Chapter 200: The Third Hokage's Fury!
The next morning, a piece of news suddenly spread throughout the entirety of Konoha, a group of elite Uchiha ninja had left the village, and Ikeizumi Uchiha was among them!
This development practically caught all the major ninja clans of Konoha completely off guard.
The Uchiha Clan's extremity and arrogance were practically common knowledge in the village. Furthermore, Konoha's Elders had secretly promoted the danger of the Uchiha while trying to sideline them.
This forced the ninja clans in the village to pay extremely close attention, fearing the Uchiha might stir up some new trouble.
"They left the village?" Koharu Utatane knitted her brow. After a moment's thought, she immediately went to the Hokage Tower and found Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hiruzen, did you assign them a mission?" Koharu asked pointedly, wasting no time. "Hiruzen, you must be aware of the 'danger' of sending Uchiha ninja out on missions, yes? Most of their clan members are radicals. Most Uchiha ninja who return from missions have caused trouble outside, only to be subsequently killed by Ikeizumi Uchiha..."
"No."
Hiruzen cut her off, his own brow furrowed in thought. Clearly, as the Hokage of Konoha, he had received the intelligence immediately.
"Izumi left too. It seems he was the one who led them out," Hiruzen sighed, saying, "A total of four people left, including Ikeizumi. All are Uchiha Jōnin."
"Furthermore, IkeIkeizumi's ninja cat is also gone. If this old man isn't mistaken, they must have left the village to hunt down Orochimaru."
Koharu, however, proposed another possibility: "Could Ikeizumi Uchiha have taken these three elite Uchiha with him to try and start an independent branch, extending the Uchiha bloodline outside of Konoha?"
She instinctively guessed at Ikeizumi Uchiha's actions with the maximum possible malice.
Hiruzen glanced at her. "If he were going to do that, why wouldn't he take Izumi Uchiha? Sasuke Uchiha? And why wouldn't he take Naruto? Why not Neji?"
Koharu was left speechless.
"Hah..." Hiruzen exhaled, withdrawing his gaze and saying helplessly, "What we should worry about more is this Ikeizumi's influence within the Uchiha clan is growing rapidly. In the past, no one would have left the village with him to fight Orochimaru."
"Back then, he was a lonely anomaly within the Uchiha clan. In that way, Ikeizumi and Itachi were somewhat alike."
When Itachi Uchiha was mentioned, Koharu interjected, "Hiruzen, I suspect that Fugaku is no longer wholeheartedly on our side."
Hiruzen lifted an eyelid. "Why do you say that?"
Koharu argued, "If his heart were truly with us, why wouldn't he try his best to stop Ikeizumi Uchiha? On the surface, he seems powerless, but who knows if he's doing it intentionally?
"For Ikeizumi Uchiha's Absolute Justice to grow so powerful, I'm beginning to wonder if Fugaku planned it all along? Is he working together with Ikeizumi Uchiha?"
Hiruzen didn't immediately know how to defend Fugaku.
Recently, he had indeed been somewhat disappointed in Fugaku Uchiha, as the Uchiha clan was becoming increasingly uncontrollable under his leadership.
"I will find a time to meet with him and put some pressure on him."
Hiruzen said grimly, "This old man doesn't hold excessive malice toward the Uchiha clan, but I cannot allow the Uchiha to lose control, nor can I allow Ikeizumi to forge the Uchiha clan into an impenetrable fortress."
Hearing this, Koharu's expression softened slightly.
At least on this matter...
She and Hiruzen Sarutobi shared the same intent.
Neither wanted to tolerate the Uchiha!
After all...
In the end, they were all disciples of the Second Hokage.
But just then, an ANBU ninja burst in without even knocking on the door. Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could frown and speak, the ninja rapidly reported: "Hokage-sama! Your daughter-in-law... that is, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke's wife, Sarutobi Nadeshiko she... she was murdered in her home!"
The ANBU ninja stammered, a rare sight.
His words struck Hiruzen like a bolt of lightning. He froze instantly, his expression rigid.
The ANBU's speech exploded in his mind like a paper bomb.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts instantly plunged into chaos.
His eyes looked unfocused.
His mind couldn't help but stall.
