Wash Your Throat Clean

Jiang Feng understood why Sasori of the Red Sands had twice taken the opportunity to poison Pakura and the Council of Elders while he was present.

This was by no means a coincidence, nor was it merely incidental. Sasori of the Red Sands wanted to kill him; this madman's desire to kill him was likely even more intense than his desire to kill Pakura and the others.

The conflict between the two sides had reached a point where it could no longer be reconciled.

Even though Jiang Feng had never had any prior contact with Sasori of the Red Sands, and even though he was not the type of person who couldn't forgive others, he absolutely could not allow Sasori of the Red Sands to continue running wild.

"I'm afraid your reasons for killing the Kazekage aren't that simple." Jiang Feng shook his head. He did not believe he was the primary reason Sasori of the Red Sands killed the Kazekage; at most, he was merely the catalyst that prompted Sasori of the Red Sands to choose to act now.

In the original plot, the Kazekage died at the hands of Sasori of the Red Sands.

"I killed him because he truly deserved to die."

Sasori of the Red Sands remained expressionless. He turned to look at Rasa and said indifferently, "You say he was conscientious in his public duties and treated me with great kindness in private. Forgive me, but I cannot agree."

"During the Second Ninja World War, he failed to fulfill the duties expected of a Kazekage. He did not protect the village well, allowing my parents to die by the blade of Hatake Sakumo. What use was his conscientiousness then?"

"He treated me like his own nephew, showering me with affection and placing great importance on me, only because I possessed brilliant talent and utility, and because he knew he had wronged me and felt guilty."

"Publicly or privately, he never did right by me. Why shouldn't I kill him?"

Another piece of madman logic.

Jiang Feng was speechless once again.

Publicly, Sasori of the Red Sands hated the Kazekage for failing to protect his parents, much like Obito hated Minato Namikaze for failing to protect Nohara Rin in the original plot.

At a stretch, it wasn't entirely unreasonable; after all, protecting subordinates and students was indeed one of the responsibilities of a Kazekage and Minato Namikaze.

But shouldn't the hatred be directed more toward Hatake Sakumo and the ninjas of Iwagakure?

Privately, did the Kazekage really treat Sasori of the Red Sands differently only because of his peerless talent? Perhaps, but so what? Wasn't that a quality expected of a Kage?

A talented young ninja would receive the attention of a Kage, just as a beautiful woman would be looked upon differently by Jiang Feng. This was perfectly reasonable.

As for the Kazekage's guilt toward Sasori of the Red Sands... it was exactly the same as the guilt Minato Namikaze showed toward Obito after being accused by him in the original plot, which only further proved that the Kazekage was a good man.

Not only a good Kage, but a good man.

Jiang Feng shook his head. "Death is not an unfamiliar term to any ninja."

"Regardless of who they are, once they know the dangers of the ninja world and still dedicate their flesh and blood to this profession, they should view life and death—both their own and others'—with more detachment."

"The stronger one becomes and the deeper one delves into the world, the more detached one becomes."

"More and more detached, until one becomes a peerless powerhouse."

Sasori of the Red Sands sneered, "It wasn't your parents who died, so of course you can say that."

Indeed, it wasn't Jiang Feng's parents who were killed by Hatake Sakumo, so he certainly had no reason or standing to demand that Sasori of the Red Sands be magnanimous.

Jiang Feng stopped reminiscing and asked the question that weighed most heavily on his mind: "I only want to know one thing now: what method did you use to kill the Kazekage?"

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

Sasori of the Red Sands suddenly grinned hideously, his eyes filled with mockery. "I just walked right up to him, handed him a bowl of tea laced with a potent poison, and told him I understood his hardships and struggles. With tears in his eyes, he drank the tea without a shred of suspicion."

"Even after he realized he had been poisoned, he still stupidly clung to his delusions. Not only did he not lift a finger against me, but he even urged me to hand over the antidote, promising he would let bygones be bygones."

You son of a bitch!

Rasa, Chiyo, and the others were livid, their eyes splitting with rage. They had guessed that Sasori of the Red Sands had used poison to assassinate the Kazekage, but they never imagined he had succeeded so easily, or that the Kazekage hadn't even attempted to fight back before his death.

"Then you must die." Jiang Feng's face darkened, his blood-red eyes turning icy.

"Because I tried to kill you twice?"

"More importantly, because you killed the Kazekage."

