Chapter 116:
As the molten magma hound tore through Chiriku's chest, his wide, shocked eyes bulged, bloodshot veins spreading across the whites of his eyes.
"Pwah!" He spewed a mouthful of blood, scalded by the searing heat, feeling his organs char in an instant.
Sensing his life slipping away, Chiriku gritted his teeth, his arms shifting as his golden chakra bell transformed into the visage of an enraged vajra. The golden chakra morphed into a fiery red, his pain-twisted face reflecting his final, desperate struggle.
Behind him, a crimson wrathful deity formed from chakra, its fists hammering toward Uchiha Akainu at blinding speed.
Punch after punch rained down like a storm, leaving imprints on Akainu's body.
"Asuma!!!" Chiriku roared, blood spraying from his mouth, veins bulging on his neck. "This is my last strength! Seize the chance!"
Nearby, Asuma's eyes widened in horror as he saw Chiriku's chest pierced by the magma hound's fist. There was no time for grief. Gritting his teeth, Asuma channeled Wind Release chakra into his chakra knuckle blades, their surfaces shimmering with visible blue chakra.
"Haaah!!!" Asuma charged, slashing down with both blades, severing Akainu's molten right arm.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!!!" He exhaled sharply, a gale blasting the severed arm far away, kicking up clouds of dust and debris.
"Asuma, if you don't want to die, get lost!" A sinister laugh rang out, prompting Asuma to leap back.
Kazuma had appeared behind Akainu unnoticed, veins pulsing on his forehead as he slammed his hands to the ground.
"Earth Release: Mountainous Terrain!!!"
*Boom!*
The ground trembled violently. Massive earthen mounds rose on either side of Akainu, forming two spherical halves that rapidly closed in.
With a deafening *crash*, the two halves collided, forming a dome-shaped hill that loomed over the battlefield.
Kazuma's hands continued weaving signs, pressing his palms against the dome. Black sealing runes spread across its surface like chains, locking it tight.
"Ninja Art: Heavy Earth Binding!!!"
"Phew…" Kazuma exhaled heavily, leaping back with a sneer. "You're tough, I'll give you that. Eleven of us, and one's already dead. But that's as far as you go. My 'Heavy Earth Binding' can seal even a massive, powerful summoned beast."
"Next…" Ignoring Chiriku's lifeless body slumping to the ground, Kazuma glanced at Asuma's grief-stricken face, smirked, and turned to the ongoing battle. "Once we deal with that ninja cat, the Daimyo's mission is complete. Then, we can take care of the Leaf's Hokage."
Eight of the Twelve Guardian Ninja were locked in combat with the enlarged ninja cat, Jiro.
"Ha, we lost one, but it just shows this so-called Lava Release beast isn't as fearsome as the rumors say!" Kazuma taunted.
But as he took a step forward, his mocking expression froze.
Turning sharply, his eyes filled with disbelief. "…How?!"
Asuma, trying to support Chiriku's body, froze as well, his gaze locking onto the earthen dome.
The thick soil began to melt into flowing magma under terrifying heat. In mere moments, the massive dome collapsed like melting butter, its sealing runes dissolving like water.
"Kazuma! Your sealing jutsu didn't work!" Asuma's pupils shrank, tension gripping him again.
"Damn it…" Kazuma's face twisted in frustration.
In their sights, a crimson figure wreathed in flowing magma stood unscathed atop the molten pool. Thick smoke billowed from Akainu's body, the acrid scent filling Asuma and Kazuma with dread. Half his face was normal, the other half molten, his expression cold. His eyes burned with the scarlet glow of the Sharingan.
"Phew…" Akainu glanced at Jiro, battered and wounded in the distance, ignoring Asuma and Kazuma. "Eight battle-hardened elite jonin ganging up on one ninja cat? That's hardly fair."
"You… damn Uchiha Akainu!" Kazuma, realizing he was being ignored, veins throbbing, shouted, "I'm standing right in front of you, and you're worried about a cat?!"
Akainu's gaze shifted to Kazuma. The moment their eyes met, Kazuma felt a bone-chilling cold despite the sweltering heat, sweat pouring down his body.
"You're pretty noticeable…" Akainu raised a hand, his severed right arm somehow regrown. "…with all that 'evil' on your head."
