Chapter 114: Ambush on Uchiha Ikeizumi! An S-Rank Ninja Mission
As the central figure of several recent public commotions in Konoha, the moment Uchiha Ikeizumi stepped out of the village gates, the news of his inexplicable departure quickly spread.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi has left the village?" In the Uchiha clan compound, Setsuna Uchiha frowned, completely confused.
"I hear Uchiha Ikeizumi went to the Hokage's Office before leaving the village. He left right after," one of the clan's extremist ninja reported.
Setsuna's frown deepened. He urgently wanted to know what Uchiha Ikeizumi was up to.
Every time he remembered the tragic death of his grandson at Ikeizumi's hands, the murderous intent in Setsuna's heart was impossible to suppress.
"Go and investigate again," Setsuna said, narrowing his eyes. "Try to follow him and see where he's headed."
"Yes, Elder Setsuna!"
...
"Ikeizumi has left the village..."
In the Police Force office, Fugaku took a deep breath, got up, and looked out the window, muttering to himself, "The Hokage-sama has finally released this ferocious beast."
To be honest, for Fugaku, Uchiha Ikeizumi's departure from the village was actually good news.
Because every day Ikeizumi stayed in Konoha, he would cause more trouble, and it would even implicate the Uchiha clan.
But...
When Fugaku remembered what his eldest son, Itachi Uchiha, wanted to do, he suddenly didn't want Uchiha Ikeizumi to leave the village anymore.
"Ikeizumi is the only person who can make Itachi hesitate. If he's not in Konoha, will the Uchiha clan's tragic future... be upon us?"
Fugaku rubbed his forehead.
His expression was very complicated.
...
Inside the Hokage's Office, Koharu Utatane, upon hearing the news, rushed from the Root base to the Hokage's Office.
"Hiruzen, do you know what letting Uchiha Ikeizumi out means?"
Koharu looked at Hiruzen and said in a grave tone, "Don't forget, he dared to kill even the Daimyō's second son! What if he runs into other nobles out there?"
"You know how those nobles treat ordinary people. In the eyes of Uchiha Ikeizumi's extreme 'Absolute Justice'... most of the nobles in the Land of Fire deserve to die."
"You couldn't even explain the death of the Daimyō's second son to the Daimyō-sama. What will you do if more people die?"
Although Koharu couldn't stand Uchiha Ikeizumi and saw "Absolute Justice" as a thorn in her side, she also knew that the only way to control it was to confine him within Konoha. At the very least, it would prevent this extreme form of justice from spreading throughout the Land of Fire.
Hiruzen handed the Daimyō's document to Koharu. He said slowly, "This is the Daimyō-sama's will. He already knows his second son died in Konoha."
Koharu was stunned.
...
"Looks like I can take a little vacation..."
Kakashi, with his droopy, dead-fish eyes, let out a sigh of relief. As long as Uchiha Ikeizumi wasn't in Konoha, he couldn't get in contact with Naruto Uzumaki, which meant Kakashi didn't have to watch over him.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi!" Might Guy rubbed his chin and suddenly showed his flashing white teeth, which almost blinded Kakashi. "Justice! Youth! Passion! Don't they suit him, Kakashi?"
"I've heard a lot about his exploits. While his methods may be a little extreme, isn't that just another form of burning passion?"
He enthusiastically patted Kakashi's shoulder.
The pain made Kakashi's eyelids twitch and his face contort.
Might Guy said excitedly, "Kakashi! Why don't you just quit the ANBU and join me in embracing the fires of youth!"
Ever since Kakashi joined the ANBU and became increasingly gloomy, Guy had always wanted to pull him out of his funk. He had even mentioned to the Third Hokage that he wanted to join the ANBU and team up with Kakashi.
Of course...
That request was politely declined by the Third Hokage.
Letting a guy who constantly talked about passion and youth into the ANBU would probably change the entire tone of the organization.
"Sigh..."
Kakashi suddenly felt that this man was even more of a headache than Uchiha Ikeizumi, who tried to instill the concept of "Absolute Justice" in the jinchūriki.
...
Outside Konoha.
A certain location.
A ninja crow flapped its wings and landed on a ninja's body. With a sharp caw, the crow spoke in a human voice, "Uchiha Ikeizumi has left the village! Uchiha Ikeizumi has left the village! He's heading this way! He's heading this way!"
"Tch, so he's coming..."
