Chapter 129: Hiruzen Sarutobi: "How Did You Surrender?"
The intense heat of the magma instantly burned the Fire Daimyō's internal organs to a crisp. His panicked body, which had been in the process of turning to flee, froze completely.
"Lis—cough—"
His face, a mask of terror, was permanently etched. His consciousness fading, tears and mucus streamed from his nose. His despair was a wretched sight. When the magma dog retracted from his body, the Fire Daimyō's body lost all support. He fell forward, face-first, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Thud. The muffled sound came with the breaking of his nose. Blood immediately splattered everywhere and slowly spread across the floor, seeping into the small cracks. The Fire Daimyō never let out another cry of pain, for his life had been snuffed out completely.
The Fire Daimyō—executed!
The entire Daimyō's Mansion seemed to have been frozen in time. A deafening silence filled the air. The samurai, vassals, and servants, separated by the magma and too terrified to approach, watched the shocking scene with wide eyes.
The Daimyō's children were also frozen in place, their faces filled with shock, confusion, and disbelief. They even wondered if what they were seeing was real.
Even Anko Mitarashi, who was behind Uchiha Ikeizumi, couldn't help but pinch herself with a trembling hand.
It hurts… it hurts a lot.
She felt a part of her skin swell up into a bruise. This proved that this wasn't a dream, and it probably wasn't a genjutsu either. The Fire Daimyō, a man at the pinnacle of power in the Land of Fire, a man who was above ten thousand others, was killed by Uchiha Ikeizumi as if he were just a pig.
It was too simple, too hasty, too quick. Shouldn't the death of such a powerful man be accompanied by a grand scene?
No!
What am I thinking? Shouldn't I be thinking that such a great man shouldn't be killed in the first place?
Anko's mind was in a complete mess. Her head was even starting to spin.
"M-My lord!!!"
The eerie silence lasted for an unknown amount of time until a heartbreaking cry rang out. The cries and wails of the Daimyō's vassals and servants then rose in unison.
"Father!!!"
The Daimyō's eldest son, too, was as weak as if he had just lost his parents. Even though he had prepared himself for this possibility, seeing it with his own eyes, he found that he couldn't handle the psychological blow.
His legs trembling, he walked toward his father, who lay on the ground, and knelt down, trying to lift his father's body. The moment his hands touched the Fire Daimyō's body, he cried out in pain.
It was too hot!!!
His hands instantly turned bright red. He had been burned! Instead of a newly deceased body, it was more like a body made of red-hot iron. The intense heat radiating from it made the Daimyō's eldest son unsure where to touch.
Although he was at a loss, one thing was for certain—his father was truly dead!
That Konoha ninja named Uchiha Ikeizumi. He had no concept of the "ruler and his people!" When he said he would kill, he would actually kill!
Wait… wait a minute…
A sense of alarm suddenly rang out in the Daimyō's eldest son's heart. He mechanically raised his head, and his terrified eyes met Uchiha Ikeizumi's cold gaze.
The Daimyō's eldest son's mind exploded. The feeling that instantly took over his entire body wasn't anger, but terror! Cold sweat immediately soaked the back of his clothes.
"I—I—I—" He tried to say something, but his words were disjointed and stuttered. He couldn't form a complete sentence. He was so anxious that his face was pale and covered in sweat.
"Once a person has committed evil, they must pay the price they deserve, regardless of their status, age, or gender," Uchiha Ikeizumi said in a chilling voice that echoed through the Daimyō's Mansion. "One who commits a small evil must reflect on their actions in prison. One who commits a great evil must atone for their sins with their life."
"You think I shouldn't have killed him. Is that right? Because you think his status is special, and he's different from ordinary people. You think that normal people's moral views of justice don't apply to the dignified Fire Daimyō. Is that right?"
The cold questions, when they fell on the Daimyō's eldest son's ears, sounded like a series of death sentences. Uchiha Ikeizumi may not have meant it that way, but the Daimyō's eldest son felt that if he answered incorrectly, he would die! His fate would be the same as his father's!
The words "Daimyō" might have been very useful in other people's eyes, but in front of Uchiha Ikeizumi, they became a death warrant!
