Konoha: The Absolute Justice of the Uchiha

Chapter 199 The Land of Water, Indeed, Is Terminally Ill

Jiraiya simply assumed that he might not have explained things clearly enough.

He then explained the Great Toad Sage's prophecy to Hiruzen Sarutobi in great detail.

After all, this is no longer a secret; at least, many people on Uchiha Izumi's side know about it.

This was also Jiraiya's excuse for refusing Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He had no desire to become Hokage, nor did he want to compete with Tsunade.

Of course, Jiraiya certainly hoped that his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could understand his actions; otherwise, he wouldn't have explained it again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's brow was so furrowed it could almost trap a mosquito.

He never imagined that what Jiraiya had been busy with outside the village all these years was this very matter.

He thought Jiraiya had been tracking Orochimaru's whereabouts, but he didn't expect that the other party was also looking for some prophetic child. In the process of searching, he discovered that the prophetic child was actually Naruto Uzumaki.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could tell that Jiraiya also longed for his understanding.

But just as he didn't understand Izumi and Tsunade's philosophies and beliefs.

Even now, Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't understand Jiraiya's principles and beliefs.

Is it a bit too frivolous to place the future of the ninja world's transformation on the child of prophecy spoken by the Great Toad Sage?
"Jiraiya, is it possible that the only way to improve the ninja world is to place our hopes on the Child of Prophecy?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked hesitantly and ambiguously, "Are all the efforts made by others in the ninja world for peace completely useless?"

Jiraiya sighed and nodded: "It may sound cruel, but the truth is it's useless. If it were useful, the Great Toad Sage wouldn't have said that only by finding the Child of Prophecy can the ninja world truly change."

“Old man… the only thing we can do is to nurture the Child of Prophecy and make him the true savior. When the ninja world is on the verge of collapse, only the Child of Prophecy can save it.”

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."

For a fleeting moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat dazed. Did he wonder if his disciple had believed in some strange and unbelievable thing?
In the ninja world, there are many people who use the names of this god or that god to deceive people everywhere, brainwashing ordinary people into fanatical believers.

Jiraiya's appearance is too similar to that of someone who has been easily fooled.

Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

He had thought that as long as Jiraiya nodded in agreement, he would fully support him in becoming the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. At that point, his old bones could indeed retire and relax.

But now it seems...

Making Jiraiya the Fifth Hokage would be irresponsible to the village!

Jiraiya, who placed all his hopes on the prophesied child, had absolutely no sense of responsibility or obligation.

Such a person will not wholeheartedly serve the village.

If Jiraiya had become the Fifth Hokage, he might have used the entire village's resources to cultivate the so-called Child of Prophecy.

Well……

Hiruzen Sarutobi did acknowledge that Naruto was a very talented child, and that it was not wrong to use a lot of resources to nurture him.

But that's the biggest problem.

What about the rest?

Jiraiya also wondered what should be done about the rest of the village.

He probably has nothing but his prophetic son on his mind.

There is only a so-called savior who can bring about a completely new change to the ninja world.

"..." After a long silence of more than ten seconds, looking at Jiraiya who seemed to be looking at him with a hint of expectation, seeking his understanding, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly and said, "Never mind, pretend I didn't say anything."

"Speak," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, turning and leaving.

Jiraiya was stunned and stood there.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi's figure receded into the distance, Jiraiya murmured in astonishment, "What's wrong with the old man? He was talking to me about so much about the Hokage before, but when it was my turn to speak... he only listened for a moment and then turned and left?"

Fukasaku the Sage spoke up: "Little Jiraiya... this Third Hokage does not approve of our approach. His thoughts are probably similar to those of Uchiha Ikezumi and Tsunade, believing that the prophesied child mentioned by the old master cannot truly bring about change to the ninja world."

Jiraiya was slightly stunned.

On the other side, Shima comforted him, saying, "It is precisely because of this lack of understanding from others that we, Jiraiya, are able to highlight your greatness. They are only concerned with the internal conflicts of the ninja world, so it is those of us who are detached from these conflicts who can think about the future of the ninja world."

Jiraiya: "..."

