Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 383 Final Settlement

Blood and tears streamed down his face; the immense exhaustion caused Sasuke to half-squat on the ground.

Blood seeped from between his fingers, but Sasuke still forced himself to stand up again.

On the opposite side, Amaterasu's fire unexpectedly enveloped Asuma's entire body, and the scorching flames had already turned his Jonin vest to ashes.

"snort!"

The intense pain made him grit his teeth and groan. He unleashed his wind-style chakra, but it still couldn't blow off the black flames on his body. Instead, it intensified the fire.

"Asuma-sensei!"

Shikamaru exclaimed in surprise, and was about to approach when Asuma raised his hand to stop him.

"Don't come any closer!"

"This flame cannot be extinguished, retreat!"

Upon hearing this, Shikamaru became anxious and looked at Sasuke, saying, "Extinguish the flames! I know you must have a way! We'll let you leave!"

"laugh!"

With a soft chuckle, Sasuke looked at Shikamaru, who had already raised his head in a flustered state.

With the three-tomoe Sharingan activated after exiting the Mangekyou Sharingan, Shikamaru was taken down in a single eye contact.

"He could let the Uchiha clan be wiped out, so why can't I kill his son? Shikamaru, you think too highly of yourself."

After saying that, Sasuke turned and left.

However, the next second...

"Whoosh!"

A blue wind blade struck, and Sasuke, exhausted from his exertion, only had time to dodge to a vital spot, resulting in a gash being cut open on his shoulder.

Ignoring the wound, he instantly turned and drew his knife.

"Bang!"

The longsword was sliced ​​by the wind blades, and black flames spread out as well.

He flicked the blade upwards, leaped back, and loosened the hilt to avoid Amaterasu's fire.

"The change in wind attribute will only make Amaterasu's fire burn even brighter, and it will accelerate the rate at which you turn to ash!"

Asuma, his entire body engulfed in black flames, was writhing in agony as his skin curled up inch by inch and was burned to a crisp before falling to the ground.

The hair on the top of his head had all formed a carbon shell, and even his face, the only thing protected by chakra, could not hold on any longer, and his skin began to curl up.

"puff!"

Blood fell to the ground, and steam rose into the air.

"I don't know what Konoha did to you, but to reach this level at such a young age! The seed of hatred has been planted, and from now on you will surely regard Konoha as your mortal enemy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Asuma endured the intense pain in his body and formed the hand seals again.

A plume of black smoke was spewed out, along with ashes from Amaterasu's fire, and intense heat instantly enveloped the surroundings.

Sasuke, who had retreated, stared straight ahead, and in the next moment a huge fire cat and dog instantly took shape.

"boom!"

The blow landed, but then slowly dissipated.

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the guy lying on the ground engulfed in flames, and then turned and left.

……

Meanwhile, at the seventh training ground.

At this moment, four tails have appeared behind Naruto, and under the tailed beast cloak, he no longer has his original appearance.

With all four limbs on the ground, his entire body was covered in blood-red chakra, and his four tails swung around, swatting away all the ninjutsu.

"roar!!!"

It roared and howled to vent its anger.

Naruto, now in his tailed beast form, looked toward the center of the village, his meaning clear.

Wind Release: Wind Slicing Technique!

A massive wind blade swept past, but it couldn't even break through the Nine-Tails' chakra cloak.

Then four rocks rose up, surrounding the Four-Tails Naruto in the center.

Lightning Release: Four Pillars Binding.

"Squeak squeak squeak..."

Lightning crackled from the stone pillar, attempting to paralyze its target.

Then a summoning jutsu appeared, and a huge stone barrier fell down, pressing down on the Four-Tails Naruto.

"Is it under control?"

The question had barely been uttered when the stone shield shattered and scattered, its four tails swiping and smashing the stone pillar to pieces.

"roar!!"

The next second, the chakra in the air began to gather and take shape.

Tailed Beast Ball!

"Whoosh!"

An iron rod suddenly extended, and with one blow, it sent Naruto's head flying.

The Tailed Beast Ball shot into the sky and exploded high in the air.

The shockwaves that spread out in all directions scraped a layer off the surface of the seventh training ground.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Naruto with a serious expression. The outer seal had been broken, but the true seal remained.