As he raised his arm, the magma beneath surged wildly. With three swift hand signs, he intoned calmly, "Lava Release: Flame Dragon Bullet."
No fiery shout, just a flat statement, yet it sent Asuma and Kazuma into high alert, their faces pale with shock.
A colossal magma dragon erupted from the molten pool beneath Akainu, its massive jaws baring ferocious fangs as it roared toward them, as if to swallow them whole.
The spectacle drew the attention of the eight Guardians fighting Jiro.
"Trouble!" one of them shouted, pupils narrowing as he rushed toward Akainu. "Those skilled in Water Release, with me to back up Kazuma!"
Two others followed. "Water Release: Water Shockwave!!!" ×3
Three torrents merged into a tidal wave, crashing overhead against the charging magma dragon.
*BOOM!*
…
"It's definitely Akainu under attack… but are the attackers really spies from another village?" From the top of the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the distant magma dragon, his brow furrowed with an ominous feeling.
He'd already dispatched the ANBU, but as the Hokage, he couldn't leave the village. With Akainu temporarily gone and the Leaf's elite forces stretched thin, his absence could spell chaos.
Spies within the village, or even rogue Leaf ninjas, were a constant concern. Especially Uchiha Itachi…
What if he returned to find the Uchiha clan wiped out? Or Uchiha Shisui donning the Hokage's robes, laying a trap for him?
Sarutobi's mouth twitched at the thought. All these internal threats… stemmed from the Uchiha.
For a fleeting moment, he almost understood Danzo.
…
"Looks like a lot of enemies," Uchiha Shisui muttered, standing atop the Uchiha stronghold, leaning on his cane as he gazed at the distant chaos. "To cause such a commotion, it's at least a group of elite jonin… all Akainu's enemies?"
Shisui gloated, hoping the ambushers would kill Akainu—or at least force him to reveal more of his cards and intel, which would be a win for him.
"Elder Shisui, let's head out to support Akainu!" a young radical Uchiha shouted, freezing Shisui's smug expression.
Damn it! How had [Absolute Justice] brainwashed these people? Akainu hadn't even directly interacted with them, had he? Just hearing tales of his exploits and learning about his extreme ideology gave them such a high opinion of him?
Why?!
Shisui's face darkened, and without turning, he said coldly, "Hmph! You think the Leaf's leadership would let Uchiha ninjas leave the village without reason? Last time Fugaku tried to aid Akainu, Danzo stopped him."
"The Leaf's higher-ups never trusted the Uchiha. They didn't before, and they don't now. That won't change. Even if you go, they'll stop you."
Shisui deftly redirected the blame to the Leaf's leadership. In truth, he had no intention of helping Akainu.
…
"Fugaku, aren't you leading the police force to help Akainu?" Uchiha Mikoto asked her husband.
"…It's too late to help," Fugaku replied, his expression tangled with unspoken conflict. He sighed deeply. "If Akainu hadn't caused so much trouble, I could've led the police force to support him. But now, the higher-ups are on high alert. Even the Hokage meets him with escorts."
"If I lead the police force to aid him, the higher-ups will see the Uchiha as too close to Akainu. Their wariness of him will transfer to the entire clan."
"That would push the Uchiha, already teetering on the edge, into a chasm of mutual distrust with the leadership."
Fugaku paused, then added, "That's one reason I don't want Sasuke following [Absolute Justice]. The closer the Uchiha are to Akainu, the more dangerous it is for us."
Mikoto's eyes widened in disbelief. "Fugaku, Akainu *is* an Uchiha. How can you talk about 'too close'? Why would the higher-ups blame the entire clan for his actions?"
"You're being too sensitive," she said, struggling to understand her husband's desire to distance the clan from Akainu.
"Your perspective is too narrow," Fugaku said, echoing something Itachi had once told him. After a brief silence, he continued, "It's not that I've become sensitive. It's Itachi… he's starting to stir."
Mikoto gasped. "!!!"
"Itachi's restlessness is because of Akainu's extreme actions, making him think the Uchiha are spiraling out of control. The only way to calm him might be to completely distance ourselves from Akainu, though I'm not sure
As the molten magma hound tore through Chiriku's chest, his wide, shocked eyes bulged, bloodshot veins spreading across the whites of his eyes.
