Wash Your Throat Clean

Jiang Feng understood why Sasori of the Red Sands had poisoned Pakura and the Sunagakure Elders twice while he was there.

It was no coincidence, nor had Sasori simply taken the opportunity. He wanted Jiang Feng dead. That lunatic probably wanted to kill him even more than he wanted to kill Pakura and the others.

At this point, the conflict between them was irreconcilable.

Even though Jiang Feng had never had any dealings with Sasori, and even though he wasn't the sort of person who couldn't forgive others, he couldn't let Sasori keep causing trouble.

"Your reason for killing the Kazekage can't be that simple," Jiang Feng said with a shake of his head. He didn't believe he was the main reason Sasori had killed the Kazekage. At most, he'd been the catalyst that made Sasori choose to act now.

In the original story, the Kazekage had died at Sasori's hands.

"I killed him because he deserved to die."

Sasori remained expressionless, then turned to Rasa and said flatly, "You say he worked diligently for the village and treated me with immense kindness in private. Forgive me, but I can't agree.

"During the Second Shinobi World War, he failed to fulfill his duties as Kazekage. He failed to protect the village, allowing my parents to die by Hatake Sakumo's blade. What good was all his diligence?

"He treated me like his own son, showering me with affection and appreciation, but that was only because I had extraordinary talent and value to him—and because he knew he'd wronged me and felt guilty.

"He never treated me right, in public or in private. So why shouldn't I kill him?"

Another lunatic with some utterly deranged logic.

Jiang Feng was speechless again.

As for the village, Sasori resented the Kazekage for failing to protect his parents, just as Obito had resented Minato Namikaze for failing to protect Nohara Rin in the original story.

If you stretched things, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. After all, protecting subordinates and students was indeed one of the Kazekage's and Minato Namikaze's responsibilities.

But shouldn't he have hated Hatake Sakumo and the Iwagakure ninjas more?

And in private, had the Kazekage really treated Sasori with special favor only because of his peerless talent? Perhaps. But so what? Wasn't that what a Village Leader was supposed to do?

Talented young ninjas earned their leader's regard, just as beautiful women caught Jiang Feng's eye. It was only natural.

As for the Kazekage feeling guilty toward Sasori... That was exactly like Minato Namikaze showing guilt toward Obito after Obito accused him. It only further proved that the Kazekage was a good man.

Not just a good leader, but a good person.

Jiang Feng shook his head. "Death is no stranger to any ninja.

"Anyone who knows how dangerous the ninja world is, yet still offers up their flesh and blood to this profession, should take life and death—both their own and other people's—less seriously.

"The stronger you are and the more you've seen of the world, the less seriously you take it.

"Less and less, until you become a peerless strongman."

Sasori sneered. "Your parents weren't the ones Hatake Sakumo killed. Of course you can say that."

That was true. Jiang Feng's parents hadn't been killed by Hatake Sakumo, so he had no reason or standing to demand that Sasori be magnanimous.

Jiang Feng put aside his musings and asked the question that mattered most to him. "All I want to know now is how you killed the Kazekage."

"With poison, of course. You have no idea how stupid the Kazekage was."

Sasori suddenly grinned savagely, a trace of mockery in his eyes. "I just showed up in front of him out of nowhere, handed him a cup of poisoned tea, and told him I understood his hardships and how difficult things had been for him. He was so moved that he drank the tea without the slightest suspicion.

"Even after he realized he'd been poisoned, he foolishly clung to hope. He didn't attack me. He even urged me to hand over the antidote, promising he'd let bygones be bygones."

You bastard!

Rasa, Chiyo, and the others glared at Sasori, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads. They'd guessed he had poisoned the Kazekage, but they hadn't expected him to succeed so easily—or for the Kazekage to refrain from attacking him even as he died.

"Then you definitely have to die." Jiang Feng's expression darkened, and his blood-red eyes turned icy.

"Because I tried to kill you twice?"

"More importantly, because you killed the Kazekage."

Jiang Feng's face was as calm as still water. Then he began telling them about things they didn't know. "Three years ago, I started killing four people every year..."

Sasori sneered and cut him off. "You've killed more than four people a year."

