Chapter 127: The Death of the Daimyō!
Under the full force of the Fire Daimyō's Mansion, bounty posters were put up all over the capital of the Land of Fire, immediately attracting the attention of countless people.
The astonishing reward of fifty million ryo shocked many, but what was even more shocking were the "fugitive's" actions! Dozens of the high and mighty nobles had been killed? The famous Yuki Clan was practically extinct in half a day!
Some people, driven by curiosity, walked toward the Yuki Clan compound. As soon as they got close, they were hit by the strong smell of blood wafting from the compound. The stench made many of them blanch.
When a brave soul peeked inside, they turned even paler, their faces etched with horror. The bounty poster was right—the Yuki Clan, one of the Land of Fire's noble houses, had been almost completely wiped out!
"Fifty million ryo! If I could get that ninja villain's head and exchange it for money at the Daimyō's Mansion, I would be set for life!"
"You'd have to survive long enough to get it! He's a ninja who uses jutsu. That kind of bounty is not for ordinary people like us. The Daimyō issued that bounty to summon the ninja in the capital to catch the villain."
"Speaking of which, his name and age are unknown, and there are only a few features and a drawing that looks like a child's scribble. How could anyone find him?"
"Who cares if they can find him or not? I just hope this crazy murderer doesn't come for us ordinary people."
"A man, a woman, and a cat… I feel like I've seen them somewhere before?"
Unlike the commoners who were curious or just enjoying the show, the nobles in the capital could not sit still. They rushed to the Fire Daimyō's Mansion. When they arrived, they found the Daimyō looking a bit weary.
"My lord, how could such a villain appear in the city? What is his goal? What does he want? Where is he from? Could he be a Konoha ninja?"
A barrage of questions came from a white-haired old man. "My lord, we cannot stand by and do nothing when a dangerous ninja is targeting the noble class!"
The Fire Daimyō took a deep breath. "I want to know the answers to those questions myself, but no one can give me them. The reason I issued the fifty million ryo bounty is because I also believe the Land of Fire cannot stand by!"
He looked at the group before him. "I know that many of you have hired powerful ninja. Now, in this time of crisis, you must also step forward."
"Everyone here understands the meaning of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' The villain destroyed the Yuki Clan, which means it's very likely that he will target other noble families—"
"He might even target me, the Daimyō of the Land of Fire! We can only overcome this crisis if we are united in our hatred for him!"
The Fire Daimyō's words made everyone look at each other. They were reluctant to send out their hired ninja. After all, they paid a lot of money to hire ninja to protect them, not to go and catch some villain. What would happen if a ninja bodyguard left to catch the villain, and someone came after them?
"My lord—" one person asked out of curiosity. "My lord, don't you have the Twelve Guardian Ninja? I heard they are twelve very powerful elite ninja. Why don't you have them handle this? With their power and numbers, dealing with one villain should be no problem, right?"
The Fire Daimyō fell silent. If the Twelve Guardian Ninja were with him, would he be in such a panic? But of course, he couldn't say that out loud. If he did, these people would see how vulnerable he was.
"A large portion of the Twelve Guardian Ninja has, of course, already been dispatched." The Fire Daimyō said grimly. "But finding a ninja villain in the vast capital of the Land of Fire is like finding a needle in a haystack. Therefore, I need to combine all of our strengths. I'm sure everyone here knows what happened to the Yuki Clan."
"Uh…"
Suddenly, someone else interjected. "Haven't we developed technology for long-range communication? Why not contact Konoha Village and ask them if they have any information about this villain?"
The crowd was silent for a few seconds. The Fire Daimyō also paused, then he gestured for a vassal to come closer. After whispering a few words to the man, the vassal quickly nodded and rushed away.
Konoha Village.
The Hokage's Office.
"Seventy-nine orphans from Tanzaku Gai." After listening to Shizune's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi realized that Tsunade, who had finally returned to Konoha, had brought a big problem with her. Fortunately, Shizune quickly added, "If nothing unexpected happens, Lady Tsunade will be paying for them. She won several tens of millions of ryo in Tanzaku Gai, but Lady Tsunade decided to only keep one million ryo and use the rest to raise these children."
This relieved Hiruzen. He would be much more comfortable if Konoha didn't have to spend any money.
However…
Hiruzen's expression was a little strange. He hesitated. "Tsunade… has she given up gambling?!"
