Chapter 123: Orochimaru's 'Evil'!
In a remote location within the Land of Fire.
"Lord Orochimaru, you told us to keep a close eye on Uchiha Ikeizumi, and he's no longer in Konoha. We've discovered that Tanzaku Gai in the Land of Fire suffered a huge bloodbath yesterday."
"We hear that hundreds died, and the entire district was painted in blood. The one who brought about this 'calamity' was Konoha's 'Lava Release Ferocious Beast'—Uchiha Ikeizumi!"
"We also found out that nine years ago, Uchiha Ikeizumi unleashed a similar bloodbath in Tanzaku Gai. But that time, he only killed a few dozen people. This time, it was hundreds."
Though Orochimaru hadn't yet begun his plans to establish the Hidden Sound Village in the Land of Rice, he had already gathered a number of subordinates. After all, he couldn't complete many of his specialized research projects alone.
He also had no trust in the Akatsuki organization he had joined. The very first day he became a member, he began contemplating how he would fare in the shinobi world if he ever left them.
After his subordinate's report, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a look of intrigue on his face. He licked his dry lips, his voice a low whisper. "Uchiha Ikeizumi… a truly memorable boy. The 'Absolute Justice' he believes in, his utterly extreme personality, it's enough to give me a headache!"
"It seems my old teacher, Hiruzen, couldn't take it anymore and exiled him to cause trouble elsewhere? Or did he finally lose control of his extreme nature, slaughtering his way through Konoha before defecting?"
It wasn't that Orochimaru didn't have spies in Konoha—he had three or four of them. But for some reason, none of them had sent back any information in quite some time. Their cover had most likely been blown and they were captured. Because of this, Orochimaru was only vaguely aware of what was happening in Konoha.
"Make contact with that boy," Orochimaru commanded after a brief moment of thought. "Tell him that I'm very interested in his 'Absolute Justice.' If he has nowhere else to go after leaving Konoha… he's welcome to come to me. I can recommend an excellent place for him."
Orochimaru paused, then added, "It's a place that can certainly accommodate his 'Absolute Justice.' Perhaps among those other peculiar individuals, he'll find a few who agree with his beliefs. Remember to tell him all of this, and see if he's interested."
His subordinate was stunned, then asked hesitantly, "If Lord Orochimaru is so interested in this boy, why not just capture him directly?"
"Heh heh… capture him?"
Orochimaru shot a cold look at his fanciful subordinate. When one is truly speechless, they really do almost laugh out loud. "Don't be so naive. Just because I've granted you power, don't assume you can easily take down a boy that extreme."
"He was the 'Lava Release Ferocious Beast' of the Third Great Ninja War. He killed an enemy jōnin when he was just nine years old. And now, he's eighteen."
"I could do it myself. But you, or rather, all of you? Don't get caught up in such baseless delusions."
"Just follow my orders. Don't make me waste my breath."
The subordinate felt a sudden, chilling dread crawl up his spine. He flinched, then quickly replied, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
After watching his subordinate leave, Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight smile.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi… let the lives of these worthless pawns show me just how strong you've become now. You will always be my optimal choice for a container… bar none."
"Heh heh heh…"
Orochimaru's low, chilling laugh was filled with ruthless cruelty.
"Puh!!"
"What?!"
In a town in the Land of Fire not far from Tanzaku Gai, Jiraiya was so shocked he spat out the sake he was drinking. He shot up, rushed to a nearby table of customers, and squeezed in among them. When he pulled out a wad of cash, their annoyed expressions immediately vanished.
Jiraiya patted the stack of bills, feigning a casual smile. "The drinks for this table are on me. Could you tell me exactly what happened in Tanzaku Gai?"
With the magic of money, Jiraiya successfully transformed into "Jiraiya the Intelligence Gatherer," and quickly got a lot of information from the customers. The feigned nonchalance on his face was replaced by a look of deep concern, and even more, astonishment.
Jiraiya stood up, returning to his own table. He held his empty sake cup, his brow furrowed. "Given that kid's extreme personality, it's not impossible for him to have killed a few hundred people. Especially in a place like Tanzaku Gai, which is full of unsavory characters. But still, hundreds of casualties… that's a bit much, isn't it?"