"Pwah!" He spewed a mouthful of blood, scalded by the searing heat, feeling his organs char in an instant.
Sensing his life slipping away, Chiriku gritted his teeth, his arms shifting as his golden chakra bell transformed into the visage of an enraged vajra. The golden chakra morphed into a fiery red, his pain-twisted face reflecting his final, desperate struggle.
Behind him, a crimson wrathful deity formed from chakra, its fists hammering toward Uchiha Akainu at blinding speed.
Punch after punch rained down like a storm, leaving imprints on Akainu's body.
"Asuma!!!" Chiriku roared, blood spraying from his mouth, veins bulging on his neck. "This is my last strength! Seize the chance!"
Nearby, Asuma's eyes widened in horror as he saw Chiriku's chest pierced by the magma hound's fist. There was no time for grief. Gritting his teeth, Asuma channeled Wind Release chakra into his chakra knuckle blades, their surfaces shimmering with visible blue chakra.
"Haaah!!!" Asuma charged, slashing down with both blades, severing Akainu's molten right arm.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!!!" He exhaled sharply, a gale blasting the severed arm far away, kicking up clouds of dust and debris.
"Asuma, if you don't want to die, get lost!" A sinister laugh rang out, prompting Asuma to leap back.
Kazuma had appeared behind Akainu unnoticed, veins pulsing on his forehead as he slammed his hands to the ground.
"Earth Release: Mountainous Terrain!!!"
*Boom!*
The ground trembled violently. Massive earthen mounds rose on either side of Akainu, forming two spherical halves that rapidly closed in.
With a deafening *crash*, the two halves collided, forming a dome-shaped hill that loomed over the battlefield.
Kazuma's hands continued weaving signs, pressing his palms against the dome. Black sealing runes spread across its surface like chains, locking it tight.
"Ninja Art: Heavy Earth Binding!!!"
"Phew…" Kazuma exhaled heavily, leaping back with a sneer. "You're tough, I'll give you that. Eleven of us, and one's already dead. But that's as far as you go. My 'Heavy Earth Binding' can seal even a massive, powerful summoned beast."
"Next…" Ignoring Chiriku's lifeless body slumping to the ground, Kazuma glanced at Asuma's grief-stricken face, smirked, and turned to the ongoing battle. "Once we deal with that ninja cat, the Daimyo's mission is complete. Then, we can take care of the Leaf's Hokage."
Eight of the Twelve Guardian Ninja were locked in combat with the enlarged ninja cat, Jiro.
"Ha, we lost one, but it just shows this so-called Lava Release beast isn't as fearsome as the rumors say!" Kazuma taunted.
But as he took a step forward, his mocking expression froze.
Turning sharply, his eyes filled with disbelief. "…How?!"
Asuma, trying to support Chiriku's body, froze as well, his gaze locking onto the earthen dome.
The thick soil began to melt into flowing magma under terrifying heat. In mere moments, the massive dome collapsed like melting butter, its sealing runes dissolving like water.
"Kazuma! Your sealing jutsu didn't work!" Asuma's pupils shrank, tension gripping him again.
"Damn it…" Kazuma's face twisted in frustration.
In their sights, a crimson figure wreathed in flowing magma stood unscathed atop the molten pool. Thick smoke billowed from Akainu's body, the acrid scent filling Asuma and Kazuma with dread. Half his face was normal, the other half molten, his expression cold. His eyes burned with the scarlet glow of the Sharingan.
"Phew…" Akainu glanced at Jiro, battered and wounded in the distance, ignoring Asuma and Kazuma. "Eight battle-hardened elite jonin ganging up on one ninja cat? That's hardly fair."
"You… damn Uchiha Akainu!" Kazuma, realizing he was being ignored, veins throbbing, shouted, "I'm standing right in front of you, and you're worried about a cat?!"
Akainu's gaze shifted to Kazuma. The moment their eyes met, Kazuma felt a bone-chilling cold despite the sweltering heat, sweat pouring down his body.
"You're pretty noticeable…" Akainu raised a hand, his severed right arm somehow regrown. "…with all that 'evil' on your head."
As he raised his arm, the magma beneath surged wildly. With three swift hand signs, he intoned calmly, "Lava Release: Flame Dragon Bullet."
