Chapter 121: Chapter 121
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In the midst of long resonant calls, a messenger hawk soared through the sky, swiftly heading towards Konoha.
Walking down the mountain, Gensou glanced at the black dot in the sky, paying it no mind as he continued forward.
Casually, he asked Sasuke beside him, "In the battle just now, Sasuke, you didn't kill anyone, did you?"
Despite the bloody scene in the Fire Temple's courtyard and the monks lying everywhere, Gensou knew that those monks were merely injured and unconscious at most.
Sasuke's strikes were measured and controlled.
This was quite different from the cold, vengeful persona he usually maintained.
Sasuke did not deny it.
He nodded calmly and said, "I have no interest in wielding my blade against the weak."
'His tone is as consistent as ever.'
Behind his mask, Gensou smiled faintly.
In a world where extreme thoughts were common, Sasuke, whose clan had been annihilated, had the most reason to become extreme.
Yet, most of the time, Sasuke was more rational and clear-headed than others.
His obsession was solely with revenge.
But avenging Itachi was a rightful cause, not an extreme one.
Thoughts like revenge against society or a penchant for killing never crossed his mind.
Even when he allied with Orochimaru in the original story, despite going through numerous battles, he always showed restraint, much like the recent battle at the Fire Temple, leaving his opponents alive and dismissing them as unworthy of his attention.
The only exception was during the Five Kage Summit, where he mercilessly killed the samurai of the Land of Iron, leading Karin to remark that Sasuke's chakra had become dark and cold.
But even that had its reasons.
Gensou admired Sasuke's character and didn't dwell further on the Fire Temple incident.
Sasuke was somewhat surprised.
He had thought Gensou's question implied criticism for being too lenient, but after his response, Gensou dropped the subject, as if it was just a casual inquiry.
'Does Gensou-sama approve or disapprove of what I did?'
Sasuke wasn't one to keep questions to himself, afraid to speak up.
He was about to ask when Gensou suddenly stopped.
Sasuke, slightly puzzled, sensed something as well and focused his gaze on the forest to the left.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clear applause echoed from the forest.
"Not bad, Uchiha! You noticed us so easily."
With a wave of ninja techniques, two men and two women appeared, stepping out from the forest.
"Who are you?"
Sasuke glanced at Gensou, seeing him scan the four newcomers before losing interest. Sasuke then stepped forward and asked coldly.
The leader, unaffected by Sasuke's attitude, warmly introduced himself, "I am Kazuma of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. These are my subordinates: Fuuka, Fuen, and Fudo."
The speaker was indeed Kazuma, a former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
Believing that the position of Hokage was unnecessary and that true power should lie with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Kazuma had once fought an internal battle against Asuma's faction of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Having faked his death and evaded detection, he had been secretly training his forbidden techniques, aiming to complete his long-held ambitions.
Thus, when he received intelligence about the Fire Temple being attacked, with his old rival Chiriku being easily defeated by a suspected Uchiha, Kazuma didn't take advantage of the temple's weakened state to steal the Twelve Guardian Ninja's buried corpses.
Instead, he had a brilliant idea and came to find Uchiha Sasuke and his companion.
Now, facing Sasuke's cold demeanor, Kazuma continued warmly:
"The Twelve Guardian Ninja? Never heard of them."
Kazuma's smile stiffened.
Serving the Daimyo as part of the Twelve Guardian Ninja had always been his pride.
Even though the current Daimyo had disbanded the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Kazuma's loyalty remained unchanged.
Being dismissed by an Uchiha brat, Kazuma felt a surge of anger.
But the bigger picture was more important.
Glancing at the silent masked man who had defeated Chiriku, Kazuma took a deep breath and forced a smile again:
"It doesn't matter if you haven't heard of us. What's important is that we serve the Daimyo of the Land of Fire."
"So what?" Sasuke replied coldly.
He cared little about the Daimyo and only wanted to know why these four had approached them.