Kazuma, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, stood up. He stretched his wrists, then his feet, and rubbed his ninja tool pouch, his voice sinister. "Asuma, don't you dare hold me back."
Asuma extinguished a cigarette. He said in a deep voice, "I want to kill him more than you do. Stop with the empty threats."
"Asuma, what if things go south? Do we have backup?" Chiriku, standing next to Asuma, suddenly asked. "Uchiha Ikeizumi doesn't know our intel, but we don't know much about his either. This mission is still very risky."
"No,"
Asuma shook his head. "The old man doesn't know about our operation. Even if he senses something happening outside the village, by the time he sends ANBU, it will all be over."
He put on a serious face. "Get ready, everyone!"
...
Whoosh—
A large and a small figure sped through the woods outside Konoha, moving so fast that even a tokubetsu jōnin would have trouble keeping up.
Kitsujirō's speed suddenly slowed.
The furry cat-face showed a wide range of emotions. Kitsujirō immediately said to Uchiha Ikeizumi beside him, "Ikeizumi-sama, something feels wrong... Even though the surroundings aren't particularly quiet, the noises feel... unusual."
Kitsujirō had also followed Uchiha Ikeizumi in the Third Shinobi World War and had clawed his way through the chaotic and bloody battlefields.
His intuition gave him a sense of foreboding.
Kitsujirō's wary eyes scanned the surroundings, but he couldn't find anything strange.
"Meow, was I mistaken?!"
"You were not mistaken." Uchiha Ikeizumi's speed also slowed down a bit. A few breaths later, he even stopped, which caused Kitsujirō beside him to stop as well.
Uchiha Ikeizumi looked calmly at a spot ahead.
Even without activating his Sharingan, his eyes seemed to see something that ordinary people could not.
Uchiha Ikeizumi raised his hand and gently placed it on the hilt of his ninja blade.
A single sentence from his mouth made Kitsujirō's fur stand on end. "It seems someone is trying to kill me outside the village, behind the Third's back."
Kitsujirō's guess of "foreign spies" was instantly dismissed.
Because the information "behind the Third's back" was too significant!
That meant the opponents were absolutely not foreign spies.
"Ikeizumi-sama, who is it?" Kitsujirō immediately became wary, the fur on his body fluffing up.
"It's not 'him,' but 'them.' They are Asuma Sarutobi, Chiriku, Kazuma, and other elite jōnin... Tsk, they really think a lot of me! The Twelve Guardian Ninja have come out in full force. Of course, minus one, 'Nan'u,' whom I already killed."
At the same moment Ikeizumi's words fell, a strange sound suddenly erupted from all directions. One invisible wire after another shot out from countless tricky angles, forming a large net that surrounded Uchiha Ikeizumi!
At the same time, the hidden killing intent could no longer be contained. Three figures appeared on the high branches of three different trees, subtly surrounding Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Hokuto, Seito, and Tōmo, three of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, appeared first. Each of them had a ball of wire under their feet, and a huge number of wires extended outward, crisscrossing in the air.
"Lightning Release: Binding Lightning Rod Jutsu!!!"
The three of them had no opening remarks. They quickly made the hand signs and shouted in unison.
In an instant.
Countless blinding lightning arcs spread rapidly along the wires, forming a terrifying net of electricity that swooped down on Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Centered on Uchiha Ikeizumi and Kitsujirō, a hundred-meter radius was instantly filled with a blinding network of interwoven lightning!
The arcs of electricity, like the fangs of a ferocious beast, came crashing down. Where the terrifying lightning arcs spread, even the huge trees were instantly shattered by the electricity!
At that moment, six more figures appeared in unison.
It was the six Twelve Guardian Ninja led by Kazuma.
Kazuma took the lead, making hand signs.
"Earth Release: Great Mud River!!!" His palms slammed into the ground, and the ground in front of him instantly turned into a swamp of mud, causing Uchiha Ikeizumi's feet to sink in. The mud, which was as thick as glue, made it extremely difficult to even lift a foot.
The blinding lightning in front illuminated Kazuma's scarred face, which was twisted into a triumphant, sinister grin. He laughed maniacally, "Uchiha Ikeizumi, this is the grave we so carefully prepared for you! I wonder if you like it, huh ha ha ha!"
The other five also attacked simultaneously.
All sorts of dazzling jutsu, some Earth Release, some Fire Release, some Wind Release... rushed towards Uchiha Ikeizumi and Kitsujirō in a chaotic flurry.