No fiery shout, just a flat statement, yet it sent Asuma and Kazuma into high alert, their faces pale with shock.
A colossal magma dragon erupted from the molten pool beneath Akainu, its massive jaws baring ferocious fangs as it roared toward them, as if to swallow them whole.
The spectacle drew the attention of the eight Guardians fighting Jiro.
"Trouble!" one of them shouted, pupils narrowing as he rushed toward Akainu. "Those skilled in Water Release, with me to back up Kazuma!"
Two others followed. "Water Release: Water Shockwave!!!" ×3
Three torrents merged into a tidal wave, crashing overhead against the charging magma dragon.
*BOOM!*
…
"It's definitely Akainu under attack… but are the attackers really spies from another village?" From the top of the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the distant magma dragon, his brow furrowed with an ominous feeling.
He'd already dispatched the ANBU, but as the Hokage, he couldn't leave the village. With Akainu temporarily gone and the Leaf's elite forces stretched thin, his absence could spell chaos.
Spies within the village, or even rogue Leaf ninjas, were a constant concern. Especially Uchiha Itachi…
What if he returned to find the Uchiha clan wiped out? Or Uchiha Shisui donning the Hokage's robes, laying a trap for him?
Sarutobi's mouth twitched at the thought. All these internal threats… stemmed from the Uchiha.
For a fleeting moment, he almost understood Danzo.
…
"Looks like a lot of enemies," Uchiha Shisui muttered, standing atop the Uchiha stronghold, leaning on his cane as he gazed at the distant chaos. "To cause such a commotion, it's at least a group of elite jonin… all Akainu's enemies?"
Shisui gloated, hoping the ambushers would kill Akainu—or at least force him to reveal more of his cards and intel, which would be a win for him.
"Elder Shisui, let's head out to support Akainu!" a young radical Uchiha shouted, freezing Shisui's smug expression.
Damn it! How had [Absolute Justice] brainwashed these people? Akainu hadn't even directly interacted with them, had he? Just hearing tales of his exploits and learning about his extreme ideology gave them such a high opinion of him?
Why?!
Shisui's face darkened, and without turning, he said coldly, "Hmph! You think the Leaf's leadership would let Uchiha ninjas leave the village without reason? Last time Fugaku tried to aid Akainu, Danzo stopped him."
"The Leaf's higher-ups never trusted the Uchiha. They didn't before, and they don't now. That won't change. Even if you go, they'll stop you."
Shisui deftly redirected the blame to the Leaf's leadership. In truth, he had no intention of helping Akainu.
…
"Fugaku, aren't you leading the police force to help Akainu?" Uchiha Mikoto asked her husband.
"…It's too late to help," Fugaku replied, his expression tangled with unspoken conflict. He sighed deeply. "If Akainu hadn't caused so much trouble, I could've led the police force to support him. But now, the higher-ups are on high alert. Even the Hokage meets him with escorts."
"If I lead the police force to aid him, the higher-ups will see the Uchiha as too close to Akainu. Their wariness of him will transfer to the entire clan."
"That would push the Uchiha, already teetering on the edge, into a chasm of mutual distrust with the leadership."
Fugaku paused, then added, "That's one reason I don't want Sasuke following [Absolute Justice]. The closer the Uchiha are to Akainu, the more dangerous it is for us."
Mikoto's eyes widened in disbelief. "Fugaku, Akainu *is* an Uchiha. How can you talk about 'too close'? Why would the higher-ups blame the entire clan for his actions?"
"You're being too sensitive," she said, struggling to understand her husband's desire to distance the clan from Akainu.
"Your perspective is too narrow," Fugaku said, echoing something Itachi had once told him. After a brief silence, he continued, "It's not that I've become sensitive. It's Itachi… he's starting to stir."
Mikoto gasped. "!!!"
"Itachi's restlessness is because of Akainu's extreme actions, making him think the Uchiha are spiraling out of control. The only way to calm him might be to completely distance ourselves from Akainu, though I'm not sure it'll work."
Fugaku's sigh seemed to age him years.
Mikoto was at a loss. Her eldest son and her husband—their thoughts and actions were incomprehensible to her.
