Chapter 100: He Has Many Identities
By the time the little girl finished reading the precautions, the Kumogakure delegation was already close to Konoha.
Looking at Konoha's lush green gates ahead, they stopped and began straightening their clothes.
The leader glanced back at his companions and spoke in a low voice.
"Pull yourselves together."
"We're not losers."
"Yes!"
The moment he finished speaking, the Kumogakure shinobi straightened their backs and raised their heads.
A murderous aura suddenly surged from their bodies.
As that killing intent swept forward, ordinary villagers who had just walked out through Konoha's gates suddenly felt an inexplicable chill run through their bodies.
Their legs instinctively retreated several steps before their thighs went weak and they collapsed onto the ground.
"W-What happened?"
"Heh heh~"
Looking at the terrified Konoha villagers in the distance, the leader's lips curled into a cold smile.
If Lord Raikage didn't want to fight—
BOOM!
A muffled peal of thunder exploded in everyone's ears.
It sounded like thousands of people whispering, hundreds of birds crying out, and a buzzing ringing through their minds all at once.
A crimson flame appeared at the edge of his vision.
The leading Kumogakure shinobi instinctively clenched his fists.
Before he could react, the red flame swept out of the nearby forest at an astonishing speed and reached them in the blink of an eye.
"Lightning Release: Lasso!"
His pupils contracted.
Lightning instantly wrapped around his body.
He slammed his elbow into the ground beneath him.
BOOM!
The earth collapsed completely.
The shattered soil instantly rose into a mound, blocking the path of everyone behind him.
The scorching flames slammed into the earthen mound, roasting the cheeks of the Kumogakure shinobi hiding behind it until they turned bright red.
The temperature had risen to an even more unbelievable level, yet the Kumogakure shinobi who had been complaining about the heat all the way here were now completely silent.
One of them touched his cracked, sunburned cheek and swallowed with difficulty.
"W-What… what is this?"
The leader gritted his teeth.
"Fire Release!"
"That's Fire Release!"
"An enemy with Fire Release this powerful…"
"Are they trying to kill us?"
"We came here to negotiate, not fight!"
"They must be insane! Are they deliberately trying to provoke us into starting another war?"
"Huff…"
As the surrounding temperature gradually began to fall, the Kumogakure shinobi quietly exhaled.
They had survived.
He kicked the earthen mound in front of him aside, then turned toward the direction from which the flames had come.
His expression was solemn.
"Looks like we were merely caught in the aftermath."
"Hey, hey, Captain."
"Don't joke around."
"This isn't funny at all."
"Yeah. Let's retreat."
"It looks like Konoha has no intention of negotiating in good faith."
"They must be planning to ambush us, just like Iwagakure ambushed Lord Raikage back then."
Several Kumogakure shinobi began speaking.
Some of them even drew their weapons.
"Unfortunately, we can't."
The leader shook his head.
Then he looked toward the forest on his left, a trace of concern flashing through his eyes.
Whether this was a deliberate show of force arranged by Konoha or not…
They had all reached the same conclusion.
The people around him noticed their captain suddenly freeze.
They followed his gaze toward the forest on the left.
"???"
Where did the forest go?
Looking at the gray-white traces remaining in its place, the Kumogakure shinobi rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
"How did such a dense forest become like this in an instant?"
At that moment, the smell of roasted meat and charcoal filled the air.
"Was there really a forest here just now?"
"Looks like there was."
"Then where did the forest go?"
Hearing this, the leader pushed off with both feet and leapt into the air.
Looking down, he saw that the entire forest on the left had been reduced to ashes.
"Hm?"
As his gaze swept across the circular patch of ash, his pupils suddenly contracted.
What terrifying range.
The range of this ninjutsu was so enormous that even if he ran at full speed, he might not have been able to escape before it exploded.
Such powerful Fire Release…
Why have I never seen it on the battlefield?
As he pondered this, two black figures suddenly came running out of the forest.
One of them was crying, tears streaming uncontrollably from his eyes.
"Damn it!"
"Is this the ultimate technique you've been training for years to defeat me with?"
"When did I become this strong?!"
The other black figure coughed out a mouthful of black smoke before encouraging him.
"Might Guy, you have to believe in yourself."
"You're destined to accomplish great things in the future."
"This ultimate technique was specially prepared for you."
Might Guy also coughed out a mouthful of black smoke, his face still filled with lingering fear.
"I almost died just now!"
"I even saw my father waving at me…"
Hearing this, Uchiha Asuka also patted his chest with a trace of lingering fear.