"Chiriku!"
As Asuma's shout rang out, the solemn-faced Chiriku adopted the posture of a holy Buddha. A solemn, blinding golden chakra erupted from his body like a holy light. He let out a loud roar: "Guanyin: Thousand-Hand Binding Jutsu!!!"
The golden chakra seemed to transform into the image of Guanyin, and a multitude of arms shot forward, extending for a hundred meters before grabbing at Uchiha Ikeizumi.
"Wind Release: Dust Cloud Technique!!!"
Asuma, of course, couldn't stand still. He knew his Fire Release wouldn't do much damage to Uchiha Ikeizumi's Lava Release, but he believed his Wind Release could have some effect.
A cloud of dust accompanied by a gale-force wind swept forward, and a trench was carved into the ground where it passed.
As a multitude of jutsu collided at the same time, a deafening explosion erupted, and a violent chakra shockwave swept in all directions. The terrifying air currents even almost blew away Hokuto, Seito, and Tōmo, who were standing on the far-off treetops.
When the group looked quickly towards the direction of the explosion, they saw an enormous mushroom cloud rising majestically into the sky.
"The power of that... could probably level the compounds of three major clans in an instant, couldn't it?"
Asuma let out a small breath. The rolling gale made it hard for him to even open his eyes.
He squinted hard, but didn't let his guard down, taking out his two chakra blade knuckles and gripping them tightly.
That was Uchiha Ikeizumi, the man who killed Danzō Shimura and annihilated the entire Shimura clan.
Was it really possible for him to be killed by such a surprise attack?
"Huh?!"
As the smoke and dust gradually began to clear, Asuma's pupils shrank. A look of disbelief flashed in his eyes as he stared at the faint, colossal shadow looming within the dust.
"Is that... a ninja cat?!"
"Why is it so big?!"
...
Konoha, inside the Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen, who was in the middle of talking to Koharu, suddenly caught a glimpse of a powerful light that was visible even in broad daylight, shining in through the window. The next second, he felt the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly, followed by a deafening boom.
Hiruzen and Koharu's expressions changed in unison.
Koharu immediately went to the window, staring at the huge mushroom cloud rising in the distance outside of Konoha. She said, astonished, "...What on earth was that? There shouldn't be any explosive or dangerous facilities outside of Konoha, should there?!"
Hiruzen also walked to the window, his expression instantly becoming grim. "That direction... is a major road leading to Konoha. There's nothing there but trees and dirt."
"If there's nothing there, how could it explode?" Koharu said with a grave tone. "And an explosion with that kind of power..."
She took a deep breath. "It's probably even more powerful than the hundred-plus explosive tags used by the Shimura clan in their assassination attempt on Uchiha Ikeizumi."
When Koharu mentioned the name "Uchiha Ikeizumi," both she and Hiruzen paused for a moment.
"It's Ikeizumi!"
Hiruzen was startled. "He just left on a mission. Judging by his speed, he would be in that exact location right about now!"
Koharu's brows furrowed. "So... foreign spies?"
"Whether it's Ikeizumi or not, whether it's foreign spies or not. Huh. An explosion like this happening near the village... we have to go see what's happening."
A sense of foreboding settled in Hiruzen's heart as he spoke in a low voice.
Koharu wanted to say, "Why don't we wait for them to fight until they're both exhausted before we go see?"
After all...
If Uchiha Ikeizumi were to be killed by foreign spies, it might not be a bad thing.
At the very least, "Absolute Justice" would finally be silenced. Even if Uchiha Izumi was still around, she wouldn't be able to cause much trouble. And... the "Absolute Justice" of the weaker Uchiha Izumi could instead be used by Konoha, turning this new form of justice into a blade for the village.
Of course, Koharu would never say what was on her mind.
...
"Huh..."
Kakashi, who was deep in thought about how to get rid of Guy, suddenly turned his attention to the mushroom cloud rising in the distance.
His listless expression turned serious. "That doesn't look like an explosion from explosive tags. It looks more like an explosion from a clash of different jutsu. At least a few elite jōnin must have used their jutsu at the same time."
A look of confusion flashed in Kakashi's eye. Why would Konoha's jōnin be causing such a commotion for no reason?
Unless...
They weren't Konoha ninja!
"Guy, something might have happened." Kakashi slowly raised his headband, revealing a three-tomoe Sharingan. As he stared into the distance, he said in a low voice, "Let's go check it out."
