With difficulty, Kakashi tore his gaze away from Uchiha Akainu and couldn't help but take in the devastated scene before him.
The area looked like a volcanic crater, with molten lava flowing across a vast expanse. Thick smoke billowed upward, and flames roared all around, the intense heat making Kakashi feel uneasy. The ground was riddled with countless craters—some so vast their size was hard to gauge, others so deep they seemed bottomless.
The trees in this area had been completely obliterated. If someone looked down from above, they'd see nothing but a barren wasteland.
Scattered across the ground were corpses, each one horribly mutilated. Some were reduced to just an upper torso, others to mere heads. Some were charred to blackened husks, while others had gaping holes torn through their chests.
"Huff… huff…"
A faint, labored breathing caught Kakashi's attention. When he turned toward the sound, he was shocked to see a survivor—barely clinging to life, left alive by Uchiha Akainu. The figure's limbs were grotesquely twisted, bones shattered beyond count. Kakashi knew that without immediate treatment from a skilled medical ninja, this person wouldn't last another minute.
And even then… it seemed hopeless.
Even Might Guy, standing nearby, had a grim expression.
"Kakashi, look over there…" Guy's sudden words startled Kakashi. "Check the lower waist of that corpse."
Following Guy's direction, Kakashi's gaze locked onto the body. His single Sharingan eye widened in shock.
There, tied around the waist of a corpse that Akainu had impaled through the chest, was a cloth emblazoned with the character for "fire." The sight was jarring in Kakashi's eyes.
"This is…" Kakashi gasped, his breath catching.
Guy nodded, his usual fiery talk of youth absent. His voice was low and serious. "That's the sash of the Land of Fire. Only one group of ninja is allowed to wear that…"
He paused, then dropped a bombshell: "The Twelve Guardian Ninja, the elite protectors of the Land of Fire's Daimyo!"
As Guy's words sank in, Uchiha Akainu slowly withdrew his right arm, letting the impaled corpse slump to the ground.
Nearby, the massive, battle-scarred ninja cat Jiroji deflated rapidly, shrinking back to normal size. With a pained grimace, Jiroji kicked at a mangled corpse it had torn apart, snarling, "That hurt like hell, meow! You're the jerk who hit my bell with that Fire Release, aren't you? So damn sneaky! Biting you to death was too good for a scumbag like you!"
"Meow! Good thing I sat on the ground quick to put out the fire. You Daimyo's lapdog got off way too easy. Ouch! It still hurts like crazy, meow!"
Kakashi: "…"
Might Guy: "…"
The ninja cat's ranting and its near-castration ordeal completely shattered the heavy, somber atmosphere.
The phrase "Daimyo's lapdog" confirmed it for Kakashi and Guy—these were indeed the Twelve Guardian Ninja!
"One, two… five, six…" Kakashi silently counted the mutilated bodies, cold sweat trickling down his face.
He didn't count eleven corpses, but he figured some of the ninja had been vaporized by the molten heat, leaving no remains at all.
The Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire's Daimyo… they might have been entirely wiped out!
---
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh… Rustling sounds broke the silence as Kakashi turned to see a group of Anbu ninja finally arriving.
"Captain Kakashi?" One of his subordinates, recognizing Kakashi's distinctive silver hair, approached. Stunned by the devastation, he asked, "Captain, what happened here? Who are those bodies?"
"I don't know the full situation," Kakashi said, shaking his head with a complicated expression. "All I know is those bodies are likely the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire's Daimyo."
The Anbu ninja froze in shock.
Kakashi hadn't lowered his voice, so everyone heard. One Anbu immediately inspected a mutilated corpse and gasped, "It's Seito, one of the elite Jonin from the Twelve Guardian Ninja!"
Another Anbu, checking a different body, exclaimed, "This one looks like Toma, another of the Twelve!"
All eyes turned to Uchiha Akainu in stunned disbelief.
They'd seen from afar that Akainu was fighting a group of unknown ninja, but no one could've imagined those ninja were the Twelve Guardian Ninja! And in such a short time, the entire elite Jonin squad had been slaughtered by Akainu, reduced to gruesome corpses.
"No need to stare at me like that," Akainu said, the molten lava on his body slowly receding. He stood before them, his clothes barely singed, his hair only slightly mussed. His voice was cold and detached. "The moment they chose to ambush me with malicious intent, they fell into the abyss of evil and were destined to be purged by [Absolute Justice]."
