Gojo Satoru

Lin Qing had expected Konoha to have its dark side.

But they were letting murderers go free and bullying the survivors.

Was there any law left?

Was there any justice?

Lin Qing wanted to ask:

Did Konoha belong to the Fire or to Danzo?

"I can't stay here any longer."

"If I keep living in Konoha, even if I survive this time, sooner or later someone will kill me in the shadows."

"Besides, I've got the JOJO System. The world is vast—there must be somewhere I can go."

If nothing else, Lin Qing could use Star Platinum to farm and hunt. He'd have enough to eat for the rest of his life. Why put up with this crap in Konoha?!

Lin Qing made up his mind.

His top priority was getting out of there.

He was being held in Root's underground base.

The base was like a real tree's roots: winding corridors, twisting passages, and traps everywhere.

Even if he escaped the interrogation room, getting out of the base wouldn't be easy.

But Lin Qing had a way of his own.

"Hermit Purple."

Purple vines spread outward, scouting the way and showing him which direction to go.

Lin Qing ran through the corridors. When he passed a room, he stopped.

Sasuke was inside.

Escaping with a child would obviously be a hassle...

Lin Qing hesitated for half a second, then switched to Star Platinum and ripped the heavy metal door right out of its frame.

Saving someone once was saving them. Saving them twice was no different.

"Brother Qing!"

Sasuke's eyes were swollen and red, and his voice was thick with tears.

Lin Qing said, "Danzo wants to kill us. Are you coming with me?"

"I am!"

Little Sasuke was young, and Lin Qing knew nothing about the plot. Neither of them had any idea that, amid tonight's disaster, Sasuke was by far the safest spectator.

They were simply making the best decision they could based on the information they had.

Bzz—bzz—

A shrill alarm rang out overhead.

Lin Qing scooped Sasuke up and charged ahead, controlling Star Platinum.

The space was narrow, and Danzo had given strict orders not to hurt Sasuke. After all, Itachi Uchiha's threat was hanging over them. Danzo knew well enough whose life mattered more: his subordinates' or his own. The ninjas didn't dare throw Kunai recklessly or use Ninjutsu at will. They could only rely on Taijutsu and fight him head-on.

But without the Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf, who could beat Star Platinum in Taijutsu?

Lin Qing tore through them like a force of nature, advancing as if there were no one in his way. The ambushes and sneak attacks were useless against Star Platinum's precision and speed.

Within two meters of Lin Qing, there was a perfect vacuum.

He fought his way up from underground to the surface, smashing through dozens of heavy security doors.

At first, the Root ninjas sent to surround him were full of confidence. They figured he was just a useless man and a child. Why had so many of them been sent?

But the moment they clashed with him, their confidence turned to anger and disbelief.

Now, as they watched Lin Qing step out of the underground base and into the moonlight, the battle-hardened ninjas could no longer hide their fear.

The Third Shinobi World War had ended less than ten years ago.

Many of them had fought on the battlefield. They were old soldiers, seasoned ninjas.

Lin Qing's back reminded them of the heroes who had once fought a hundred enemies at once.

Even with Lord Danzo's orders forcing them to hold back, still...

The Root ninjas looked back.

Blood stained the path behind him. One elite after another lay sprawled in pools of blood, their lives uncertain.

His strength was terrifying!

As Lin Qing started to leave, one Root member instinctively took a step forward—and met Lin Qing's sidelong glance.

"Get lost!"

The ninjas froze at his roar, too terrified to take a single step after him.

Star Platinum punched the entrance to the base.

The lintel collapsed, and huge chunks of stone and brick broke apart, completely burying the underground entrance.

Thud!

Danzo slammed his fist on the table. His expression was sinister, his face like a demon's. His sharp, venomous gaze seemed to pierce the screen and gouge a piece of flesh from Lin Qing.

"Danzo, you've gone too far."

An old voice came from behind him.

