Chapter 125: The Third’s Image Shattered! Tsunade: “your Perspective Is Too Narrow, Jiraiya!”
Mitarai Anko witnessed Uchiha Ikeizumi’s conflict with the Hokage from start to finish. She hadn’t expected the Hokage to be at a disadvantage, even to the point of being speechless with a darkened expression.
Perhaps the Hokage intended to align with the Eldest Son of the Daimyo to pressure Uchiha Ikeizumi.
This would also allow him to act against Uchiha Ikeizumi under the guise of “absolute justice.”
However, the Hokage did not anticipate that the Eldest Son of the Daimyo would be the first to surrender.
It was simply because this Eldest Son of the Daimyo desperately wanted to survive.
Sigh…
Wait!
As her thoughts reached this point, Mitarai Anko couldn’t help but fall into contemplation. She always felt that things were not that simple. The Hokage appeared to be in a tense standoff with Uchiha Ikeizumi, but was that truly the case?
Did Uchiha Ikeizumi openly killing the Daimyo of the Land of Fire have absolutely no connection to the Hokage?
Was the Hokage bringing Anbu Ninja in such a hurry a contingency to finish the job if Uchiha Ikeizumi failed?
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo, enduring the pain of losing his father, now firmly stood on the position of **absolute justice**.
He shamelessly uttered one cowardly remark after another.
Was it because he sensed that these two were putting on a show together?
In reality, was this Konoha’s power grab against the Daimyo of the Land of Fire?
Konoha is no longer content with being purely a military organization?
Mitarai Anko: “!!!”
The wild thoughts in her mind converged, causing Anko to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a peculiar gaze. At this moment, Anko also suddenly realized why the Eldest Son of the Daimyo’s eyes always looked somewhat strange when he glanced at the Hokage.
Wasn’t it the same look as hers now?
The situation seemed to fall into a strange silence. Ikeizumi was not the type to break the silence first, and perhaps the Hokage was a bit embarrassed. Should she cooperate with them?
With this thought, Anko cleared her throat and said, “The Land of Fire cannot be without a leader for a single day. Isn’t the most important thing now to bury the former Daimyo as soon as possible, and then select a new Daimyo? Rather than dwelling on these trivial matters here?”
The atmosphere fell silent again for a few seconds. Upon realizing no one responded, Anko’s heart skipped a beat. Had she misunderstood?
Furthermore, her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the Hokage staring at her with an unthinkable expression.
As for Uchiha Ikeizumi beside him, he completely ignored her.
She always felt that those masked Anbu Ninja were also looking at her, but there was no evidence for now.
And the Eldest Son of the Daimyo was looking at her with a panicked expression.
Anko: “…”
Oh no, I think I really said the wrong thing!
“Yes!”
Just as she was at the peak of embarrassment and sweating profusely, she heard the Eldest Son of the Land of Fire force a laugh and agree, “This ninja speaks correctly. The current urgent matter for the Land of Fire… is indeed this.”
Anko felt that the Eldest Son of the Daimyo’s voice was trembling.
Could her previous words, when heard by the Eldest Son of the Daimyo, be interpreted as a threat from Konoha towards him?
Hiss!
She noticed that the Hokage’s face was already one of utter devastation.
The Eldest Son of the Daimyo continued, “We request that Lord Hokage of Konoha temporarily stay in the capital of the Land of Fire for a few days to personally attend my father’s funeral. Furthermore, Lord Ikeizumi and Lord Hokage will jointly recommend candidates for the next Daimyo of the Land of Fire.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen: “…”
Now it’s truly impossible to clear his name! Sarutobi Hiruzen could hardly imagine how the entire Ninja World would view him once this matter spread.
It was likely that the hatred for Uchiha Ikeizumi assassinating the Daimyo of the Land of Fire would be directed towards him, the Hokage of Konoha!
Even the Eldest Son of the Daimyo subconsciously believed that all these events were related to him or Sarutobi Hiruzen!
At that time, not only Uchiha Ikeizumi would become the target of public criticism in the entire Ninja World…
But also he, Sarutobi Hiruzen!
He, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would become the synonym for “disloyal” and “unrighteous”!
All the magnates of the Land of Fire would look at him with strange eyes. Once the news spread back to Konoha Village, all the ninja clans of Konoha would think that he, the Hokage, was calculating and scheming, and that his ambition had grown to a point where even Konoha could not contain him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wished he could personally throw Anko into Konoha Prison and make her reflect there for over a decade!
Why did he have a moment of madness and grant this child a special pardon?
Sarutobi Hiruzen regretted it.
“Lord Hokage?” Under the cautious urging of the Eldest Son of the Daimyo, Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose eyes were now dazed and devoid of their usual light, managed to force a smile from his twitching lips.
“…Okay.”
His aged face flushed red and then pale, and finally, he could only force out a very reluctant word.
After all, regardless of the reason, he, the Hokage of Konoha, would definitely have to attend the Daimyo’s funeral.
It was just this way of being misunderstood…
It could potentially destroy the image of the Third Hokage he had cultivated over the years!
It would make him forever subservient to Ikeizumi!
Because the former was open and aboveboard, while he was insidious and cunning.
…
“Looking at the time, Hiruzen should have already arrived at the capital of the Land of Fire by now and perhaps met with the Daimyo and others.”
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage’s Office Building.
Homura Mitokado stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window at the distant scenery, and said, “If Uchiha Ikeizumi truly intended to assassinate the Daimyo, Hiruzen would very likely have already clashed with Uchiha Ikeizumi by now.”
“As for the final outcome, we can only wait for Hiruzen to send back word. It’s quite convenient to transmit messages nowadays with the tools available in the Ninja World.”
“If I recall correctly, this communication tool was invented by Orochimaru before he defected from Konoha. At that time, he wanted to gain recognition from everyone in the village with this convenient gadget to compete with Minato for the position of Hokage.”
As he spoke, Homura Mitokado couldn’t help but reminisce about certain events from the past.
It made him lament how old he had become.
Koharu Utatane let out a soft snort and said, “Are you sure Hiruzen would clash with that brat Uchiha Ikeizumi? Don’t forget how he indulged that brat in Konoha.”
“If it weren’t for his indulgence, Uchiha Ikeizumi wouldn’t have grown so powerful that no one could control him.”
Homura Mitokado sighed and said, “At that time, Hiruzen was using Ikeizumi rather than indulging him. At least, you cannot deny that while Ikeizumi was in the village, the radical faction of the Uchiha Clan did not dare to initiate a coup.”
“And shortly after Ikeizumi left Konoha, Hiruzen began to worry about the radical faction of the Uchiha Clan. He even worried that Uchiha Itachi would annihilate the Uchiha Clan.”
With that, Homura Mitokado cast a glance towards a corner.
Standing there was an Anbu Ninja of short stature who had remained silent the entire time.
This person was none other than Uchiha Itachi!
Sarutobi Hiruzen had not brought Uchiha Itachi to the capital of the Land of Fire; instead, he had temporarily assigned Uchiha Itachi as Homura Mitokado’s guard.
This was because Konoha needed Uchiha Itachi’s combat power to defend the village, and it also allowed Homura Mitokado to keep an eye on Itachi.
However, Homura Mitokado felt that Hiruzen’s action had another layer of meaning – Hiruzen was worried that if the mentally unstable Itachi went to the capital of the Land of Fire, he might do something to the Daimyo.
After all…
According to Ikeizumi’s prophecy, Itachi was extremely ruthless and unbelievably extreme for the sake of Konoha, even daring to slaughter his entire Uchiha Clan.
Who knew if he might do something even more earth-shattering in the capital of the Land of Fire for Konoha?
Homura Mitokado believed Sarutobi Hiruzen did not want to gamble.
Nor did he dare to gamble.
Homura Mitokado shook off the chaotic thoughts in his mind and continued to say to Koharu Utatane, “But once the matter involves the Daimyo, it’s different. Hiruzen would not blindly ‘indulge’ Ikeizumi indefinitely; all ‘indulgence’ has a bottom line and a limit.”
