Konoha: The Absolute Justice of the Uchiha

Chapter 177 Kabuto Yakushi, Sasori of the Red Sand! The Hokage's Choice
At night, Mitokado Homura discovered that the Hokage's office was still brightly lit, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was still in the Hokage building and had not left.

After knocking on the door and entering, he asked Hiruzen Sarutobi out of curiosity.

But he never expected to learn such shocking information from the other party.

Mitokado also fell into a brief silence.

After a long silence, with a somewhat complicated expression, he said to Hiruzen Sarutobi in front of him, "Hiruzen, now that you've figured out what happened, are you going to reveal the truth to the public? I'm afraid you might be a little out of it today because you've been through some trauma, so I have to remind you."

"If this were made public, Sarutobi Nadeshiko and the other two members of the Sarutobi clan would definitely suffer a dramatic fall in reputation, and even the reputation of the entire Sarutobi clan would be damaged. After all, their actions are no different from those of rogue ninjas."

"But if it's not made public, how will you, Hiruzen, suppress the rage of the Sarutobi clan and the current conflict between the Sarutobi clan and Absolute Justice? This conflict will encourage more young people to act impulsively."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, his expression equally complex, and said, "I know I have to make a choice..."

Both of the two options proposed by Mitokado En have their advantages and disadvantages.

It all depends on how he, as the Hokage of Konoha, decides to proceed.

Choosing the former would likely make Hiruzen Sarutobi a lackey of absolute justice within the Sarutobi clan. His status within the clan might even be similar to that of Fugaku.

Although he possessed greater power and prestige than Fugaku, the isolation and alienation of his clansmen were inevitable.

Choosing the latter, Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not even imagine how much trouble that young man would cause once Uchiha Izumi returned.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately knew what choice he had to make.

"Let's make it public!"

He sighed.

Mitokado Homura nodded: "Hiruzen, you'd better rest for the next couple of days. You seem to be in a very bad state. You need to take a couple of days off. I'll take care of that for you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said gratefully, "Thank you, En. At a time like this, you are probably the only one in the entire Hidden Leaf Village who would take the initiative to share the burden with me and not cause me any trouble."

Mitokado Homura sensed a hint of dissatisfaction with Koharu Utatane's competence in Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone.

Also.

Ever since Koharu Utatane took over Danzo Shimura's Root organization, it seems like she hasn't done many things well.

Especially when it comes to absolute justice.

Koharu Utatane messes things up every time; her abilities are even worse than Danzo's.

……

Not long after, somewhere in the ninja world.

"This must be where Lord Ikezumi and Orochimaru fought, right? Even though a day and a night have passed, the air in this area still smells strongly of sulfur."

Three Uchiha ninjas arrived at the devastated battlefield.

Looking around, there were traces of solidified lava everywhere, with volcanic rocks and blackened earth all around.

The area in sight ahead had become a barren wasteland, devoid of any vegetation. Even if there had once been plants, they had likely been burned to ashes by the lava long ago.

"The scope of the battle was extremely exaggerated."

A Jonin from the Uchiha clan, with one hand in his pocket and an expressionless face, said, "If this impact extends to Konoha, the entire village would probably be wiped out in this great battle. The number of civilians and ninjas killed or wounded is unknown, perhaps tens of thousands."

Another Uchiha ninja, carrying a cloth bag that smelled faintly of lime, asked in confusion, "So, where is Lord Ikezumi now? Has he already killed Orochimaru?"

Just as he finished speaking, the three of them suddenly narrowed their eyes.

They quickly became alert and all looked in the same direction.

A figure was walking towards them at a leisurely pace.

This was Uchiha Ikezumi, whom the three of them were waiting for!
"It took some time to get back here from Ryuchi Cave," Uchiha Izumi said bluntly before the three could ask any questions. "Orochimaru is dead, and I also cleaned up the entire Ryuchi Cave. So, what about the task I gave you? Big Merchant Gato, did you handle it?"

Three Uchiha ninjas: "!!!"

Lord Ikezumi's execution of justice far exceeded their expectations.

