Chapter 93: The Passionate Uchiha
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Jutsu!"
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
Shukaku patted his belly, sending more than a dozen wind bullets into the flames. Like seeds scattered by a phoenix, they greatly increased the flames' size and speed.
The fire rapidly spread several times over, almost transforming into a crimson curtain that blotted out the sky and occupied nearly half the width of the street.
It covered the heavens and blocked out the sun.
At that moment, Uchiha Madara sat calmly in his chair, watching the battle unfolding right before his eyes with a carefree expression.
Of course, he wasn't going to interfere.
Being swallowed by the flames and losing another two days of his life wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Besides...
He wanted to see just how much his friend Heihe's grandson had grown.
Orochimaru stood on the ground and looked up at the crimson curtain descending from above. His eyes narrowed instinctively.
"This is insane."
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
A water sphere several meters in diameter instantly erupted above his head and collided directly with the descending flames.
Hiss!
The instant water and fire collided, a massive amount of steam spread outward, instantly enveloping the surrounding area.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Fire Release he failed to block...
When the flames finally dissipated, Orochimaru lightly licked the corner of his mouth and looked at the craters scattered throughout the surroundings.
He wasn't obligated to block every single Fire Release technique.
"Asuka, there probably isn't anyone in Konoha who can surpass you in either the power or range of Fire Release."
Hearing Orochimaru's praise, Asuka clicked his tongue.
Then his figure vanished from where he stood.
The next instant, he appeared beside Orochimaru and kicked out.
"Third Hokage is first in Fire Release, Jiraiya is second, and I'm third—"
Bang!
Orochimaru blocked the kick with his forearm and slid several meters backward before steadying himself.
He continued calmly,
"Humility!"
As he spoke, his eyes narrowed.
He formed a seal with one hand and unleashed a fierce blast of wind from his mouth.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The instant Asuka completed his hand seals, an earthen wall immediately rose in front of him.
Boom!
The violent gale slammed into the earthen wall, instantly destroying it. The remaining wind swept in all directions, making the clothes of the onlookers rustle violently.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two fought fiercely in the middle of the street.
The Uchiha who had awakened their Sharingan were now standing on the rooftops, looking down at the scene below with their eyes wide in astonishment.
The dignified member of the Legendary Three Ninja of Konoha was actually fighting Uchiha Asuka to a standstill.
The Legendary Three Ninja of Konoha didn't look particularly powerful.
Seeing how relaxed Asuka appeared, several experienced jōnin couldn't help whispering among themselves.
"I could probably do that too."
Asuka blocked the snakes Orochimaru released from his sleeves with his sword.
He lightly tapped the ground with his toes and flew backward.
The Kusanagi Sword in his hand began to move without any apparent force behind it.
Like a spring breeze brushing against willow branches.
"Konoha-Style: Willow!"
The Uchiha watching the battle gradually lost their composure.
One after another, they activated their Sharingan.
A technique combining genjutsu and swordsmanship.
It really was difficult to defend against.
"Boring."
Uchiha Madara, sitting on the second floor, watched the two fight.
The corner of his eye twitched instinctively.
This wasn't what he wanted to see.
Although taijutsu was a part of ninjutsu, and swordsmanship was also a part of the shinobi arts, this definitely wasn't the kind of battle he wanted to watch.
Remembering the towering Buddha and the mountain-like Susanoo of his younger days, he turned toward Uchiha Ryoichi, who was nodding repeatedly, and said expressionlessly,
"Is this interesting?"
"Yes—"
Before Ryoichi could finish, he saw the boredom flashing through Madara's eyes.
He clicked his tongue and swallowed the rest of his words.
Hmm.
A child's game.
Boring.
Ryoichi withdrew every trace of approval from his expression.
Leaning against the window, he looked down at the street and said disdainfully,
"My cousin was just saying how noisy it was tonight. He thought some kid was setting off firecrackers before the New Year."
Asuka's movements froze.
He looked up at Ryoichi standing by the window, then pointed at the fresh, horrifying wounds covering his own body and complained indignantly,
"What kind of firecrackers have this much power?"
"Old man, didn't you see that I nearly died?"
Uchiha Ryoichi folded his arms.
He glanced down at Orochimaru before turning toward Uchiha Madara beside him and asking quietly,
"Cousin, do you want to kill that Orochimaru for disturbing your sleep?"
Madara glanced at him calmly.
"This old man has no interest in dealing with children."
"Oh!"
Ryoichi immediately understood.
He looked down at Asuka in the street and continued,
"Fugaku is the clan head. You should talk to him about this."
Tsk!
He knew this fight wasn't going to produce any result tonight.
Asuka threw his beloved sword into the house and quickly walked over to Orochimaru.
