the scummy beast… he actually… actually…” Naruto, speaking indignantly at this point, found it difficult to describe.
At this moment, Izumi’s voice slowly sounded, “The criminal was a Konoha genin who had defiled his own daughter.”
“Upon realizing that the Police Force ninja were coming to arrest him, the criminal held a knife to his naked daughter’s throat, attempting to use her life to threaten the Police Force ninja.”
“As soon as I controlled him with my Sharingan, Naruto snatched a kunai from my ninja tool bag and stabbed the criminal in the abdomen.”
“The pain made the criminal regain consciousness from the illusion. He kicked Naruto away, Sasuke went to help, and then pushed Sasuke away.”
“The Anbu ninja responsible for monitoring Naruto stepped in to stop Naruto, who was clenching his teeth and trying to rush forward.”
“I beheaded the criminal with a single strike.”
“Third Hokage, this is the cause, process, and result of the incident. Instead of questioning Naruto why he hurt that person, you should praise Naruto’s sense of justice. He indeed has excellent potential to believe in Absolute Justice.”
After the girl’s clear voice fell, the Yamanaka Clan ninja who had been examining the corpse’s memories also stood up.
His notebook recorded some of the criminal’s transgressions.
And this Yamanaka Clan ninja, whose eyes showed some gloom from viewing criminal memories that were too challenging to one’s worldview, also sided with Uchiha Izumi, saying, “That’s indeed what happened.”
“At the moment his crimes were exposed, he even intended to kill his daughter whom he had defiled, trying to take someone down with him.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi: “…”
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent again, realizing that his initial approach of questioning Naruto first was somewhat incorrect.
After all…
Who would have thought another such villain would emerge in Konoha Village?
Logically speaking, shouldn’t such incidents have paused a little after Uchiha Ikeizumi, who could see through the wickedness of others, was no longer in Konoha Village? Why does it feel like the pace has only slowed slightly, with no sign of stopping at all?!
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the corpse covered in blood.
The expression on his old face was quite complex.
My Konoha…
What has happened?!
…
At the same time.
The border of the Land of Fire.
“Ikeizumi… I didn’t expect the Hokage-sama to task you with transporting confidential information.” Morino Ibiki, whose appearance was very intimidating, had a complex expression on his face as he said, “We haven’t seen each other in many years, have we? The last time we met, you were only eleven years old, and you threw several criminals at me, asking me to use torture to pry open their mouths and make them confess their crimes.”
“Later… you built a good relationship with the Yamanaka Clan, so you didn’t need my torture anymore. You could directly use the Yamanaka Clan’s secret techniques to obtain the criminals’ hidden criminal secrets.”
Then, Morino Ibiki’s gaze fell on Kijiro again: “This ninja cat is that sycophant who followed you during the Third Shinobi World War, isn’t it?”
“You should speak respectfully even to a cat, meow! I am Lord Ikeizumi’s most capable assistant!”
Kijiro immediately retorted, “You need to distinguish between an assistant and a sycophant. The current sycophant is the rookie Uchiha Izumi!”
“Rookie…?” A flicker of doubt crossed Morino Ibiki’s eyes.
Kijiro said, “She’s a rookie who acknowledges Lord Ikeizumi’s Absolute Justice, though she’s a bit too immature.”
Morino Ibiki looked surprised, “Acknowledges Ikeizumi’s Absolute Justice, heh, interesting.”
With his hands in his pockets, he looked at Uchiha Ikeizumi and asked, “Ikeizumi, are you finally not going to fight alone anymore?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi said, “Absolute Justice by one person alone cannot eradicate all the sin in the entire ninja world.”
Morino Ibiki slowly exhaled, looked up at the blue sky, and murmured, “I really want to see what a ninja world without sin, or where sin is significantly suppressed, would look like…”
“Ikeizumi, your actions in Konoha Village recently have even reached me. Killing a former guiding jonin, killing your only blood relative…”
“Hoo! Your beliefs and ambition should have been admired by many like-minded people, but unfortunately, you are too poor at expressing your emotions.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi said, “Whether they admire me or believe in Absolute Justice doesn’t matter to me. As long as they firmly believe that justice and fairness still exist in the ninja world, that is enough.”
Morino Ibiki sighed, “You are still so idealistic.”
“That’s right…”
“If one weren’t idealistic, who would insist on justice at all costs, even sacrificing their own life? I hope that when I return to Konoha, my old friends will still be alive!”
After murmuring to himself, Morino Ibiki tucked the scroll containing the confidential documents into his chest and suddenly asked Uchiha Ikeizumi, “Are you returning to the village next?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi replied calmly, “I’ll go to the Capital of the Land of Fire first.”
Morino Ibiki was taken aback, “Capital of the Land of Fire? Did Hokage-sama give you two ninja missions?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi shook his head, “It’s not a ninja mission.”
“It’s best if you don’t inquire,” Uchiha Ikeizumi added, “The moment you ask for the truth, you might risk your life trying to stop me from going to the Capital of the Land of Fire.”
Morino Ibiki’s eyes narrowed, and various possibilities flashed through his mind, including some very bold speculations.
“Heh, never mind.”