This was completely different from the Tsunade he knew! In Hiruzen's memory, Tsunade had inherited the gambling addiction of the First Hokage, his grandfather, and she was terrible at it, but she loved to play.
Shizune scratched her head. "Perhaps Lady Tsunade felt sorry for the children. Or maybe she thought the money was just found money, so it didn't matter what she did with it."
Hiruzen was confused. "???"
After Shizune patiently explained everything, Hiruzen was left speechless. He knew the tragedy in Tanzaku Gai had something to do with Uchiha Ikeizumi, but he didn't expect Tsunade's return to the village to be connected to him as well.
"And the children's backgrounds…" Hiruzen frowned. "Is that also related to Ikeizumi?"
Shizune nodded her head like a pecking chicken, then proceeded to tell him the full story from beginning to end. Hiruzen fell silent again. This time, he was horrified to find that he actually thought Uchiha Ikeizumi's actions were justified!
A shiver ran down his spine. Without realizing it, he had been almost swayed by the extremism of 'Absolute Justice!' It was at that moment that Hiruzen finally understood why so many people's opinions of Uchiha Ikeizumi had changed in such a short amount of time.
It was probably this extreme "killing evil with killing" mentality that made those who felt the heavy fist of 'Absolute Justice' wouldn't fall on them admire this kind of behavior. After all, if the ones dying were all bad people, wasn't that a good thing for the good people?
Hiruzen's headache only worsened.
"Hiruzen!" Just then, Koharu Utatane hurried into the office. She was about to speak when she noticed an outsider in the office. She shot Hiruzen a look.
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. He motioned for Shizune to leave first, then asked Koharu, "What's wrong?"
Koharu's face was grim. "Something happened in the capital of the Land of Fire. A ninja is killing people indiscriminately and almost wiped out a noble family! You remember the Yuki Clan, right? There are only two members left now."
Hiruzen's eyes widened. "!!!"
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Hiruzen's brows furrowed even deeper.
Koharu continued. "The Daimyō's people gave us some of the ninja's characteristics and asked us to determine if he is from our village."
"They suspect the culprit is from Konoha?" A hint of displeasure flashed across Hiruzen's face. "Konoha's ninja are dedicated to the Will of Fire. Konoha's environment would never produce a villain who would attack the nobles of the Land of Fire."
He could almost feel the disdain from the nobles of the Land of Fire.
Koharu's expression was complicated. "Hiruzen… I think the culprit is from Konoha."
Hiruzen's eyes widened again. "???"
Koharu listed the characteristics, her eyes filled with helplessness. "Hiruzen, doesn't that sound familiar? It sounds a lot like Ikeizumi and his ninja cat."
"And not all ninja in Konoha are devoted to the Will of Fire. Ikeizumi believes in 'Absolute Justice,' doesn't he? He has a track record. He's tried to kill the Daimyō's son."
"What do you think the Yuki Clan, a mere noble family of the Land of Fire, is to Ikeizumi?"
Hiruzen was speechless.
Hiruzen held on to his last shred of hope. "Didn't they say a female ninja was with the culprit? Ikeizumi's little follower, Uchiha Ikeizumi, is currently in Konoha."
No sooner had Hiruzen said that, a frantic knocking came from the office door. He rubbed his temples. "Come in!"
An Anbu ninja entered and reported in a quick voice, "Lord Hokage, a three-person ninja squad that was on a mission outside the village is in trouble. According to the one who survived and made it back to the village, they encountered 'Lava Release Ferocious Beast' Uchiha Ikeizumi outside the village."
"The special jōnin, Ryōichirō, was killed by a single slash from Uchiha Ikeizumi. As for the other special jōnin, Anko Mitarashi, she was taken by Uchiha Ikeizumi on the grounds of 'arresting a fugitive.'"
Hiruzen's eyes widened. He couldn't help but look at Koharu.
Koharu sighed. "Hiruzen… the 'female ninja' who was with the villain has appeared."
Her words shattered Hiruzen's last bit of hope. The man whom the Daimyō had called a "villain ninja" was, most likely, Uchiha Ikeizumi!!!
Shouldn't he be dutifully carrying out his S-rank mission?
There's no way his mission route would have taken him through the capital of the Land of Fire, is there? How did he end up there out of the blue?
Wait a minute!