Fortunately, the nearby Koharu reacted quickly. Her face was grim, mixed with horror, and she questioned the ANBU ninja, "What exactly happened? Tell us in detail!"
The ANBU ninja took a deep breath and bowed. "A member of the Sarutobi clan was delivering a meal to Sarutobi Nadeshiko when they found no response inside, and a smell of blood wafted out from under the door. The individual immediately forced the door open and found Sarutobi Nadeshiko's bloody corpse."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's rigid expression slowly rose from his chair. As he tried to take a step, he suddenly stumbled.
Fortunately, Koharu, quick-witted, supported him immediately.
"Take this old man back to the Sarutobi Compound!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a hoarse voice.
Both the ANBU ninja and Koharu could clearly hear the suppressed rage and killing intent in his tone. The Hokage-sama was unusually furious and had even developed murderous intent.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
When Koharu followed Hiruzen Sarutobi to the Sarutobi compound, she found the entire clan was in an uproar, their faces etched with intense anger and indignation.
"Hokage-sama!" When the Sarutobi ninja saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, they swarmed him, surrounding him.
They spoke agitatedly and incoherently, making the entire atmosphere chaotic.
"Hokage-sama! I was the one who found Shin'nosuke's wife's corpse!" A female Sarutobi ninja said through gritted teeth. "Besides the smell of blood, I also smelled a very strange odor."
"At the time, I couldn't place the smell, but later on, it hit me it was the smell of sulfur!"
Another Sarutobi ninja's eyes were red. "Hokage-sama! This must have been done by Ikeizumi Uchiha! Only that Lava Monster leaves behind this strange smell of sulfur when he uses his Bloodline Limit! Another member of our Sarutobi clan has died at his hands!"
Sulfur smell? Ikeizumi Uchiha?
Koharu narrowed her eyes but remained silent, listening carefully to the detailed information contained within the chaotic clamor.
"Hokage-sama! I heard Ikeizumi Uchiha left the village today with a few Uchiha ninja. He must have left because he committed a terrible deed, escaping when no one was prepared."
"That bastard preaches so-called Absolute Justice, but Sarutobi Nadeshiko was famously someone who never did evil! Because if she had done any evil, that righteous lunatic would have already killed her!"
"But how could a woman like Nadeshiko, who hasn't left her house recently, suddenly become some kind of villain?"
"The only possibility is that Ikeizumi Uchiha killed the wrong person! He decided to leave Konoha out of shame!"
Koharu raised an eyebrow. Could the two events really be connected like this?
But upon closer inspection, this possibility wasn't impossible.
No power in the ninja world is infallible. Ikeizumi Uchiha's eyes, which could perceive the evil in others, must eventually make a mistake, right? If not, he would be a god!
Ikeizumi Uchiha had a strong justice complex. If his Absolute Justice were stained... given his extreme personality, he probably wouldn't forgive himself.
That would be his reason for leaving the village... Yes, it certainly makes sense.
That is, if you ignore the intelligence about Orochimaru.
"Hokage-sama, we cannot back down!" A Sarutobi ninja's veins bulged in his neck, trembling. "If you let that Lava Bastard continue his madness, you really will have no successors, Hokage-sama! You only have Konohamaru Sarutobi left in your direct line!"
"And that child... Hah! We haven't told him the news yet; he's still kept in the dark. But one day, he will learn that both his parents died by the hand of Ikeizumi Uchiha!"
"The hatred for losing his parents will make him strike out at Ikeizumi Uchiha, and the only outcome for a three-year-old attacking that Lava Bastard is death! Hokage-sama!"
Faced with the angry shouts, one after another, Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes. After a long moment, his voice trembling, he said, "Take this old man... to see the body."
Escorted by the many clan members of the Sarutobi clan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at a house, the home of his eldest son, Shin'nosuke Sarutobi.
He stepped inside with heavy feet, greeted by the sight of a woman's body lying on the floor, her clothes in disarray.
It was clear that she had been preparing to dress after a bath when she was ambushed and collapsed in a pool of blood, only half-dressed.
Sarutobi Nadeshiko had once been an elite ANBU member, and before the incident with Shin'nosuke, she was Hiruzen Sarutobi's right-hand.