As the molten magma hound tore through Chiriku's chest, his wide, shocked eyes bulged, bloodshot veins spreading across the whites of his eyes.
"Pwah!" He spewed a mouthful of blood, scalded by the searing heat, feeling his organs char in an instant.
Sensing his life slipping away, Chiriku gritted his teeth, his arms shifting as his golden chakra bell transformed into the visage of an enraged vajra. The golden chakra morphed into a fiery red, his pain-twisted face reflecting his final, desperate struggle.
Behind him, a crimson wrathful deity formed from chakra, its fists hammering toward Uchiha Akainu at blinding speed.
Punch after punch rained down like a storm, leaving imprints on Akainu's body.
"Asuma!!!" Chiriku roared, blood spraying from his mouth, veins bulging on his neck. "This is my last strength! Seize the chance!"
Nearby, Asuma's eyes widened in horror as he saw Chiriku's chest pierced by the magma hound's fist. There was no time for grief. Gritting his teeth, Asuma channeled Wind Release chakra into his chakra knuckle blades, their surfaces shimmering with visible blue chakra.
"Haaah!!!" Asuma charged, slashing down with both blades, severing Akainu's molten right arm.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!!!" He exhaled sharply, a gale blasting the severed arm far away, kicking up clouds of dust and debris.
"Asuma, if you don't want to die, get lost!" A sinister laugh rang out, prompting Asuma to leap back.
Kazuma had appeared behind Akainu unnoticed, veins pulsing on his forehead as he slammed his hands to the ground.
"Earth Release: Mountainous Terrain!!!"
*Boom!*
The ground trembled violently. Massive earthen mounds rose on either side of Akainu, forming two spherical halves that rapidly closed in.
With a deafening *crash*, the two halves collided, forming a dome-shaped hill that loomed over the battlefield.
Kazuma's hands continued weaving signs, pressing his palms against the dome. Black sealing runes spread across its surface like chains, locking it tight.
"Ninja Art: Heavy Earth Binding!!!"
"Phew…" Kazuma exhaled heavily, leaping back with a sneer. "You're tough, I'll give you that. Eleven of us, and one's already dead. But that's as far as you go. My 'Heavy Earth Binding' can seal even a massive, powerful summoned beast."
"Next…" Ignoring Chiriku's lifeless body slumping to the ground, Kazuma glanced at Asuma's grief-stricken face, smirked, and turned to the ongoing battle. "Once we deal with that ninja cat, the Daimyo's mission is complete. Then, we can take care of the Leaf's Hokage."
Eight of the Twelve Guardian Ninja were locked in combat with the enlarged ninja cat, Jiro.
"Ha, we lost one, but it just shows this so-called Lava Release beast isn't as fearsome as the rumors say!" Kazuma taunted.
But as he took a step forward, his mocking expression froze.
Turning sharply, his eyes filled with disbelief. "…How?!"
Asuma, trying to support Chiriku's body, froze as well, his gaze locking onto the earthen dome.
The thick soil began to melt into flowing magma under terrifying heat. In mere moments, the massive dome collapsed like melting butter, its sealing runes dissolving like water.
"Kazuma! Your sealing jutsu didn't work!" Asuma's pupils shrank, tension gripping him again.
"Damn it…" Kazuma's face twisted in frustration.
In their sights, a crimson figure wreathed in flowing magma stood unscathed atop the molten pool. Thick smoke billowed from Akainu's body, the acrid scent filling Asuma and Kazuma with dread. Half his face was normal, the other half molten, his expression cold. His eyes burned with the scarlet glow of the Sharingan.
"Phew…" Akainu glanced at Jiro, battered and wounded in the distance, ignoring Asuma and Kazuma. "Eight battle-hardened elite jonin ganging up on one ninja cat? That's hardly fair."
"You… damn Uchiha Akainu!" Kazuma, realizing he was being ignored, veins throbbing, shouted, "I'm standing right in front of you, and you're worried about a cat?!"
Akainu's gaze shifted to Kazuma. The moment their eyes met, Kazuma felt a bone-chilling cold despite the sweltering heat, sweat pouring down his body.
"You're pretty noticeable…" Akainu raised a hand, his severed right arm somehow regrown. "…with all that 'evil' on your head."