Hiruzen suddenly stood up, staring at Koharu with a look of unprecedented seriousness. His face visibly darkened. "Ikeizumi knows why the Twelve Guardian Ninja ambushed him outside of Konoha!"
This made Koharu's pupils constrict. She understood what Hiruzen meant. "In Ikeizumi's eyes, the Daimyō is one of the masterminds of the ambush!"
"With his extreme belief in 'Absolute Justice,' the Daimyō has probably become a villain in his eyes as well. He didn't just stumble upon the capital; he went there on purpose."
"His target probably wasn't the Yuki Clan. They were likely just wiped out on his way to his true target—the Fire Daimyō!!!"
Hiruzen sank back into his chair, drained. If the Daimyō were in Konoha, he would immediately gather all the Konoha ninja. No matter the cost, he would stop Uchiha Ikeizumi.
However… the capital of the Land of Fire was too far from Konoha. Even if an elite jōnin traveled without stopping, it would take a full day. It was too late!
"Asuma," Hiruzen closed his eyes in pain. "You thought I was releasing a tiger, but in reality, I've released a dragon!"
Hiruzen didn't know what to say about his deceased second son. Asuma's deception, which led to the Daimyō being in grave danger, would have consequences. The nobles of the Land of Fire would likely vent their anger on Konoha because of Uchiha Ikeizumi's Konoha ninja status. The nobles might even suspect that he, Hiruzen, secretly ordered Uchiha Ikeizumi to assassinate the Fire Daimyō.
Hiruzen's head was spinning.
Koharu sighed with a bitter smile. "The Daimyō has also issued a bounty for Ikeizumi—the one he calls a ninja villain. The current bounty is fifty million ryo."
"Fifty million…"
Hiruzen shook his head. "In the entire ninja world, there are probably only five people who are capable of collecting that bounty."
Koharu was silent. She thought Hiruzen's assessment was a bit too optimistic.
Five people?
She couldn't even think of anyone in the entire ninja world who could take down Uchiha Ikeizumi in a one-on-one fight!
"Hiruzen, the Anbu might have to be deployed," Koharu suddenly said. "Even if they make it to the capital, it might be too late. But at the very least, we can't let the already out-of-control Uchiha Ikeizumi become even more out of control."
"Perhaps…"
Koharu said in a low voice. "You, the Hokage, need to personally lead the team. Only then will you be able to suppress him."
Hiruzen's brows were tightly furrowed. If he, the Hokage, left Konoha for several days, who knew what would happen in the village in his absence?
Sensing his concern, Koharu said, "Tsunade is coming back, isn't she? Even if she only stays in Konoha for one day, she can still intimidate any troublemakers in the village. Plus, Fugaku and Itachi are on our side."
"And you can leave Kakashi behind, as well as Might Guy. It should be fine for you to be gone for a few days. The Uchiha clan won't be able to pull anything off."
Hiruzen sighed. "You should take Itachi out of that equation. He is one of the most uncertain factors I am worried about."
"But you're right."
Hiruzen slowly stood up and said in a grave tone. "I can't let this out-of-control situation get even more out of control. Otherwise, the other ninja villages will surely take advantage of the Land of Fire's weakness and come in."
"As the Hokage of Konoha, if I were to see the situation in the Land of Fire become out of control and do nothing to stop it, I would be going against the original promise I made when I first became Hokage."
"And I would be letting down the will of the First, Second, and Fourth Hokage."
Hiruzen ultimately decided to personally lead a team of Anbu ninja to the capital of the Land of Fire. Before he left, he instructed everyone he could. Only after receiving their repeated assurances did he feel at ease leaving Konoha.
Of course, as for why he was leaving Konoha, Hiruzen did not tell them the real reason. He simply said that he had been invited by the Fire Daimyō. If he were to tell them the full, exaggerated truth, the entire village would fall into chaos.
The capital of the Land of Fire.
Uchiha Ikeizumi put his now useless ninja blade back into his scabbard and said expressionlessly, "Give me your ninja blade."
Anko looked around, then realized he was talking to her. She quickly drew her blade and handed it to him.
Holding the blade, Uchiha Ikeizumi walked two steps forward, looking down at a Fire Country noble who was paralyzed with fear. If anyone were to look ahead, they would see one dead body after another.
"No—don't kill me! I can give you money, lots and lots of money! More than you could spend in ten lifetimes! I can also give you many women, any kind you want! I can even find women with bigger chests than the one behind you!"
