Some Things Are Better Left Unknown

Raito had no intention of fighting the ambushing Hayama Shirakumo; his focus remained entirely tethered to the battle unfolding across the field.

Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on with that Uchiha?

"Uehara Rinan! That bastard is right on your left, what are you looking for!"

"Sada Tsukasa! In front, straight ahead!!"

""

Those whose names Raito could call out were mostly Chunin distributed throughout the army, or Genin newcomers with decent potential, but regardless of who they were, they all seemed trapped in a panic and confusion they could not escape. They brandished their blades, yet could only slash at empty air, hoping to fend off the boy who moved like a demon.

"Raito, what the hell are you doing!"

The cries for help from his comrades reached his ears. Facing the full-force onslaught of the elite Jonin Hayama Shirakumo, the lineup of two Special Jonin and one Jonin could not hold him back at all; in fact, they had already begun to suffer casualties.

"We've lost."

Raito muttered, finally snapping back to reality.

He was the commander responsible for directing the army with Earth Style, but how was he supposed to lead in the face of such a bizarre situation below? Fear had long since stripped those men of their original resolve and combat effectiveness.

"Retreat!"

The man who had mocked Arata's absurdity earlier no longer possessed his previous arrogance. The moment his roar of grief and indignation left his throat, a violent explosion drowned out his voice.

And then, those explosions merged into a continuous roar in an instant.

"It's over."

Watching the billowing smoke, Raito knew clearly that this battle—no, this ambush—had failed completely!

Even if the ninjas below managed to survive and return, they might never have any combat capability again. They had completely collapsed, their will, once as unyielding as stone, shattered by a single person.

"Raito!"

"What are you doing?"

Moshi, stained with blood, roared frantically. The two Special Jonin who had stood on the same front line as him had already fallen, and even he was struggling to hold on, yet his teammate behind him acted as if he were possessed, offering no help at all!

"Earth Style: Earth Shore Return!"

A thick stone slab stood horizontally before him. He wanted to turn his head and see what was wrong with his companion.

And, retreat?

Was this some kind of joke?

Four hundred clansmen unable to defeat three opponents?

Could it be, could it be the earlier explosions? Had reinforcements from Konoha arrived?

A thousand feelings of unwillingness made him desperate to see this battlefield with his own eyes.

But Moshi was facing Hayama Shirakumo!

An experienced, powerful elite Jonin.

He would never miss such an opportunity; in a duel between experts, one must seize the fleeting moment.

Furthermore, the word "retreat" reaching his ears also greatly invigorated his spirit.

Regardless of the reason or the methods used.

It pointed directly to one thing:

Arata had done it!

He had actually done it!

Single-handedly, he had stopped the four-hundred-man army of Iwagakure!!

The longsword, wreathed in Wind Style chakra, shattered the stone wall as easily as if it were paper. The remaining force of the Wind Style chakra tore a long, thin bloodstain across Moshi's chest. Dark red blood slowly seeped out, the same color as his ninja uniform.

And, filled with unwillingness, he finally saw that scene of despair.

The field was littered with severed limbs and broken bodies, the swirling dust obscuring the expressions of terror on the faces of the dead.

Standing alone in the midst of it was a boy covered in blood, and the little brat who was supposed to be their prey was currently holding a terrified Iwagakure Chunin, saying something to him.

In an instant, Moshi felt the sky collapse.

Had a single person really wiped out their entire army of ninjas?

If Raito were replaced by him, would he be able to escape such a bloody nightmare and regain his senses so easily?

He did not know.

"Blood Asura Arata."

At the end of his life, Moshi suddenly recalled the moniker Kirigakure had given the boy.

That moniker they had once mocked.

"Thud."

Raito was tossed casually by Hayama Shirakumo onto the blood-soaked earth.

Despite being an Iwagakure jonin and having inherited the fearless Will of Stone, he now looked as if his entire spirit had been shattered, his expression manic as he snarled the word "demon," "demon," toward Arata.

Because across the entire battlefield, he alone—only he—had stood at the vantage point and seen everything clearly!

In the distance, Kimura Kai lay on the ground, retching violently, his face devoid of any relief at having survived. Although he had seen death before, he had never witnessed a scene of rivers of blood and fields littered with mangled corpses!

Even Tekuno, who was also of jonin rank, no longer possessed his former ferocity; his pale cheeks and chubby frame made him look like a newborn lamb.

The only one capable of maintaining a sense of shock was Hayama Shirakumo.

However, as he looked at the blood-drenched youth, a hint of fear and an inexplicable sense of heartache crept into his eyes.

Are there people born with a thirst for slaughter?

Perhaps.

But would a bloodthirsty person take the initiative to protect their teammates and help their companions hold back an overwhelming sea of enemies?

Absolutely not!

Arata walked slowly closer, dragging his shattered Horizontal Blade.

His face was devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Devil!"

"Devil!"

"You are the devil of Konoha!"

Watching the youth draw ever closer, Raito screamed in a frenzy, bloodshot veins spreading across his eyes, his chest heaving uncontrollably from his extreme agitation.

Arata ignored him, simply raising the broken blade in his hand in silence.

Hayama Shirakumo saw this and frowned, wanting to speak up to stop him; after all, there was no need to continue torturing a man whose mind was half-broken, and it would be better to leave him a shred of dignity.

After all, this man was a registered jonin of Iwagakure.

But to his surprise, the broken blade pierced directly through Raito's ninja vest, tore through his skin, and slowly pushed into his heart.

"You are too noisy."

He finally heard the voice of the demon.

"Arata, stop!"

Hayama Shirakumo truly had not expected that the youth before him had no intention of torturing the Iwagakure ninja who had ambushed them, but instead killed him outright!

This was a bona fide jonin!!

For Konoha, he was a powerful bargaining chip for negotiations!

And beyond that, who had orchestrated this ambush? Who was the spy hidden within Konoha? What else was the objective of Iwagakure this time?

These most vital pieces of information had not yet been pried out; how could he let him die so easily?

Heh.

Perhaps he had been wrong about one thing.

How could a guy who could calmly slaughter four hundred Iwagakure ninja, a guy surrounded by this much carnage, not be bloodthirsty?

If he could, he really would not want to execute another mission with such a person.

Just as the politicians and advisors in the village said, the Uchiha were an evil clan!

Facing the reprimand, Arata slowly raised his gaze, his expression as cold and indifferent as ever.

"There are some things you are better off not knowing."

The icy voice held not a trace of the immaturity belonging to a youth.

His expression, which disregarded everything, seemed to see through all the hypocrisy in the world.

Yet the little guy before him was clearly only ten years old!

Hayama Shirakumo was momentarily speechless, but Arata's words continued to linger in his mind.

"Better off not knowing."

This meant that Arata had known they would be ambushed all along!

No!

That wasn't right!

No one would place themselves in such a perilous situation, only to then have to expend such great effort to save their companions.

It must be that he had long prepared himself for the possibility of being ambushed and assassinated.

And the implied meaning of that sentence was...

Arata knew the identity of the traitor who had leaked their movements and sought to wipe out their squad!

And that person was right there in the village!

Perhaps even holding a high position!

Watching the youth's back as he pulled his blade and walked away, Hayama Shirakumo remained silent for a long time.