“If Ikeizumi were to attack the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, it would mean that in Hiruzen’s eyes, he had crossed the bottom line and exceeded the limit. I believe Hiruzen would not be unclear about the seriousness of the situation.”
Upon hearing this, the expression on Koharu Utatane’s face softened slightly.
She also looked out the window and said coldly, “I hope that only Hiruzen and the Anbu Ninja of Konoha will return to the village.”
…
One hour later.
Outside Konoha.
“Konoha… it’s been so long since I’ve returned, ever since I decided not to get involved in ninja affairs.” As Tsunade looked up at the Konoha Gate before her, an indescribable complexity was hidden in her beautiful eyes.
With her speed as one of the Konoha Sannin, she could have returned to Konoha in less than a day.
However, she still needed to escort seventy-nine young children, and along the way, she had to attend to their food, drink, and hygiene.
Even if Jiraiya had helped halfway.
It still took several days.
Jiraiya’s face was one of dejection and collapse. Currently, he had two young children sitting on his left, three young children sitting on his right, and two children on his back.
“Finally… we’re back…” Jiraiya was on the verge of tears. He wished he had suppressed his curiosity and not gone to find Tsunade.
Who would have thought that Tsunade would forcibly drag him along as labor without giving him any room to refuse?
This trip had exhausted Jiraiya to the extreme.
Jiraiya felt that he wouldn’t be as tired even if he went to fight Orochimaru.
Although these orphans from Tanzaku Street were surprisingly well-behaved.
But ultimately, they were still children.
“I never want to take care of brats again!” The fact that Jiraiya could let out such a wail showed how torturous it was.
Tsunade ignored Jiraiya’s wailing. Upon returning to Konoha, she headed straight for the Hokage’s Office Building.
However, she unexpectedly learned that the Third Hokage was not in Konoha.
“Invited by the Daimyo to the capital of the Land of Fire?” Tsunade frowned. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly encountered Koharu Utatane coming out of the Hokage’s Office.
So much time had passed that Koharu Utatane’s face had become increasingly aged. Tsunade almost didn’t recognize her at first glance.
But Koharu Utatane recognized Tsunade.
“Tsunade? Oh, right… I remember now. Your disciple rushed back to Konoha ahead of time and informed us. She said you would be back soon, and that you were bringing seventy-nine orphans from Tanzaku Street. The orphans she mentioned should be outside the building, right?”
“Don’t worry, Konoha will not treat these unfortunate war orphans poorly. Moreover, they suffered greatly in Tanzaku Street. Konoha’s orphanage will take good care of them.”
As she said this, Koharu Utatane’s gaze shifted to Jiraiya, who was beside Tsunade: “But your disciple didn’t mention that Jiraiya would also be returning.”
Tsunade replied casually, “He clung to us stubbornly halfway here.”
Jiraiya: “???”
Before Jiraiya could retort, Tsunade asked directly, “The old man definitely wasn’t invited by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to the capital of the Land of Fire. Although there’s no evidence, my instinct and subconscious tell me that things are not that simple, right?”
Koharu Utatane was silent for a moment, not expecting Tsunade to bring up this topic.
However, she did not explain much and replied, “Tsunade, you have already decided not to concern yourself with ninja matters anymore.”
Seeing Koharu Utatane’s displeased expression, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and said, “Honestly, I’m quite curious too. Telling me shouldn’t be a problem, right? Advisor Koharu Utatane?”
“…It’s related to Uchiha Ikeizumi.”
Koharu Utatane dropped a bombshell: “Hiruzen suspects Uchiha Ikeizumi of attempting to assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. I believe you can guess what Hiruzen is going to do, right?”
Jiraiya: “!!!”
Tsunade: “!!!”
“Assassinate the Daimyo? What a joke?” Tsunade’s brows furrowed as she murmured, “That Uchiha brat couldn’t possibly assassinate the Daimyo.”
Koharu Utatane let out a cold laugh, feeling that Tsunade seemed to be viewing Uchiha Ikeizumi through rose-tinted glasses.
Just as she was about to say something, she heard Tsunade continue, “If he really wanted to kill the Daimyo, he would do it openly and aboveboard.”
