Soaring Blood Flame (2)

"Uchiha Kazuna!"

Several figures surrounded Kazuna. One of them said coldly, "Come with us!"

"They finally came!"

Kazuna let out a long sigh of relief inwardly.

Hadn't he been waiting all this time for these masked bastards?

They were really slow. He was about to suffocate from boredom.

Kazuna pinched his fingers in a delicate pose and hummed, "Who was it that sent you to my side..."

As he sang, he even swayed his body.

The Root ninjas: "..."

Was this the Crimson Flame who had once terrified enemy ninja?

An overwhelming sense of idiocy hit them head-on.

"Uchiha Kazuna..."

"Fire Release!"

After singing one line, Kazuna formed hand seals before the Root members could continue speaking.

"Great Fireball Technique!"

"Boom!"

Surging crimson flames swept toward Root, instantly swallowing two of them.

Where the flames passed, only two charred corpses remained.

"You..."

The other Root members were shocked.

The attack had come far too suddenly, without the slightest warning.

And Kazuna actually dared to attack Anbu members directly under the Hokage's command!

"Just as Lord Danzo said, you Uchiha have already betrayed the village!" A Root ninja shouted, "Kill him!"

Whoosh!

A Root ninja drew his tachi and used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before Kazuna, raising his blade to slash down.

Kazuna looked up, the Three Tomoe spinning in his eyes.

The Root ninja froze stiffly in place.

Whoosh!

Splat!

Kazuna's hand swept lightly past, and the Root ninja's head flew into the sky.

In the blink of an eye, three companions had been killed. The remaining three Root ninjas were horrified.

Every ninja admitted into Root was an elite, yet they had no ability to fight back before Kazuna?!

"Fire Release..."

"Earth Release..."

Two Root ninjas were about to launch ninjutsu attacks.

Whoosh!

Kazuna vanished. When he reappeared, he was already behind the two Root members, while their heads had already flown into the sky.

Blood sprayed forth.

The pungent stench of blood spread through the air.

"Actually, my Body Flicker Technique isn't any worse than Shisui's!"

"What do you think of the title Blood Flame of the Body Flicker?"

Kazuna turned his gaze toward the last Root member.

That Root ninja's body trembled, his eyes full of terror as he stared at Kazuna.

Being in Root did not mean they did not fear death.

It was simply that their faith mattered more than death!

"Y-you actually dared to kill Anbu members?"

"You're Root, not Anbu!" Kazuna said with a smile. "Hasn't Root already separated from Anbu? You are loyal to Danzo, while Anbu is loyal to the Hokage. Could it be that, in your hearts, the Hokage's orders rank above Danzo's?"

The Root ninja fell silent, glaring viciously at Kazuna.

"I'll send you on your way! Goodbye!"

Kazuna chuckled and formed hand seals.

"Fire Release, Great Fire Annihilation!"

"Boom!!!"

A pillar of fire engulfed the Root ninja and shot into the sky.

Its immense spectacle instantly drew countless eyes.

That had been Kazuna's intention all along.

The Uchiha needed to change, and he himself needed to step back into the world. How could there be no commotion at all?

This was the signal he sent to the village.

Before long, a large number of ninja rushed over. Seeing Kazuna standing there with a lazy expression, they all frowned.

A great many of them knew Kazuna.

Just as many ninja knew Minato Namikaze, it was not because he was the Fourth Hokage. He had first made his name as the Yellow Flash, and only afterward became the Fourth Hokage.

He had truly slaughtered his way to a fearsome reputation during the Shinobi World War.

The Hokage's position had merely added to his glory.

Kazuna was the same.

During the Third Shinobi World War, he had left far too deep an impression on people.

Whether enemy-village ninja or Konohagakure's own ninja, all had been shocked by that Blood Flame.

"Kazuna, what are you doing here?"

The higher-ups had not yet arrived, so Shikaku Nara, as the Jonin Commander, could only step forward.

He looked at Kazuna, his eyes filled with helplessness.

This was truly a headache!

The village had only been peaceful for a few days. Could they not just live in peace?

Did something always have to happen?

Of course, Shikaku Nara's greatest suspicion was not directed at Kazuna.

As Konohagakure's sharpest mind, he had his own judgment.

He had dealt with Kazuna before. Though this man was impossible to read, he was not someone who enjoyed stirring up trouble.

However, neither was he someone afraid of trouble.

Kazuna looked at Shikaku Nara and said with a smile, "Hello, Senior Shikaku. I only killed a few people."

He killed a few people, and that was all?

Shikaku Nara felt his head splitting.

Especially since the corpses on the ground looked more and more like Anbu members.

Could anything involving Anbu be minor?

The others were thinking the same thing.

Considering that the Uchiha Clan had suddenly cut off contact with the village, their hearts clenched even tighter.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

At that moment, Konohagakure's higher-ups finally arrived.

Seeing the corpses on the ground, several of them stiffened.

Danzo was the first to make trouble. He roared, "Uchiha Kazuna, you actually killed Anbu members! Damn it, are you betraying the village?"

Just moments ago, the Third Hokage had summoned him to his office. Upon seeing the latest intelligence concerning the Uchiha, his heart had tightened.

Uchiha Kazuna possessed the Mangekyo?

Then hadn't the people he sent to deal with Kazuna walked straight into a tiger's den?

Just then, a mass of crimson flames had shot into the sky, becoming the center of the entire village.

"Danzo!" The Third Hokage truly was Danzo's good partner. Seeing that imposing Blood Flame, then noticing Danzo's slightly changed expression, he immediately understood.

He glared furiously at Danzo and shouted, "What did you do?"

Without waiting for Danzo's answer, he hurried over.

Danzo and the others followed close behind.

Then they saw this scene.

They saw Kazuna and the several charred corpses on the ground.

"Yes!" Kazuna said with a smile. "I betrayed the village. What are you going to do? Wipe out the Uchiha?"

Stunned!

No one had expected Kazuna to answer like that.

He actually admitted it.

Had he gone mad?

Quite a few people went pale. Was the village about to clash head-on with the Uchiha?

"Good, since you admit it, then..."

"Enough, Danzo. Stand down!" the Third Hokage shouted coldly, his authoritative gaze fixed directly on Danzo.

Danzo snorted and took a step back.

The Third Hokage's expression was solemn as he stared at Kazuna. "Kazuna, what happened? And what is going on with these people? I don't believe you would betray the village, so give me an explanation."

The smile on Kazuna's face never faded. "As expected of Hokage-sama. Unlike certain people, you don't just throw accusations around. I suppose some people play too many schemes, until scheming becomes instinct."

Danzo's face turned somewhat green.

Kazuna continued, "To be honest, I don't know what this is about either. I was taking a walk when these Anbu members suddenly appeared and attacked me viciously. Left with no choice, I could only fight back. Sigh, I was even wondering whether..."

He looked at the Third Hokage with a smile, his gaze meaningful.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart tightened instead.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

At that moment, one figure after another appeared.

Seeing those figures, the Third Hokage's frown deepened.

Uchiha jonin!

"Vice Clan Leader!"

Yashiro Uchiha, who led the group, gave Kazuna a respectful bow.

"Vice Clan Leader?"

Shikaku Nara looked astonished.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other three higher-ups knew the latest intelligence concerning the Uchiha. Even Shikaku Nara, the Jonin Commander, did not know that the Uchiha had gained a Vice Clan Leader who also served as Deputy Head of the Konoha Military Police Force.