Chapter 140: Absolute Justice!
Mount Myōboku.
After coming here via the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, Jiraiya immediately told the toads that he wanted to see the Great Toad Sage.
The toads looked at each other.
But before they could react, they all seemed to hear the faint voice of the Great Toad Sage.
The toad named "Fukasaku" was stunned. He looked up and took a deep look at Jiraiya, then said in an old, hoarse voice, "Little Jiraiya, the Great Lord has asked you to come and see him."
"Understood!"
Jiraiya nodded in response and went to see the Great Toad Sage alone.
This was an old toad that was orange-red all over. Its body was enormous, its face was covered with deep, ravine-like wrinkles, and a string of prayer beads hung around its neck. On the largest of the light purple prayer beads, the character for "oil" was written.
When Jiraiya arrived here, he could smell the scent of wine in the air—because the Great Toad Sage was quite fond of wine, and there was a wine bottle and a wine cup beside him.
"Who goes there?"
The Great Toad Sage's question with his eyes closed made the corner of Jiraiya's mouth twitch. The Great Toad Sage knew he was coming, but he still asked who he was. This was a trick the old man had played many times before, and Jiraiya didn't know why he never got tired of it.
Jiraiya took a deep breath and said with a serious expression, "Great Toad Sage, in Konoha… I seem to have found a clue about the Child of Prophecy you told me about a long time ago. However, this is not a clue I found on my own, but a young ninja from Konoha named Uchiha Ikezumi told me."
"He also knows about the Child of Prophecy that you once spoke of, and he even knows the exact identity of the Child of Prophecy! I suspect that it's very likely that his Sharingan ability also gives him the same prophetic ability as you, Great Toad Sage."
Jiraiya told the Great Toad Sage all the information he knew. After hearing this, the Great Toad Sage, who was calm and at ease, slightly opened his closed eyes. He looked down at Jiraiya. "The child you're talking about… prophesied the 'savior'?"
"Yes!"
Jiraiya nodded and replied, "I can see that he's not lying. And from my initial understanding of him, a person like him wouldn't tell any lies."
"How surprising…" The Great Toad Sage said with emotion, "I have never dreamed of such a person in the future I have seen… Uchiha Ikezumi…"
Jiraiya was stunned. Logically speaking, Uchiha Ikezumi had also created a huge stir in the ninja world. In Jiraiya's eyes, that young man was one of the trendsetters of this era. He was a figure standing at the forefront of the current trend.
So, why didn't the Great Toad Sage see such an excellent ninja in the future he had foreseen? This made Jiraiya quite puzzled.
At this moment, the Great Toad Sage suddenly asked, "Since you have found a clue about the Child of Prophecy, why don't you directly take him as your apprentice and teach him to make the right choice to bring peace and stability to the ninja world?"
Jiraiya gave a wry smile. "Ikezumi isn't willing to tell me who the real Child of Prophecy is…"
He repeated the words Uchiha Ikezumi had said to him, word for word, without adding or exaggerating anything.
The Great Toad Sage fell silent. After a long time, the Great Toad Sage said, "Logically speaking, it's impossible for me not to dream of such an excellent young man in the ninja world. The only explanation is that the child is too special… so special that the predetermined destiny of the ninja world can't even capture him."
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment and said, "Great Toad Sage, he said that as long as the twisted and pathological ninja world returns to normal, everyone has the potential to be the Child of Prophecy who can bring about the correct change to the ninja world. Do you think what he said…"
"That child does have a point," the Great Toad Sage said slowly. "However, if you want to make the ninja world return to normal and have peace, how can you do it without a crucial savior?"
Jiraiya was deep in thought. Even the Great Toad Sage thought that Uchiha Ikezumi's words made some sense?
However, it seemed that the Great Toad Sage didn't completely agree with Uchiha Ikezumi's view.
The Great Toad Sage believed that without a savior, it would be difficult for the ninja world to have peace. Only when the changes brought by the savior brought peace to the ninja world would more saviors be born. The Great Toad Sage just didn't state his views in too much detail.
