Konoha Notes

Chapter 108: Suppressing Chaos
Upon hearing the daimyo's words, the respect on Ma's face vanished instantly; the current daimyo was still not someone to be relied upon.

"Destruction? No, Lord Daimyo, I cannot see it..."

His words stopped abruptly.

A sudden gust of wind swept into the corridor of the sleeping quarters, catching the daimyo off guard. He stumbled and fell to the ground in a sorry state.

Amidst the howling wind, several wind blades slashed towards He Ma and his companions.

Kazuma reacted with lightning speed, slamming his hands on the ground, and a thick earthen wall rose up, blocking his path. The wind blades struck the earthen wall, cutting half a foot in, sending shards of rock flying.

However, in the next instant, a thin, clear stream of water silently pierced through the earthen wall and swept across the neck of a traitorous guardian ninja.

Blood gushed out immediately, and the person collapsed heavily to the ground.

"Disperse!"

With a loud shout, the two remaining traitorous guardian ninja instinctively dodged to the sides.

As Kazuma spoke, he turned and lunged at the fallen daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Although Kitako and Higashima didn't know who the supporters were, seeing Kazuma's actions, the two rushed forward without hesitation to try to stop him.

Just as Kazuma's fingers were about to touch the daimyo's clothes, another line of water quietly appeared, forcing him to tumble awkwardly to avoid it.

Kitako and Higashimao seized the opportunity to rush forward, one on the left and one on the right, protecting Daimyo behind them.

Wearing a Konoha-style Jonin vest, with dark red bloodstains that had not yet completely dried on his body, Shuji landed quietly amidst the billowing dust and the fading sound of the wind.

"Jonin Shuji!" Hope shone in the Daimyo's eyes.

Two members of the Lightning Release Four were killed by Kazuma and others, rendering them unable to use the Lightning Dream Technique. Furthermore, reinforcements from Konoha are currently nowhere in sight.

After his final attempts at persuasion and persuasion failed, Daimyo was in despair, feeling that he was likely to die that night.

Unexpectedly, Shuji, who had left long ago, returned.

Kazuma's face was grim. Before launching the attack, the four of them had gone to Shuji's room to confirm that he had already left.

Judging from the bloodstains on his body, he must have run into the Yan Shi and Tie Bing who were trying to stop him.

But now Shuji is alive and seemingly unharmed, while the two men he sent out have disappeared without a trace, meaning they are dead.

The Konoha envoy was stronger than expected, and one of our own men was killed in a surprise attack, leaving only three of us. The opposing side, besides the daimyo, also had three men.

If they continue to linger here, their dream will never come true. Kazuma and his two remaining companions exchanged glances quickly and reached a silent consensus in an instant.

Kazuma threw several kunai wrapped with explosive tags in the direction of the daimyo, while the other two traitorous guardian ninjas launched an attack at the same time.

However, just as the attack was launched, Kazuma himself did not rush forward. Instead, he rapidly formed hand seals and his body seemed to merge into the ground, silently sinking into the shadows.

Dongmao led the daimyo to dodge the explosive tags, while Shuji and Kitako faced off against two guardian ninjas. In just a moment, Shuji took down one of them, and Kitako followed suit by killing the other.

As for Kazuma, he has vanished without a trace.

The corridor fell silent again, save for the heavy stench of blood and the sound of labored breathing.

Looking at the mess everywhere, Beizi and Dongmao finally had the leisure to grieve for their dead companions.

The daimyo stood up with the help of two guardian ninja, still shaken.

Shuji said, “Lord Daimyo, although most of the rebels have been executed, one has escaped. There are probably still remnants of their followers in the City of Fire. The Daimyo’s residence needs to be purged immediately to stabilize order and prevent further unrest.”

“Let’s do it,” Bei Zi said in a deep voice.

Xiuji proved his stance and ability through his actions; no further words were needed at this moment. Kitako quickly left with Higashima to handle the aftermath.

"Thank you very much, Jonin Shuji." The Daimyo took a deep breath and tried to smooth out the wrinkles on his robes. "If it weren't for your foresight and return, I would probably not have escaped this calamity tonight."

"I was intercepted shortly after leaving the City of Fire, so I judged that something might change tonight and returned immediately."

After giving a brief explanation, Shuji immediately asked, "Where are Asuma-senpai and Master Jiraiya?"

The absence of these two individuals, who were neither involved in the guard duty nor traitors, seems quite suspicious.

The daimyo said, "Shortly before the rebels launched their attack, an urgent message came from the Fire Temple, indicating that a major incident had occurred. Jiraiya was worried about the safety of the temple and asked me to return to handle the situation. Asuma also volunteered and went with me to help."

"At the time... I didn't think much of it and gave my permission. Little did I expect that as soon as they left, these traitors..."

Shuji understood that the events at the Fire Temple were inextricably linked to the Guardian Shinobi who launched the coup. By transferring Asuma and Chiriku away, he proved that the two were not members of the coup faction.

That would make things easier to handle afterwards.

"Jonin Shuji, should we provide immediate support to the Fire Temple?"

After a moment's thought, Shuji shook his head: "No need. Ensuring your safety and the stability of the Fire Capital is the top priority right now. There are many ninja monks at the Fire Temple, plus Master Jiraiya and Senior Asuma, they should be able to handle it."

