Chapter 110: For Justice
Uchiha Tsukasa took several deep breaths.
Watching Mangetsu Hōzuki engulfed in the Dragon Flame Jutsu's inferno, his eyes showed no triumphant joy. Instead,
he was exhausted and uncertain about what lay ahead.
By this point,
he had depleted all his strength.
His chakra was nearly gone, and the reserves of the miniature Zero-Tails in his abdomen had been completely drained.
He was forced to halt his forbidden technique, Physical Regeneration. The partially healed wound in his abdomen continued bleeding, now healing slowly under the influence of his immortality alone.
Tsukasa's face visibly paled.
In five days, he had gone from a cannon fodder Genin who couldn't even activate his Sharingan or use more than a basic Fireball Jutsu, to his current state through
desperate struggle.
But after achieving immortality, he was still nothing more than a troublesome, barely Jōnin-level fighter with limited endurance.
In the Third Shinobi World War, where countless legendary shinobi clashed,
he was barely holding his own.
But what now?
How should he fight next?
"Gah!"
A figure in a black cloak vomited a pool of blood mixed with a dense swarm of parasitic insects. A water technique blasted him high into the air, and he landed at Tsukasa's feet.
"Ahem." Aburame Ryoma struggled to his feet and stood silently before Tsukasa,
unsure what to say.
He had come with a solemn promise to protect this kid. After all,
according to his intelligence, he and Yagura were both elite Jōnin. Even if they couldn't win, at least holding their own shouldn't be a problem.
But he had never expected
the leader of the Kirigakure Jōnin squad to be this formidable.
His chakra reserves seemed limitless, and his mastery of Water and Wind Release techniques was extraordinary.
At this moment,
Aburame Ryoma, his black cloak shredded by Yagura's attacks, looked somewhat disheveled.
While this Root commander was undeniably strong, the future Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure was clearly even stronger.
After a long silence, having adjusted his composure, Aburame Ryoma spoke in a muffled voice:
"Uchiha Tsukasa,"
"My mission is to bring you to Lord Orochimaru."
"This water's surface is already filled with my parasitic insects. Soon, I will use my secret technique, Insect Bog, to destroy everything here, and you'll use that opportunity to escape."
"Head immediately to the Rain Country camp and report to your teacher."
Aburame Ryoma was silent for a moment, then spoke: "If possible, please tell him to look after Torune, my successor at Root."
Tsukasa frowned slightly, then shook his head, interrupting him coldly.
"Don't pull that self-sacrificing act with me."
"Besides, I'm not interested in doing you favors."
"Don't you understand?"
"Today, if we don't fight until the very last moment, none of us are getting out of here alive."
As he spoke, the water ablaze with dragon fire suddenly surged!
A bizarre ninja sword tore through the sea of flames, revealing its true form:
a deep blue, scale-covered blade shaped like a massive shark, with sharp teeth and a long, grotesque tongue. Its hilt was wrapped in white bandages.
The great sword, Samehada!
Then, Mangetsu Hōzuki suddenly rose to his feet, standing atop a massive water construct the size of a building. A ferocious expression marked his burn-scarred face.
With one hand gripping the ninja sword and the other clutching the Seven Ninja Swords Summoning Scroll, he glared intently at Tsukasa.
For a moment, murderous intent filled the air.
Tsukasa pulled the threads back, retrieved the Kusanagi Sword, and gripped it firmly. His gaze hardened as he stated,
"The only way to survive is to stall until reinforcements arrive."
"And those reinforcements are Konoha's hunter-nin."
Aburame Ryoma fell silent.
The "hunter-nin," Konoha's pursuit and elimination unit, were dedicated to completing missions with no survivors. Furthermore, Kirigakure had no habit of taking prisoners from enemy villages—killing them was as routine as breathing.
Stalling until the hunter-nin arrived might offer a chance of survival,
but it was more likely a death sentence.
"Tsk," Aburame Ryoma knew Tsukasa was telling the truth.
His secret technique, Insect Bog, would be significantly less effective against water-based shinobi.
But he couldn't help frowning, feeling somewhat displeased.
"The way you talk is so typically Uchiha."
"You're ruthlessly blunt with your seniors."
Tsukasa turned his head to look at this unfamiliar Root powerhouse. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled confidently:
"Compared to your half-baked suggestion,"
"I still have one last trick, though I don't particularly want to use it."
"But it should give you a chance to escape."
"So help me get Seiichiro out of here."
Then, Tsukasa raised the Kusanagi Sword in his hand and examined it.
He frowned, looked up at Aburame Ryoma and asked:
"Is this a gift from Orochimaru for becoming his apprentice?"
"It's quite valuable. It'd be a shame if it disappeared with me."
"Here, take it."
After speaking, Tsukasa casually tossed the Kusanagi Sword to Aburame Ryoma.
Aburame Ryoma was stunned for a moment, catching the blade with a puzzled expression.
