IW: Chapter 134 - Exposing Asuma's Hypocrisy, Exterminating the Sarutobi clan!
"How does he have Wood Release?!"
Everyone present was without exception shocked by Bai Ye's Sage Art: Myojinmon.
The Tailed Beasts wailed internally; a Mangekyo was one thing, but now he even had Wood Release. The unpleasant memories of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama instantly flooded their minds.
Originally carefree and unrestrained, their peaceful and leisurely lives were shattered after encountering these two lunatics.
"Gyūki, why can't I sense your Chakra anymore?"
Killer Bee wanted to use Gyūki's Chakra to break free, or release the Tailed Beast transformation, which would also allow him to escape the Myojinmon.
But he couldn't sense Gyūki's Chakra, and at the same time, he couldn't release his own transformation. It seemed even his own Chakra was sealed.
"Idiot, Wood Release naturally restrains Tailed Beasts! That wood is devouring and restricting my Chakra!"
"Then what do we do? Aren't we out of combat?"
The five Jinchuriki initially unleashed a Lightning Release: Liger Bomb. After officially joining the battle, they were thoroughly beaten by Bai Ye. Once they fully transformed into Tailed Beasts, they were directly sealed by the Myojinmon.
What's the point of fighting now!
They originally thought they had the advantage in high-end combat because there were five Jinchuriki, but all five Jinchuriki were incapacitated by one move from Bai Ye.
Now, only Ōnoki and Ay remained.
Mangekyo + Wood Release + Sage Mode + Flying Thunder God Technique.
Killer Bee couldn't even see how the two Kage could defeat Bai Ye.
"Obito, that Guy seems to be a bit out of control. It's not what we envisioned!"
Zetsu's eyes flickered, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.
Bai Ye definitely possessed the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Although he didn't know how he acquired it, the power of that dojutsu, and how it affected the Tailed Beasts earlier, made it clear to him that only Madara with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan could do that.
And that wasn't all; not only had his eyes reached Madara's level, but he also possessed Wood Release. Aside from the Rinnegan, he was essentially a high-spec Uchiha Madara.
Both had the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, both had Wood Release.
But Bai Ye knew Sage Mode and the Flying Thunder God Technique. He basically knew everything Madara knew, and things Madara didn't. Although he didn't know if Bai Ye knew Yin-Yang Release, with Wood Release and the Mangekyo Sharingan, he couldn't imagine Bai Ye not having it.
He even doubted whether Nagato could handle Bai Ye.
After all, Nagato's Rinnegan wasn't his own, and the power of the Rinnegan in Nagato's hands simply couldn't reach the heights of Uchiha Madara.
"No, we must act, otherwise, once that Guy unifies the Ninja World…"
Obito's brows furrowed. The current situation felt like it was subtly slipping out of his control.
He hadn't thought too much when Nagato rejected him earlier.
In Obito's view, Konoha couldn't be completely destroyed. Even if he failed in this war, it would merely be a weakening, and that weakening was what Obito wanted to see.
Konoha was too strong now, and its cohesion was also strong. Obito thought, 'I might as well agree to Nagato's request for now.' Although he knew Nagato had other ulterior motives, who didn't?
But now Obito realized the situation was not right. Bai Ye was already the strongest in the Ninja World. If they dragged this on, Nagato's strength would continuously weaken, and his influence on Bai Ye would diminish.
And it would be impossible for them to capture the Tailed Beasts from Bai Ye's hands.
Did they really have to revive Uchiha Madara?
Obito felt a slight unwillingness in his heart. Reviving Uchiha Madara was not an option in his plan!
In Obito's opinion, if he could do it himself, why would he need Uchiha Madara?
He knew that Uchiha Madara was the mastermind behind the Eye of the Moon Plan, and Black Zetsu was also monitoring him, but why should a dead man control everything?
Obito could execute the Eye of the Moon Plan, but this plan should be carried out by himself, not by Uchiha Madara.
He wanted to create a world with Rin.
"It's already going to be unified. Kumogakure and Iwagakure are simply no match for Konoha now. They still have Jiraiya, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Shisui who haven't made a move, and on the other side, there are only Ay and Ōnoki. They are not Konoha's opponents!"