“That’s not right either…”
Tsunade rubbed her chin, thinking aloud, “If he really wanted to kill the Daimyo, he wouldn’t stop at just the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. It’s likely… quite a few people in the entire capital of the Land of Fire would suffer.”
“That brat despises villains who do evil. In his eyes, no matter how special a person’s status is, if they have committed evil, they are a villain and must be judged by justice.”
Tsunade slapped her palm against her fist, a look of sudden realization on her face, “If he’s in the capital of the Land of Fire, he’ll definitely turn the place into a river of blood! The capital of the Land of Fire won’t be any better than Tanzaku Street!”
Koharu Utatane: “…”
No.
What is this slightly enthusiastic emotion you’re showing?
Realizing that Uchiha Ikeizumi would commit such atrocious acts, shouldn’t you be angry about it, just like this old woman?
Koharu Utatane found Tsunade’s thought process to be rather abnormal.
However, on second thought, would a person with a normal thought process, as one of Konoha’s Sannin, shirk all responsibility and leave Konoha for so many years, still being immersed in gambling?
With this thought, Koharu Utatane’s impression of Tsunade worsened considerably.
She said emotionlessly and with a faint voice, “Once Uchiha Ikeizumi commits those acts, Hiruzen will keep him in the capital of the Land of Fire forever. Because his actions have touched everyone’s bottom line.”
“Magnates and Daimyos. They can never be touched!”
…
Within the Uchiha Clan Compound.
The tense situation had been at a stalemate for a full hour. The expressions on the faces of Uchiha Setsuna and several radical elders were so grim they could drip water.
Their each gloomy gaze was fixed upon Uchiha Fugaku and the two moderate Uchiha elders brought by Fugaku.
Without even guessing, it was certain that a large group of the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan had gathered outside this hall.
And they were divided into two different factions.
Although the radical faction currently outnumbered the others in the Uchiha Clan, if a physical conflict were to break out between the two sides, it would likely only benefit the Konoha leadership.
No matter how radical Uchiha Setsuna was, he understood that a physical conflict with Fugaku would only result in a lose-lose scenario where Konoha wins.
He loses.
Fugaku loses.
Konoha wins.
This was an outcome that Uchiha Setsuna could least accept. As a result, for the full hour of stalemate, he had not given any orders, merely sitting motionlessly in his spot.
“Fugaku, are you and your group… planning to wait here for the Third Hokage to arrive in Konoha?” Uchiha Setsuna was, after all, the impatient type. After enduring for an hour, he finally couldn’t help but break the silence first.
“Are you opposing the Uchiha Clan? As Uchiha, your cowardly behavior today is a disgrace to the Uchiha Clan!”
“The history of the Uchiha Clan will remember you. You will also be nailed to the pillar of shame of the Uchiha Clan!”
Every word Uchiha Setsuna spoke at this moment seemed to be squeezed through his teeth.
It was enough to show the immense rage contained within him, on the verge of erupting.
Fugaku, with a stern face, spoke expressionlessly, “Senior Setsuna, it is you who should be nailed to the pillar of shame. Your actions will bring no benefit to the Uchiha Clan, only push the Uchiha into a deeper abyss.”
“You have never considered the consequences your actions would bring to the Uchiha; you have never considered how many subsequent effects they would trigger. Your actions are merely for momentary satisfaction.”
“And you… do not understand the extent of Konoha’s power at all. Your arrogance, your conceit, your pride will only lead to the death of all members of the Uchiha Clan.”
Uchiha Setsuna was so provoked by Fugaku that he was barely holding himself together.
His withered hand clutched his knees tightly, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “I will cause the death of all Uchiha? Fugaku! You should be saying that to your eldest son, shouldn’t you?!”
“You want to convince me? Fine! Since you, Uchiha Fugaku, are the one thinking for the Uchiha clan, then kill your eldest son right now, and I’ll believe you!”
“If you can’t do that, then you’re purely a dog of the Hokage!”
His eyes stared fixedly at Fugaku: “I will absolutely not allow a dog of the Hokage to be the Clan Leader of the Uchiha clan!”