The person capable of instantly killing her had to be at least an elite Jōnin, and even then, they would need to rely on ambush.
Of course...
If the attacker possessed Kage-level strength, they could also achieve a quick kill in a direct fight. As fate would have it, Ikeizumi Uchiha possessed exactly that kind of power.
"Hiruzen, there is indeed a smell of sulfur, and it's quite strong," Koharu, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Besides that, some of the wooden furniture in the room shows signs of scorching, as if baked by some kind of high-temperature substance."
Then, Koharu stepped past Hiruzen Sarutobi, walked a few steps forward, and crouched down, lightly pinching the floor.
She picked up a black substance, stood up, and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Cooled lava rock," Koharu said, her voice subtle. "The sulfur smell is emanating from it. There are also many fragments of this lava rock near the body."
Concluding, Koharu continued, "I might be the only calm person here. Hiruzen, you can consider my initial analysis of this matter."
"I believe there is an eighty percent probability that the killer of Sarutobi Nadeshiko is Ikeizumi Uchiha. However, his departure from the village today has no connection to her murder."
"A person like him would feel no guilt after killing someone. Unless he truly realized he made a mistake, he would never admit his error."
Koharu said heavily, "To use an inappropriate analogy, it's like this..."
"To him, killing Sarutobi Nadeshiko is a mere side dish of Absolute Justice, unworthy of his attention. Hunting Orochimaru is the true main course, the hard fight."
"Therefore, after killing Sarutobi Nadeshiko, he left the village without hesitation, prepared to hunt Orochimaru."
Koharu's professional analysis was somewhat clumsy and disorganized, but everyone present could grasp her meaning.
The probability of Ikeizumi Uchiha being the killer is extremely high!
There is only a tiny possibility that the killer is someone else!
All members of the Sarutobi clan leaned toward the former conclusion.
Because Absolute Justice had already tormented the Sarutobi clan terribly.
And Ikeizumi Uchiha had a "rap sheet"!
How many promising Sarutobi youth had died at his hands?
How many talented heirs had fallen under the judgment of Absolute Justice?
The number was almost too high to count!
As for the case of "Sarutobi Sakurako," in the midst of this raging anger, it was long forgotten by most of the clan members.
"...Dispatch the ANBU!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly took a deep breath, his voice deep and his aged face set in a cold mask. He commanded, "Kakashi and Yamato will each lead an ANBU squad to track down Ikeizumi Uchiha and those three Uchiha Jōnin! Bring them all back to Konoha for this old man!"
"Root."
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Koharu, who stood nearby, and issued another command: "Interrogate Ikeizumi Uchiha (the female), Sasuke Uchiha, Anko Mitarashi, and Neji Hyūga! This old man needs to know if this matter has anything to do with Ikeizumi."
He selectively ignored Naruto Uzumaki, then added, "And his ninja cats must also be brought to Root for questioning!"
Koharu looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was clearly on the verge of being consumed by the rage in his chest.
She could see that Hiruzen had been struck on his inverse scale. After restraining himself repeatedly, the Third Hokage finally couldn't hold back anymore.
Hiruzen... he had reverted to the hard-line stance of his youth.
This was the tough attitude the Third Hokage of Konoha should have!
Koharu suppressed her excitement. Her aged face taut, she asked, "They may not be compliant. Under these circumstances, is Root authorized to use coercive measures?"
"They are." The two words that burst from Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth reaffirmed Koharu's confidence.
"Understood."
Koharu nodded.
She turned and left.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not watch her go. Instead, he stared intensely at his daughter-in-law's corpse, gazing at the blood-soaked knife wound on her back.
Judging by the shape of the wound, it appeared to have been inflicted by a standard Konoha-issued ninja blade, which was also the type of blade Ikeizumi Uchiha favored.
A short time later, at the Ninja Academy.
"Ugh... this is so boring..."
Listening to Iruka Umino droning on about cultural classes on the podium, Naruto shielded his face with a textbook, buried his head on his desk, and let out a soft, mournful groan.
Sasuke, next to him, glanced at him, said nothing, and continued staring at the ceiling, his mind completely elsewhere.