"Did the Old Man not try to control him at all? After all these years, couldn't he have at least made that kid's personality a bit more normal? Unless the Old Man has been indulging Uchiha Ikeizumi this whole time, trying to use his 'Absolute Justice' to keep certain people in the village in check."
"To the point that this indulgence has made the boy even more reckless, until even the Old Man can no longer control him. This… it's just like the Old Man and Danzō."
Jiraiya realized this was a very plausible possibility. Hiruzen Sarutobi had a precedent for this—Danzō. Danzō was the unfortunate result of Hiruzen's excessive indulgence. Given Jiraiya's understanding of the Third Hokage, he figured Hiruzen was likely to fall into the same trap twice.
"No… that can't be it."
Jiraiya had just sat down, but before he could even get comfortable, he stood up again. He tossed a bill under his empty sake cup and strode out of the tavern, his mind racing.
"Tsunade was definitely in Tanzaku Gai. Even if she's no longer involved in ninja affairs, she'd likely feel compelled to stop a reckless brat like that. That's just her fiery personality."
The more Jiraiya thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Maybe he had to go to Tanzaku Gai himself to find out what really happened.
As for his main objective: tracking down Orochimaru? An incident with hundreds of deaths in a single night was too big. For now, Jiraiya couldn't decide which of the two matters was more important. He decided to investigate the easier one first. After all, Tanzaku Gai wasn't that far away.
Half a day later.
Schlick—
A sharp ninja blade instantly pierced the chest of a Konoha ninja on an outside mission. His body trembled as he gripped the blade with both hands, but a slight twist of the blade drained all his strength, and he lost several of his fingers. As he collapsed limply to the ground, his vision fading to black, he mumbled in a bewildered voice, "Wh-Why… we're from the same village…"
Uchiha Ikeizumi pulled out the blade, wiped the blood from it, and returned it to his sheath.
"Because you committed a crime. Nine years ago, during the Third Great Ninja War, you indulged your desires and murdered an innocent family of five."
Ikeizumi's voice was frigid. "Perhaps that family of five asked a question just like yours: 'Why?' 'We're all from the Land of Fire. Why are you, a Konoha ninja, killing us?'"
As the ninja's consciousness faded, he was filled with regret. Who would have thought that something from nine years ago would come back to haunt him? Who would have thought that someone would meddle in such 'unrelated business'? And who would have thought that this Uchiha ninja would know everything, even though he had told no one?
[Ding! You have successfully slain a 'Red-Named' villain! Your chakra has received a minor increase! Congratulations, you have successfully dropped: 'Shuriken Throwing Jutsu' Experience Book ×2!]
"The chances of a ninja being a good person are pretty low, meow!" Kojiro commented from the side.
They had only just started their journey to the Land of Fire's capital when they had already encountered five or six Konoha ninja. Ikeizumi had only left three alive. The other three were now unburied corpses. Of the three he left alive, one had also committed a crime, but not a capital one. Ikeizumi had simply cut off his leg. Even if it was reattached, he'd have trouble moving freely.
Kojiro glanced contemptuously at the body on the ground. It held no sympathy for a person carrying such evil.
Just as Kojiro was about to continue, he noticed Ikeizumi wasn't moving. Kojiro was puzzled, but before he could speak, Ikeizumi seemed to read his mind. "When Konoha ninja are on missions, unless they are powerful jōnin, they usually work in groups of three, or at least two."
That single sentence made Kojiro instantly understand. The cat gasped. "Lord Ikeizumi wants to see if the other two ninja are evil as well?"
"Yes."
Ikeizumi said emotionlessly. "Ninja possess power far beyond that of ordinary people. When a ninja is guilty of a crime and still lives, the 'evil' they go on to cause will be even worse. And the innocent people who fall victim to their 'evil' will be even more numerous."
Just as Kojiro was about to reply, a shout from a distance made both him and Ikeizumi turn their heads.