Jiraiya, being an adult, could naturally tell that the two hermits from Mount Myōboku were trying to comfort him.

He was bewildered again.

Uchiha Izumi doesn't understand him because he believes that only absolute justice can bring about change in the ninja world.

Tsunade's lack of understanding of herself can probably be interpreted as Tsunade and Uchiha Izumi being on the same side.

But the problem is...

The old man is on the opposite side of Uchiha Ikezumi and Tsunade, right? Isn't it said that the "enemy of the enemy" is the friend of the "enemy"?

Shouldn't the old man understand and accept himself?

How could this be?
Are there really few people in the ninja world who still believe in the Great Toad Sage's prophecy?

……

"Nagato has ordered most of the core members of Akatsuki to head to the Land of Water to hunt down Uchiha Ikezumi."

Obito Uchiha toyed with a kunai, his face expressionless as he asked, "Are you sure we don't want to get involved?"

"Do not."

Black Zetsu shook his head, his eyes filled with deep apprehension, and slowly said, "If Uchiha Izumi finds out about us, he will likely fight to the death to kill us. Because he knows many of our secrets, we are definitely on his kill list, and may even be at the top of it."

"We can be a little careless with other people in the ninja world, or even the tailed beasts. But with Uchiha Izumi, we must be extremely cautious and not give him any chance. In particular, we cannot give him the opportunity to hunt us down."

“…Tch.” Obito Uchiha was a little annoyed, because it made him look like a rat in the gutter.

It's a bit like being chased by Uchiha Ikezumi, hiding and running, not daring to even show his face, and having to resort to dirty tricks and underhanded tactics behind the scenes.

However, the harsh reality forced Obito Uchiha to admit it.

If he were to truly face off against Uchiha Ikezumi, he would be no match for him. Because Ikezumi knew everything about his abilities, it would be far too easy for him to target him.

Who knows, Izumi Uchiha might run into him next time.

Obito Uchiha can't escape now.

At this moment, Black Zetsu continued, "Our only concern now is... whether Nagato and the others can successfully hunt them down?"

Obito Uchiha frowned: "His Six Paths Puppet should have gone to the Land of Water as well. Add to that the weakest member of the Akatsuki, who would be at least a Jonin in other villages. Surely they can hunt down Izumi Uchiha? Don't forget about Konoha's Root organization, which has also switched sides this time."

Black Zetsu slowly said, "If Uchiha Izumi could be killed so easily, he wouldn't be alive now. Obito, we still need to rely on the power of Kirigakure."

"Only by gathering the strength of Kirigakure, Akatsuki, and Konoha Root can we have a chance of successfully hunting Uchiha Izumi."

Obito Uchiha frowned. Black Zetsu continued, "Didn't you want to take revenge on Kirigakure? Isn't this a perfect opportunity? Let Kirigakure weaken Izumi Uchiha first, and stall until Akatsuki arrives."

Black Zetsu's words convinced Obito.

"……it is good."

……

The next day.

The land of water.

Leading the way, Juzo Biwa brought Uchiha Ikezumi and the others to a town in the Land of Water.

The scene before us was undeniably desolate.

The streets were littered with garbage that no one had cleaned up, the number of vendors on both sides of the street was pitifully small, and there were many beggars squatting in the dark corners of the street, each of them almost skin and bones.

Occasionally, pedestrians with relatively normal expressions would pass by, but they would be in a hurry and would not linger here.

In the cracks between the floor tiles underfoot, one could still vaguely see many long-dried black bloodstains.

"It's not even close to the Land of Fire... Logically speaking, a place like the Land of Water, with its developed maritime trade, should have a pretty good economy... I remember this town should also be by the sea, and should have a port and docks... How come it's so dilapidated?"

Quan looked around and couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him.

Kikuchi took a deep breath and replied with a complicated expression, "This town... was originally controlled by a bloodline limit ninja clan and a noble family from the Land of Water."

"But after the Blood Mist policy was intensified, Kirigakure purged the bloodline limit ninja clans here, killing all of them, dozens of people."

"The nobles here were also frightened and moved away. Without the protection of ninjas, the entire town has been ravaged and looted by bandits, and over time, it has become like this."