...
"Mmm..."
Naruto, who was sleeping soundly, felt like he was woken up by some noise. As he sat up, rubbing his head, he suddenly remembered something, and he instantly became fully awake.
As Naruto looked around anxiously, a familiar voice came from his side. "He's already left."
Naruto turned to look and saw Sasuke standing beside him.
Sasuke, looking into the distance, explained, "You were affected by his Sharingan genjutsu and fell asleep. In the meantime, Ikeizumi-sensei came by for a moment. He said... if I watch over you for a bit, you would wake up."
Naruto scratched his head. "I still couldn't beat him! Your brother, Uchiha Itachi, is really powerful."
Sasuke's voice became a little somber. "He's not my brother anymore."
Naruto was stunned, realizing he had brought up a bad subject. So he awkwardly followed Sasuke's gaze to the distance, which made him stare in shock.
Naruto exclaimed, "What is that, believe it!"
"A large explosion," Sasuke replied.
Naruto gaped. "What a big mushroom!"
...
"What a big... ninja cat!" A look of awe flashed in Asuma's eyes as he looked up at the giant shadow before him.
As a gust of wind blew, scattering most of the smoke and dust, a gigantic orange ninja cat, the size of a small mountain, was clearly revealed to everyone.
They could also see that the huge cat's fur was covered in all kinds of injuries—wounds from a Water Release attack, scorch marks from a Lightning Release attack, and gashes from a Wind Release attack.
"Hah!" A menacing grin spread across the gigantic orange cat's face. "That hurt, meow! You bastards!!!"
The cat's simple exhale made Asuma smell a pungent, fishy stench.
"That cat looks like Uchiha Ikeizumi's ninja cat!"
Asuma suddenly remembered the intel on Kitsujirō. The cat had gained a bit of a reputation following Uchiha Ikeizumi during the Third Shinobi World War. "That's the Akimichi clan's Super Expansion Jutsu!"
"A simple Super Expansion Jutsu wouldn't have been enough to block the jutsu of all eleven of us on behalf of Uchiha Ikeizumi. And it seems to have only sustained minor injuries, not serious ones." Chiriku said with a grave tone. "It must have also used a jutsu to harden its fur, strengthening its defenses and allowing it to withstand our attacks."
Kazuma let out a "Tch." He complained to Asuma, his face dark, "Hey, Asuma! You didn't mention that this guy had such a troublesome ninja cat with him!"
"If we didn't kill Uchiha Ikeizumi in an instant..." Seito said solemnly. "It's going to be a tough fight. For the sake of the fallen Nan'u, there is no such thing as retreat in this battle!"
Just as Asuma was about to say something, he suddenly caught a whiff of the pungent scent of sulfur amidst the stench.
He could also acutely feel the surrounding temperature rising.
Asuma's heart pounded, and he immediately shouted a warning, "Everyone, be careful! The 'Lava Release Beast,' Uchiha Ikeizumi, is about to make his move!!!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Asuma's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.
A flash of crimson magma was reflected in his eyes.
The wave of heat rushing towards him set off a ringing alarm in his mind. The terrifying speed of his opponent made him smell the breath of death itself!
"Welcome Attack: Thousand-Hand Kill!!!"
Beside Asuma, Chiriku, whose chakra had transformed into the image of Guanyin, let out a furious roar. A multitude of chakra arms, their fists clenched, went crashing into the crimson magma that was hurtling towards Asuma!
Thousands of fists slammed into the magma, causing a shower of shattered stones in front of Asuma.
"No! That's not his real body! It's just a magma clone!" Chiriku, who sensed something was wrong, was instantly shocked. At that moment, he, too, suddenly felt a wave of heat rushing towards him from his side.
When he looked over hastily, he was so shocked that all the hairs on his body stood on end. Drops of cold sweat broke out all over his body, but they were instantly evaporated by the rush of heat.
He saw that Uchiha Ikeizumi had closed the distance between them in an instant!
His right arm, which had transformed into the hellish crimson lotus magma hound, came rushing towards him with a vicious speed!
Chiriku, with the fastest speed he had ever moved in his life, slammed his hands together.
"Guanyin Form: Buddha's Bell!!!"
—BOOM!!!
The magma hound instantly pierced through the giant golden bell made of chakra. As Chiriku's eyes widened in disbelief, the ferocious fangs of the magma hound had already torn through his chest!
...
...
(End of this chapter)
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