Izumi, who had been dutifully trotting behind Akainu, suddenly saw her Senpai halt. Thankfully, the young kunoichi managed to slam on her "brakes" in time, or she would've crashed right into him.
"Senpai, what—"
Before Izumi could finish her sentence, Kinjirō, perched on her shoulder, interrupted, "Shhh! Akainu-sama has found a 'prey.' His eyes have once again seen the evil of the ninja world!"
"Evil of the ninja world?" That phrase instantly made the young girl perk up. She cautiously peeked her head out from behind Akainu, following his gaze, and saw about a dozen people, dressed in various elaborate outfits, clustered together.
"These people..." Izumi frowned, muttering, "They're not from Konoha, are they?"
She was so certain because ever since Akainu-senpai had appeared on this street, many Konoha residents had immediately fallen silent. Some, who might have had something to hide, quickly turned and walked away, avoiding Akainu-senpai as if he were the plague. Those who had been discussing last night's events were terrified, turning pale when they saw the very person they were talking about right in front of them.
Izumi really wanted to tell them: as long as you're not doing anything evil, discussing Akainu-senpai isn't a big deal. It wouldn't even matter if you discussed him right in front of him.
However, the villagers had such a huge misunderstanding of her Senpai.
Oh well...
'Their continued misunderstanding will serve as a form of reverence for [Absolute Justice]. With respect, perhaps they won't have the courage to do evil,' Izumi mumbled to herself.
It was precisely for this reason that when she saw the dozen or so people gathered ahead reacting completely differently from everyone else, Izumi was certain they couldn't possibly be Konoha residents!
"He... is that Akainu?!" Goyen-in Kyusuke paid no mind to the grave alertness of the Guardian Twelve Ninja. His gaze met Akainu's in mid-air.
Kyusuke fanned his folding fan, clicking his tongue in wonder. "A ninja from the Uchiha clan, I've heard of them for a long time, but this is my first time seeing one. He looks pretty cold, doesn't he?"
"Nanbu, no need to be tense." Goyen-in Kyusuke chuckled. "Didn't you say he's a Konoha Military Police Force ninja? The Konoha Military Police Force's operational funds are also paid by my father, the Land of Fire Daimyo."
"Perhaps I can even become friends with this Akainu. If he's really as powerful as you say, and willing to become my bodyguard, I can pay a hefty sum to hire him."
However.
Just as Goyen-in Kyusuke took a step forward, Nanbu suddenly reached out and stopped him.
"Hey! Nanbu, what are you doing?" a retainer scolded. "Just fulfill your guard duties, don't overstep!"
But in the next second, the retainer was met with a cold glare from the elite Jonin, an intimidating aura forged on the battlefields of the Shinobi World Wars, which made the retainer break out in a cold sweat.
Nanbu withdrew his gaze, refocusing his wary eyes on Akainu ahead. He spoke with a hint of tension in his cautious tone, "Kyusuke-sama, I see killing intent in that man's eyes. You all should turn around and leave immediately, and seek ninja assistance."
"Because..." Nanbu's ninja sword was already drawn an inch from its sheath, his mouth dry. "This is killing intent aimed specifically at Kyusuke-sama!"
"...What?!" Everyone gasped.
At the same time, Akainu moved. He showed no sign of hurry, each step forward was calm and steady.
In his vision, a crimson rectangular frame floated above the head of a young man dressed in extravagant court attire. Inside the frame, scarlet characters meticulously recorded this person's crimes! This made him stand out among the group, like a crane among chickens.
Akainu began to articulate the words his eyes perceived.
"Goyen-in Kyusuke. Eleven years ago, he accidentally killed a maid in his household and threw her body into a dry well. When the deceased's family came seeking justice, he ordered his retainers to severely beat them."
Behind him, Izumi's entire body trembled upon hearing this. She frantically pulled out paper and a brush from her ninja pouch, her hand moving rapidly to record every word Akainu-senpai spoke.
Kinjirō, however, suddenly paused, his cat face showing a hint of suspicion as he mumbled, "...Goyen-in?"
"Seven years ago, after losing all his private savings at a certain casino, he angrily arranged for his retainers to set the casino on fire. However, the fire got out of control and spread to many civilian homes. That day, four people were burned to death, nineteen suffocated to death, ten were seriously injured, and thirty-one suffered minor injuries."
As Izumi recorded this, her pen tip tore through the paper. Visible blue veins began to stand out on her fair hand. She gritted her teeth, "Damnable scoundrel!!!"
A confused thought popped into the young girl's mind—how could someone who committed such heinous acts still be standing here, alive and well, as if nothing happened?!
She frowned, staring at the words "retainers" written in her small notebook. A vague clue began to form, but she couldn't quite grasp it.
