Chiya smiled faintly and ignored the two products of Yin-Yang Release. He turned and slowly walked out of the room, just as Asuma came rushing over after hearing the commotion.
Seeing the bodies of his clan members lying in pools of blood in the courtyard, Sarutobi Asuma grabbed his two trusty Chakra Blades and charged forward.
But Chiya flashed aside with ease.
"Who are you? What have you done to my clan? Where's Konohamaru?" Asuma demanded furiously.
Since he had never met Chiya, he didn't recognize him.
That was especially true with Chiya wearing an Anbu mask.
"Seeing is believing, hearing is hearsay. That brat's inside. Why not go in and see for yourself?" Chiya calmly pointed out Konohamaru's whereabouts, making no move to attack.
At his words, Asuma didn't spare Chiya another thought. With a Body Flicker, he appeared inside the room. Seeing Konohamaru lying on the floor, his face deathly pale, his lower body stained with blood, and unconscious, Asuma dropped to his knees with a thud. His eyes went blank as he stared in horror. "Konohamaru..."
Chiya stood in the doorway with his arms folded, his expression carefree. "Oh, sorry, Asuma, son of the Third Hokage. I didn't mean for you to see such a bloody sight."
As he spoke, the corner of his mouth curled into a teasing smile. "At least, I should've chopped him into pieces. Then you wouldn't have had to see something so heartbreaking."
"Bastard! I'll kill you!" Asuma roared, grabbing his twin Chakra Blades again. He coated them with wind-natured chakra and charged at Chiya.
Crack— The wooden door shattered like paper under the wind-chakra blades.
Chiya easily hopped backward into the courtyard, his expression calm as he taunted Asuma. "Stop bluffing. It only makes you look weak and useless."
Asuma flew into a rage. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot. He tossed his Chakra Blades into the air and rapidly formed hand seals. Just as he was about to use Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning, a giant tree suddenly burst from the ground and bound his limbs.
Clang—the Chakra Blades fell to the ground. Unable to move his limbs, Asuma stared at Chiya in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock. "That's Kurenai's genjutsu, Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind. Who are you?"
"Oh, you finally figured it out? Allow me to introduce myself. Chiya—Fujiwara Chiya. Asuma, son of the Third Hokage. Want to see my sword? This is Kyoka Suigetsu."
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."
Chiya drew the sword at his waist and, out of habit, released Kyoka Suigetsu.
Then he slowly walked toward Asuma.
He had no intention of killing him.
He'd promised to leave Sarutobi Hiruzen an heir. How could he go back on his word?
"You bastard! My father raised you so well, and even had Kurenai teach you genjutsu. And this is how you repay him? You slaughtered my entire Sarutobi Clan!"
As Chiya approached like a god of death, Asuma screamed hysterically. His overwhelming resentment, hatred, and fear brought him to the brink of a mental breakdown as he tried to break free of Chiya's genjutsu.
But how could he possibly break free of Chiya's genjutsu?
"You seem to have something wrong. Sarutobi Hiruzen has never done me any favors."
As he spoke, Chiya brought his sword down. A flash of blood passed, and Asuma was left incomplete.
The double agony of soul and body made him throw his head back and howl in pain.
Chiya reacted quickly, taking the little Mother-Child River water he had left from the System Inventory. He turned it into a water bullet and shot it into Asuma's mouth, then kicked him dozens of meters away, knocking him completely unconscious.
"What did you just make him swallow?" Black Zetsu asked, emerging from the ground inside a giant pitcher plant.
"Something good, of course. Do you two want to try some too?" Chiya took off his mask and watched Zetsu with an amused smile.
"He really is a twisted human," Black Zetsu thought, shuddering inwardly. Then he said to Chiya, "Now that this is over, are you leaving Konoha? Things should be almost finished on Madara and Itachi's end, too."
"How long did it take?" Chiya asked Black Zetsu.
"Since the Shimura Clan was wiped out at 6:40, thirty-five minutes have passed. It's 7:15 now," Black Zetsu replied.
"No rush. I promised Uchiha Itachi I'd meet him at seven. I'm late, sure, but witnessing an event as significant as the Uchiha Clan Massacre is something I can't miss."
With that, Chiya put his Anbu mask back on and disappeared from the Sarutobi Clan compound.
Night fell.
Tonight, Uchiha Sasuke had been kept behind by his Ninja Academy teacher, Umino Iruka, for special training.
Iruka had only received orders from his superiors to give Sasuke some extra instruction.
Neither he nor Sasuke had any idea how deep the waters ran beneath the surface.
Beneath the beautiful full moon, Uchiha Itachi crouched atop a utility pole in the Uchiha Clan Compound. The three tomoe in his blood-red Sharingan glinted with a dangerous, demonic light.
The next instant, he vanished.
Since Chiya had kept him waiting, Itachi worried the plan had changed and decided to act early.
At the border of the Uchiha Clan Compound, five Anbu members led by Sarutobi Shinnosuke had already gone into hiding.
They waited outside to capture any stragglers other than Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
Chiya was also one of their targets.
They were all members of the Sarutobi Clan—the type Sarutobi Hiruzen trusted most. Not a word would leak.
Even an elite like Kakashi wasn't allowed to take part.
Hearing the screams ring out from within the Uchiha Clan Compound, one of the Sarutobi Clan Anbu said to Sarutobi Shinnosuke, "Captain, it looks like the slaughter has begun. But why hasn't Fujiwara Chiya gone in? Weren't he and Uchiha Itachi supposed to wipe out the clan tonight?"
"Could he have noticed something and escaped Konoha with Uchiha Izumi?"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke shook his head. "Impossible. We've been watching this place the whole time. Fujiwara Chiya couldn't have slipped away with Uchiha Izumi right under our noses."
"Captain, what should we do, then? The agreed time has already passed, and Fujiwara Chiya still hasn't shown up. Should we notify the clan head? What if he left Uchiha Izumi behind and escaped on his own?" the Anbu member continued.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke thought for a moment. "You're right. Shizuka, go report this to Father. The rest of us will keep watch." The last part was directed at his wife.
"Understood." Sarutobi Shinnosuke's wife nodded and vanished with a Body Flicker.
But the moment she leaped away, a shadow suddenly swept past her.
A blade of icy light followed.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's wife didn't even have time to scream before her head was severed. It fell straight into the hiding place where Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the other three were concealed.
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