They thought they would only need to kill Orochimaru, but they didn't expect that he would actually massacre the entire Ryuchi Cave, one of the three holy lands. Are they sure they won't offend the White Snake Sage?

but……

This is precisely why they willingly follow Uchiha Ikezumi!
For the sake of justice, I dare to challenge any powerful being!
"It's solved." The Uchiha ninja carrying the cloth bag opened it, revealing Gato's head lying inside, his expression frozen in terror. The head had been treated with special methods to make it easier to preserve; it should last at least ten days to two weeks.

Uchiha Ikezumi glanced at it casually.

"Let's go back to the village."

He added one last sentence: "The three of you have passed the test. The ninja world needs you to uphold absolute justice."

……

The land of rain.

Pipa Juzo felt that his situation was somewhat dangerous.

Konan, that woman who bullies her in the workplace, doesn't seem to care about her getting too close to Uchiha Ikezumi on the surface, but who knows what that scheming woman is really thinking?

Especially when he realized that Uchiha Ikezumi was wanted by the Akatsuki organization, and that he had been kept in the dark by those guys.

Pipa Juzo knew that he could become a pawn at any moment.

They could be added to the Akatsuki's assassination list at any time.

They are ready to abandon themselves at any time, or rather, to clean house.

As for the reason why he killed Hibiki Juzo?

Do such extreme organizations need a reason to purge their members?

“Uchiha Ikezumi, we can’t stay in the Land of Rain any longer!” Kizo Biwa said decisively to Ikezumi’s wood clone, “I can’t guarantee when they will also consider me an enemy. Moreover, I am in the open, and they are in the shadows. If they want to kill me, it will be a piece of cake.”

The wooden clone glanced at him and said calmly, "Where you go is none of my business. I haven't restricted your freedom. Why do you have this illusion that you have to report to me wherever you go?"

The words of the Wood Clone made even Juzo Biwa pause for a moment.

He remained silent for a full ten seconds, then stood up expressionlessly and slung the decapitation sword over his shoulder.

Pipa Juzo seemed a little embarrassed.

He turned and left without saying a word.

However, before he could take a few steps, a voice suddenly rang out: "Lord Sasori, the target has been found. But are you sure you don't need to wait for support from the other members of the organization?" Immediately afterward, another voice rang out: "There's no need to make such a fuss to deal with a Konoha ninja. Besides, we already have most of the information about him. His eye techniques are useless against my puppets."

"Besides, I don't like waiting for people."

When both Juzo Biwa and Izumi Uchiha's wood clones looked in the direction from which the sound came.

Then, not far away in that direction, two figures were standing there.

The other party's gaze was firmly fixed on Pipa Juzo and his wooden clone.

"……This guy!"

Pipa Juzo's pupils contracted slightly. He recognized one of them and immediately gripped his Executioner's Blade, adopting a fighting stance, his eyes filled with vigilance and apprehension.

"This guy is one of the core members of Akatsuki! He usually hides himself in very thick clothes, so I don't know his true identity. I only know that his code name is Jade!"

Pipa Juzo immediately shared the information he knew with his wooden clone.

no way.

Apart from Uchiha Izumi's wood clone, he was practically all alone, isolated and helpless! Now, he could only rely on the wood clone.

"The other guy wasn't a core member of Akatsuki, but rather one of 'Tama's' subordinates. I remember when I first joined Akatsuki, this guy came over and spoke to me, clearly trying to trick me into revealing information. He said his name was Kabuto, but he didn't say his last name."

Pipa Juzo said warily, "This kind of guy is obviously very cunning. He puts on a very kind appearance on the surface, and seems a bit clumsy. But how many people who can join this organization are kind? The clumsy ones are already dead!"

Just then, his wooden clone beside him suddenly spoke slowly: "One is Sasori of the Red Sand, and the other is Kabuto Yakushi."

Pipa Juzo was momentarily stunned.

what?
How did he know?
But then it dawned on him—that's right! Uchiha Izumi knows more about the Akatsuki organization than he, a real member of the Akatsuki, does!

The wooden clone continued calmly, even revealing the hidden secrets of the two in front of him: "The one on the left, Sasori of the Red Sand, is from Sunagakure and is a genius puppeteer. His appearance is just a puppet; his true body is inside this puppet."