It is now almost certain that of the six Guardian Ninja who betrayed the daimyo, five are dead, and one remains at large with his whereabouts unknown. He cannot leave until all potential threats within the daimyo's prefecture and the City of Fire are completely eliminated and the daimyo's safety is ensured.

As for the Fire Temple, we can only choose to trust Jiraiya and Asuma's abilities.

Outside the Fire Temple.

The scene was far more horrific than Jiraiya and Asuma had anticipated. Houses collapsed, flames raged, and cries and roars mingled. A small, thin figure darted and destroyed the ruins, enveloped in an ominous, dark red chakra cloak.

This chakra was all too familiar to the Konoha ninjas who had experienced the Nine-Tails' rampage.

"That's... the Nine-Tails' chakra?!" Asuma exclaimed, his face filled with shock as he dodged the flying debris.

Jiraiya's expression was extremely grave: "Moreover, this chakra is eroding the host; we must stop it as soon as possible!"

The monks of the Fire Temple formed a seal to try to trap the rampaging figure, but their sealing techniques proved ineffective against the raging tailed beast chakra and were forcibly broken several times.

Jiraiya and Asuma stood in their positions, one on the left and one on the right.

"Come to welcome Thousand Hands Killer!"

A majestic phantom of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin appeared behind the two of them at the same time, accompanied by soft chanting and a faint glimmer of Buddha's light.

The next moment, countless golden fists formed from chakra rained down on the dark red figure at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

boom!boom!boom!boom!
A dense, drum-like explosion resounded.

The ferocious figure was abruptly halted by this sudden and fierce attack, letting out a painful and furious roar. The chakra cloak around its body fluctuated violently, its light flickering.

An older monk seized the opportunity and ordered the ninja monks of the Fire Temple to stand in eight corners.

"The Evil-Breaking Formation!"

The powerful sealing technique once again imprisoned the small figure. Taking advantage of this gap, Asuma was able to see the person inside through the chakra cloak.

"This...this child...is it Sora?!" Asuma exclaimed in disbelief, almost unable to believe his eyes.

As fellow members of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, Kazuma requested that his son be sent to live in the Fire Temple, citing his inability to care for the child. Jiraiya, of course, did not refuse.

But why... why does he have the Nine-Tails' chakra on him?!

And why did the sky go berserk tonight...?

Is it...

Asuma gritted his teeth. He'd actually gone this far. Kazuma, you don't even care about your own child's life...

Within the Demon-Slaying Formation, the chakra within Kong's body began to violently churn and contract under the continuous bombardment of the Thousand Hands Killer and the suppression of the magic circle, as if it were making a final struggle.

Dilu also heard Asuma's exclamation, and his expression became extremely grave, but the Thousand-Armed Guanyin phantom behind him swung his fists even faster and more urgently.

After an unknown amount of time, the dark red chakra finally receded like the tide, slowly shrinking back into the thin, frail body.

The monks, having exhausted their last bit of strength, collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

Kong in the formation lost all her strength, her small face was as pale as paper, her eyes were closed, and she slumped forward softly.

Asuma stepped forward, picked up the child, and after confirming that Sora was only unconscious and his vital signs were relatively stable, handed him over to Jiraiya.

"I'm leaving the land and air to you. I must return to the City of Fire immediately."

Jiraiya took the child from him: "Leave this to me. Asuma, be careful."

The problem lies with Kazuma's child, and both of them had already guessed what was going on. But given the state of the Fire Temple, Jiraiya was powerless to return and provide support, so he had no choice but to leave it to Asuma.

Asuma said no more, turned around and transformed into a black shadow, speeding towards the City of Fire at top speed.

However, when he rushed back to Daming Prefecture in a great hurry, he found that the battle was already over.

Kitako, who remained behind, remained indifferent, but still told Asuma everything that had happened: Shuji's timely return, the execution of the traitor, and... Kazuma's solo escape, disappearing without a trace.

Asuma was filled with complex emotions, including relief that the daimyo was unharmed, worry about Kazuma's escape, and an indescribable sense of guilt.

If he had made the decision sooner, Xidu and Nanwu might not have died.

With a guilty conscience, Asuma came to pay his respects to the daimyo and saw Shuji talking quietly with the daimyo outside the palace.

Upon seeing Asuma return, the daimyo looked concerned: "Asuma, you're back? How is the Fire Temple? What about Jiraiya?"

Asuma felt even more ashamed. After bowing, he said, "Reporting to the Daimyo, the incident at the Temple of Fire has been temporarily quelled. The land is safe and sound, and we are currently dealing with the aftermath."

"Regarding tonight's events, I..."

He took a deep breath and decided to be frank about his interactions with Kazuma and his unclear stance.

Shuji, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up: "Asuma-senpai, the situation at the Fire Temple has just been stabilized. You must be exhausted from your journey."

"However, the rebel is still on the run. Please assist Mr. Beizi in stabilizing the situation."

The daimyo looked at Shuji and slowly nodded: "Just as Jonin Shuji said, Asuma, go and help Kitako and the others."

The junior, who was originally polite, looked at him with a stern gaze, and for some reason, Asuma felt a little intimidated.

The daimyo's order ultimately led him to swallow the words he was about to say.

(End of this chapter)