The portly noble, his face filled with terror, kept trying to shrink back, his chin folding into layers of fat. His voice trembling, he said, "If—if you don't want money or women, I can make you my adopted son—no! No! I can make you my sworn brother! From now on, you will be a noble of the Land of Fire!"
"Please—I don't want to die! Please—"
"I—" The noble's humble begging did not earn him any sympathy from Uchiha Ikeizumi. The red words floating above the man's head were a constant irritant to Ikeizumi's nerves, making his eyes grow colder with each passing second. To him, saying another word to a villain whose crimes were too many to count was like stepping in a pile of dog poop.
Anko watched as a large, fat head rolled slowly to her feet.
"That seems to be… the eighty-eighth person…"
Unable to stop Uchiha Ikeizumi, she could only silently count how many people he had killed in the capital. The shocking number made Anko feel disgusted.
And Uchiha Ikeizumi didn't seem to want to stop. She didn't dare to imagine how many people would die today!
Just then, Anko saw Kojiro, who had disappeared a moment ago, return with a piece of paper in its mouth. Kojiro dropped the paper, ignored the bodies on the ground, and said in a human voice, "Lord Ikeizumi, that Fire Daimyō has issued a bounty for you. The reward is a staggering fifty million ryo. Meow, he must be panicking!"
"Meow, although the information on the bounty is very sparse, it's probably enough for scavengers. Lord Ikeizumi, people are probably going to come looking for you soon."
Hearing this, Anko immediately looked down. She saw that the paper was indeed a bounty poster.
"Fifty million ryo…"
She was dumbfounded. Anko, a special jōnin, had a bounty on the black market. She remembered her bounty was nine million ryo.
Just as Anko was still in shock, she noticed that Uchiha Ikeizumi and Kojiro both looked to the left at the same time. Just as she was wondering why, a voice rang out. "Ha! What luck, I found you!"
Anko was startled, and as she looked to the left, a sharp whistling sound filled the air. In her line of sight, a dozen shuriken and two kunai with explosive tags were flying toward them! Behind the shuriken and kunai was a ninja without a headband!
This guy even targeted her!
"Watch out!" Anko shouted a warning and quickly retreated, but she was shocked to see that Uchiha Ikeizumi didn't dodge at all!
Anko's eyes widened as she watched the kunai and shuriken pass through Uchiha Ikeizumi's body!
"Explode!!!"
As the two kunai with explosive tags entered Uchiha Ikeizumi's body, the ninja grinned and clapped his hands together.
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
Two deafening explosions rang out, making Anko's ears ring and forcing her to take a few steps back. She looked up in horror and saw that Uchiha Ikeizumi's upper body had been blown to pieces! Only his lower body was still standing still.
"H-How is this possible…" Anko was stunned! She instinctively looked at the ninja cat, but saw that its expression was completely normal, as if it was no big deal that its master had been blown to half a body.
The ninja without a headband walked over with a sinister grin, toying with a kunai. He scoffed, "A villain with a fifty million ryo bounty is nothing special, I see! Tch, I accidentally blew his upper body to pieces. I hope the Fire Daimyō won't refuse to pay the bounty because he can't see the face?"
"I was a bit careless. I didn't expect this guy to be so weak. The two kunai with explosive tags were just a greeting, but they turned out to be the killing blow."
"A guy this weak, daring to go after the nobles…" Before the ninja could finish his sentence, his eyes slowly widened. The sinister grin on his face froze, and a look of disbelief appeared.
He saw that Uchiha Ikeizumi's upper body, which had been "blown to pieces" by the explosive tags, was slowly gathering back together. Fragments of "flesh" were constantly reforming, and a faint orange-red light could be seen flowing within them.
In less than three seconds, a completely unharmed Uchiha Ikeizumi, with not even a speck of dirt on his clothes, appeared before everyone! The grinning ninja and Anko had the exact same look of shock on their faces!
"W-What kind of monster is this?!?" The ninja's horrified gasp escaped his lips. He stumbled backward, trying to get away from Uchiha Ikeizumi.
But it was too late.
The ninja's pupils reflected a fiery mass of magma. Before he could react, the magma passed by his head, engulfing half of it.
...
For advanced chapters:
Get early access to 80 advanced chapters before anyone else!
Join now: Patreon com/Chaos_God