"N-No… that's not right…" The Daimyō's eldest son tried his best to speak a complete sentence, but he couldn't. "The Daimyō… the Daimyō is also a human. My father—perhaps he was used to being on top, and perhaps he was no longer good at looking down at the people below him. What he… gulp!
What he did… perhaps he thought it was nothing, but it's different for other people."
"It's like that saying, that—"
"Augh!" The Daimyō's eldest son's mind suddenly went blank. He felt his entire body itch from anxiety, but he didn't dare to scratch himself.
"A grain of dust of the times, a mountain for the commoners," Uchiha Ikeizumi said in a cold voice, finishing the sentence for him.
"Yes! That's it! My father ignored the commoners! He only thought about his privileges as a Daimyō. That's why he condoned Hisuke. That's why he established so many rules that exploited the commoners and bled them dry—"
"He never thought about what kind of evil consequences his actions would bring, because it wasn't he, the Daimyō, who had to pay the price, but the commoners of the Land of Fire."
"So—"
The Daimyō's eldest son knew that if these words got out, he would be branded as "unfilial" and a "coward."
But it's better to be branded as a coward than to be killed, right?
He was only in his thirties! He was still so young!
Just as his mouth was getting dry from nervousness, he heard Uchiha Ikeizumi ask him, "So?"
The Daimyō's eldest son gritted his teeth. In the end, his will to live won over his shame. His weakness overcame his spine. He lowered his head and quickly said, "So, my father brought this fate upon himself. He planted the cause, and this is the result. This is all just a destiny he was meant to experience."
After he said that, the vassals, samurai, servants, and the other children of the Daimyō all looked at him with disbelief. The Daimyō was dead, and as the eldest son, he was supposed to inherit the position and become the next Daimyō of the Land of Fire. But as the man with the most special status, he said these words in front of so many people and in front of his father's killer.
Didn't this confirm that the Daimyō's death was justified? He wouldn't even have a reason to get revenge later!
The Daimyō's eldest son was just about to say something cowardly like, "You were right to kill him," but he held back.
Could it be that… this Daimyō's eldest son, at this moment, didn't dare to even think of revenge?!
Everyone looked at Uchiha Ikeizumi. They all fell silent. The judgmental thoughts they had for the Daimyō's eldest son instantly vanished. Because they didn't dare to either.
With Uchiha Ikeizumi's gaze on him, the Daimyō's eldest son lowered his head and stared at his father's body on the ground. The mixture of nervousness and panic made him feel dizzy. At this moment, even though Uchiha Ikeizumi hadn't said another word to him, he took the initiative to speak. "From—From now on, the laws of the Land of Fire will definitely undergo a more thorough revision than before. The revised laws will not only consider the upper-class nobles of the Land of Fire, but also the commoners. They also need… they also need…"
He cautiously raised his head and glanced at Uchiha Ikeizumi.
"They need to use justice to implement a new national policy that is more decisive and absolute than before."
Uchiha Ikeizumi said expressionlessly, finishing the sentence for him, "The current Land of Fire, and even the entire ninja world, has become too twisted and sick due to the lack of justice, giving rise to countless evils that are almost impossible to wipe out."
"Only with absolute and uncompromising justice can the vast ninja world be set right."
"You agree, don't you? Takahito On'in."
The Daimyō's eldest son's eyes widened. "!!!"
His cautious gaze instantly turned into a look of horror.
How did this person know my name? Oh, wait, as the Daimyō's eldest son, it makes sense that he would know my name, right?
"Yes!"
His hesitation lasted for less than half a second before he nodded frantically like a pecking chicken.
He quickly added, "And, the funding that the Daimyō's Mansion has given Konoha Village in recent years has been a bit too little. And the funding was too general. It should have been divided up more specifically."
"For example—the Uchiha clan, who is the Konoha Military Police Force, should have their own separate funding from the Daimyō's Mansion. For example, two hundred million ryo a year? Or five hundred million ryo a year?"
Uchiha Ikeizumi's eyes visibly grew colder. The temperature in the air rose rapidly. A terrifying murderous aura enveloped everyone.
The Daimyō's eldest son's eyes widened again. "!!!"
Wait! He's an Uchiha, so shouldn't he be with the Uchiha clan?