As he raised his arm, the magma beneath surged wildly. With three swift hand signs, he intoned calmly, "Lava Release: Flame Dragon Bullet."
No fiery shout, just a flat statement, yet it sent Asuma and Kazuma into high alert, their faces pale with shock.
A colossal magma dragon erupted from the molten pool beneath Akainu, its massive jaws baring ferocious fangs as it roared toward them, as if to swallow them whole.
The spectacle drew the attention of the eight Guardians fighting Jiro.
"Trouble!" one of them shouted, pupils narrowing as he rushed toward Akainu. "Those skilled in Water Release, with me to back up Kazuma!"
Two others followed. "Water Release: Water Shockwave!!!" ×3
Three torrents merged into a tidal wave, crashing overhead against the charging magma dragon.
*BOOM!*
…
"It's definitely Akainu under attack… but are the attackers really spies from another village?" From the top of the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the distant magma dragon, his brow furrowed with an ominous feeling.
He'd already dispatched the ANBU, but as the Hokage, he couldn't leave the village. With Akainu temporarily gone and the Leaf's elite forces stretched thin, his absence could spell chaos.
Spies within the village, or even rogue Leaf ninjas, were a constant concern. Especially Uchiha Itachi…
What if he returned to find the Uchiha clan wiped out? Or Uchiha Shisui donning the Hokage's robes, laying a trap for him?
Sarutobi's mouth twitched at the thought. All these internal threats… stemmed from the Uchiha.
For a fleeting moment, he almost understood Danzo.
…
"Looks like a lot of enemies," Uchiha Shisui muttered, standing atop the Uchiha stronghold, leaning on his cane as he gazed at the distant chaos. "To cause such a commotion, it's at least a group of elite jonin… all Akainu's enemies?"
Shisui gloated, hoping the ambushers would kill Akainu—or at least force him to reveal more of his cards and intel, which would be a win for him.
"Elder Shisui, let's head out to support Akainu!" a young radical Uchiha shouted, freezing Shisui's smug expression.
Damn it! How had [Absolute Justice] brainwashed these people? Akainu hadn't even directly interacted with them, had he? Just hearing tales of his exploits and learning about his extreme ideology gave them such a high opinion of him?
Why?!
Shisui's face darkened, and without turning, he said coldly, "Hmph! You think the Leaf's leadership would let Uchiha ninjas leave the village without reason? Last time Fugaku tried to aid Akainu, Danzo stopped him."
"The Leaf's higher-ups never trusted the Uchiha. They didn't before, and they don't now. That won't change. Even if you go, they'll stop you."
Shisui deftly redirected the blame to the Leaf's leadership. In truth, he had no intention of helping Akainu.
…
"Fugaku, aren't you leading the police force to help Akainu?" Uchiha Mikoto asked her husband.
"…It's too late to help," Fugaku replied, his expression tangled with unspoken conflict. He sighed deeply. "If Akainu hadn't caused so much trouble, I could've led the police force to support him. But now, the higher-ups are on high alert. Even the Hokage meets him with escorts."
"If I lead the police force to aid him, the higher-ups will see the Uchiha as too close to Akainu. Their wariness of him will transfer to the entire clan."
"That would push the Uchiha, already teetering on the edge, into a chasm of mutual distrust with the leadership."
Fugaku paused, then added, "That's one reason I don't want Sasuke following [Absolute Justice]. The closer the Uchiha are to Akainu, the more dangerous it is for us."
Mikoto's eyes widened in disbelief. "Fugaku, Akainu *is* an Uchiha. How can you talk about 'too close'? Why would the higher-ups blame the entire clan for his actions?"
"You're being too sensitive," she said, struggling to understand her husband's desire to distance the clan from Akainu.
"Your perspective is too narrow," Fugaku said, echoing something Itachi had once told him. After a brief silence, he continued, "It's not that I've become sensitive. It's Itachi… he's starting to stir."
Mikoto gasped. "!!!"
"Itachi's restlessness is because of Akainu's extreme actions, making him think the Uchiha are spiraling out of control. The only way to calm him might be to completely distance ourselves from Akainu, though I'm not sure it'll work."
Fugaku's sigh seemed to age him years.
Mikoto was at a loss. Her eldest son and her husband—their thoughts and actions were incomprehensible to her.