Morino Ibiki said, “Dying at the hands of an enemy has some explanation, but dying at the hands of a fellow villager would be too humiliating.”
He did not indulge his curiosity.
Instead, he suppressed his curiosity.
…
Within the Capital of the Land of Fire.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire felt that something was not quite right. Whether Asuma and the others succeeded or not, they should have at least sent a summoned beast back to report the current situation.
Hadn’t they sent a summoned beast earlier to inform him that they were about to act?
Why, after several days, was there still no news?
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire paced back and forth in his room, agitated.
The food placed in the room had already gone cold.
Yet he had not touched it at all.
His anxiety caused beads of cold sweat to appear on his forehead.
Furthermore, the mission of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi was to protect his personal safety as the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
Without the protection of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire lived in constant fear every day.
He was afraid that one day he would wake up and find not his beautiful young concubines, but assassins sent by enemy nations! He didn’t expect those samurai who could only swing their swords a few times to protect his personal safety!
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
The light knocking startled the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Fortunately, a familiar voice came from outside, “Father… may I come in?!”
The Daimyo recognized his eldest son’s voice.
While slightly relieved, he tried to calm himself down and said in a deep voice, “Enter!”
A young man with a short beard on his chin entered. After respectfully bowing to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, he got straight to the point and asked, “Father, has Kyusuke’s corpse… been transported back?!”
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire’s silence gave his eldest son the answer.
The eldest son asked in astonishment, “Eleven Twelve Guardian Shinobi went out together, and they still couldn’t bring back Kyusuke’s corpse? This…”
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire said in a deep voice, “It’s not that we can’t bring it back, it’s just that we haven’t received news yet. I have great trust in the abilities of Asuma and Kazuma…”
As these words were spoken…
Even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire himself was a little uncertain.
“Father, with Asuma and so many others going to Konoha Village, I’m afraid… it’s not just to bring Kyusuke’s corpse back, is it?”
The eldest son’s question caused the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to close his eyes and nod.
“I also told them to kill that murderer named Uchiha Ikeizumi.”
“They should have completed the mission. Perhaps they were in too much of a hurry during their travels and didn’t have time to send back news.”
…
Konoha Village.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, in a flurry of anxiety, found Naruto. Less than half an hour later, he returned to the Hokage’s Office Building in silence.
He felt both relieved and worried.
He was relieved that Naruto’s injuring of someone was not due to the Tailed Beast within him losing control.
He was worried that Naruto, at such a young age, dared to stab a criminal in the abdomen with a kunai for the sake of so-called justice!
If the position of the stab had been slightly higher, piercing the heart, it would have been a killing blow!
Had Absolute Justice completely brainwashed him?
The problem was, how many days had it only been since then?
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn’t understand.
What was the difference between Konoha’s decades of the Will of Fire and Uchiha Ikeizumi’s Absolute Justice, that Naruto didn’t possess such courage for the Will of Fire?
“Sigh!” Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, always feeling that ever since Uchiha Ikeizumi had grown powerful, he, the Third Hokage of Konoha, had been having a difficult time every day.
Suddenly.
The urgent knocking at the door caused Sarutobi Hiruzen, who wanted some peace and quiet, to frown.
Suppressing a flicker of displeasure, he said, “Please enter,” just as two Konoha Ninja pushed the door open and entered in a stream.
“Jishou? Kanetsuchi?”
Upon seeing the three dusty figures before him, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s slightly furrowed brow relaxed. He forced a smile and said, “It seems you have completed the A-rank ninja mission I assigned you, but…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s eyes flashed with surprise: “Why is Hayate missing?”
He had a bad premonition. After all, among the younger generation of the Moonlight Clan who had been affected by Uchiha Ikeizumi, only Moonlight Hayate remained!
If Moonlight Hayate were to perish during a ninja mission…
Then Sarutobi Hiruzen felt it would be difficult to explain to the Moonlight Clan.
The Konoha Ninja named “Jishou,” panting heavily, said, “Ha… Hayate returned to Konoha a day after us.”
This statement made Sarutobi Hiruzen instantly relax.
“Without losing any comrades, it means you completed this mission perfectly. Young people like you, sooner or later, will…”
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to utter some very formulaic praise.
He was urgently interrupted by “Jishou,” who had finally caught his breath: “Hokage! The Land of Fire… something big has happened!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt another bad premonition. He clasped his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice, “Don’t rush, take your time.”
“Jishou” continued at a rapid pace: “As we were returning to the village, we passed through Tanzaku Street and found that the entire Tanzaku Street was almost engulfed in flames. When we entered, we found bodies everywhere! The number of corpses was no less than a hundred!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s expression immediately became serious.
Tanzaku Street… this famous pleasure district of the Land of Fire, frequented by many magnates.
If something happened here, it would definitely affect those magnates.
This was indeed a major incident.
Jishou, his expression unable to conceal his horror, continued: “After simple investigation and questioning on Tanzaku Street, we discovered that the perpetrator of this bloody tragedy on Tanzaku Street… is Uchiha Ikeizumi!”
“Hokage! Uchiha Ikeizumi massacred the entire Tanzaku Street! Too many people died! A hundred bodies is just our initial estimate; we don’t know the exact number.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen: “???”
…
…
