[Read up to Chapter - 95 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Sarutobi Shinnosuke has finally left the village."
In the shadows, Araki, who had been keeping watch on him, felt a surge of excitement.
He had been observing Sarutobi Shinnosuke all day yesterday and for most of today. Finally, the man had left the village on a mission.
If Shinnosuke hadn't left today, Araki would've been forced to take action inside Konoha itself—something that would almost certainly cost him his life.
Araki didn't want to die. Not everyone possessed the resolve to stare death in the face.
He had no way to cure the poison. As for turning to Sarutobi Hiruzen for help? That was out of the question. He wasn't a fool.
Hiruzen had already sold him out once—why would he help now?
In fact, Hiruzen's betrayal had filled Araki with hatred.
Killing Sarutobi Shinnosuke would at least be some form of revenge.
After both Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Araki left the village one after the other, Shin—who had stationed people to monitor Araki—immediately reported the development to Kanzou.
…
"Patriarch, Sarutobi Shinnosuke has left Konoha Village, and Araki is already tailing him. Should I follow as well?" Hazuki questioned.
"Leave it be."
Kanzou shook his head, dismissing Hazuki.
There were very few people who could counteract the poison in Araki's body.
Kanzou could only think of two—Tsunade and Chiyo.
Tsunade was unlikely to capture Araki to detoxify him, and as for Chiyo, the advisor of Sunagakure, she would never help a Konoha ninja.
The only path left for Araki was to complete the mission and return to Kanzou for the antidote.
"If he really kills Sarutobi Shinnosuke and makes it back alive, I'll have a special reward waiting for him," Kanzou said with a cold smile.
He waved Hazuki off to resume her duties, confident in the outcome.
If Araki was able to strike, it shouldn't be a problem—after all, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was only a Jōnin, while Araki was an Elite Jōnin.
Don't underestimate the gap between a Jōnin and an Elite Jōnin—five regular Jōnin working together might still find it a little difficult to defeat a single Elite Jōnin.
…
Outside Konoha Village, Araki was trailing behind Sarutobi Shinnosuke but hadn't made a move yet.
It wasn't the right place. They had only just left the village and were still too close.
If he failed to eliminate Sarutobi Shinnosuke instantly, reinforcements from Konoha would quickly arrive.
"The moment you stepped out of Konoha, you were already dead," Araki muttered coldly, eyes locked on his target with disdain.
His strength as an Elite Jōnin had been earned through countless life-or-death battles.
In contrast, Sarutobi Shinnosuke had risen through the ranks smoothly, with little actual combat experience. The difference in battle prowess was obvious.
As Shinnosuke travelled swiftly through the dense forests of the Land of Fire—leaping effortlessly from branch to branch using chakra to run along tree branches—he suddenly frowned.
"Strange… why do I feel like I'm being watched?"
As a Jōnin, his perception was still sharp—especially since Araki's murderous intent was far too intense to ignore.
But even if he checked the situation and tried to see if anyone was following him… he didn't find anyone tailing him, which made him wonder, "Is it just my imagination?"
"This area is still within Konoha's range. Enemy ninjas wouldn't dare come this close. It must be my imagination," Sarutobi Shinnosuke muttered, shaking his head.
That moment of doubt, however, would become the very cause of his death.
Once they had travelled far enough from Konoha, Araki could no longer hold back. Concealed in the shadows, he launched his attack using a shuriken technique. Thin threads were attached to the shuriken, allowing him to control their trajectory mid-air.
By the time Shinnosuke sensed the danger, it was already too late to fully dodge.
One shuriken grazed his arm, and another embedded itself deep into his abdomen.
"Who's there?!"
Shinnosuke shouted in shock.
He hadn't expected an ambush during this mission—especially not within the Land of Fire, where assignments usually went without incident.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
A blazing dragon of fire surged toward Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, Shinnosuke quickly weaved hand signs and activated the Body Replacement Technique. However, he was a fraction too slow—the flames licked his body, leaving scorched burns across his skin.
Thankfully, he managed to evade the worst of it at the last moment. Had he taken the full brunt of the jutsu, he would've been incinerated on the spot.
"Someone from the Uchiha Clan…"
From the nature of the jutsu, Shinnosuke immediately deduced the attacker's identity. The Dragon Flame Technique was a Jutsu of the Uchiha—only they used it with such precision and lethality.
There was no doubt. His assailant was one of them.
From the shadows, Araki's gaze burned with cold fury, his killing intent unrestrained.
"Was it Uchiha Kanzou? Did he send you to kill me?"
Shinnosuke asked, fear creeping into his voice.
"The dead don't need answers."
Araki moved in an instant. With just a few swift strikes, he sent Shinnosuke flying. The severely wounded Shinnosuke crashed to the ground, coughing up blood.
Lying there in pain, Shinnosuke was filled with regret. 'Why did I even leave the village?' he thought bitterly.
'Wouldn't it have been better to stay in Konoha? Let people gossip—at least I'd still be safe.'
He hadn't accepted this mission for money, but to prove himself.
Rumours had spread behind his back—whispers that he'd only become a Jōnin through nepotism.
Determined to silence them, Shinnosuke had taken on a relatively straightforward S-rank mission, hoping that a successful record would shut the critics up for good.
But if he'd known he'd be ambushed the moment he stepped outside Konoha, he would never have left.
Even if he had stayed within Konoha Village, there was still a chance he'd be attacked—but at least within the village, Sarutobi Shinnosuke might have had a chance to survive.
"Your father dared to betray me. I can't touch him for now, but I can still kill you… his son."
Staring coldly at Shinnosuke, Uchiha raised his blade. In a moment of panic, Shinnosuke tried to react—but it was too late. The sword came down, and his head was severed.
No one ever knew exactly how Sarutobi Shinnosuke died in the original timeline.
But in this one, he was killed by Araki's hand.
And now, with Shinnosuke dead, there would be no way for Sarutobi Konohamaru to exist—how could he be born when the seed provider was already gone?
Lifting Shinnosuke's severed head, Araki incinerated the rest of the body with a fire technique, reducing it to ash.
After carefully erasing the traces of battle, he quietly returned to Konoha Village.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Read up to Chapter - 95 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]