“Fugaku! You are not worthy of this position! I, in the name of a Clan Elder, will initiate a new election for Clan Leader!”
In his emotional state, Uchiha Setsuna had completely dropped all pretense of civility.
Several radical elders beside him voiced their agreement.
One radical elder said, “Fugaku, according to the clan rules that the Uchiha clan has passed down for many years, if more than three elders within the clan believe the current clan leader is not capable, they have the right to hold a new election for a clan leader within the Uchiha clan.”
Another radical elder said, “Fugaku, your weak behavior has thoroughly disappointed us. Since that is the case, let’s proceed according to clan rules and elect a new clan leader.”
“Don’t worry, the clan rules do not call for the complete eradication of incompetent clan leaders. You, who have served as clan leader, can also participate in the election.”
“As for whether you can continue to serve as clan leader, that will depend on your support rate within the Uchiha clan.”
After speaking, this radical elder tucked his hands into his sleeves.
He looked calm and collected, as if unwilling to say anything further.
This time, it was Fugaku’s turn to have an unpleasant expression.
…
Capital of the Land of Fire.
Daimyo’s Mansion.
The Anbu ninjas hidden throughout the Daimyo’s Mansion no longer needed to hide. Sarutobi Hiruzen gathered a group of Anbu ninjas and assigned some of them to investigate how many magnates had died in the capital of the Land of Fire yesterday.
At the same time, he assigned a portion of the Anbu ninjas to personally protect the Eldest Son of the Daimyo.
This was because he was worried that Uchiha Ikeizumi might suddenly make a move against the Eldest Son of the Daimyo.
The results of the investigation were surprising.
The results were shocking.
The Anbu ninjas took less than half a day to tally the death toll and presented Sarutobi Hiruzen with a horrifying number: “One thousand five hundred and forty-nine people!”
Upon seeing this terrifying number, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately felt a wave of dizziness.
After all.
At least ninety percent of these were magnates in the capital of the Land of Fire! This involved countless famous magnate families.
In essence, within a single day, Uchiha Ikeizumi had managed to offend all the magnates in the capital of the Land of Fire on behalf of Konoha!
Oh, no…
Some magnate families were completely wiped out, leaving no survivors from top to bottom. Sarutobi Hiruzen suspected that for those unlucky families, even the earthworms might have been split vertically, and even an egg might have been shaken apart by Uchiha Ikeizumi.
It seemed that offending these magnate families was of no consequence.
“Hoo…” Sarutobi Hiruzen was completely dazed. He waved his hand and said to the Anbu ninja, “Transmit all the gathered information back to Konoha Village and inform Homura and Koharu!”
“Yes, Hokage!”
“Right!” Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly woke up and immediately asked, “Where did Ikeizumi and his Ninja Cat go?!”
At these words, the Anbu ninjas exchanged bewildered glances.
One Anbu ninja said, “Hokage, we informed you half an hour ago that Uchiha Ikeizumi had left the Daimyo’s Mansion. However, we do not know his specific whereabouts.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen: “…”
He carefully thought back, trying to recall if he had this memory.
The recollection confirmed that an Anbu ninja had indeed notified him.
It was just that his mind was in a state of turmoil at the time, and it was a testament to his strong psychological fortitude that he hadn’t fainted from anger at Ikeizumi.
As a result, the Anbu ninja’s report had gone in one ear and out the other.
“Ikeizumi…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought of a terrifying possibility: “Could it be that he doesn’t think killing over fifteen hundred people is enough?!”
Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately dispatched a few more Anbu ninjas to search for Uchiha Ikeizumi’s whereabouts and to investigate what Uchiha Ikeizumi was doing.
Not long after.
Sarutobi Hiruzen received more bad news; all his ominous premonitions had come true.
A hastily returned Anbu ninja reported, “Hokage, Uchiha Ikeizumi has gone on another killing spree! He annihilated seven magnate families to the south of the capital of the Land of Fire! Furthermore, hundreds of samurai from the Police Force in the southern part of the capital of the Land of Fire were almost all killed by Uchiha Ikeizumi!”
