Chapter 29: In the Name of Justice
[Thank you Cube, Austin Levy, Derrick, Lolz, Keerthivas Venkatesan, and Sable for Joining the Patreon!
Joining the Patreon, even at the lowest $3 membership, gives you access to over 70+ Advanced Chapters! Join now and read Continuously!]
~~~
Sarutobi Shinnosuke drew a deep breath.
Even though he tried his best to stay calm, the "psychological shadow" Uchiha Chizumi had left on him was simply too great.
Once, of the three Konoha genin he mentored, two had died by killing each other.
The only surviving "culprit" now stood before him, calm and composed.
Shinnosuke's anger refused to subside.
For an Anbu shinobi, anger is a deadly flaw.
"Everything I've ever done," Shinnosuke said coldly, "has been for the sake of Konoha, and I have never fallen into darkness. Uchiha Chizumi, you're just someone who, for selfish reasons, dumps the label of 'evil' on others. Don't dress up your taste for killing in noble words."
"I don't understand why the Fourth Hokage ruled the killing of your teammates back then 'excessive self‑defense,' nor why the old man hasn't dealt with you all these years."
"But…"
He glanced at the Anbu corpses on the ground.
He didn't even pause to ask how Chizumi had recognized him through an Anbu mask, or why Chizumi appeared here at all.
From behind the mask, murderous intent poured from Shinnosuke's eyes.
"Since you've killed Konoha Anbu right in front of me, today I'll clean the house—for the old man, for Konoha…"
"…and for myself!"
The instant he finished, the six Anbu behind him moved as one.
With seamless coordination and classic ninja footwork, they sealed all Chizumi's escape routes and rushed in with their weapons.
Swish— Swish—
A ninja blade and a sickle carved two huge, gruesome gashes across Chizumi's body.
More Anbu hurled kunai and shuriken, every one striking home.
One kunai even had an explosive tag tied to its hilt.
"Detonate!"
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
The deafening blast stung the Anbu's ears. They watched as flames and smoke swallowed Chizumi—he should have been blown to pieces.
But—
"Wait… my sword!"
"My sickle—why is his Lava Release so hot? My weapon touched him for less than half a second and melted!"
Two incredulous cries rang out.
The Anbu with the sword and the one with the sickle stared at their half‑melted tools; molten iron dripped from the breaks.
Lifting their eyes, they saw a roaring tide of scarlet magma engulfing the smoke, flooding the corridor of the secret base.
Like a mudslide, the lava surged toward them, melting the floor in its wake.
Shinnosuke's face darkened.
"Lava Release…"
Though he had once been Chizumi's jōnin instructor, Shinnosuke had rarely seen him use it.
He only knew the temperature was terrifying—ordinary flesh died on contact.
He suddenly realized he barely knew his former student at all.
Watching the torrent rush closer, he barked:
"Take him out right here! Don't let him leave—his kekkei genkai would destroy the whole base! Use Water Release!"
The Anbu understood at once.
Three who knew Suiton formed seals.
At the last split‑second they unleashed the same jutsu:
"Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!" × 3
Roaring water rose like sea‑born whirlwinds, wrapping every Anbu inside.
Once gathered, it surged forward in a torrent to meet the lava.
The collision filled the corridor with scalding steam; the Anbu's faces changed.
So hot!
From within the mist, Chizumi's voice sounded utterly cold:
"Shinnosuke-sensei, you claim you've never fallen into darkness—then answer me. Half a year ago, when a 'volunteer' panicked and tried to quit the experiment midway, who killed him?"
Shinnosuke's pupils shrank as he fought the burning steam.
"A year ago, when you lacked 'volunteers,' who ordered subordinates into a neighboring country to abduct more than a dozen war orphans and force them into experiments?"
Terror crept into Shinnosuke's eyes.
Sentence after sentence, Chizumi pierced him like a judge from hell:
"And two years ago…"
"And again…"
Each revelation twisted Shinnosuke's face and drew shocked looks from the Anbu around him.
"Sensei, you say you're cleansing Konoha's ranks… How convenient. Today I'm here to cleanse the entire shinobi world."
…
At the same time, in Konoha
"Hokage-sama!"
The Anbu Shinnosuke had sent for aid finally arrived at the Sarutobi compound, shouting for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Slide—
A door opened.
Hiruzen stepped out in casual dress and wooden clogs, pipe in hand, brows knitted.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're one of Shinnosuke's Anbu… What's happened?"
The Anbu collected himself:
"Hokage-sama, the secret base outside the village is under attack. Captain Shinnosuke believes the enemy is exceptionally strong and sent me back to request reinforcements."
"What?!"
Hiruzen's heart tightened.
Years ago, when he'd destroyed Orochimaru's lab in Konoha, he'd seized a trove of research notes and captured many unforgivable experimenters.
He'd intended to destroy the data and had promised young Uchiha Chizumi to secretly execute the researchers, lest another Orochimaru arise.
But…
Persuaded by Koharu and Homura, he destroyed only the most heinous files and kept the rest, breaking his promise to Chizumi.
The researchers were relocated outside the village.
As Koharu and Homura had argued:
"Death is too easy; let them repay their debt with their knowledge and remaining lives."
"Hiruzen, you can't act rashly for a promise to one Uchiha boy. Genius or not, he's still an Uchiha…"
"Can you guarantee Chizumi will bring Konoha more benefit than all of Orochimaru's subordinates' knowledge?"
"We destroyed the intolerable data; the rest can serve the village."
Hiruzen had wavered.
He built a secret research facility about ten kilometers from Konoha and put his eldest son, Shinnosuke, in charge—he trusted no outsider.
He never expected trouble after only a few years.
For Shinnosuke to request aid, the enemy could not be ordinary.
"I will go myself," Hiruzen said gravely.
~~~
Thank you for reading! Please add this to your Library!
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!