Zetsu said faintly. At this moment, he had already decided that they had to activate their backup plan.
He had calculated everything, even various subsequent contingencies.
But the one thing he didn't account for was another prodigy appearing in the Uchiha Clan.
If this continued, he estimated that the Ninja World would be unified by him, and he certainly couldn't just sit by and watch!
"Ah, doesn't that mean all Nine Tailed Beasts will be recovered by Konoha?"
Originally, having the Tailed Beasts scattered was actually beneficial to them. If all of them were in Konoha, unless the Akatsuki Organization launched a full-scale attack on Konoha, but even with a combined assault, they simply couldn't win.
Indeed, the individual combat strength of the Akatsuki Organization members was very strong, but Bai Ye was simply too powerful now. Coupled with the many Kage-level experts in Konoha, if they really dared to go to Konoha, they would probably die a miserable death.
"Obito, what do you think we should do?"
Zetsu didn't say much but turned to look at Obito, clearly handing over the choice to him.
Upon hearing Zetsu's words, Obito also fell into a strange silence.
What should he do?
"Let's wait and see."
He didn't give Zetsu an answer. He still had his own ulterior motives. Black Zetsu gave Obito a meaningful look and also understood that he couldn't rely on Obito.
Just now, he thought that given the current situation, Obito would choose to revive Madara, but since he still wouldn't, he could only rely on himself.
"I understand."
Zetsu didn't say much about this either. The two old foxes each had their own calculations in their hearts.
On the battlefield.
Orochimaru, who was mixed in with the Allied Shinobi Forces, widened his eyes in disbelief at this scene.
Is this the Wood Release I researched back then?
He had researched Wood Release, but this was a completely different concept.
The Wood Release he researched was for landscaping, while this person's Wood Release directly suppressed five Great Tailed Beasts! And was this Sage Mode from the Shikkotsu Forest?
Orochimaru's eyes flickered. Perhaps it was a summoning scroll given by Tsunade?
After thinking about it, Orochimaru suddenly felt a bit disheartened. He had clearly prepared to take over Bai Ye's body, but the combat power this Guy was displaying now seemed to have the essence of Uchiha Madara + Senju Hashirama.
Moreover, would this Guy confirm his conjecture?
Orochimaru's eyes sparkled with excitement. He suddenly wanted to see the changes in Bai Ye's body.
On Konoha's side, after seeing Bai Ye's Wood Release, they were first surprised, but then a strange, ineffable feeling arose in their hearts.
Bai Ye had once accused Danzo of researching Senju Hashirama's cells, and now that Bai Ye possessed Wood Release, did that mean Bai Ye was also secretly researching it?
"Idiots, what are you thinking? That's Sage Art: Wood Release! It doesn't even exist in the Scroll of Seals, so this Wood Release must be something Tsunade knows about. That scroll has always been kept by Tsunade, which means this Guy awakened Wood Release himself!!!"
Jiraiya's words instantly stabilized the minds of the people on Konoha's side.
That's right!
Sage Art: Wood Release. Although they hadn't seen the contents of the Scroll of Seals, it was highly unlikely that this technique would be recorded there.
And for Bai Ye to be able to use this technique, it meant that Bai Ye himself possessed the bloodline of the Senju Clan.
"Does Hokage-sama have the bloodline of both Senju and Uchiha?"
"Damn it... this Guy has the bloodline of the Senju Clan?"
Uchiha Fugaku's face showed a strange expression. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Did the Uchiha cheat, or did the Senju stray?
When Bai Ye was the Uchiha Clan head, they didn't know he had Senju blood. A person with Senju blood became the Uchiha Clan head, but fortunately, the Senju Clan was now virtually extinct.
Listening to the discussions of the Ninja in the rear, Bai Ye's lips curved into a smile. Exposing his Wood Release this time was something Bai Ye had planned for a long time; this ability was bound to be revealed sooner or later.
He had no experimental traces on his body; it was all the bloodline left by the Six Paths Sage. So, isn't it normal to have some of his abilities?
Looking at the Allied Shinobi Forces in front, a hint of mockery flashed across Bai Ye's lips. Now, he really wanted to see what these people would do.