Relieved, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to one of the Anbu members beside him: "Akagi, I need you to keep it trapped for a while."

"clear."

As the figure descended, sections of square timber emerged from the ground, circling around the Four-Tails Naruto.

"boom!!"

With a single claw strike, the oncoming wooden beam was shattered. Its four tails lashed out, swatting away the relentless barrage of ninjutsu.

"Snapped!"

The outstretched arm was grabbed by a giant, and a punch was blocked by its tail.

He unleashed a series of small Tailed Beast Balls, and his Earth Release technique caused his limbs to miss and deviate from their course, before another punch landed.

"roar!!!"

The enraged Nine-Tails' chakra overflowed once more, and a fifth tail began to gradually form.

But at this moment, Kagami's Wood Release also found an opportunity, and countless square woods surged out, binding and binding the entire Nine-Tails.

Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared in a flash, and a paper talisman inscribed with a sealing seal fell, striking him squarely on the forehead.

"roar!!!"

A roar rang out, and the crimson chakra began to contract, struggling to unleash another attack, but to no avail.

After the chakra cloak retracted, only a Naruto with burns all over his body was left lying on the ground, already unconscious.

……

Hokage Building.

After the dust settled, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, clenched his fists tightly.

Before him, Kakashi, now fully conscious, stood with his head bowed, saying nothing.

"Whoosh!"

An ANBU member appeared directly in the office, stepped forward, and grabbed Kakashi by the collar.

"Asuma, who assisted you there, is nothing but ashes, but you, as his instructor, have returned alive!"

"A newly graduated genin! Tell me, how could he possibly possess such power?! Ah!"

Despite being questioned, Kakashi remained silent, letting the other man grab his collar.

"Get down!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's angry shout rang out.

The operative turned around, bowed slightly, and pushed open the door to leave.

Then, silence fell over the office.

After a long while, the tobacco in the pipe had burned out, and the entire office was filled with smoke.

"When they were little, the two of them had a very good relationship."

"call……"

As the last wisp of smoke was exhaled, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were already bloodshot.

"When he was young, he caused a huge disturbance and then left the village. Later, he became one of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas of the Fire Temple."

"On many issues, he and I have different opinions..."

"That was a difficult time, but the situation was basically stabilized. He had many ideas, just like I did when I was young..."

After he finished speaking, there was another long silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slightly raised his head and looked at Kakashi: "The Mangekyou Sharingan... he probably obtained this power four years ago."

"This isn't your fault..."

"After all... who could have known... a child could maintain this facade for over four years? Heh..."

As if mocking himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked out the window: "Sometimes I don't even know if what I'm doing is right or wrong. Four years ago, Danzo..."

He paused here, and for a moment it seemed as if all the threads had come together.

At that moment, an ANBU member appeared in a flash, kneeling on one knee.

"Lord Hokage, something has happened at Izumi Uchiha's place. All the Root ninjas have been killed, and it's a sign of Kumogakure."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands trembled slightly. He didn't ask why the report was only being given now...

For a long time, it has been difficult to get timely intelligence reports from Root.

But this delay has caused enormous losses. If the Nine-Tails hadn't been prevented from entering the village, the losses would likely have been even greater.

Rubbing his temples, Hiruzen Sarutobi had completely figured out his old friend's scheme.

He used the Hidden Clouds as a weapon to prevent that person from reappearing and coming after him, but he didn't expect that the other party would also kill the Root ninjas.

If that's the case, then Izumi Uchiha should be in the hands of Kumogakure, which would explain Sasuke's defection.

Aside from Danzo and a few others, no one knew Itachi Uchiha's true stance. Izumi Uchiha believed that if something happened to him, Konoha would inevitably target the only remaining member of Sasuke Uchiha.

Izumi Uchiha knew about all the conversations she had with Root that day, so her decision is understandable.

So... did he defect to Kumogakure?

Using the nine Sharingan as a means of self-interest, and relying on their own intellect to prove themselves, the Uchiha clan was able to eke out a living in Kumogakure.

The belief that Kumogakure could protect Uchiha Sasuke stemmed from the incident nine years prior...

Memories swirled in his mind, and a word escaped Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips. The next moment, his gaze turned serious.

"Brother..."

"Whoosh."

Before he could even give an order, he vanished from his spot in an instant.