Like Naruto, Sasuke didn't like the tedious cultural classes.
Every word Iruka spoke went in one ear and out the other; he simply wasn't listening.
But at that moment, a sudden voice interrupted Iruka on the podium.
It immediately drew the attention of every student in Iruka's class.
"Sasuke Uchiha, you're here, correct?"
Sasuke snapped back to attention. When he looked toward the voice, he saw a masked ninja standing outside the classroom door, which had been pulled open by the intruder at some point.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I am..."
Just as he was about to stand up, Naruto next to him forcibly held him down.
Sasuke looked at Naruto in confusion, only to realize Naruto's face was filled with a deep solemnity.
"That's not ANBU, that's Root!"
Naruto said with an alarmed expression. "I've seen that mask before!"
Root...
Sasuke's heart clenched instantly.
Iruka hurriedly took two steps forward, blocking the Root ninja. He coughed twice, forcing a smile as he asked, "Is there something Root requires from my student?"
"It doesn't concern you."
The Root ninja roughly pushed Iruka aside. Just as Iruka tried to brush the hand away, a ninja blade was pressed against his throat.
It was as if any further movement would result in his immediate decapitation.
Iruka was startled, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Get out of the way."
The Root ninja removed the blade and walked up to Sasuke Uchiha. Looking down at the short Sasuke, he said, "This is the Hokage-sama's order. You are required to report to Root immediately."
"The reason?" Naruto immediately interjected.
"There is no reason!" The Root ninja grabbed Sasuke and yanked him up.
His speed was so fast that Sasuke couldn't react in time.
"Wait a minute!" Iruka urgently shouted, only to realize the Root ninja had vanished in a Body Flicker Jutsu, taking Sasuke Uchiha, whom he held in one hand, with him.
Iruka gritted his teeth.
He was filled with worry.
"...Smells like trouble," Shikamaru Nara, who had witnessed everything, suppressed his shock. He muttered, "Being taken by Root something serious must have happened."
"Sas-Sasuke-kun...?" Sakura still hadn't fully recovered from the shock.
Ino Yamanaka frowned slightly. She stood up and spoke directly to Iruka, "Iruka-sensei, I'm going back to find my father. Please approve a half-day leave for me."
Before Iruka could respond, Ino Yamanaka walked straight out the door.
But the very next moment she reached the hallway, she heard a loud crash.
Turning her head, she saw a small figure crash through the window of the ninja academy classroom and fall heavily against the hallway wall.
"Neji Hyūga?" Ino immediately recognized him.
"Cough... Cough, cough..." Neji coughed painfully, but before he could climb up, a large hand grabbed his hair and lifted him.
A cold voice followed: "Don't think that just because you're backed by Ikeizumi Uchiha, I won't touch you, brat. And don't think you can resist me. This time, it's the Hokage-sama's highest order. Even your backer, Ikeizumi Uchiha, must show the Hokage-sama some respect."
"Heh, besides, you're just a child. It seems the Branch Family sending the Main Family members away recently has made you swell with pride."
Another Root ninja!!!
A look of horror hung on Ino Yamanaka's young face.
Ino forced herself to remain calm instead of getting carried away and rushing forward to try and rescue Neji Hyūga.
That would be utterly irrational; she couldn't possibly defeat an adult ninja, especially a Root member.
She could only watch helplessly as the defenseless Neji Hyūga was taken away.
"I have to notify my father quickly!"
"Little Jiraiya, something isn't right! Why was that boy, Sasuke Uchiha, taken away? And Neji Hyūga, whom we previously determined was not the Child of Prophecy, was also taken."
Fukasaku-sama, standing on Jiraiya's shoulder, spoke doubtfully. "Those two Konoha ninja were quite rough. They don't seem like good people."
"...Those were Root ninja," Jiraiya, crouching in a tree, said, his expression becoming slightly solemn.
For the past few days, Jiraiya had been observing Sasuke Uchiha, trying to determine if the boy was the "Child of Prophecy."
While observing Sasuke, he could also observe Minato's son, Naruto Uzumaki, which was a two-for-one.
However, Jiraiya hadn't anticipated...
Such a disruptive event happening today.
(End of Chapter)
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