Then he tilted his head and glanced at the teapot sitting on his shoulder, its surface blackened by smoke.
Putting on an expression of complete composure, he said,
"Although this was my first attempt at combining S-rank ninjutsu, everything was under control."
"Look."
"Are we not still alive?"
The corners of Might Guy's mouth twitched twice.
The shadow of death had completely enveloped him moments ago.
If Uchiha Asuka hadn't pulled him away at the critical moment, he really would have been able to meet his father.
At this moment, Uchiha Asuka placed a hand on Might Guy's head.
His voice was filled with encouragement.
"Patting someone's head is a sign of recognition for their youth!"
"Youth?"
The moment he heard the word youth, a blazing fire ignited in Might Guy's eyes.
He suddenly stopped.
As if his muscles remembered what to do, his entire body instinctively launched into the air.
Then he planted one hand on the ground, gave Uchiha Asuka a thumbs-up, and grinned with his charred teeth exposed.
"Fighting again is proof that we refuse to bid farewell to our youth!"
"Uchiha Asuka!"
"Let's run five hundred laps around Konoha while doing handstands!"
"If we can't finish, we'll do five hundred one-finger push-ups!"
Seeing the flames suddenly blazing in Might Guy's eyes, Uchiha Asuka remained silent for a moment.
Then he planted both hands on the ground and also performed a handstand, imitating Guy.
Ever since Madara had decided to teach him a few things, he had been using the [Taijutsu Training Acceleration Card — 30 Days] he had obtained earlier.
While training his taijutsu, Uchiha Asuka had happened to encounter the bored Might Guy.
The two had hit it off immediately and decided to have a fight before beginning their taijutsu training.
The battle had just ended.
Now it was time to train.
Taijutsu Training Card: 29 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes remaining.
"Might Guy!"
Uchiha Asuka glanced at the stunned Kumogakure shinobi.
Then he gave Might Guy a thumbs-up and shouted,
"Seven years of battle!"
Might Guy stretched his wrist and shouted,
"Youth lasts only a few short years!"
"Begin!"
The two rapidly swung their arms, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Before long, they disappeared from the Kumogakure shinobi's sight.
One of the Kumogakure shinobi inhaled the dust floating through the air.
He instinctively stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his face filled with confusion.
"Were those really the ninjutsu of those two idiots?"
Although he really didn't want to admit it, the leader still nodded.
His gaze remained fixed on the backs of the two black figures disappearing into the distance.
There were thousands of strange stories in the shinobi world.
And half of them seemed to come from Konohagakure.
What a bunch of monsters.
At this moment, the Konoha shinobi who had come to receive the delegation finally reacted.
They hurried over to the Kumogakure shinobi and anxiously asked,
"Are you all right?"
The leader shook his head.
Then he pointed toward the two shinobi who had already disappeared.
"Who were those two people doing handstands just now?"
The Konoha shinobi exchanged glances.
A man with several scars across his face stepped out from the group.
He calmly watched Uchiha Asuka and the others disappear before speaking.
"I am Nara Shikaku."
"First of all, welcome to Konoha."
"The two shinobi who just left were Uchiha Asuka and Might Guy."
"Uchiha Asuka?"
"Might Guy?"
The Kumogakure leader repeatedly mouthed their names.
Then his eyes widened in surprise.
"Could that be Duy's son?"
"Mm."
Shi He nodded.
Might Duy was extremely famous these days.
"And the other one?"
Shikaku thought for a moment before recounting the publicly available information about Uchiha Asuka.
"The other is a jōnin of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Asuka."
"He is one of the five captains serving under Fugaku, the police force commander."
"Recently, he was also recommended by the deputy head of the Medical Department to become the captain of a medical team."
"A combat-oriented shinobi and a medical shinobi?"
The young girl in the Kumogakure delegation looked at the direction Uchiha Asuka had disappeared in astonishment.
Konoha's medical corps was the most advanced among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Being qualified to serve as a captain was enough to prove that he possessed formidable medical abilities.
However…
Remembering the rumors that the Uchiha clan sold fried chicken, she took a step forward and asked softly,
"Um… is the rumor that the Uchiha clan sells fried chicken actually true?"
Hearing this, Shikaku froze.
He lowered his head and looked at the curious little girl.
Then he raised his head toward the direction the two had left.
His voice suddenly became somewhat strange.
"Actually, Uchiha Asuka has another identity."
"He is also the owner of the Uchiha Fried Chicken Shop."