The Anbu ninja were floored. The weight of Akainu's words was staggering.
So, the Twelve Guardian Ninja had set up an ambush outside the Hidden Leaf Village, lying in wait to kill Uchiha Akainu? And instead, they were all counter-killed by him—a group of elite Jonin from the Land of Fire, failing to assassinate a single Leaf ninja standing in the open!
"Wait!" one Anbu suddenly snapped out of it, his expression vivid beneath his mask. He couldn't help but ask Akainu directly, "Among the Twelve Guardian Ninja, there's one named Sarutobi Asuma! Was… was he part of this ambush against you?"
"Yes," Akainu replied bluntly. "He was even the mastermind. If you want to check the bodies, you can find his over there."
He spoke as if he'd merely dispatched a common criminal, not the second son of the Third Hokage.
The Anbu ninja fell silent.
At that moment, it wasn't just Kakashi sweating profusely—every Anbu ninja was drenched in cold sweat.
"Sarutobi Asuma… why does he share the Hokage's surname?" Might Guy muttered, stroking his chin.
"He's the Hokage's second son," Kakashi said softly, his tone heavy.
"Oh… wait, what!?" Guy's eyes widened in shock.
---
Inside the Hokage's office…
"It seems to be over, Hiruzen," Koharu Utatane said, standing beside the Third Hokage, gazing at the dissipating smoke in the distance. She hadn't gone to investigate herself. "It started abruptly and ended quickly. We don't yet know the casualties."
Koharu sighed theatrically. "I'm not particularly fond of hotheaded youngsters like Uchiha Akainu. They don't listen to advice and act solely on their own convictions, causing trouble for the village. But… at the end of the day, he's still part of the Leaf. I hope nothing's happened to him. The village can't afford to lose such a powerful ninja."
Her words sounded hollow, even to Hiruzen, who listened with a grim expression. "We'll know the details when the Anbu return," he said curtly.
For some reason, as the commotion outside the village died down, Hiruzen didn't feel relieved. Instead, an ominous premonition grew stronger, tightening his chest with unease.
"Something feels… wrong," he murmured, gripping the wooden railing of the Hokage's office balcony. His hand tightened unconsciously, making the wood creak under the pressure. His heart was restless, unable to settle.
---
On a rooftop in the village…
"It's gone quiet, huh?" a female ninja said, turning away from the distant scene to tease her companion. "Hey, Kurenai, didn't your childhood friend come back to the village recently? I saw you two meeting up. So, what's the deal? He didn't confess or anything, did he?"
Kurenai Yuhi, still a Special Jonin, had been curiously watching the distant commotion. At her friend's teasing, her face tightened. "Confess? What are you talking about? The Leaf Village isn't that big, and he's not the only guy I grew up with."
The female ninja smirked. "Tch, you're twenty-two and still single? I think Sarutobi Asuma's pretty great. He's the Hokage's son, you know! You two met up privately—didn't he seek you out? No way he's not into you!"
Kurenai's brows furrowed, but she didn't respond.
Asuma had indeed sought her out recently, and she'd briefly thought he might confess. She'd even prepared polite rejections, believing she shouldn't let romance distract her before becoming a full Jonin. But instead, Asuma had said something strange:
"Kurenai, I'm about to do something most people wouldn't dare. If I succeed, the Leaf will be rid of a pest that's been eating away at the village."
"My old man doesn't know what I'm planning, but I'm sure he'll understand when he finds out. I hope you will too."
"I wasn't nervous at first, but after gathering some intel back in the village, I'm actually feeling it. Still, there's no turning back now. Once I've decided to do something, I've got to see it through."
"I'll meet you again tomorrow, same place. You won't turn me down, right?"
Recalling Asuma's odd words, Kurenai took a deep breath. A bad feeling gnawed at her.
---
"Teacher Akainu will be fine, right?" Naruto asked, his small face full of worry. Before leaving, Izumi had told him and Sasuke, "It looks like Akainu-sensei is fighting enemies. I'm heading outside the village to back him up! Naruto, Sasuke, stay at the Academy and don't move."
Sasuke, bruises still visible on his neck from a previous incident, said firmly, "He'll be fine. Akainu-sensei is strong!"