Danzo turned off the surveillance screen.

The screen went black, reflecting the figure behind him.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Gone too far how?" Danzo asked.

Hiruzen's voice rose slightly, anger gradually creeping into his tone.

"Do I really have to remind you?"

"Yes. Of course you do."

Danzo turned to face Hiruzen. He met his gaze openly, without the slightest attempt to look away.

"Are you talking about how I ordered Itachi Uchiha to kill the entire Uchiha Clan?

Or how I tried to kill Uchiha Qing, only to cause this uproar?

Or how I sent people to collect the Uchiha corpses?"

Danzo stood up and clasped his hands behind his back, facing Hiruzen.

"You're no fool. If you were, I'd have taken you out and claimed the seat long ago. You know all of it, so you'll have to tell me exactly what you think went too far before I can give you a proper answer."

Hiruzen fell silent.

After a full thirty seconds without a word, he swept out of the room.

Tonight was destined to be a busy one.

Blades flashed. Konoha ninjas, familiar and unfamiliar, sprang from the shadows and hurled their Kunai at Lin Qing. Every so often, a genjutsu specialist would pull him into an illusion.

Fortunately, Lin Qing discovered that pain could break the effects of genjutsu. He ordered Star Platinum to "gently" poke him once every five seconds.

Covered in blood and carrying young Sasuke, Lin Qing fought his way through the enemy ranks with the unstoppable presence of Zhao Zilong at Changban.

But anyone who knew Konoha's layout and took a close look among the groaning ninjas on the ground would notice that none of the more famous ninjas were among them.

Nor were there any Byakugan from the Hyuga Clan, members of Ino-Shika-Cho, or Aburame insects—none of the old established clans.

Lin Qing had never been an arrogant man.

Itachi Uchiha was still just a kid. He couldn't possibly be the strongest ninja in the village.

So why hadn't any of the other powerful people come to stop him?

Lin Qing thought about it all the way and came to an answer:

This whole business was rotten.

The real powerhouses and the old clans weren't stupid.

The Uchiha Clan had been wiped out overnight. This was the kind of filthy mess that left anyone who got involved covered in mud. Whoever touched it would be disgusted.

Every clan found an excuse to stay behind closed doors.

Most of the people sent to intercept him were powerless nobodies. Their leaders could issue an order in the middle of the night, and they had to crawl out of bed beside their wives and reply, "Understood," right away.

Naturally, they had nothing to do with being strong.

"Hang in there. We're almost out."

Lin Qing gently patted Sasuke's little head.

Sasuke looked toward home.

A place without his family could no longer be called home. It was just an empty box stuffed with painful memories.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know."

Lin Qing didn't know this world any better than Sasuke did. "But there has to be somewhere we can live like human beings."

"What if there isn't?"

Lin Qing fell silent for a moment, then said, "There will be."

Sasuke nodded firmly.

He heard the wind behind them and caught a flash of cold steel from the corner of his eye, flying toward Lin Qing.

"Look out!"

Sasuke cried a warning.

Before the words had even left his mouth, a Kunai stopped in midair.

Star Platinum caught the flying Kunai with perfect precision. It turned, stepped forward, and bent like a bow. Its thick, powerful arm whipped like a long lash, hurling the Kunai back.

Bang!

A thunderous sonic boom rang through the air. The Kunai flew past someone's ear.

"Goodness, that was close. This must be the 'invisible guardian' mentioned in the report, right? I've never heard of an ability like this."

A lazy, flippant voice came from the shadows.

A man landed lightly and blocked Lin Qing's path. He stood casually, holding a book in one hand. A mask covered his face, and his Forehead Protector concealed one eye.

"Sorry, little ones, but the road ahead is closed."

Lin Qing stopped.

White hair, a lazy air, one eye hidden...

Lin Qing remembered him. He was a well-known character, and a name he'd heard about long ago slipped out:

"Gojo Satoru?"