Jiang Feng's expression was as cold as water as he suddenly began to speak of past events unknown to the others: "Starting three years ago, I have killed four people every year..."

Sasori of the Red Sands sneered and interrupted, "The number of people who die by your hand each year is far more than four."

Ignoring him, Jiang Feng continued, "Last spring, I killed Murata Ryosuke because he murdered Narita Taiga, who lived east of Sunset City."

Rasa and the others were completely baffled. They had heard of Sunset City—a small town within the Land of Earth—but they had never heard of Murata Ryosuke or Narita Taiga.

Since none of them recognized these names, it could only mean that these two were insignificant, small-time characters.

But if they were just nobodies, why would Jiang Feng suddenly bring them up?

As a fanatical follower of Jiang Feng who had studied his deeds in depth, Sasori of the Red Sands suddenly realized why Jiang Feng was mentioning these minor figures and why he was bringing this up.

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

"Correct."

"Everyone in Tianhai Town knew that Miyamoto Masao was a good man who often gave generously to help the villagers. When Glock wandered into Tianhai Town, the righteous Miyamoto Masao took him in and even treated him as a close friend. Yet, Glock coveted Miyamoto Masao's wealth; not only did he kill him, but he also looted his home."

"Correct."

"You didn't know Glock, nor did you know Miyamoto Masao. You simply heard about these two and the incident, verified the facts, and then traveled thousands of kilometers to kill Glock and avenge Miyamoto Masao."

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

"The great hero serves the country and the people?"

Jiang Feng did not have such grand aspirations, nor did he believe he had the capacity to shoulder such a burden.

"Slay all the unjust people in the world?"

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

However, he was capable of setting aside time each year to kill four unjust people he deemed deserving of death. Even if it were only four, it could make this ninja world a slightly more pleasant place.

Sasori of the Red Sands continued, detailing who Jiang Feng had killed last autumn and winter, and the reasons why.

Their fame was greater than that of Murata Ryosuke from the spring or Glock from the summer; at the very least, Rasa and the others had heard of them. Yet, compared to the Son of the Raikage and the dozens of Jonin from Kumogakure that Jiang Feng had defeated not long ago, they were still not worth mentioning.

When Rasa and the others—even Pakura, who had always been hostile toward Jiang Feng—learned from Sasori of the Red Sands the reasons behind Jiang Feng's killings, they were filled with awe and respect for him.

It was strange. He was indeed an odd man, and the things he did were not exactly grand. He only deliberately killed four unjust people a year, yet he still made people sincerely believe that he was a righteous man with the spirit of a chivalrous hero.

Jiang Feng finally raised his head, looking at Sasori of the Red Sands with an air of immense, overbearing confidence. "The person I am going to kill this spring is you."

"If you are not dead before the start of summer, I shall take my own life before the grave of the Kazekage."

Sasori of the Red Sands sneered, "I have the Kazekage's corpse in my possession. At best, they have only built him a cenotaph. What use is there in you taking your own life before his grave?"

"Sasori!"

Because Jiang Feng's aura was so overwhelming, Rasa, having been upstaged, could no longer sit still. He shouted sternly, "I appreciate your concern, but how could the affairs of Sunagakure rely entirely on you?"

"I will immediately dispatch Anbu ninjas to help you search for Sasori's location. After the Chunin Exam, I will also take action personally to hunt down this unfaithful, unjust, and unfilial beast alongside you!"

Since an outsider had stepped forward out of a sense of chivalry to avenge the Kazekage and hunt down Sasori of the Red Sands, Rasa, as the Kazekage's direct disciple, would inevitably be criticized behind his back if he didn't show some resolve.

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

Sasori of the Red Sands looked toward Rasa. "When will the finals of the Chunin Exam be held?"

"In about twenty days."

"Then we shall meet again in Sunagakure in twenty days."

Half a month was enough time for Sasori of the Red Sands to transform the corpse of the Kazekage, as well as the corpses of several other powerful ninjas in his possession, into Human Puppets.

"Then we shall meet again in twenty days. Remember to wash your throat clean and bring your proudest Human Puppet with you."

With nothing left to say, Jiang Feng flicked his finger, destroying the Sand Clone of Sasori of the Red Sands.

Heavenly flowers fall, golden lotuses spring from the earth. Congratulations on defeating a top-tier expert of the current era. As a reward, the host is granted the top-tier expert [Gu Shentong · Canghai] template.