Among the crowd, Asuma glared at Bai Ye with a resentful expression, his heart filled with jealousy towards Bai Ye. He hadn't expected Bai Ye to even possess Wood Release.
Why did all good things fall upon Bai Ye?
Mangekyo Sharingan, Wood Release, Flying Thunder God Technique, powerful Lightning Release, and the position of Hokage, and he even had an incredibly handsome face.
If he had all of that, would he be able to have Yuhi?
However, before Asuma could think further, he felt a dark Hokage flash in front of him. Then, his neck was instantly grabbed, and he was lifted and brought to the center of the battlefield.
"Asuma, you really can run, huh? You actually ran off to the Allied Shinobi Forces?"
Bai Ye smiled as he looked at Asuma. In truth, Bai Ye wasn't very familiar with Asuma.
He only knew him from the anime. It was only because he had an irreconcilable conflict with Hiruzen Sarutobi that the two sides were considered enemies.
Looking at Asuma's hateful eyes, and the way he seemed to want to speak, Bai Ye directly threw him to the ground, preparing to see what he had to say.
Asuma was thrown to the ground by Bai Ye, gasping for air. For a moment, he felt like his neck was about to be snapped. After recovering, Asuma clenched his fists and said hatefully, "Bai Ye, you bastard! You murdered the Hokage! You don't deserve to be Konoha's Hokage! Our Konoha's Hokage's are always chosen, not killed for! And about you killing the Daimyo, everyone will despise you for it from now on!"
His deeds would be scorned from this moment forward.
For thousands of years, everyone had been like this; only Bai Ye had killed the Daimyo.
He was a tyrant!
"Oh? Was Hiruzen Sarutobi chosen? Wasn't he just designated by Tobirama Senju?" Bai Ye said, then suddenly seemed to remember something, looking at Asuma and asking, "So, when you left Konoha, wasn't it because you had a good dad that you weren't treated as a rogue Ninja and even became one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja? Having a Hokage dad sure makes you talk tough!"
Bai Ye's mocking tone made Asuma's face incredibly grim.
At that time, the reason he left was because he couldn't stand some people saying he relied on his father. He also had some conflicts with Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he was rebellious at the time, so Asuma left without a second thought.
Later, thinking about it, he felt some lingering fear. Just as Bai Ye said, if he didn't have such a good father, he would have been a rogue Ninja.
But that didn't mean Asuma wanted this matter brought up!
And after Bai Ye said that, whether it was the KonohaNinja behind him or the Allied Shinobi Forces opposite, the expressions on their faces were incredibly rich.
Especially the Konoha side. This scene seemed a bit familiar. Bai Ye had also engaged in a verbal barrage before killing Hiruzen Sarutobi. What was this called? This was called killing someone and striking at their heart!
"Heh heh, after I left, I submitted my departure documents to the Village. This is just a matter of power…"
Although Asuma felt a bit guilty inside, he still argued, saying that he had only left rebelliously at first, and later he did submit some documents back. At the same time, he seemed to grasp onto something, directly pointing at Jiraiya behind Bai Ye and saying, "Then if what I did counts, wouldn't all the Sannin be considered defectors?"
Orochimaru was definitely a defector, but weren't Jiraiya and Tsunade also often absent for years?
Hearing Asuma's words, Jiraiya's face instantly turned green.
He had said goodbye before he left! Although he didn't know if Tsunade had, she must have said something before leaving. But you, Asuma, just left without a word!
"They are the Sannin, who are you? Do you qualify? If you had the strength of the Sannin, I would specially approve you to join the Allied Shinobi Forces right now and not consider you a rogue Ninja!"
Pfft!
No one knew who started it, but after Bai Ye finished speaking, someone immediately couldn't hold back their laughter.
It was too hilarious!
What he said, what Sannin are you?
Even Orochimaru, who was mixed in with the Allied Shinobi Forces, was a little unable to hold back. According to this, couldn't he go back?
Why not go back? If he went back, he could investigate the secrets on Bai Ye's body.
Of course, this was just Orochimaru's thought. If he really had to go back, Orochimaru definitely wouldn't. His reputation in Konoha was already ruined. He would be crazy to go back.
"So, Asuma, you've decided to betray the Village, right?"