“In addition… over a dozen wealthy merchants and more than thirty ‘innocent bystanders’ also suffered Uchiha Ikeizumi’s absolute justice! The vast majority were killed by him, with only a small number losing limbs and being thrown into prison, barely clinging to life.”
The Anbu ninja paused, took a deep breath, and continued, “Besides that, some rogue ninjas, as well as ninjas from Konoha Village on missions in the capital of the Land of Fire, were also killed by him.”
“In a short period… he killed no less than five hundred more people!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood frozen as if struck by lightning.
He did not question the Anbu ninja why they didn’t stop Ikeizumi upon discovery, because he knew it was impossible to stop him.
Unless he, the Hokage, personally intervened, he could only manage to somewhat curb Ikeizumi’s extreme behavior.
He couldn’t possibly keep an eye on the other party at all times, could he?
“Asuma…”
“Asuma!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes in pain. Who would have thought that his most rebellious youngest son would have caused such a huge problem for him, his father, in his final moments?
But could he scold a son who had already passed away?
Moreover, Asuma’s foolish actions were, in their initial intent, actually for the good of Konoha.
It was just that the method used was wrong.
Or perhaps…
He had underestimated Ikeizumi.
…
The moment the information from the capital of the Land of Fire traveled thousands of miles to Konoha Village.
Homura Mitokado, who was temporarily in charge of Konoha for Sarutobi Hiruzen, could no longer sit still.
His aged face was etched with expressions of horror, and his eyes behind his spectacles were filled with disbelief.
“The Daimyo has been killed by Uchiha Ikeizumi.”
“Thousands of magnates of the Land of Fire have died, also by him.”
“The Eldest Son of the Daimyo has chosen to let this matter slide, not dwelling on the pain of losing his father or the hatred for his father’s murderer.”
“Hiruzen ultimately couldn’t stop Ikeizumi. Or rather, he arrived too late. And when he wanted to take action against Ikeizumi, he was forced to withdraw due to the Eldest Son of the Daimyo’s attitude.”
“This…”
Homura Mitokado, his face full of shock, no longer knew how to make a decision. He immediately sent for Koharu Utatane to be summoned back.
To his surprise.
It wasn’t just Koharu Utatane who walked in, but also Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Before Homura Mitokado could be astonished and wonder when these two had returned to Konoha, Koharu Utatane directly asked, “Is there any new information from Hiruzen?”
Homura Mitokado was silent for a moment. He wordlessly handed a document to Koharu Utatane.
Koharu Utatane took it and glanced at it briefly, and her aged face changed dramatically.
“Uchiha Ikeizumi!”
She tightly gripped the paper, almost crumpling a corner of it, her eyes blazing with anger as she said word by word, “He is indeed Konoha’s greatest disaster! And there is no other! All the dirty deeds Danzo did back then are considered good deeds compared to what he has done!”
“What is he trying to do? Is he trying to destroy Konoha Village? Does he have the Will of Fire in his eyes? Does he have the concept of a Ninja Village in his eyes? Is he a ungrateful wretch with rebellion born behind his head?”
“Hoo… hoo…”
She was panting rapidly like a bellows, it was hard to imagine how angry she would have been if she were in the capital of the Land of Fire.
“Let me see.”
Tsunade beside her roughly snatched the document.
As she focused on reading, Jiraiya next to her also leaned in curiously, only to be pushed away by Tsunade with disdain.
A flash of shock crossed Tsunade’s beautiful eyes as she blurted out, “That brat actually dared to kill the Daimyo?!”
“Kill what?!”
“Killed who?!”
Jiraiya, who had been pushed against the wall, slid down in fright. With a look of utter horror, he leaned in again, his eyes fixed on the words in the document.
Jiraiya: “!!!”
Even as a best-selling author, Jiraiya found it difficult to describe the overwhelming shock he felt in any words.
A Konoha ninja assassinating the Daimyo of the Land of Fire—such an outrageous event was definitely unprecedented and would have no successors, right?
No!