This was the man his mother trusted to protect her son, a man even his father, the Uchiha clan leader, couldn't control. Sasuke believed that even Itachi's retreat earlier wasn't just because of Naruto's outburst—it was likely because he sensed Akainu might show up.
In other words, Akainu was a man even Uchiha Itachi feared!
Sasuke was certain Akainu would come out unscathed.
---
Inside the Uchiha clan compound…
"Lord Setsuna, the commotion's stopped. If we head out now to check, the higher-ups' lackeys won't stop us, right?" an eager young Uchiha radical asked, barely containing his impatience.
What if Uchiha Akainu and his ambushers had fought to a stalemate, leaving Akainu gravely injured? If they rushed out now, they might find him in a vulnerable state. Saving that extreme kid? No way!
Setsuna's aged face tightened. "By the time we get there, the Anbu will already be on the scene. With such a huge disturbance outside the village, if Uchiha clan members show up, what do you think the higher-ups will assume?"
"Don't forget our ultimate plan! Until the coup is fully set in motion, any reckless actions could throw everything into uncertainty. Right now, we need to stay put and let the higher-ups lower their guard, not make them more suspicious of the Uchiha!"
Setsuna's words forced the restless radicals to grit their teeth and hold back.
"Damn those higher-ups!" one young Uchiha spat. "If they didn't discriminate and isolate us, we wouldn't be so powerless!"
Feeling the radicals' righteous anger, Setsuna inwardly sighed with relief. Despite Akainu's [Absolute Justice], they hadn't abandoned their resolve for the coup. The Uchiha clan still had hope—and Setsuna would be the one to save it.
---
Outside the village…
The Anbu finally located Sarutobi Asuma's body. Seeing his blood-soaked form, a charred hole in his chest, they fell silent.
Though the Hokage's second son rarely stayed in the Leaf, they all recognized his face.
After Uchiha Akainu killed Anbu Commander Sarutobi Shinnosuke for "executing justice," Asuma was the Hokage's only remaining son. And now, he too had fallen to Akainu.
The Anbu could hardly imagine how the Hokage, as a father, would react. It seemed… too cruel.
Logically, they should apprehend Akainu and bring him to the Hokage. But that would require Akainu being in the wrong. Here, Asuma was the one who'd led the Twelve Guardian Ninja to ambush a fellow Leaf ninja—an act arguably worse than the Shimura clan's misdeeds.
Akainu killed with a reason—[Justice]—a reason even the Hokage acknowledged. His kills were always out in the open, and the Yamanaka clan would verify the victims' crimes.
But Asuma? Was his motive revenge for his brother? That didn't hold up—Shinnosuke had been branded a criminal.
As the Anbu struggled to justify Asuma's actions, a rustling sound drew their attention. A young girl in an Uchiha Police Force uniform emerged from the forest, followed by a large group of ninja cats.
"Akainu-senpai!" "Lord Akainu!" the girl and cats called out in unison.
The Anbu recognized her—Uchiha Izumi, Akainu's frequent shadow. Seeing Akainu unharmed, Izumi's tense face relaxed, but her heart sank at the sight of Jiroji's battered state, hinting at the battle's intensity.
"Lord Jiroji!" The ninja cats swarmed Jiroji, some speaking, others meowing anxiously.
"Quit yowling, meow!" Jiroji swatted away a young cat, rolling its eyes. "Don't touch my wounds, you brats—it hurts!"
The devastated landscape left Izumi shaken. Hesitating, she started to speak, but Akainu cut in calmly, "I killed eleven evildoers who dared raise their blades against [Absolute Justice]."
As expected, her thoughts were plain on her face—Akainu always saw through her.
"Sorry, senpai, I got here too late," Izumi said, lips pursed in self-blame. "If I'd come sooner, maybe I could've fought alongside you."
"You're overestimating yourself," Akainu said flatly. "Your [Justice] is still weak."
As blunt as ever. Izumi flushed with embarrassment, but he was right.
"Go back," Akainu continued. "Your job is to uphold [Absolute Justice] in the village, not out here."
With that, he turned to leave, shocking the Anbu. Did he not realize that killing Sarutobi Asuma, the Hokage's son and an elite Jonin, was a massive deal?