They kept saying Akainu was too extreme. But they didn't seem to notice their own extremism.
Mikoto opened her mouth but found herself speechless.
…
Outside the Leaf Village, as the torrents of water clashed with the magma dragon, scalding white steam surged toward Asuma and Kazuma, its burning heat forcing them to retreat. They couldn't even retrieve Chiriku's body, watching helplessly as the steam cooked it.
"Hiss…" Asuma winced, glancing at his reddened arm, scalded by the steam.
Looking up, he saw the magma dragon overpowering the water, pushing it back. Three elite jonin's combined attack couldn't match Akainu's single Lava Release jutsu.
"He's at Kage level!" Asuma gritted out, finally understanding why his father was so cautious, avoiding direct confrontation despite losing his eldest son to Akainu. Akainu's terrifying power was the reason.
"?!"
Asuma noticed the magma dragon's glow intensifying. "Watch out!!!" he shouted, but the dragon exploded like a volcanic eruption. The blast shattered the water, sending scalding droplets across hundreds of meters, like a boiling rain over the forest.
The dragon fragmented into countless house-sized magma bullets, trailing flames and black smoke, hurtling toward the three Water Release users.
One was caught off-guard, engulfed by a magma bullet, either vaporized or charred beyond recognition. Another dodged too slowly, the shockwave hurling him into a tree, embedding him in the trunk.
"Pwah!!!" He vomited blood, half his skin charred and fused with his clothes.
The last Guardian barely evaded the barrage, shaken but alive—until the ground trembled beneath him. Cracks appeared, magma seeping through.
"…Damn!" *BOOM!* A ten-meter-wide magma torrent erupted, swallowing him before he could scream or use any jutsu.
"Damn Uchiha!!!" Kazuma's fury surpassed Asuma's, his eyes blazing as the three dead Guardians were all allies in his anti-Hokage faction.
"Kazuma!!!" Asuma's shout snapped Kazuma back, sensing imminent danger.
Akainu's scarlet Sharingan locked onto Kazuma, the three-tomoe illusion disrupting his senses. In panic, Kazuma clapped his hands, disrupting his chakra to break the genjutsu.
But as his senses cleared, he felt fingers grip his face—Akainu's molten hand.
*Sizzle.* The sound of burning flesh was clear as Akainu's hand melted through Kazuma's face like butter.
Kazuma's eyes froze in horror and despair.
The Twelve Guardian Ninja were down to six.
Asuma, witnessing the carnage, felt a chill. Akainu's molten, smoke-wreathed figure was a nightmare incarnate.
Akainu, alone, had effortlessly killed four and critically wounded one in moments—elite jonin, veterans of the Third Ninja War. Asuma knew he'd stand no chance against them alone.
This guy… was a monster.
The deaths and injury shocked the five Guardians fighting Jiro. One, distracted, was swiped by Jiro's claw, losing an arm.
Not just Akainu—this giant cat was a monster too.
*Whoosh!* Jiro's tail whipped, forcing the one-armed Guardian to harden his skin with Earth Release. The tail struck, sending him flying like a volleyball, scenery blurring past.
*This direction…* He realized too late—Jiro had aimed him toward Akainu.
In a fraction of a second, he saw Akainu's Sharingan glance his way. Time seemed to slow as Akainu's molten arm thrust like a spear, piercing his chest and halting his flight.
"Pwah!!!" Blood sprayed from the one-armed Guardian. His Earth Release couldn't withstand Akainu's Lava Release.
"Five and a half left," Akainu said coolly, his voice like a demon's to Asuma, chilling him to the bone.
"Monster!!!" Asuma choked out, understanding his father's restraint. The cost of fighting Akainu in the Leaf was too high.
…
*Swish!* Two figures darted through the forest—Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy.
"What a huge cat!" Guy exclaimed, spotting Jiro. "Kakashi, is that fiery justice guy fighting that monster cat?"
Kakashi paused, realizing Guy meant Akainu. *What kind of nickname is that?* His eye twitched. Did this hot-blooded idiot forget Akainu's name?
"That cat's Akainu's ally, Jiro," Kakashi said gravely. "If Akainu's cat is fighting, this ambush is serious."
Who could orchestrate such a trap outside the Leaf? Foreign spies? But which village could muster so many elite jonin so soon after the war?