According to the description in the intelligence, Uchiha Ikeizumi wasn’t even assassinating; he openly walked into the capital of the Land of Fire; then brazenly entered the Daimyo’s Mansion; and finally killed his father, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, right in front of the Eldest Son of the Daimyo.
And then there were the magnate families, one after another, and the ninjas, civilians, and wealthy merchants…
All perished under his absolute justice!
The Anbu ninja’s intelligence report was certainly detailed. Just by reading the words, Jiraiya felt as if he were in the capital of the Land of Fire, transformed into a sea of blood with an extremely oppressive atmosphere.
That dual Bloodline Limit genius, Uchiha Ikeizumi…
Was simply killing like slaughtering chickens and dogs!
No one could control him!
“Old man…” Jiraiya said with a very complex expression, “It seems he has given up on stopping Uchiha Ikeizumi. Because the Daimyo’s offspring have decided not to seek revenge, and even want to act as if nothing happened. At such a time, the old man, as an outsider, can probably only swallow his anger along with them.”
Saying this, Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, “Tsunade, I remember you were quite supportive of his absolute justice before. Seeing him so extremely out of control, do you still support his justice?”
“Jiraiya, do you think that brat is truly out of control?” Tsunade merely countered Jiraiya, “Do you think his actions are truly so extreme that they are beyond salvation?”
Jiraiya was silent for a moment, saying, “It’s not that he’s beyond salvation, but what he does is not something everyone can tolerate.”
He knew what Tsunade wanted to say.
It was nothing more than—those killed by Uchiha Ikeizumi were absolutely not innocent, not even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
But the problem was, this world wasn’t simply black and white!
For some people, their death would cause more severe consequences than their living.
Jiraiya could hardly imagine a high-ranking figure like the “Daimyo” being killed by a Konoha ninja. How would other ninjas view the Daimyo in the future? How would they view those magnates? How would ordinary civilians view the great figures who lorded over them?
This Pandora’s Box had been opened by Uchiha Ikeizumi.
The world would descend into chaos!
“Tsunade, he broke the rules,” Jiraiya sighed. “Things that strictly adhere to rules might sometimes be wrong, but not necessarily bad, because they can restrain the desires of many people. But once such things are broken, desires will be unleashed, and it’s hard to imagine what the world will become.”
Tsunade said, “Putting the cart before the horse.”
Jiraiya was startled.
“It’s not that the world will become chaotic because the things you mentioned have been broken. It’s that the things you mentioned have always been a dark cloud over the Ninja World, and they have caused this world to become very chaotic.”
Tsunade paused and continued, “Jiraiya, is there a possibility that the Ninja World has long been very twisted? That many people’s thoughts have long been very pathological?”
Just as Jiraiya opened his mouth to say something, Tsunade directly interrupted him, “Perhaps it’s time you shifted your focus elsewhere, rather than on Orochimaru.”
“Your eyes only see Orochimaru, who has thrown Konoha into disarray, but you don’t see what the entire Ninja World is like.”
“That brat Uchiha Ikeizumi has shown me what the real Ninja World is like, so I don’t think what he’s doing is wrong.”
Tsunade crossed her arms, her expressionless face saying, “Allowing those who continuously commit evil to live is itself an act of injustice.”
“Why don’t ordinary civilians get the privilege of forgiveness? Just because of their special status, can they possess privileges?”
“If you give the heart of forgiveness to those who commit evil from on high, why not give the heart of compassion to the victims?”
She gazed at Jiraiya, “If you still think what that brat Uchiha Ikeizumi did was wrong, then it means our ideals differ, and our moral compasses differ. It also means your perspective is too high, causing your vision to be too low.”
Having said so much in one breath, Tsunade exhaled a heavy breath.
She recalled what she had seen and heard that night on Tanzaku Street.
The psychological impact of that event had still not faded from her heart.
At this moment, Jiraiya was speechless.
On their journey, he had only heard Tsunade’s verbal account of how horrific the sins on Tanzaku Street were, but having never seen it himself, Jiraiya found it difficult to truly feel the suffocating rage.