And Uchiha Ikezumi believed that even without the so-called savior, his 'Absolute Justice' could bring peace and prosperity to the ninja world.
"I understand."
Jiraiya nodded with a serious expression. "I still need to find out the true identity of the Child of Prophecy and train him to be the savior of the ninja world. Only then can the ninja world be saved."
Jiraiya let out a breath and said, "What Uchiha Ikezumi said was not a complete waste for me. At the very least, I can confirm that he has been in contact with the Child of Prophecy!"
"As long as I start investigating the people Ikezumi has been in contact with, I will eventually find the savior you prophesied, Great Toad Sage."
The Great Toad Sage closed his eyes and remained silent.
Jiraiya wisely took his leave.
After Jiraiya left, the Great Toad Sage opened his eyes again. He looked at the sake in the semi-transparent bottle next to him, and the sake reflected his pair of orange eyes.
The Great Toad Sage murmured to himself, "Although I've never dreamed of him, 'Absolute Justice'… I think I have seen it in a dream before. This kind of justice will cause the ninja world to fall into a sea of blood. The entire ninja world will be shrouded in the dark clouds of Absolute Justice."
"However…"
"I can't tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing. After living for so many years, there are still dreams that I don't understand. No wonder little Jiraiya rushed over in such a hurry."
"Uchiha Ikezumi… is not simple!"
At the same time.
Outside the Hyūga clan compound.
With a "clink," a bloodstained, sharp kunai fell to the ground. Sasuke swallowed his saliva and staggered back a few steps. The warmth of the blood on his hands made him get goosebumps all over, and his breathing became quite rapid. His young face was filled with a look of panic.
Especially the feeling of the blade piercing into flesh, it constantly lingered in his mind and was hard to forget. He stared with wide eyes at the corpse lying on the ground.
There were multiple wounds on the corpse, two of which were fatal. The first fatal wound was on the front of the chest, where a kunai was inserted, but it didn't go all the way into the flesh and heart.
The second fatal wound was on the back, where there was a bloody gash—it was pierced by a kunai from Sasuke. The kunai pierced through the back and broke the other person's heart with a single blow.
Sasuke's panicked young face still had some bruises on it. But he didn't care about the pain on his body and immediately looked at Naruto, who was pinned down by the corpse that had fallen on him.
"Dead-last, are you okay?"
Naruto bared his teeth and pushed the corpse's arm away before getting up.
"How could I be okay?" Naruto was more injured than Sasuke. When he tried to stand up, he staggered and fell to the ground. The burning pain in his abdomen made him unable to help but lift his shirt.
On his chest, there was a bluish palm print.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Naruto couldn't help but cover his mouth and cough a few times, but he found that Sasuke's worried eyes suddenly turned into a look of horror.
Naruto was stunned. He lowered his head and looked at his hand, and found that he had coughed up a lot of blood! No wonder his body felt so uncomfortable…
Is this a minor injury or a serious one?
"This guy is so strong!"
Naruto's young face was as pale as a sheet. "The two of us together almost couldn't beat him. But, we also used our own power to execute a villain."
"This guy… bullied a war orphan at the Ninja Academy, causing the person to commit suicide by slitting his wrists… cough!"
"The teachers at the Ninja Academy told us not to spread this matter, saying that the academy would handle this matter seriously."
"But no matter how seriously they handled it, it was impossible for this guy to pay with a life. After all, he was only three years older than us."
"Lord Ikezumi said that only… only by making the perpetrator pay with his life can the victim rest in peace."
"Sasuke, we did it…"
"Lord Ikezumi will definitely praise us."
"Stop talking!" Sasuke, who had come back to his senses, immediately went forward and tried to help him up. "I'll take you to the Konoha Hospital!"
Just as Sasuke was struggling to help the exhausted Naruto up, a sharp shout suddenly rang out.