He couldn't help but look up at Tsukasa with surprise and ask:
"Wait, what are you planning to do?"
He admitted this kid was exceptionally strong,
but at this critical juncture, what trump card could this kid possibly have left?
Even if he was incredibly resilient,
after such a devastating battle,
his body should be on the verge of collapse, right?
Tsukasa didn't explain, simply waving his hand dismissively.
Then he raised his head and took a deep breath.
He walked alone toward the center of the battlefield,
walking toward the future Fourth Mizukage,
Yagura Karatachi!
Yagura observed the blood-soaked boy approaching him, narrowed his eyes slightly, and keenly noticed that the rate of regeneration had slowed considerably.
Has this kid also reached his limit?
He shook his head and said regretfully:
"Kid, you're an impressive opponent, but it's unfortunate you haven't fully matured yet."
"So, whether for the greater good or to eliminate a future threat,"
Yagura raised his hooked staff, smiled slightly, but his tone was ice-cold:
"I will end your life here and now!"
Tsukasa took a deep breath and sneered coldly:
"Justice?"
He raised his hand coldly, pointed at the tragic scene of flooded devastation stretching for miles, and demanded sternly:
"Your so-called justice—is this the scene at your feet?!"
"Families torn apart, floods raging, homes destroyed—"
"Listen to these cries of anguish!"
"Doesn't your conscience trouble you over this?"
Yagura raised his head, a trace of conflict crossing his face as he was momentarily moved.
To capture him, the Third Mizukage had recklessly performed large-scale ninjutsu in this area filled with civilians.
Knowing this disaster was caused by his presence, Yagura's heart was clearly not as calm as he appeared.
But he quickly forced himself to remain composed and said in a low voice,
"I'm sorry about this,"
"But this is the sacrifice that must be endured when rising up for justice."
"And I've long been prepared for it."
At this point, Yagura's eyes seemed to gleam with a light brighter than the sun itself.
He stated firmly,
"This is the reality of our world. So-called shinobi are nothing more than individuals trapped in an endless cycle of suffering."
"No one can save everyone."
"For every child living in the sunlight, there must be someone suffering in the shadows."
"But even so, I will protect what I hold dear!"
"Even if it means fields of desolate graves and rivers of blood,"
"Even if I become an unforgivable sinner, I will forge a new Kirigakure and bring it into the light!"
"This is my ninja way."
Upon hearing these words, Tsukasa clenched his fists and fell silent for a moment.
Could he say Yagura was wrong?
What right did he have to criticize Yagura?
Why was the world like this?
So ultimately, why was he—a man without answers—brought to this world?
Given the burden of being 'heaven's toughest bastard,' expected to somehow save this world that had no clear solutions?
Everyone was right,
from their own perspectives, pursuing their own ninja ways,
on the path of harming innocents, on the path of forcing the world to bend to their will,
on the path where shinobi pierce each other's chests with jutsu and techniques,
on this path of endless killing!
Yagura looked at Tsukasa coldly and rebuked him harshly:
"Are you pitying them? Mourning for them? Spreading your naive compassion?"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"You're a Konoha ninja, in this Third Shinobi World War that engulfed the entire ninja world..."
"You're also an executioner!"
"How many fewer civilians have you Konoha shinobi killed compared to us in Kirigakure?"
"Get it straight, kid!"
"From what position are you questioning me?"
Tsukasa shook his head.
As expected, he couldn't understand these things, and he didn't have the answers.
However,
Tsukasa raised his head and smiled provocatively,
then glared at Yagura fiercely and shouted:
"You ask about my position?!"
"Listen carefully!"
"I'm an uncultured, greedy, lecherous bastard!"
"But that doesn't stop me from getting pissed off when someone does something uncultured right in front of me!"
"Causing disasters for others to benefit yourself?"
Tsukasa raised his chin, and a pair of sharp, breathtakingly intense Sharingan blazed to life. He stared coldly at Yagura, and
he shouted loudly:
"Yagura Karatachi!"
"You'd better kill me right here!"
"Otherwise,"
"I'll make you regret it immediately!"
"And if you somehow survive into the future, if you manage to overthrow the existing Five Great Nations, unify the entire shinobi world, and end this cycle of suffering!"
"I will be the first—"
Tsukasa's crimson eyes suddenly narrowed, and he snarled word by word:
"To destroy the Land of Water!"
"To raze Kirigakure to the ground!"
As soon as these words left his mouth,
everyone present began to doubt whether they'd heard correctly.
Aburame Ryoma, stunned, clutching his Kusanagi Sword; Mangetsu Hōzuki, standing atop the water construct, staring down with resentment; a group of masked Root operatives, looking up in astonishment; Yagura Karatachi; Mei Terumī;
and even a Kirigakure shinobi wearing a forehead protector and running toward them—
For a moment, everyone set aside their pride and prejudice.
At such arrogant, audacious words,
they all stared at the kid before them,
their eyelids twitching, their gazes trembling in disbelief.
End of Chapter 110
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