He felt that Tsunade had been influenced a bit too deeply by Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Jiraiya couldn’t quite understand, feeling that the Tsunade before him seemed somewhat unfamiliar. He wondered if an adult’s thoughts could really be changed so easily by a young person.
But Jiraiya understood…
Provoking Tsunade at this moment could very well lead to their long-standing friendship instantly becoming strained.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, standing nearby, exchanged glances.
Both could see the look of astonishment in each other’s eyes.
No.
Uchiha Ikeizumi and Tsunade shouldn’t have had much contact, right? They only met briefly on Tanzaku Street.
Yet, why did Tsunade’s current demeanor seem as though she already strongly approved of Ikeizumi’s absolute justice?
They could also see the look of dread in each other’s eyes.
It was understandable that young children like Uchiha Izumi, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke would be influenced by absolute justice, as such black-and-white, black-and-white, extremist ideas easily attracted the admiration of these children.
It was also somewhat understandable that Yamanaka Inoichi would be influenced by absolute justice, as the Yamanaka Clan and Uchiha Ikeizumi had too deep a connection; the two were almost inseparable.
The problem was…
It was their deep shock that Tsunade would be influenced by extremist thought!
“Absolute justice… is more terrifying than we imagined,” Homura Mitokado murmured next to Koharu Utatane.
Koharu Utatane’s expression was as dark as water.
…
Two days later.
Capital of the Land of Fire.
A simple funeral held at the Daimyo’s Mansion of the Land of Fire made the “Daimyo was killed” incident impossible to conceal.
The common people in the capital of the Land of Fire, which had now turned into a river of blood, thought that the events of the past few days had already shocked them to the point of numbness.
Who would have expected an even more shocking, earth-shattering secret to be revealed!
– Uchiha Ikeizumi, a Konoha Ninja who caused a bloodbath in the Capital of the Land of Fire, had already killed the Daimyo of the Land of Fire several days ago!
Moreover, the Daimyo’s Mansion acted as if this incident hadn’t happened!
Uchiha Ikeizumi even made an appearance at the Daimyo’s funeral!
One piece of news after another stunned countless people into bewilderment.
They felt as if they were caught in a Ninja’s Illusion Technique.
For a time, they couldn’t distinguish between reality and illusion.
And after the news swept through the entire Capital of the Land of Fire like a hurricane, it inevitably spread to all parts of the Land of Fire. From the lucky Nobles who were not “taken care of” by Uchiha Ikeizumi, down to the commoners who had nothing to do with these matters, everyone learned the news through various different channels.
“The Daimyo died at the hands of a Ninja…”
At this moment, within the Capital of the Land of Fire, the reputable Nakamura clan gathered all their clan members.
“Even Lord Daimyo was killed by him, and the Daimyo’s descendants have no complaints about it.” The Nakamura clan leader’s face was full of horror and lingering fear. His hands were trembling as he swallowed his saliva and continued, “In the future, if anyone in our Nakamura clan dares to commit evil deeds outside…”
His cloudy old eyes were filled with killing intent: “Without Uchiha Ikeizumi needing to act, I will personally put them to death! Even if he is my son, or my grandson!”
All the Nakamura clan members present lowered their heads.
Not a single person voiced an objection.
Everyone was awestruck by Uchiha Ikeizumi’s ruthless methods.
He dared to kill even the Daimyo; they, in the Nakamura clan, had only lost three clan members, and they were already incredibly lucky!
“Clan Leader…” one clan member said, “For those three clan members who were killed by Ninja for their misdeeds, I suggest we don’t arrange funerals for them. They should be expelled from the Nakamura clan, and their corpses should be thrown into the mortuary and buried anywhere.”
This remark was not refuted by anyone.
The Nakamura clan leader even nodded, “Indeed, they should be expelled from the Nakamura clan! Their actions have crossed the bottom line and brought shame upon our family!”
…
Similar scenes were constantly unfolding among many of the Magnate families in the Capital of the Land of Fire who had narrowly survived.
The name “Uchiha Ikeizumi”…
Had been deeply etched into the deepest recesses of their psychological shadows!
And it would never be erased for a lifetime!
…
…
