Chapter 73: Confrontation at the Gate
"Hey, brother! Wait a moment!"
One of the guards immediately rushed after Uchiha Naoki, trying to intercept him.
"That's really too bad, but I can't do that!" Uchiha Naoki called back with a grin. "I have no interest in being surrounded!"
He immediately dropped his disguise, his youthful face startling the chunin, who then seemed to recognize him instantly. "Uchiha Naoki?!!" The guard's expression turned fierce. "You bastard! How dare you trick me? Don't even think about running! Suiton: Mizukiri no Jutsu!"
He stomped the ground, and water gushed forth. He skated over it, his speed multiplying and closing the distance to Uchiha Naoki in a heartbeat.
"Interesting!" Uchiha Naoki grinned at the sight, then immediately began to sink into the earth. "I'll take my leave, then!"
But…
An old, deep voice cut through the air. "Doton: Doryū Dango!"
The ground around Uchiha Naoki seemed to split apart, forcefully repelling him back to the surface.
"Katon: Karyū Endan!"
The moment he was exposed, a terrifying inferno that dyed half the sky crimson roared towards him under a palpable, oppressive pressure. The air itself warped from the heat, the flames radiating a violent, explosive aura. This was a Fire Release infused with Nature Transformation.
Like a dancing dragon, it attacked from the front, left, and right simultaneously, sealing all escape routes. Even areas untouched by the flames felt like a burning purgatory, hot enough to incinerate a person to ashes.
"This level of Fire Release… there's only one man who can do this!" Uchiha Naoki didn't dare be careless. With his Observation Haki active, he let his body dissolve into its elemental state.
BOOM!
The fire dragon roared through his dissipated form, completely shattering it and blooming into a beautiful, dangerous, and massive 'firework' on the spot.
"Did we get him?" the old, deep voice sounded again as ninjas gathered behind its owner.
Gurgle…
A mass of lava on the ground suddenly squirmed and coalesced, reforming into Uchiha Naoki's figure. The owner of the voice witnessed this fully.
His expression grew even graver. "Just as the intelligence reported. Ordinary attacks are completely ineffective."
Hearing this, Uchiha Naoki's own expression was more serious than ever. He looked at the elderly master before him and smiled. "My luck is something else. To think I'd meet the legendary 'Professor,' the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, so soon. It's been a while, Lord Hokage."
"You arrived remarkably fast this time. Why wasn't such speed in evidence on the night of the massacre? Why didn't you come to the Uchiha compound in time to stop Uchiha Itachi's killing spree?"
That's right.
The one who had stopped Uchiha Naoki was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Why did you infiltrate Konoha? What did you take? What is your purpose here? Is it to seek revenge upon Konoha?" Hiruzen demanded, his voice hard.
As he spoke, Anbu operatives surrounded Uchiha Naoki. Among them was a certain copy-ninja who was still serving in Anbu at this time.
"Heh. Do you think I'll answer you, Lord Hokage?" Uchiha Naoki mocked. "What? The others are Konoha's people, worthy of your protection and love. The slaughtered Uchiha… were they not part of Konoha? Were they not worthy of your love? Was it acceptable for them to be persecuted to death?"
"They say the Will of Fire means loving everyone within the village equally. Doesn't that apply to the Uchiha?"
Uchiha Naoki hadn't expected to feel so agitated facing the Third Hokage for the first time. It was probably the original soul's deep-seated resentment towards this man's role in the Uchiha clan's demise. And now, it was finally being released.
"That matter is in the past. Discussing it now is meaningless," Hiruzen said, his tone weary but firm. "We who are alive must treasure what is before us and seize the present. That is our duty." His face then hardened. "Uchiha Naoki, based on what you just said, do you intend to take revenge on Konoha in the future?"
Uchiha Naoki initially had no such plan. He had only wanted to let the original soul's grievances vent before leaving.
But the Third Hokage's words truly made him laugh, and touched a nerve for the first time.
He snorted, a cold, mocking laugh. "It's meaningless to discuss what's already passed, and better to grasp the present? It's a shame you can say that without a hint of shame!" He gritted his teeth. "Why be so hypocritical? Just admit you never saw the Uchiha as family. Your hypocrisy isn't a new development, so why fear losing face now?"
As he spoke, his body began to swell. Calculating the distance, a cold smile touched his lips. "I didn't originally plan to do anything to Konoha. But you've upset me greatly. So I'll do as you wish and collect a little interest first!"
"Youton:…"
His body instantly glowed red, expanding like a massive hot-air balloon. The air in all directions began to tremble violently.
In the panic that seized the Third Hokage, who immediately sensed the danger and yelled for everyone to retreat, Uchiha Naoki's voice turned cold, emotionless as a machine. "…Kaen Kai!" (Magma Style: Blazing World!)
A destructive wave of scorching wind erupted from the ground, unstoppable and suffocating. It was an inferno you couldn't even breathe in.
The wave of heat and molten rock instantly spread over twenty meters.
"WHAT?!"
The Anbu surrounding Uchiha Naoki only had time to scream before being annihilated on the spot.
Even an elite like Hatake Kakashi—had his real body not been hiding underground as a precaution, leaving a shadow clone above to scout—would have had no escape. But even so, facing this turbulent, ground-scorching heat, his real body underground felt a horrifying chill. He could only frantically burrow deeper to evade the fatal blow.
The countless Konoha ninja further back recoiled in shock, wildly retreating, but many were already being burned, their skin peeling away, flesh charring black.
"Suiton: Suirenpo!"
"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!"
A few quick-reacting jonin slammed their hands on the ground, releasing monstrous waves of water to block the scorching air.
They thought the deluge would hold the line, giving them a moment to breathe. But in the next second, they realized their desperation. The massive waves instantly vaporized into steam, and the terrifying heat pressed on relentlessly.
"NO!!!"
The jonin screamed in horror and despair. Just as they were about to be burned to death, the Third Hokage's voice rang out once more.
"Doton: Doryō Chishiki!" (Earth Style: Earth-Shattering Palm!)
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