Despite knowing the prideful nature of the Uchiha, Kazuma found their arrogance surprising, given their clan's near extinction. He pushed aside his frustration and got to the point:
"As one of Konoha's founding clans, the Uchiha no longer exist, and Sasuke, you've left the village. Konoha's neglect and inaction are to blame for this."
"Moreover, how could Uchiha Itachi alone wipe out the entire clan? That night, did Konoha really not notice anything? Based on my understanding of Konoha, they either stood by or actively participated, leading to the Uchiha clan's overnight annihilation. Both of you should know that Konoha is also your enemy!"
As he spoke, Kazuma noticed a change in Sasuke's cold expression.
Encouraged, he revealed his true intentions: "As a representative of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, I sincerely invite you to join our plan to destroy Konoha. The Land of Fire doesn't need two rulers.
The Hokage should be eliminated, and Konoha's power should belong to the Daimyo. With the Daimyo's full support, the Uchiha clan can be rebuilt."
"What do you think?"
Kazuma's gaze shifted from Sasuke to the masked man.
Despite Sasuke's potential, Kazuma saw the masked man as the real prize, someone powerful enough to defeat Chiriku.
Konoha was too strong.
Even with all his preparations, Kazuma lacked confidence.
If he could persuade this Uchiha to join, the plan to destroy Konoha would be much more certain.
It seemed promising.
Kazuma watched expectantly as the masked man, who had remained silent, finally turned to look at him.
Kazuma was filled with anticipation.
Though he had no concrete evidence that Konoha was involved in the Uchiha massacre, he believed it likely, given his own experiences.
He assumed the Uchiha felt the same.
That's why he had sought them out first.
They all shared Konoha as a common enemy.
With the support of the Daimyo, their collaboration seemed inevitable.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 122: Chapter 122
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Gensou did not expect such a high-level argument from the man before him, Kazuma.
Kazuma, a typical example of the saying "We are willing to fight to the death, why do you surrender first, Your Majesty?" was a character Gensou remembered somewhat, but not in detail. Kazuma was ultimately another individual who received a harsh lesson from Konoha and met his end.
However, Kazuma's analysis of the Uchiha massacre was quite accurate.
Other than not knowing that the massacre was carried out by Itachi and Obito, with Konoha only blocking off the area and arriving afterwards to clean up, Kazuma had guessed almost everything else correctly.
Gensou looked at Kazuma.
As their eyes met, Kazuma, about to speak further, suddenly saw a red flash.
Before he could react, his eyelids grew heavy, and he instantly passed out.
"Master Kazuma!"
Kazuma's subordinates, Fuen, Fudo, and Fuuka, were shocked and prepared to fight.
But in the next moment, before they could understand what was happening, they too fell into the world of genjutsu.
Gensou, having completed this, looked away.
Kazuma's grand plan sounded enticing.
But Gensou had no interest in altering his plans or itinerary to join a group of ineffectual individuals in a game of destroying Konoha.
To avoid further entanglement with Kazuma and his group, Gensou quickly incapacitated them.
One had to admit, the Sharingan's genjutsu was excellent for swiftly dealing with weak opponents.
"Let's go."
With a call to Sasuke, Gensou continued on his way, his expression calm.
Sasuke glanced at the unconscious Kazuma and his companions before quickly catching up.
Along the way, he couldn't help but ask, "Gensou-sama, was what Kazuma said true?"
Kazuma's words had left a deep impression on Sasuke, unlike Gensou, who remained unaffected.
Until now, Sasuke had never considered Konoha's involvement in the Uchiha massacre.
After hearing Kazuma's analysis, he began to see some merit in the argument.
Without turning his head, Gensou replied, "You'll know the truth in the future when you ask the people involved."
Gensou didn't bother to explain further.
Empty words often led to suspicion. It was better for Sasuke to investigate the matter himself.
Moreover, Gensou didn't want Sasuke to become overly emotional and potentially awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan prematurely.
Sasuke, understanding that Gensou wasn't going to elaborate, asked no more questions.
"Uchiha Itachi..."
He clenched his fists.