"Ryosuke! Anko and I have been looking…"
The sudden voice cut off. A female Konoha ninja had appeared, her eyes wide with disbelief at the sight before her. She saw a Konoha ninja in a Uchiha Military Police uniform standing beside a body with blood pouring from its chest. Though the police ninja's blade was sheathed, the blood splatters on his clothes told her that the 'killer' was this Uchiha police ninja!
The body on the ground was "Ryosuke"! She had just witnessed a 'kill-or-be-killed' between fellow villagers! The victim was her own teammate from their mission!
In her horror, the female ninja quickly drew her blade and jumped back a few steps. Her eyes filled with terror as she looked at Ikeizumi's profile. "Who are you?! Why did you kill a fellow ninja?"
Before Ikeizumi could reply, another figure sped toward them. This one was clearly more experienced. Upon seeing her teammate's body, her pupils constricted. She took out four kunai with explosive tags and instantly hurled them forward.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
The four kunai precisely struck the ground in front of, behind, to the left of, and to the right of Uchiha Ikeizumi. Each kunai was attached to a thin steel wire in addition to its explosive tag.
"Don't move!"
Anko Mitarashi said in a low, cold voice. "If you make one unnecessary move, I'll detonate…"
Her words trailed off. Anko had suddenly noticed that the 'unknown enemy' was wearing a Konoha Uchiha Military Police uniform. And his profile… it looked familiar. There were very few Uchiha she knew. As a handful of names flashed through her mind, she suddenly widened her sharp eyes.
"…Uchiha Ikeizumi!!!"
In an instant, beads of cold sweat broke out on her back. Anko regretted her rashness.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi?" The other female ninja was also stunned in her horror. In the next second, her reaction was almost identical to Anko's.
"Long time no see, Anko." Uchiha Ikeizumi stepped over the fallen body, walking calmly toward Anko as if her threat was meaningless. Anko, drenched in sweat, didn't dare detonate the tags. Ikeizumi's soft voice made the cold sweat on Anko's forehead bead up. "If I recall correctly, you should be in Konoha's prison, not out and about, shouldn't you?"
Kojiro's voice of sudden realization rang out. "I remember now, meow! You're that disciple of Orochimaru, aren't you?"
"Two years ago, Lord Ikeizumi met you. He found out you'd done some evil deeds for Orochimaru without knowing it. But even by the standard of 'Absolute Justice,' your crime wasn't punishable by death. Lord Ikeizumi simply threw you in Konoha's prison and told you to reflect there for five years."
Kojiro narrowed its cat eyes, its voice still human-like as it stared at Anko. It licked a paw, continuing, "It's only been two years. Meow, has the flow of time in the Konoha prison changed? Or…"
"…were you released with the Third Hokage's 'special pardon,' just like that brat Naruto before? No wonder the Third was so skilled at it back then—he'd already had practice."
Anko was speechless.
Her silence confirmed Kojiro's guess. Anko had indeed been released from prison by the Third Hokage after serving two years of a hard sentence, surviving on gruel and feeling like she'd lost a dozen pounds.
She remembered what the Hokage had said.
—"Anko, what you call a crime… was just Orochimaru using you without your knowledge. Five years of prison is too much for you. These two years have been enough to cleanse you of any guilt and to draw a clear line between you and Orochimaru."
—"Besides, you can't even remember what evil deeds you inadvertently did for Orochimaru. Such a harsh sentence wouldn't be appropriate for you."
—"Right now, Konoha needs its people. I can grant you a pardon as Hokage. I hope you'll remember Konoha's Will of Fire and not dwell on the past."
Anko had asked Hiruzen, "What if I run into Uchiha Ikeizumi?"
Hiruzen's reply: "I am the Hokage. Even if Ikeizumi's personality is extreme, he sometimes has to listen to me. Even if he's not pleased with my actions, he'll eventually understand."
Anko had believed Hiruzen's words then.
Now… she felt she had been a bit too hasty.
"Two choices." Uchiha Ikeizumi wasn't aggressive; he was calm and steady. "Choose the freedom the Third Hokage gave you and stand against 'Absolute Justice' by fighting me. Or, drop your weapons and surrender."