A bold theory hit Kakashi: *The attackers are Leaf ninjas.* Akainu had made many enemies in the village, some with deadly grudges.
"If that's true…" Kakashi hesitated. "Am I wading into a mess?"
But Guy surged ahead, yelling, "Kakashi! Let's race to see who gets there first!"
Kakashi's mouth twitched. *Fine, I'll owe Akainu one.*
…
"Senpai…" Uchiha Izumi, lagging behind, gritted her teeth, pushing her young body to its limit. Who was ambushing Akainu outside the village?
The Third Hokage? Akainu had warned her the Hokage wasn't a good person, and her own glimpse of his "evil" confirmed it.
But seconds later, she dismissed the idea, hearing commotion behind her. Turning, she saw ANBU ninjas speeding past.
"The ANBU? All of them?" Izumi muttered, stunned. "So it's not the Hokage's men attacking Senpai?"
Then who?
…
Asuma sensed Akainu's scarlet gaze turn toward him, a chill gripping him. He retreated, spitting, "Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!!!"
Smoke obscured Akainu's vision, its heat igniting nearby branches. It could burn skin raw, but against Akainu's Lava Release, it was nothing.
"Wind Release: Verdant Gale!!!" Asuma threw his chakra knuckle blades, one piercing Akainu's chest, the other his eye, both exiting through his back.
The blades fell, their Wind chakra eroded by magma, half-melting into liquid metal.
"Tch!" Asuma retreated from the smoke, clapping his hands. "Wind Release: Dust Tornado!!!"
A whirlwind of smoke and ash formed, Asuma unfurling scrolls to release weapons and explosive tags. The tornado swept them up, shredding everything in its path.
*BOOM!* A massive explosion lit the sky, the blast hurling Asuma back. Metal shards flew indiscriminately, cutting into Akainu's body.
Asuma tumbled in the air, landing bloodied, his vest soaked red, a kunai shard piercing his thigh's artery.
But he didn't care about his wounds. *What about Akainu?*
"No… more… tricks," Asuma panted, standing shakily. "I gave everything. He's not invincible, right? Elemental attacks should hurt him."
He'd given his all to take down the monster threatening the Leaf.
*Drip. Sizzle. Drip. Sizzle.* A faint sound made Asuma's eyes widen. Through the smoke, a molten figure emerged, unscathed.
Asuma's efforts—useless.
Maybe Chiriku felt this disbelief when his chakra bell failed against Akainu's magma hound.
"Sarutobi Asuma," Akainu's voice was cold, draining Asuma's strength. "When you raised a blade filled with malice against [Absolute Justice], you became its enemy."
"Justice…" Asuma laughed bitterly. "Your justice makes you a killing machine in the Leaf. You killed my brother, Shinnosuke. Even ignoring your threat to the village, that alone demands we settle this."
"Is avenging my brother a sin in your extreme justice?"
Blood loss blurred Asuma's mind, but he pressed his question.
Akainu's tone was flat. "A murderer's crimes exposed, executed by the Leaf. His family sees the Leaf as an enemy, vowing to destroy it. If you think that's just, we have nothing to say."
"You're beyond saving." In a blink, Asuma's eyes trembled. A molten arm had pierced his chest, his ninja vest useless.
Smoke obscured half his face. "Unlike your brother, you don't see clearly," Akainu said. "He didn't agree with my [Absolute Justice], but he understood it better than most."
As Akainu withdrew his arm, Asuma's eyes lost their spark, his body collapsing face-down.
The Third Hokage's eldest and second sons—both dead.
"Four and a half left…" Akainu's gaze passed the ruined landscape and broken bodies, landing on the four Guardians fighting Jiro.
He walked toward them.
…
"Almost there!" Kakashi breathed the sulfurous air, the battle's intensity clear in the stench.
But the commotion was fading, as if the fight was nearing its end.
Emerging from the forest with Guy, Kakashi's eyes widened.
Jiro held a bloody corpse in its jaws; a headless body lay on the ground; a charred lump nearby looked like remains. Akainu, without flair, obliterated a ninja's head with a single punch.
The ninja's desperate stab into Akainu's body was laughably futile.
"We're… too late," Kakashi said dryly, taking a deep breath.
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