"Goyen-in... is the Land of Fire Daimyo's surname. In the Land of Fire, only the Daimyo and his immediate relatives bear this surname."
It wasn't until Kinjirō's voice reached Izumi's ears that she truly understood. Izumi's small face was filled with incredulity. "The Land of Fire's... Daimyo?!"
Kinjirō said, "Meow, that guy is very young, so he's definitely not the Daimyo himself. Could be a relative, or perhaps an offspring." He licked his paw, then rubbed his face with it, adding, "Rookie, be prepared to cause a massive uproar. Akainu-sama never holds back against the powerful."
"During the Third Shinobi World War, when Akainu-sama left the village, he encountered a nobleman outside. That nobleman, thinking his background was extraordinary, believed the law couldn't judge or punish him. He had committed many evil deeds and ran rampant in the area."
"Ultimately..."
"Akainu-sama, with just a single ninja sword, went directly to his home and wiped out all nineteen members of the noble family, from top to bottom. And not a single one of those evildoers was wrongly accused!"
Izumi: "!!!"
Akainu's low, ethereal voice, though not loud, could be heard by the people ahead after he had walked another dozen meters.
"Three years ago, after drinking, he defiled an eleven-year-old girl. Upon sobering, fearing exposure, he strangled the girl and sank her body in the river."
"One year ago..."
Listening to Akainu's somewhat illogical words, Nanbu, clutching his ninja sword, felt a mix of intense tension and bewildered uncertainty.
"What strange things is this guy saying?"
Nanbu couldn't shake the feeling that someone like Akainu wouldn't just utter such oddities for no reason.
Until he heard a "thud" behind him.
Nanbu froze. When he glanced back, he saw Goyen-in Kyusuke, the Land of Fire Daimyo's son, a man of immense status and power, wearing a look of sheer horror as if he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight! And the expressions of the few retainers Kyusuke had brought were almost identical!
What does this mean?
As this question surfaced in Nanbu's mind, Akainu's next sentence answered his confusion: "Goyen-in Kyusuke, these are the wicked deeds you have committed in your twenty-four years of life. Such monstrous crimes deserve to be purged by [Justice]!"
Nanbu: "!!!"
No way?!
This seemingly cheerful and relatively kind Daimyo's son had actually committed such terrible acts?!
No!
The crucial question was, how did Akainu know? Was he making it up? But if he were, why would these people react so strongly?
At this moment, Goyen-in Kyusuke, the Land of Fire Daimyo's son, had pupils shaking like an earthquake, his eyes wide with disbelieving horror as he stared at Akainu.
—How does this guy know?!!!
A silent roar in his heart confirmed his inner turmoil. A few drops of cold sweat unknowingly trickled from Goyen-in Kyusuke's forehead. Every step Akainu took forward, Kyusuke couldn't help but take a step back, the surging fear making him extremely uneasy. His initial composure was gone.
His first instinct was to glare at his retainers in suspicion.
"Kyusuke-sama..." a retainer gulped nervously, quickly lowering his voice. "We absolutely haven't betrayed you, and we don't even know this person. We have no idea how he knows..."
Nanbu, gripping his ninja sword tightly: "..."
He was speechless. It seemed it truly was impossible to know a person's heart just by their appearance. This Daimyo's son was no good.
But...
"Akainu!" Nanbu shouted a warning to Akainu. "This esteemed individual is an envoy sent by the Land of Fire Daimyo-sama, an honored guest of the Third Hokage of Konoha Village! Furthermore, he is a dignitary of the Land of Fire! If you don't want to provoke conflict between the Daimyo and Konoha, stop immediately! Do not approach Kyusuke-sama another step!"
He had, after all, accepted the mission from the Land of Fire Daimyo—he had to protect Goyen-in Kyusuke. At this point, he could only grit his teeth and stand his ground. As an elite Jonin, he was certainly not much weaker than Akainu, the "Lava Release Beast." At least holding out until the Hokage arrived shouldn't be a problem.
"Kyusuke-sama, take everyone else and retreat immediately!" Nanbu said coldly. "From here on, this is our ninja's domain."
A retainer quickly said, "Hey, hey! Nanbu! You absolutely have to stop that lunatic!"
"...I'll do my best."
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
"...Naruto?!"
On his way to greet the Daimyo's envoy, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly spotted a familiar small figure.
But... what was Naruto doing?
A flicker of confusion crossed Hiruzen's eyes. In his sight, Naruto was holding a broom in one hand and a dustpan in the other, constantly sweeping left and right on the street, sweating profusely from the effort.
Hiruzen walked over to Naruto. Watching the boy sweep the street with a troubled expression, he gently patted the child's head.