One Anbu couldn't hold back. "Uchiha Akainu, shouldn't you stay and explain to the Hokage? You killed the Twelve Guardian Ninja—including his son, an elite Jonin!"
Izumi's eyes widened. The ambushers were led by the Hokage's son?
Akainu paused, glancing back. "Send the bodies to the Yamanaka clan. They'll give the Third a proper explanation. If he doesn't accept it, he can confront me when I return."
Jiroji, licking its wounds, limped after Akainu, scoffing, "The Third sent Lord Akainu on an S-rank mission, and his son just happens to ambush us outside the village? Quite the coincidence, meow! Maybe he should explain himself first. If he can't, does that mean he was in on this? Is the Third Hokage trying to assassinate his own ninja?"
The Anbu were speechless. The timing was suspicious, almost orchestrated. Even their late arrival felt calculated.
Was the Hokage involved?
As Akainu walked away, no Anbu moved to stop him. When Guy looked ready to act, Kakashi grabbed his arm, shaking his head. "This isn't our fight."
He watched Akainu's retreating figure, adding, "All we need to do is bring Asuma's body back and inform the Hokage. Akainu… he never kills without reason."
Kakashi didn't say it aloud, but he thought Asuma might've deserved it. Guy picked up on the unspoken sentiment and fell silent.
The Anbu split up—some put out the fires and lava, others collected the bodies. Kakashi and Guy returned to the village quietly.
"So…" Izumi murmured, piecing it together. "The Hokage's son led an ambush against Akainu-senpai, but Akainu-senpai took them all out. Asuma was the mastermind, so his death was justified—he stood on the side of evil. But if this isn't explained, people might think Akainu-senpai killed the Hokage's son for no reason. They could misunderstand his [Absolute Justice] again, and someone might twist the narrative!"
Speaking softly to the ninja cats, she said, "We need to spread the truth before anyone can spin this against Akainu-senpai. Let the village know what really happened."
Izumi believed this was crucial. If they held the moral high ground, the Hokage would have no grounds to act against Akainu. After all, Asuma was in the wrong, and Akainu was undeniably just.
---
Soon after, Kakashi went to the Hokage's office to report. Koharu Utatane spoke first, catching the faint sulfur smell on him. "Kakashi, you were outside the village, weren't you? What happened? Who ambushed Uchiha Akainu?"
Hiruzen, his unease growing, looked at Kakashi, noticing the odd glint in his eye despite his usual deadpan demeanor. His heart sank.
"Just say it, Kakashi," Hiruzen urged.
Kakashi exhaled heavily, steeling himself. "Lord Hokage, Uchiha Akainu was indeed ambushed by elite Jonin—about eleven of them. They were… the Twelve Guardian Ninja, the Daimyo's protectors. Among them was your son, Sarutobi Asuma."
As Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock, Kakashi continued, "Lord Hokage, Asuma has paid the price for attempting to assassinate a fellow Leaf ninja."
He tried to soften the word "death," but realized his wording leaned toward Akainu. Still, it was the truth.
The room fell into an eerie silence. Hiruzen stood frozen, while Koharu looked at him with concern.
The silence stretched until Kakashi noticed Hiruzen's breathing grow rapid, his aged eyes trembling, his face flushing unnaturally. His lips tinged blue, and he stumbled. Kakashi caught him just in time.
Hiruzen's ragged breaths echoed like bellows as he muttered, "Asuma… Asuma…"
"Hiruzen…" Koharu tried to comfort him but froze. "Hiruzen?"
Kakashi's eyes widened as Hiruzen went limp in his arms, fainting from the overwhelming grief and rage.
---
When Izumi and the ninja cats returned to the village, the cats spread the news. Before the Anbu could suppress it, the story of Asuma and the Twelve Guardian Ninja trying to assassinate Akainu—and being counter-killed—swept through the Leaf like a hurricane.
At first, many doubted it, but as the story spread with growing certainty, the entire village was shaken.
---
In the Hyuga clan compound…
"The Hokage's second son… Sarutobi Asuma, right?" Hiashi Hyuga took a deep breath, his usually stoic face betraying a flicker of emotion. "Both of the Hokage's sons died at Uchiha Akainu's hands. Regardless of the reasons or who's right, can the Hokage endure this loss twice over and still tolerate Akainu?"