At that moment, Sasuke's desire to meet Itachi again, stronger and more powerful, was overwhelming.
...
Konoha Village.
The destruction of the Root division had initially cast a heavy atmosphere over the village, but with the return of Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage, everything quickly returned to normal.
Truth be told, while many in Konoha felt the loss of Root, others were glad to see the end of the extremist division.
The fact that there had been no attempt to rebuild Root, and any mention of restarting the division was swiftly rejected, said it all.
Life went on as usual.
Today was supposed to be an ordinary day like the past half-year.
But when the messenger hawk from the Fire Temple arrived, tranquility was shattered.
"Tsunade-sama!"
Shizune hurriedly burst into the Hokage's office.
Tsunade, now with unprecedented authority thanks to Gensou's support, was stamping documents with the speed of a machine, the Hokage's seal a blur in her hands.
Seeing Shizune enter, she slumped in her chair, rubbing her forehead. "Don't tell me there's another pile of documents to sign? I already missed my drinking time."
"Tsunade-sama, urgent news from the Fire Temple!"
Shizune, instead of carrying a stack of papers, handed over an intelligence scroll.
Surprised, Tsunade took the scroll.
"The Fire Temple? What do those monks want with Konoha?"
Opening the scroll, Tsunade's expression quickly turned serious.
"Sasuke appeared at the Fire Temple? And he was accompanied by another suspected Uchiha? Not Hagoromo Gensou?"
Tsunade was shocked by the explosive information.
Sasuke was one thing, but another Uchiha?
Itachi?
No, those brothers would fight to the death on sight, not stay peaceful.
Could there be another Uchiha outside Konoha? Tsunade's face grew grim.
Shizune asked, "Tsunade-sama, should we send a team to pursue them?"
The Fire Temple wasn't far from Konoha.
The attack on the temple had happened only an hour or two ago.
They could still catch up if they moved quickly.
"Of course!"
After a moment of consideration, Tsunade nodded.
Bringing back Sasuke was crucial, and so was identifying the other Uchiha.
Moreover, the Fire Temple, as an ally of Konoha, had called for assistance. Konoha needed to respond.
Having decided on the team, Tsunade quickly ordered: "Summon Team 3, Team 8 to the Hokage's office immediately. Also, notify Kakashi to come as well."
"Yes!"
An ANBU ninja appeared, acknowledged the order, and vanished.
In less than ten minutes, Kakashi, who had been reading Icha Icha Paradise in a tree, and Team 3's members, Might Guy, Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee, along with Team 8's members, Kurenai, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino, had all assembled.
After explaining the situation, Tsunade issued the command: "This mission is classified as S-rank. The primary objective is to bring back Sasuke. Handle the other Uchiha as the situation allows. Kakashi, given your familiarity with the Sharingan, you will lead this mission. Team 3 and Team 8 are under your command."
Finally hearing news of Sasuke after half a year, Kakashi's eyes flashed with determination as he nodded quickly:
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
...
Outside Konoha's gate.
With everything prepared, the nine members of Team 3, Team 8, and Kakashi formed a combat lineup.
Before departing.
Kiba, eager and enthusiastic, said, "Too bad Naruto isn't here. We'll bring Sasuke back and surprise him!"
"If we bring Sasuke back, Naruto... will be very happy," Hinata agreed softly, blushing.
Lee, full of spirit, raised his arm, "We failed last time. This time, we'll bring Sasuke back for sure."
Shino adjusted his sunglasses, about to speak, when a passionate voice beside him exclaimed.
"Ha-ha! This is youth! Let's give it our all!"
Guy gave a thumbs-up, his teeth shining brightly in the sunlight.
Kurenai, accustomed to Guy's antics, chuckled softly.
Finally.
"Sasuke..."
Reflecting on the situation, Kakashi looked around and then waved his hand:
"Move out!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Everyone took off, becoming black streaks as they sped through the dense forest outside Konoha.
A few minutes later, a late-arriving Sakura looked at the empty gate, sighed, and clasped her hands together, silently wishing them luck.
(End of Chapter)
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