Naruto turned in surprise and, seeing that it was Hiruzen, immediately brightened with joy. "Grandpa Hokage!!!"
"Naruto, is this... a new prank?" Hiruzen's expression was odd.
Naruto's joy instantly vanished, replaced by dejection and frustration, as he recounted everything that had happened to Hiruzen.
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "Akainu interacted with you? Naruto, did he do anything to you?" The jinchuriki of Konoha interacting with a Mangekyo Sharingan user gave Hiruzen plenty to ponder.
Naruto mumbled in response, "He picked me up, then put me down, and told me to clean this street for half a year." His wronged tone was like a child complaining to a teacher.
Naruto looked at him with longing eyes, hoping Grandpa Hokage would cover for him just one more time. But to his surprise, Hiruzen said, "Well, that's not so bad. It'll help you calm down a bit, you little rascal. That way, no more villagers will come running to report your pranks in the village."
Naruto instantly felt like the sky had fallen.
After bidding farewell to Naruto and walking about a dozen meters away, Hiruzen remained thoughtful, still feeling a bit uneasy. When he glanced towards a certain corner behind him, the Anbu ninja responsible for monitoring Naruto Uzumaki discreetly appeared.
"Hokage-sama, I didn't see Akainu activate his Sharingan. He merely gave Naruto Uzumaki a simple lecture." The Anbu ninja concisely offered.
"Hmm..." Hiruzen finally relaxed a little, but then he quickly frowned again. "Since you saw Akainu interacting with Naruto, why didn't you stop him?"
Anbu ninja: "..."
Hiruzen: "..."
"Ahem!"
Hiruzen, realizing his oversight, lightly cleared his throat. The last time an Anbu ninja confronted Akainu because of Naruto, it seemed to have caused quite a stir in the village. Danzo had even been dragged into it, and two Root ninja died. Asking this Anbu ninja to confront Akainu again was truly asking too much.
"Recently, try to prevent Naruto from interacting with the Uchiha clan." Hiruzen was silent for a few seconds before instructing.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Clang—
The moment Nanbu keenly saw Akainu's left hand on his sword hilt push the guard, making the ninja sword leave its sheath by a centimeter, he knew Akainu wasn't listening to his warning at all.
Damn it... does this extremist "Lava Release Beast" have no concept of status or hierarchy in his eyes? This is the Daimyo's son!!!
Nanbu quickly formed a single hand seal, lightning-style chakra swirling around his palm.
"Lightning Release: Fang Blade Jutsu!"
His fingertip swiftly ran along the blade of his ninja sword. With a "zzzt" sound, the sword was enveloped in arcs of electricity, the constantly flashing current like the fangs of a ferocious beast.
"Strike first!"
Whoosh—
Nanbu gritted his teeth and flashed forward, a long trail of electrical afterglow trailing behind him, his ninja sword slashing towards Akainu!
A metallic clang echoed as the two ninja swords fiercely clashed in mid-air, instantly sending sparks flying. Nanbu changed his sword stance, parrying Akainu's ninja sword.
He then swiftly plunged his sword into the ground. Releasing the hilt, he clapped his hands together.
"Lightning Release..."
"Lightning Cage Jutsu!!!"
Buy time—that was Nanbu's sole belief. He didn't think he could instantly kill Akainu by himself, but... buying time would be enough!
In the next instant, as a massive amount of lightning surged towards Akainu, forming an electric cage meant to trap him, Akainu's right arm, flowing with lava... also shot out at the same time!
Under Nanbu's increasingly wide, disbelieving eyes, the lava arm actually pierced through the torrents of lightning! Even as arcs of lightning caused lava to constantly splatter and carved out indentations on the arm, Akainu's face remained utterly unchanged!
"...Damn it!!!"
Nanbu quickly pulled out his ninja sword and brought it up to block, only to see his sword melt the moment it touched the scorching lava. Even the lightning chakra imbued in the sword was useless.
Boom!!!
The lava arm, imbued with terrifying high temperatures and extending rapidly forward like a thrusting spear, instantly pierced through Nanbu's chest. The ninja vest he wore offered no defense against the rolling lava; it was weaker than a paper-thin object.
The horrifying heat instantly cooked all his internal organs.
Nanbu's disbelievingly wide eyes were bloodshot.
"P-pfft!" He coughed up a mouthful of blood that had already solidified from the intense heat.
"Military Police Force enforcement. Obstructing an enforcer... immediate elimination."
At this moment, he finally heard Akainu's voice up close. He finally witnessed the gap between himself and the Uchiha clan's double Kekkei Genkai genius, whose reputation was on par with Shisui the Teleporter.
The difference... was too vast!