Chapter 111: The Mysterious Scroll - Kirigakure's Shocking Development!
Everyone on the scene stared in astonishment at the young man who'd uttered such arrogant words.
But the most shocked was Root's Vice-Commander, Aburame Ryoma.
Overthrowing the Five Great Nations and unifying the entire shinobi world—
this vision reminded the veteran Aburame Ryoma of a terrifying figure from the past.
Although the passage of time and history had dulled the terror of that legend,
Aburame Ryoma, having dedicated himself to the dark side of the shinobi world,
understood the true nature of darkness.
The same vision, the same hairstyle, the indelible intensity in those Sharingan eyes,
and
this completely unreasonable power.
Just looking at him in his current state, he could easily become the next—
Shura of the Shinobi World!
Madara Uchiha!
However, Aburame Ryoma didn't feel the same bone-chilling dread that simply reading that legendary Shura's blood-soaked history would evoke.
Instead,
standing behind him, he felt an indescribable sense of security.
They were Root shinobi—shadow dwellers willing to abandon everything for their missions.
Yet even in this suffocating darkness,
unexpectedly, this young man stood before them,
saying,
"I'll help you escape!"
He'd even offered him a priceless legendary weapon—
the Kusanagi Sword itself!
At that moment,
Aburame Ryoma swallowed hard,
his composure faltering for reasons he couldn't explain.
He gripped the Kusanagi Sword tightly, gritted his teeth, and trembled uncontrollably.
The group of Root operatives standing behind him shared the same expression, the same state of shock.
They had clearly come to rescue this young man,
so why?
Why had the situation reversed?
How could this disciple of the Sannin, a young man with such a promising future,
stand before them without hesitation?
Before people like them—hands bloodied, filthy, and stained with sin?
Why did his back
radiate such warmth, like the bright, blazing spring sun?
Simply standing behind him seemed to cleanse their sinful souls!
Unlike these Root shinobi,
Mei Terumī, standing nearby, gazed worriedly at Tsukasa.
A vague sense of foreboding gripped her,
as if she were about to lose this young man today.
Tsukasa stared intently at Yagura Karatachi, his peripheral vision tracking Mangetsu Hōzuki's movements.
He understood that while Yagura had indirectly caused this disaster,
he wasn't the true culprit.
While Yagura bore some responsibility for hiding in the Hot Water capital and drawing the hunter-nin's attack,
the true perpetrators of this catastrophe were the hunter-nin themselves, and the Third Mizukage behind them.
These were the ones who truly disregarded human life, and it infuriated him!
And these were the very people he was targeting!
Tsukasa waited, suppressing his rage, controlling his emotions.
He could barely contain himself!
All the fighting he'd done so far, all the commotion he'd made, had been to buy time, attract attention, and wait for this group to appear!
He still had one final weapon!
The flooded city beneath their feet!
The darkness within its inhabitants!
Their injustice, their anger, their sorrow, their wailing, their despair!
Their rage would become his power!
The cries of this city's people would transform into a terrifying chakra that even the miniature Zero-Tails couldn't contain!
The price would be the Zero-Tails bursting, destroying his body in the process.
But that moment of brilliance
would inflict upon these murderers an unforgettable pain for the rest of their lives!
On the battlefield,
after a brief moment of surprise,
Yagura Karatachi shook his head, a hint of unease rising within him.
The words sounded childish—overthrowing the Five Nations like some grandiose boast—
but they inexplicably filled him with a subtle sense of dread, like insects crawling up his spine.
Yagura took a deep breath,
intending to strike immediately and utterly annihilate this kid before him.
However, at this moment,
a Kirigakure shinobi wearing a forehead protector and sporting distinctive blue hair looked at Tsukasa in surprise, then snapped to attention, rushed over, and shouted:
"Lord Yagura!"
"Hmm?" Yagura was startled, turning back in surprise. He recognized the young man
as his subordinate from the Jōnin squad—Ao.
Expert in sensory ninjutsu, somewhat old-fashioned, but nonetheless a reliable comrade.
"Please look at this!" Ao, clearly agitated, hurried over and pulled out a scroll, handing it to Yagura.
Yagura frowned slightly. Why can't this wait until after we deal with this brat?
But being generally good-tempered, he said nothing. He took the scroll from Ao and unrolled it.
At first glance,
Yagura's eyes widened.
"How is this possible?!"
He suddenly raised his head and stared at Ao, shocked.
"Ao, are you absolutely certain this information is accurate?"
Ao nodded vigorously, anxious and urgent, immediately asking,
"Lord Yagura, what should we do?!"
"We must act now!"
"This cannot wait!"
Yagura took a deep breath, his gaze flickering over Tsukasa before him, visible conflict in his eyes.
If they gave up on killing this kid now, once he matured, eliminating him might cost them dearly.
But the situation at the main island...
Yagura pondered for a moment, then made his decision. He looked up at Mei Terumī and Mangetsu Hōzuki,
no longer concerned with the political influence behind them.
He declared sternly,
"You two, even your rebelliousness has limits!"
"I'm saying this for the last time!"
"Now, follow me back to Kirigakure immediately!"
Mangetsu Hōzuki and Mei Terumī were stunned. Before they could process this, Yagura tossed the scroll to Mangetsu.
Then, approaching Mei Terumī—despite being barely five feet tall himself—he stared at her expressionlessly, carrying the gravity of someone much older.
Mei Terumī: "..."
Mei blinked, cold sweat immediately breaking out on her back.
Her impulsive decision to help Tsukasa could, if examined closely, even be considered treason.
However, Lord Yagura himself was currently in a state somewhere between defector and not-quite-defector,
so perhaps, maybe, possibly... nothing was wrong?
He stared at Mei for a long moment.
Finally, Yagura shook his head, saying with unexpected gentleness,
"Little princess, playtime is over."
"I need your help contacting the Elder Council."
"Now, go say goodbye to your friend."
"Next time we meet, you'll be true enemies."
At this moment,
Tsukasa sensed something had gone terribly wrong.
Why had the expressions of everyone across from him suddenly changed?
It was as if they'd been distracted by something far more urgent.
Wait, what was in that scroll they were reading?
They didn't want to kill him anymore?
Besides, he'd been waiting all this time for the Kirigakure hunter-nin.
Where were they?
After all this time and commotion, even running from across the country, they should have arrived by now!
At this thought,
Tsukasa's eye twitched, realizing things weren't going according to plan.
His eyes immediately fixed on the scroll in Mangetsu Hōzuki's hand.
Something unexpected must have interrupted his suicidal final technique!
Behind him,
Aburame Ryoma, upon seeing Ao's arrival, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then
he allowed himself a rare, subtle smile—one that hinted at complete control of the situation.
Seeing Tsukasa's confused expression, he felt a long-dormant sense of amusement.
Silently, he
moved closer to Tsukasa's ear
and whispered,
"Junior, do you want to know what's written on that scroll?"
Tsukasa was startled by Aburame Ryoma's sudden proximity and turned around, wondering how someone could move so quietly.
He shot Aburame Ryoma an annoyed look and said,
"Obviously! That must contain vital intelligence. Who wouldn't want to know?"
"Don't tell me you actually know what's in it?"
Aburame Ryoma smiled faintly, his expression dark and mysterious, like something from the underworld.
Then,
he actually reached out and produced an identical scroll, slapping it into Tsukasa's hand.
He raised a finger to adjust his sunglasses and said in an unexpectedly smooth tone:
"Of course I know."
"If you want to know why,"
"That's because I'm the one who gave it to them~"
End of Chapter 111
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