"Anko, you…"
The other female ninja nervously looked at Anko.
"…I choose the second."
Anko immediately released the fine steel wires. She had made her decision in less than 0.01 seconds.
Kojiro clicked his tongue in surprise. "Heh! This is the first time I've seen someone surrender so quickly! I thought we'd have another villain to add to Lord Ikeizumi's list today!"
Anko looked at Ikeizumi with a complicated expression. "He and I were in the same class at the Academy. Because I know him, I know what I have to do."
Kojiro's eyes widened. "!!!"
He suddenly remembered… Lord Ikeizumi usually didn't bother to remember the names of the villains he killed or sent to prison; there were simply too many. But he remembered Anko Mitarashi.
So there was this connection!
Ikeizumi said with an indifferent voice, "Follow me for a while. Once I've finished what I'm doing, I'll take you back to Konoha."
Anko gave a weak smile to her companion. "You'll have to take Ryosuke's body back and report to the Hokage." She didn't ask what Ikeizumi was busy with. Since she had chosen to submit, she had to see it through.
"Anko, he killed…"
Anko cut her off. "No one Uchiha Ikeizumi kills is innocent." She paused, then added, "And the people he sends to prison… are no exception."
Even if Anko couldn't remember what she had done for Orochimaru, she believed she was guilty.
The Land of Fire.
Tanzaku Gai.
A tall man in geta sandals knelt in the middle of the street in a very eye-catching pose. His long, spiky white hair hung down to the ground. He scraped his finger along a crack in the pavement. Bits of dried blood stuck to his skin. He put his finger to his tongue and gave it a small taste.
"Human blood…"
Jiraiya slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over the entire street. Though the pavement had been cleaned, the blood caked in the cracks was impossible to remove. The cracks of the entire street were stained with dry, dark blood.
Jiraiya felt as if he could see the countless bodies from that night and the entire district engulfed in fire and painted in blood. He also noticed the complex expressions of the many passersby.
Many of the buildings on both sides of the street were charred ruins. The casino, dance halls, bathhouses, clubs… all kinds of pleasure houses were either closed or burnt down.
The once bustling and prosperous Tanzaku Gai was no more. After asking around, Jiraiya quickly learned just how many people had died that night.
"A few hundred… that kid Uchiha Ikeizumi, he went a little too far this time, didn't he?!" Jiraiya's eyes flashed with horror and gloom. He couldn't help but inwardly criticize Hiruzen. "The Old Man was clearly using his 'Absolute Justice' and tolerating his actions. And now, the result of that indulgence is an Uchiha Ikeizumi who's completely out of control."
But as he listened more deeply, Jiraiya realized that things weren't as he had imagined.
"Everyone who died that night was a bad person?" He looked at a local resident of Tanzaku Gai, his brow furrowed. "Wasn't there a single innocent person caught in the crossfire?"
Under Jiraiya's monetary influence, the resident spoke freely. "When we were cleaning up the bodies, we made sure to look at every face. They were either gang members, samurai thugs, ninja who often bullied people, or shady characters involved in illegal dealings."
"There were a few bodies too charred to identify. But everyone we could identify was a bad person. That Uchiha Ikeizumi… he was terrifying, but it seems he only killed villains."
Jiraiya fell silent. If what the resident said was true, and all the victims were villains who deserved to die… then could it mean that Uchiha Ikeizumi had been secretly investigating Tanzaku Gai? That his massacre was a righteous 'clean up'? That he had been planning this for a long time?
"So that's it…"
Jiraiya murmured. "No wonder Tsunade didn't stop his extreme actions. Knowing Tsunade… once she learned that Uchiha Ikeizumi was only killing villains, she'd likely turn a blind eye, or even 'unintentionally' cooperate with him."
Jiraiya calmed his thoughts and tried to find Tsunade's whereabouts. He learned that the "Legendary Sucker" of Tanzaku Gai had left early the day before yesterday. Apparently, she had left with a large group of children and was heading toward Konoha.
Jiraiya was a bit confused.
Uchiha Ikeizumi… Tsunade… what in the world was going on with these two?
...
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