The joking ended, and the smile on Bai Ye's face faded as he looked at Asuma with calm eyes.
In his opinion, Asuma was sure to die today.
"Betray the Village? Is Konoha yours? After you killed the Third Hokage and the Daimyo, was your position gained honorably?"
Asuma wasn't so foolish as to be speechless.
He just wanted to grasp onto this legitimacy. He hoped that there would still be people in Konoha who would stand out and choose to be with him.
"Everyone, are you truly sincere in fighting alongside Bai Ye? This Guy killed the Daimyo, killed the Hokage. Does such a person even deserve to be Hokage?"
Saying this, Asuma looked expectantly at the KonohaNinja behind Bai Ye.
However, the Ninja behind him showed no signs of moving at all.
Seeing this, Asuma instantly became enraged: "Kakashi, Yuhi, Guy, have you fallen too?"
Forget about everyone else, but among classmates who were in the same team, was there no one willing to stand up and support him now?
"Sorry, Asuma, you should surrender early."
After speaking, Kakashi lowered his head, avoiding Asuma's gaze. He had probably avenged White Fang by now.
At least this time, he couldn't stand up and speak.
And Guy didn't speak. He wanted to stop it, but he also knew he couldn't. Asuma had betrayed the Village. Konoha's Hokage was now Bai Ye. As a Ninja, he had to obey the Hokage's orders!
Seeing Guy remain silent, Asuma, while hating both of them, placed his last hope on Yuhi. He looked at Yuhi with hopeful eyes, thinking that Yuhi had grown up with him, was practically his childhood sweetheart, and had always understood his feelings.
She… she should brave all opposition and choose to stand with him. This was love!
"Sorry, Asuma, I think Hokage-sama is right!"
Sorry, Asuma…
Asuma stared blankly at Yuhi, and the next second he felt like he was about to collapse.
How could each of them!?
Why did none of them choose to stand with him?
"Asuma, your mistake was always living in fantasy. I did give you a chance. I said that any Ninja who returned from outside would be forgiven, but you were stubborn and chose to stay with the Daimyo.
And the Daimyo was also foolish, not understanding what this world truly boils down to. Victory is justice. I don't know how others will judge me a thousand years from now, but I know you are a failure, and I have succeeded.
Empty words are useless. All the things you speak of are built upon your father being the Hokage. Once your halo disappears, you are merely a Jonin. While in school, classmates fawned over you. After graduation, you had the best mentors and the best resources guiding you. Even after leaving Konoha, you were not treated as a rogue Ninja.
You deny it, but how many resources did you consume to reach this point? You are even more hypocritical than Hiruzen Sarutobi. At least Hiruzen Sarutobi admitted everything in the end, but you consumed all of this and are unwilling to admit it!!"
In Bai Ye's view, Asuma was clearly built up by resources. As the son of the Hokage, everyone would curry favor with him, yet he believed it was all due to his own efforts.
"Then let me tell you, future generations will judge me as the one who reformed the Ninja World, the creator of the New World, and you are merely a failure!!"
Saying this, Bai Ye directly severed Asuma's head with a single slash. As his head flew into the air, Asuma still retained a sliver of consciousness, looking at the figures before him, and a feeling of sorrow arose in his heart.
Yuhi…
With his last glance, Asuma deeply etched Yuhi into his mind. He truly was a failure.
"This Guy… I really didn't like him when we were in school."
Obito watched from afar, a cold sneer rising in his heart. Regarding Asuma's death, he even felt that Bai Ye had done well to kill him.
At the same time, he also felt that Bai Ye's words were correct: victory is justice. As long as you win, everything you do is just. All future records will mark him as the victor, as righteous, and the opponent as a failure.
Wasn't that the case with Madara Uchiha back then?
If Madara Uchiha had won back then, wouldn't the situation have been different?
So, Bai Ye truly saw things clearly.
And after Asuma's death, everyone present felt a strange sensation in their hearts.
Ding! By changing Asuma's fate, you are rewarded with one lottery chance!
Ding! By changing Kurenai Yuhi's fate, you are rewarded with one lottery chance!
Oh!
Buy one, get one free.
It seems Yuhi won't have to be a young widow anymore.