Jiang Feng ignored him and continued. "Last spring, I killed Murata Ryosuke because he killed Narita Taiga, east of Sunset City."

Rasa and the others were baffled. They'd heard of Sunset City, a small town in the Land of Earth, but they'd never heard of Murata Ryosuke or Narita Taiga.

And since none of them had heard of those two, it could only mean they were insignificant nobodies.

But if they were nobodies, why had Jiang Feng suddenly brought them up?

Sasori, who had thoroughly studied Jiang Feng's exploits as one of his devoted admirers, suddenly understood why Jiang Feng had mentioned those two nobodies and brought up this story.

Sasori continued, "Then the person you killed last summer must have been Glock, a wandering ninja from the Land of Lightning. You killed him simply because he murdered Miyamoto Masao of Tianhai Town in the Land of Fire."

"Exactly."

"Everyone in Tianhai Town knew Miyamoto Masao was a good man. He was always generous with his wealth, helping people in need.

"When Glock wandered into Tianhai Town, the generous Miyamoto Masao took him in and even befriended him. But Glock coveted Miyamoto Masao's fortune. He killed him and looted his home."

"Exactly."

"You didn't know Glock or Miyamoto Masao. You only heard about the two of them and what happened, confirmed it was true, then traveled thousands of kilometers to kill Glock and avenge Miyamoto Masao."

"Because he deserved to die!" Jiang Feng said coldly.

A hero who stood tall for his country and people?

Jiang Feng wasn't that ambitious, and he didn't believe he had the ability to shoulder such a responsibility.

Kill every wicked person in the world?

Even Jesus hadn't managed that, and Jiang Feng didn't think he could do it either.

But he could make time each year to kill four wicked people he believed deserved to die. Even if it was only four, he could still make the Ninja World a little more lovable.

Sasori went on to name the people Jiang Feng had killed last autumn and winter, and explain why he'd killed them.

They were more famous than Murata Ryosuke in the spring and Glock in the summer. At least Rasa and the others had heard their names. But compared to the Son of the Raikage, who Jiang Feng had defeated not long ago, and the dozens of Jonin from Kumogakure, they were still nobodies.

After hearing Sasori explain why Jiang Feng had killed them, Rasa and the others—even Pakura, who had always been hostile toward Jiang Feng—regarded him with newfound respect.

It was strange. He really was an oddball, and what he did wasn't particularly grand. He deliberately killed only four wicked people each year, yet people couldn't help but believe he was a righteous man with a chivalrous spirit.

Jiang Feng finally raised his head and slowly turned his gaze toward Sasori, radiating confidence. "This spring, you're the one I intend to kill.

"If you're still alive before the start of summer, I'll take my own life in front of the Kazekage's grave."

Sasori sneered. "The Kazekage's body is in my hands. At best, they'll make an empty tomb for him. What good would it do to kill yourself in front of it?"

"Sasori!"

Unable to stand aside any longer while Jiang Feng stole the spotlight, Rasa shouted angrily, "Thank you for your concern, but why should Sunagakure rely entirely on you?

"I'll send ANBU ninjas to help you search for Sasori at once. After the Chunin Ninja Exams, I'll join you myself and hunt down this disloyal, unrighteous, unfilial beast!"

An outsider had stepped forward to avenge the Kazekage and hunt down Sasori, all out of a sense of chivalry. As the Kazekage's own disciple, Rasa would surely be condemned if he failed to do the same.

"You don't need to hunt me down. I'll come find you myself!"

Sasori turned to Rasa again. "When will the Chunin Ninja Exams finals be held?"

"In about twenty days."

"Then we'll meet again in Sunagakure in twenty days."

Half a month was plenty of time for Sasori to turn the Kazekage's corpse, along with several powerful ninja corpses in his possession, into Human Puppets.

"Then I'll see you in twenty days. Remember to wash your throat clean and bring your proudest Human Puppet."

That was all they had to say to each other. Jiang Feng raised a finger and pointed, killing Sasori's Sand Clone.

A celestial chorus sang and golden lotuses sprang from the earth. Congratulations on defeating a peerless strongman. The host has been rewarded with the peerless strongman [Gu Shentong] template.