Izumi asked in astonishment, "After Kirigakure wiped out the bloodline limit ninja clan in this area, didn't they send any ninjas to take over?"

Juzo Biwa shook his head: "No. There are many similar towns in the Land of Water now. Their suffering was brought about by Kirigakure, but Kirigakure did not take over afterwards."

"However, when some kind-hearted wandering ninjas try to organize themselves to save civilians, Kirigakure will use the excuse that these wandering ninjas are trying to overthrow the Kirigakure regime to wipe them out."

"The entire Land of Water has been under the intense pressure of this extremely cruel Blood Mist policy until now."

He looked at some townspeople nearby: "Over time, many people in the Water Kingdom have become numb."

"Apart from a few truly wealthy, powerful, and influential people, ordinary civilians... are just barely clinging to life."

Pipa Juzo smiled bitterly: "Of course... there are some towns in the Land of Water that aren't as exaggerated as this. There are still some places that are quite prosperous and normal. After all, if all towns were like this... the Land of Water would probably be destroyed."

"Such horrific scenes usually only occur in places where Bloodline Limit ninjas are active. After all, Kirigakure has been purging Bloodline Limit ninjas, triggering one civil war after another. This has led many people to believe that... Bloodline Limit ninjas represent war, disaster, and misfortune."

"This exacerbated the conflicts between various parties in such places, and made many ordinary people very wary of such places and unwilling to go near them, making the already dilapidated towns even worse."

After recounting the situation in the Land of Water, Juzo Biwa felt even more somber.

At this moment, Uchiha Ikezumi spoke up: "This is a place where justice is lacking, more than ten times worse than the Land of Fire."

Sudden.

A crisp, clear sound caught Quan's attention.

With a heavy heart and a sense of doubt, the girl turned around and looked behind her.

That one glance caused her pupils to shrink abruptly.

"Senior Chi Quan!"

Quan hurriedly said, "There are human traffickers behind us!"

All that could be seen was not far behind.

Three burly adults were leading five children forward. One of the adults held one end of an iron chain, and the other end of the chain was tied to the five children.

"Hurry up, all of you! I gave you two steamed buns just an hour ago, don't tell me you don't have the strength to walk!"

One of them even openly and loudly rebuked them.

Quan Qing clearly saw that each of the five children had a weak and numb expression on their face. They were all skin and bones, clearly malnourished and never getting enough to eat.

Their clothes were also shabby and had many holes.

The weather is getting cooler now; wearing clothes like this will definitely make you catch a cold.

These few children are so malnourished and thin.

Once you catch a cold...

That would probably be fatal.

"Senior Chi Quan..."

Just as Izumi was about to say something, he heard Uchiha Izumi say, "Newcomer, go and handle this."

Quan's pretty face immediately turned serious.

"Yes! Senior!"

Without hesitation, the girl grabbed her ninja sword and rushed towards the group, immediately blocking their path. She decisively drew her sword, placing it diagonally with the tip pointing directly at the ground.

"stop!"

Quan's pretty face was ashen, and she said coldly, "These children didn't come with you willingly, did they? Why are you tying them up?"

"Hey!" The man carrying the chain narrowed his eyes, his rugged face carrying a dangerous, malicious look. "Where did you come from, you bastard? Don't go around falsely accusing people!"

"These were sold to us by their parents! We spent a fortune on each of these kids! Tying them up is to prevent them from escaping!"

"If we run away, wouldn't we suffer a huge loss on this trip?"

Quan was taken aback: "...Their parents sold them to you?"

Another man even pulled out several sheets of white paper covered with writing and different handprints from his pocket.

He grinned and said bluntly, "We have a sales contract! You look like some wandering ninja from out of town, don't you? I advise you not to meddle in other people's business in the Land of Water. We have our own rules and regulations in the Land of Water! If you know what's good for you, get out of here!"

Quan took a deep breath.

A few months ago, she might have obediently stepped aside.

but now……

Her pretty face was icy as she said, "The Land of Water is indeed terminally ill!"

……

……

(End of this chapter)