……

In Konoha, after the Uchiha clan was wiped out by Itachi Uchiha, the three remaining Uchiha were relocated to another residence.

Perhaps because of the intimidation posed by the man from four years ago, or perhaps to be closer for surveillance, this family's residence was arranged in a relatively prosperous location.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped in his tracks just as he reached the doorway.

The smell of blood...

The smell of blood emanating from inside the house was faint, but it made Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, hesitate to proceed.

Has Danzo already made his move?

Or has Uchiha Hazuki already committed suicide?

Regardless of which one it is, if that person reappears in the future, Konoha will inevitably be implicated.

At this moment, even Asuma's death no longer affected him.

When it comes to the fate of the entire Hidden Leaf Village, the person who can sit idly by and watch his clan be wiped out won't care much.

"Since you're already here, why are you just standing there in a daze?"

The sudden sound coming from inside the house through the door startled Hiruzen Sarutobi. He would never forget that sound, because it was that same sound that had told him...

Killing a shadow is not much harder than blowing a breath.

So... did it still happen?

"call……"

After exhaling, Hiruzen Sarutobi calmed himself, gripped the handle, and pushed towards the door.

"Um?"

Is it locked?

"squeak……"

The door was pushed open, and Uchiha Izumi looked at the old man in front of her.

"It opens outwards, it's not locked, you have to pull it."

A simple explanation, without the slightest fear.

For four years, the old man in front of her had instilled too much fear in her, but now she was no longer afraid.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, still looking solemn, turned to the side and walked in.

Five masked Roots lay on the ground, their necks broken. One of them had clearly been struck, and the blood oozing from the corner of its mouth was the source of the recent bloody smell.

"We happened to run into each other on our way here."

Uchiha Yun looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi: "It seems that because they heard Sasuke awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, they received orders to take Uchiha Hazuki to Root."

"Hokage, what do you think your old friend's purpose is?"

There was no burst of eye power, but facing those eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi made no attempt to explain himself.

"For... the Mangekyou Sharingan..."

Uchiha Yun chuckled softly: "That's why I've always felt you don't deserve to sit in this position. You've been tolerant of Danzo, but you've dealt a heavy blow to the powerful new forces."

After a pause, Yun continued, "I gave Izumi the nine Sharingan left behind by the Uchiha clan. He endured for four years, and his fear of me gradually dissipated. Of course, the same goes for you."

"Forcing Izumi to carry out several missions was a test of me. After that, to be on the safe side, he thought that Kumogakure could take the blame for him. He was too greedy."

"And greedy people usually don't have a good ending."

Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his fists.

With this person's appearance, Uchiha Hazuki will surely be safe.

The three remaining members of the Uchiha clan are all still alive.

"Why didn't you stop Uchiha Sasuke? Everything was originally..."

"Why should we stop it?"

Yun looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a mocking expression: "Your son is dead, isn't he? His body is nowhere to be found."

These words were like a sharp blade, piercing Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest once again.

"Although death is common for ninjas, the death of your own son must have some impact on you..."

"Without experiencing it firsthand, I'm afraid you can't understand this kind of pain. After all, four years ago, the entire Uchiha clan was slaughtered, and even women and children were not spared."

At this point, Uchiha Yun stood up and slowly walked to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"You know who spread the rumors about the White Fang mission's failure, and you also know that Root didn't do anything during the Nine-Tails' rampage, and that the Uchiha clan's support was restricted by Root..."

"You also have your own sources of information about the Cloud Village's abduction of the Hyuga main family's daughter and Danzo's threat to Shisui."

"Leave the dark things to Root. As the Shadow, you need to bask in the sunlight, so you chose to stand by and watch, at most uttering a few angry words afterward, and then everything went back to normal."

Yun looked out the open door...

"I originally thought that following the established path would be most beneficial to me, but now I've discovered that... whether the root exists or not doesn't seem to make much of a difference."

At this point, Yun turned to Quan and said, "Take good care of Mother. After I deal with all that trash, I'll take you away."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally reacted.

"The Uchiha are from Konoha!"

Yun looked at him and said, "Do you know what kind of person is the most annoying? When you want to reason with them, they want to use force, and when you want to use force, they want to reason with you."

In an instant, the red six-tomoe Rinnegan appeared.

……

(End of this chapter)