Seeing Orochimaru watching him warily, Asuka stopped in front of him, pointed at the wounds on his body, and said seriously,
"Lord Orochimaru, I'm injured."
Orochimaru glanced at his opponent's wounds.
They had already stopped bleeding.
While admiring Asuka's medical ninjutsu, he pointed at his own injuries and said,
"I'm injured too, aren't I?"
"Let's call it even."
Asuka's cheek twitched when Orochimaru shamelessly declared that they were even.
He said unhappily,
"You were the one who came looking for me first."
"And considering what happened tonight, a few meals should be enough as compensation, right?"
?
?
?
Hearing this, Orochimaru looked at Asuka with a puzzled expression.
He had nearly killed this Uchiha tonight.
And this Uchiha only wanted a few meals as compensation?
Were they actual meals?
After thinking for a moment, he asked the question that was on his mind.
"Are you referring to the meals you mentioned earlier, Asuka?"
Asuka nodded firmly.
"That's right. Just a few meals at a restaurant in the village."
Hearing this, Orochimaru nodded.
"Fine."
"Then it's settled."
Seeing that Asuka hadn't even asked why he had tried to assassinate him, Orochimaru became curious.
"You don't want to know why I came tonight?"
Asuka looked deeply at him and smiled.
"I'll find out eventually."
"Asuka, you really are open-minded."
After praising him, Orochimaru waved at Asuka and turned to leave the Uchiha compound.
He neither worried about Asuka seeking revenge nor feared that the matter would be brought to light.
Some matters would eventually have someone else deal with them for him.
Watching Orochimaru's departing back, Asuka folded his arms and narrowed his eyes.
"There really is still a gap between us."
As an elite shinobi, he could immediately distinguish the difference between himself and his opponent.
Asuka naturally knew that he was still some distance away from Orochimaru.
With Orochimaru's bizarre ninjutsu, if they truly fought to the death, Asuka would definitely lose.
But Orochimaru wouldn't get off lightly either.
If Orochimaru hadn't originally intended to assassinate him quietly, Asuka wouldn't have been able to appear this relaxed during the fight.
Damn it.
He actually tried to assassinate me.
With that thought, Asuka jumped straight into Ryoichi's house.
He found the two old men and asked,
"Is there any way to kill Orochimaru?"
The two old men exchanged glances.
Ryoichi shrugged.
He thought to himself,
I knew this brat wasn't that open-minded.
Then Ryoichi patted Asuka on the shoulder and casually nudged Madara.
"I don't believe there is."
"But your great-grandfather definitely does."
Asuka's gaze fell upon the other old man.
"Yes."
Uchiha Madara nodded.
Then he changed the subject.
"But have you considered the consequences?"
"Even if you get your revenge, you won't be able to remain in Konoha afterward."
A thoughtful expression appeared on Asuka's face.
Indeed.
Orochimaru was one of the Legendary Three Ninja and the direct disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
This wasn't something that could be handled casually.
Thinking about this, Asuka looked at Madara's wise expression.
Suddenly, realization dawned on him.
Doesn't he have a teacher?
"Hmm."
Seeing Asuka looking at him expectantly, Uchiha Madara waved his hand calmly.
"Look outside."
Following his words, Asuka turned toward the window.
The night sky was dark.
It was probably around one in the morning.
When his gaze fell toward the ground, he saw several people wearing uniforms and couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
Two of them wore dark-gray uniforms and masks.
They were obviously members of the ANBU.
The other two wore Uchiha clan uniforms, and the insignia on their jōnin vests identified them as members of the Police Force.
The four uniformed men appeared to be exchanging information in the street.
Asuka froze for a moment before realizing what was happening.
They must have come to investigate what had just happened, right?
After all, the noise earlier had been enormous. The village should have reacted by now.
He could already predict the final outcome.
It was probably going to amount to nothing more than a little cold treatment, followed by some form of compensation.
The four men didn't seem to notice Asuka observing them.
At that moment, he suddenly heard an aged voice behind him.
"Recently, this old man saw a notice posted in the Uchiha compound saying that everyone should actively report unusual phenomena, unhealthy trends, and suspicious individuals around them."
"A few days ago, while this old man was wandering around, he heard a commotion coming from the southeastern part of the village and saw many people sneaking in and out of the area."
"Orochimaru was among them."
As he spoke, Uchiha Madara pointed at the notice posted on the front gate of Asuka's house.
"That idiot carrying Hashirama's cells has already traveled all over Konoha."
"He knows far more secrets now than the current Hokage does."
"After slowly guiding Asuka into discovering all the secrets hidden within Konoha, he wanted to see what kind of opinion Asuka would eventually form about this village."