"The one on the right, Kabuto Yakushi, is a spy Orochimaru planted within the Akatsuki organization. Orochimaru placed him under Sasori of the Red Sand to gather more intelligence within the Akatsuki organization."

"Clearly, Sasori of the Red Sand is unaware of this. He truly considers Kabuto Yakushi to be his capable subordinate."

Pipa Juzo: "???"

no……

Isn't your information a bit too detailed? Haven't you revealed the secrets of those two? If you go into even more detail and tell us all their abilities and weaknesses, I think I might even have a chance to assassinate them. Maybe my chances of succeeding are pretty high.

Pipa Juzo took a deep breath, clearing his mind of its jumbled thoughts, and said, "So they were hunting you?"

The wooden clone said, "Maybe I should add you to the mix. Otherwise, why didn't I notify you in advance so you could launch a sneak attack on me from the inside?"

Pipa Juzo: "...Could you be a little more tactful next time? You're making me sound stupid. I'm just a little confused, otherwise I could figure it out myself."

……

Meanwhile, inside the Divine Might Space.

"Obito! Obito!" As soon as the vortex-faced White Zetsu saw Obito enter the Kamui dimension, he immediately shouted, "Black Zetsu is not shouting!"

Obito Uchiha was slightly taken aback, then his expression darkened, and a shadow of gloom appeared in his eyes: "In the end, he couldn't hold on? It seems that the eye technique of Izumi Uchiha's eye can not only make people feel endless pain, but also kill them. I will have to be more careful about his Mangekyou Sharingan in the future."

"what?"

The vortex-faced White Zetsu paused for a moment, scratched its non-existent hair, and said, "That's not what I meant!"

A sudden sound slowly rang out behind Obito.

His voice was filled with an unprecedented weariness and dejection.

"Uchiha Izumi's Mangekyou Sharingan left eye's effects have ended. Although he didn't die, he was nearly tortured to death... This kind of pain is hard to describe in words at this stage. In short... I never want to endure his eye technique a second time..."

Obito immediately turned around and saw a pool of black liquid lying limply on the ground, with only a pair of eyes and a mouth showing.

Obito also saw Black Zetsu sticking out his tongue and rolling his eyes.

This was the first time he had ever seen Black Zetsu with such a battered expression.

It would be even more appropriate if you added two peace signs.

Obito, who suddenly had this strange thought, immediately shook his head, cursing inwardly for the profound influence the strange comic books he had read out of curiosity when he was young and ignorant had had on him.

After Black Zetsu finished speaking, it took him quite a while before he continued, "Obito...Uchiha Izumi, we must find a way to eliminate him. He will be the biggest obstacle to our plan."

Obito gave a soft snort and said, "I didn't need your reminder; I've already done it. The Akatsuki organization has now made Uchiha Izumi their number one hunting target!"

Black Zetsu paused for a moment, then said, "You made the right decision."

Its subtext is—you've finally grown up, that's impressive!
But clearly, Obito didn't understand, and even raised the corners of his mouth in confidence because of Black Zetsu's "praise".

……

the other side.

"Lord Scorpion, what should we do about him?"

Kabuto adjusted his round-framed glasses, the light reflecting off the lenses obscuring the expression in his eyes from Sasori's view.

Scorpion said indifferently, "If it doesn't bother you, then ignore it; if it does bother you, then deal with it as well."

The words fell.

Scorpion manipulated Hiruko to take out two scrolls. As the scrolls were unrolled, they were thrown forward, and after two puffs of white smoke, two strangely shaped puppets suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.

Scorpion's voice followed: "That slimy, disgusting stinking snake wants Uchiha Izumi's body? That's just wishful thinking. Who would hand over the body of a ninja with multiple bloodline limits to a guy like him who has no artistic talent to study?"

"After killing Uchiha Izumi, I will use his body to create a puppet that is closer to perfection. Heh, let's use these two puppets to test the opponent's methods."

Listening to Sasori's complaints and criticisms of Orochimaru, a subtle, almost imperceptible look flashed across Kabuto's face.

'Tsk... The one who truly doesn't deserve Orochimaru's attention is you! Sasori of the Red Sand!'

'You've been completely manipulated by that person, without you even realizing it.'

You're still too young.

……

……

(End of this chapter)