Hiashi put himself in Hiruzen's shoes—he'd probably want to kill Akainu. Yet, he couldn't help but admire Akainu's [Absolute Justice]. When the Hokage's first son fell to evil, Akainu bore the stigma of killing his teacher to uphold justice. With Asuma, he made the same choice, unmoved by his status.
"Anyone else would've spared Asuma because of who he is," Hiashi mused. "They might've even pretended the ambush never happened. I probably would've too…"
He sighed softly. Not everyone had Akainu's resolve.
---
In the Uchiha clan compound…
Fugaku Uchiha sat in stunned silence, regret washing over him. Maybe his wife was right—he should've led the Police Force to support Akainu. If they'd stopped him in time, Asuma might've lived, sparing the Hokage this pain.
Fugaku couldn't imagine how Hiruzen would view the Uchiha now, having lost both sons to Akainu. He wanted to distance the clan from Akainu's [Absolute Justice], but they were still tied to him. How could the Hokage not see the Uchiha through a biased lens now?
"Why were both of the Hokage's sons doing this? Can't they just be normal ninja?" Fugaku muttered, lost. He felt every decision he made was wrong, and he couldn't understand why.
---
"Uchiha Akainu…" Itachi Uchiha, who hadn't gone to investigate, stared toward the Uchiha compound, his resolve hardening. "You don't realize your actions are pushing the Uchiha and the Leaf to opposite extremes."
He murmured, "This will only make the clan's radicals more eager to act against the village."
His fingers brushed the hilt of his ninja blade, tapping its weighted end. He could almost see the radicals' excitement at the news, itching to launch their coup early.
"I won't let that happen," Itachi vowed. "Everything… is for the Leaf."
---
After hearing the radicals' enthusiastic reports, Setsuna fell silent. He hadn't expected Asuma to be bold enough to ambush Akainu outside the village—or Akainu to be strong enough to wipe out eleven elite Jonin, including the Twelve Guardian Ninja, unscathed.
Even a Kage might've hesitated against such a force, yet Akainu had prevailed. Setsuna was at a loss. How could the Hokage's son and the Daimyo's elite guards fail so spectacularly?
Still, he saw an opportunity. Akainu's actions had driven an irreparable wedge between him and the Hokage. If they clashed and weakened each other, Setsuna could seize the advantage.
Surely, the Third couldn't tolerate this.
---
In the Leaf Hospital…
Hiruzen, overcome by grief and rage, had fainted and was rushed to the hospital. Now, he lay in a bed, still unconscious.
Mitokado Homura, arriving after hearing the news, found Kakashi outside the room. "Has Hiruzen woken up?" he asked.
"No," Kakashi replied. "It's been over two hours. The medical ninja say his vitals are stable, but the emotional shock caused his collapse."
Homura sighed. "No one could stay calm after this. Hiruzen's been through a lot, but losing both sons… it's too much, even for him."
He paused, then asked, "You've heard the village rumors, right? Are they true?"
"Most likely," Kakashi said. "You know Akainu never lies. If he says Asuma and the Twelve tried to kill him, that's what happened."
Homura fell silent. Akainu's flawless record of executing justice had left a strong impression—those he killed were never innocent. Most ninja would assume Asuma had done something wrong, not that Akainu was reckless.
Homura shared that impression. "The bodies are with the Yamanaka clan, right?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Then let them provide an explanation," Homura said, sighing. "I just hope Hiruzen can accept it after losing both sons."
---
In the Nara clan compound…
With the Yamanaka clan's compound still under reconstruction, most Yamanaka lived with the Nara, some with the Akimichi. The Anbu had brought the bodies to the Nara compound.
Shikaku Nara stared at Asuma's corpse, giving a bitter smile. "Haiichi, this is a big mess. If not for Shinnosuke's unborn child, Hiruzen's line would be finished."
Inoichi Yamanaka's expression barely flickered. "Akainu's in the right here. If the Hokage targets him over this, the Yamanaka won't stand by."
"You're that sure without checking the bodies' memories?" Shikaku asked.
Inoichi nodded.
Shikaku sighed, pocketing his hands. "The Ino-Shika-Cho trio is one unit. If you're set on this, I'll back you. So will Choza."
---
The news of Asuma's failed ambush and Akainu's counterattack spread like wildfire, shaking the Hidden Leaf to its core.
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