"Stop right there!!!"
They were outside the Hyūga clan compound. They had ambushed a young member of the Hyūga clan and killed him. If this didn't alarm the Hyūga ninjas, then that would be a big problem!
A few Hyūga ninjas rushed over in a hurry and saw a cold corpse lying on the ground. They also saw two kids with blood all over them. They quickly noticed that the corpse on the ground was a Hyūga clan member! And both kids had blood all over their hands!
"Did you kill him?" The question from a Hyūga ninja made Sasuke, who was helping Naruto up, immediately become nervous.
His rationality told him that if he, a child, firmly denied it, then unless the other party used torture, they wouldn't be able to find out the truth.
However, his emotions made him tense up his young face, suppress his nervousness, and say, "Yes! But… it's because of his bullying that caused a war orphan from the Ninja Academy to commit suicide. And whether it's the Ninja Academy or your Hyūga clan, the punishment for him was lenient. He could still attend the Ninja Academy without a care in the world. He didn't pay the price he deserved for his evil deeds."
"We just made him pay the price in the name of 'Absolute Justice.' And… if a villain like this is allowed to live, he will only commit greater evils in the future. In that case, justice needs to execute him even more!"
Sasuke openly admitted it, but the words he said, from his point of view, were indeed righteous. But from the Hyūga clan's point of view, this was a serious provocation to the Hyūga clan!
"You brat!"
The few Hyūga ninjas had already subtly surrounded Naruto and Sasuke.
One of them said with a hint of anger, "Don't think that just because you're wearing Uchiha clan clothes and saying something about 'Absolute Justice,' you are Uchiha Ikezumi!"
"Your Uchiha clan secretly killing a young member of the Hyūga clan is an act of provoking a war between two ninja clans! Do you think you can leave after doing something like this?"
"Wait a minute…" At this moment, another person pulled back the angry Hyūga ninja. This person was staring intently at the weak and pale Naruto. His Byakugan showed a hint of a strange light, and his face was filled with a look of solemnity.
He said, "This blond kid seems to be that Nine-Tails boy—Naruto Uzumaki!"
The other Hyūga ninjas: "!!!"
Then he looked at the tense-faced Sasuke. "If I'm not mistaken, this Uchiha kid is the second son of the Uchiha clan leader—Sasuke Uchiha!"
The others were immediately shocked for the second time. They had only judged that Sasuke was a member of the Uchiha clan by his clothes, but they didn't expect his identity to be so special. The killer was a jinchuriki and the son of the Uchiha clan leader!
The few Hyūga ninjas suddenly calmed down from their anger.
This… was not something they could handle!
"Go back and inform Lord Hiashi!"
"Hah!"
"Ha!"
"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!!!"
A faint gust of wind blew toward Neji Hyūga. Neji looked at Hinata Hyūga, who had struck him with a palm from a distance but nothing had happened. He stepped forward with an expressionless face, quickly swept Hinata off her feet, and then delivered a palm strike.
"Ugh!"
Hinata clutched her abdomen and let out a cry of pain. Her body immediately curled up, and her young face was filled with pain.
Neji stood up straight, first glanced at Hiashi Hyūga, who looked disappointed not far away, and then looked down at the fallen Hinata Hyūga.
He said coldly, "You haven't even learned Eight Trigrams: Air Palm yet, but you're already using it on me. Your combat intelligence is almost zero. The world of ninjas is almost out of your reach. You might as well just stay in the clan and be a young lady."
After hearing these words, Hinata gritted her teeth and tried to struggle to get up.
But at this moment, a Hyūga clan ninja rushed over.
"Lord Hiashi!" The ninja ran to Hiashi Hyūga and then leaned close to his ear, whispering something.
Neji Hyūga's attention was also drawn to them. He keenly noticed that Hiashi Hyūga's brows were deeply furrowed.
"You didn't lay a hand on those two kids, did you?"—This was the question Neji heard Hiashi Hyūga ask in a low voice.