Shouldn't he be happy that I'm giving the Uchiha clan extra funding?
Wait a minute!
This Uchiha Ikeizumi, could he be seriously giving me advice on how to revise the laws of the Land of Fire?
The Daimyō's eldest son suddenly remembered why his younger brother, Hisuke On'in, was killed by Uchiha Ikeizumi. According to what his father had relayed from Asuma Sarutobi, Uchiha Ikeizumi believed in 'Absolute Justice.' It was a very thorough and very extreme kind of justice. It was a kind of justice that was not mixed with any impurities.
But its biggest flaw was that it was too extreme, to the point that he dared to kill the Daimyō's son, and today, he even dared to kill the Daimyō himself!
In other words… his attempt to unilaterally increase the Uchiha clan's funding was, in Uchiha Ikeizumi's eyes, a bribe!
The Daimyō's eldest son, who had finally let out a sigh of relief and thought he had saved his life, was once again drenched in cold sweat.
The Daimyō's eldest son managed to force a smile. He wracked his brain, trying to keep up with Uchiha Ikeizumi's way of thinking. His lips trembled as he said, "I, I, I take back what I said. Perhaps we should first get rid of all the undesirable personnel in the Konoha Military Police Force and only leave the righteous and ambitious ones."
"Perhaps, we should also first investigate all the nobles of the Land of Fire and not let a single lowlife get away, and not let a single big fish escape. Perhaps, we should also reopen all the old, cold cases and bring justice back to the innocent victims."
"Perhaps, we also need to…"
On the other side.
Konoha Village.
Homura Mitokado's face was grim as he rushed to the Hokage's Office. He didn't see Hiruzen Sarutobi, only Koharu Utatane. He wasn't surprised, of course.
The moment he arrived, Koharu's face darkened, and she asked him, "Such a big thing happened in the capital of the Land of Fire, why didn't you inform me in advance?"
That's right. Neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Koharu had informed him. Even though Hiruzen had instructed many people before leaving the village with the Anbu, Homura wasn't one of them.
When Homura found out about this, he was almost a mess. That's why he was in such a bad mood. The first thing on his mind wasn't how bad Uchiha Ikeizumi's rampage was in the capital, but why he wasn't informed.
Koharu sighed. "Homura, ever since you took over the Root from Danzo, have you not noticed that you have become more anxious and irritable than before?"
"Hiruzen felt that informing you in advance would only make the situation more complicated. Besides, you already know about it now, don't you?"
Homura gritted his teeth. "If that Uchiha Ikeizumi wasn't so extreme, would I be so anxious every day?"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and asked, "So, what's the situation now?"
Koharu shook her head. "I don't know yet. There's no news from the capital. It will take a full day for Hiruzen and the Anbu to get to the capital of the Land of Fire."
Homura was restless and frustrated. "Why did Hiruzen let that guy leave Konoha?"
"It was Asuma Sarutobi."
Koharu sighed again. "He used an excuse to deceive Hiruzen in order to lure Uchiha Ikeizumi out of the village. His impulsive actions have led to irreversible consequences."
Homura was silent for a few seconds. "None of these younger generations are a comfort!" he said through gritted teeth.
"Kakashi, why did Lord Hokage tell us to keep an eye on the Uchiha clan?" Might Guy, who was standing on the roof of a building, asked Kakashi as he looked at the Uchiha compound.
"I don't know."
Kakashi replied with a blank expression. "We don't need to guess Lord Hokage's thoughts. If he gave such a command, he must have his reasons."
Although he said that, Kakashi had his own suspicions. He didn't believe that the Daimyō had invited Hiruzen to the capital. After all, the Daimyō's son had died in Konoha. The relationship between the Daimyō and the Hokage was probably already strained.
So, who was the Hokage's sudden departure from the village related to? Who was important enough for the Hokage to go out himself?
An answer popped into Kakashi's mind.
Uchiha Ikeizumi!!!
And the purpose of keeping an eye on the Uchiha clan now was probably because the Hokage was afraid that the Uchiha clan's radical faction would do something bad while he was away.
...
For advanced chapters:
Get early access to 80 advanced chapters before anyone else!
Join now: Patreon com/Chaos_God