"No."
When the Hyūga ninja replied, Neji noticed that Hiashi Hyūga seemed to have let out a sigh of relief.
Hiashi Hyūga continued with a serious expression, "Take me there!"
"Yes!"
Watching the two of them leave, Neji looked at Hinata, who was still struggling on the ground. He suppressed the anger in his heart and scoffed, then immediately followed Hiashi Hyūga quietly.
Not long after, Hiashi Hyūga and the Hyūga clan ninja arrived at the scene. He saw the corpse of his clan member and also saw Naruto and Sasuke.
As the clan leader, he should have said something, but at this moment, Hiashi found that he had nothing to say. This day had finally come.
He knew that the Nine-Tails jinchuriki had followed Uchiha Ikezumi and believed in 'Absolute Justice,' and he also knew that Fugaku's second son, Sasuke Uchiha, also believed in 'Absolute Justice.' These two kids… killing a young member of the Hyūga clan today meant that 'Absolute Justice' had come for the Hyūga clan!
"Hmph…"
After letting out a heavy breath, Hiashi looked at Sasuke, who was in better physical condition. He asked with an expressionless face, "Even if you're executing 'Absolute Justice,' you still need a reason, right?"
Sasuke felt immense pressure from Hiashi, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "I… have already said it once!"
A Hyūga ninja whispered an explanation to Hiashi. Hiashi's brows furrowed even more. Just as he was about to say something, Hiashi suddenly sensed something and looked up ahead. He saw several figures rushing toward them.
The person in the lead was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just returned to Konoha, and behind him were Anbu ninjas!
Seeing this, Hiashi's heart sank. Now they were not only involved with Uchiha Ikezumi's Absolute Justice, but also with Lord Hokage.
"Naruto!"
When Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived, he checked Naruto's condition first. Especially when he saw that Naruto was covered in blood, his old face turned a little pale. He also immediately became alert, afraid that Naruto in this state would suddenly lose control. The Nine-Tailed Fox in Naruto's body was not to be trifled with!
"Grandpa Hokage… I'm… fine…" Naruto managed to force a smile, but in the next second, the pain from all over his body twisted his young face.
"Medical ninjas!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face was grim. He decisively called for an Anbu ninja who was skilled in medical ninjutsu. The Anbu ninja immediately began to treat Naruto's injuries.
"Grandpa Hokage, him too." Naruto struggled to raise his arm and pointed at Sasuke, who also looked a little disheveled, beside him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a look. Another Anbu ninja who was skilled in medical ninjutsu came forward. After seeing that Naruto's face had improved, he let out a sigh of relief.
Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Hiashi Hyūga with a cold face. "Hiashi, you should have thought of how to explain this to me, right? Why did Naruto kill someone here? And why is he injured? The wound on his chest should be from your Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist, right? Do you know what it means for him to be so seriously injured?"
Facing the series of questions from Lord Hokage, Hiashi Hyūga sighed in his heart. He maintained his solemn expression and said helplessly, "Lord Hokage, this is also something I didn't expect."
He explained everything he knew, and finally said, "If Lord Hokage doesn't believe me, you can ask these two kids, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, for confirmation."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face was stunned. He couldn't help but look at Naruto, and saw that the seven-year-old Naruto immediately enthusiastically agreed, "He's right, Grandpa Hokage! Sasuke and I both feel that this is unfair. Why can that guy kill someone and not pay the price he deserves?"
In other words, the reason Naruto and Sasuke suddenly came to the Hyūga clan compound was that they wanted to execute 'Absolute Justice' and execute the young Hyūga clan member who had committed a crime?
And the injuries on their bodies were inflicted by the dead young Hyūga clan member. They used their injuries to take the other person's life?
This… seemed to be related to Ikezumi again!
And seeing the serious expression on Naruto's face, and remembering the words Naruto had just said, Hiruzen Sarutobi realized that this child had gone down the wrong path of 'Absolute Justice' and was not coming back.
.....
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