A strange attack had begun for no apparent reason and ended just as inexplicably!
Even after the Anbu and the Military Police Force arrived, Suifeng was still bewildered and confused.
"His Silent Killing Technique is highly polished, and his swordsmanship is strong. The blade he wielded looked a lot like the Kubikiribōchō. I suspect he was Juzo Biwa, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!"
"Juzo Biwa?! The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist? It had to be Danzo, that bastard! Who else would be qualified to collude with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?
"It was him! It was him, all right!!"
That settled it. Suifeng didn't care about evidence or motive. He was convinced Danzo had been targeting him.
"This was caused by a ninjutsu?!"
The Anbu and the Military Police Force handled the pursuit, coordination, and calming everyone down. Several leading Jonin stared blankly at the wasteland created by Suifeng's Lava Release. They weren't the only ones. Even the Chunin and Genin busy with their own duties couldn't help looking toward the vast stretch of forest blanketed in lava.
The lava from the Lava Release had gradually cooled and solidified. An entire stretch of woodland the size of three soccer fields had been reduced to ash, and the ground was covered in a thick layer of cooling lava. It hadn't fully hardened yet. The darkening outer crust occasionally broke away, exposing golden-red magma and releasing waves of heat.
In truth, Suifeng's Lava Release: Lava Explosion Flow was Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.
That was one of the great strengths of his Lava Release: almost any Fire Release Ninjutsu could be converted into Lava Release, and he could use the same hand seals. This saved him a great deal of research time.
On top of that, Red Ghost had continually enhanced his Lava Release, making its power far greater than that of other Lava Release users.
"Hideki and Haku were badly injured, but their lives aren't in danger. That Obito was stabbed through the lung. His condition is more serious, and he's unconscious."
Uchiha Fukuyama came over to Suifeng, who remained silent. "The attacker was probably Juzo Biwa of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. You did well."
"I didn't do well enough," Suifeng said, his voice heavy.
Until today, with Red Ghost, a Tailed Beast Seed, a mastery of the Six Powers, and Lava Release at his disposal, he'd believed he could go anywhere in the world. Unless he ran into a Kage Level powerhouse, no one could touch him.
Now, he'd been jolted back to reality. Faced with Juzo Biwa, he'd felt completely helpless.
Yes, helpless.
In the thick fog, he couldn't find his enemy. With Shave Body Flicker, he could have escaped without trouble, but he couldn't catch up to the other man. A ninja war was never a one-man affair. He didn't want to be a lone wanderer, either. In war, he had teammates and companions. He couldn't abandon them and run, not in a situation like this.
If Uchiha Fukuyama hadn't been there, Hideki, Haku, and Obito would all have been in grave danger. Suifeng could protect himself, but not the others.
"Silent Killing Technique, Juzo Biwa. I'll remember you!"
Suifeng took a deep breath and turned around. Three Tomoe slowly emerged in his eyes.
"Lava Release!!"
Outside the orphanage, the Third Hokage and Danzo stood side by side, staring at the vast expanse of lava Suifeng had created. Neither spoke for a while.
"What does the Uchiha Clan say?" Danzo finally asked in a hoarse voice.
"Uchiha Suifeng has Fire, Earth, and Lightning chakra natures. During his training, his Fire and Earth chakra natures fused, forming Lava Release. He's a first-generation Kekkei Genkai bearer."
"A first-generation bearer—that means he can pass his Kekkei Genkai down to the next generation," Danzo said calmly.
"Correct."
"So the Uchiha Clan will have another Kekkei Genkai," Danzo said. "Hiruzen, how do you plan to handle this?"
"One genius won't change the balance of power. Uchiha Suifeng's awakening of the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai is a good thing, not a reason to punish him," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "He saved the children at the orphanage and drove off Kirigakure's assassin. He did nothing wrong; he deserves credit."
"The Uchiha Clan has always been a menace. Sarutobi, have you forgotten that man? We can't let another Madara Uchiha emerge!"
"Suifeng isn't Madara!"
"Can you guarantee that? Even Madara wasn't this strong at his age. Could even the First Hokage have achieved what Suifeng has at this age? If the Uchiha produce another powerhouse of that level, do you think they'll still be willing to lie low? Hiruzen, use your head!"
"I'll speak with him!" Danzo's words darkened the Third Hokage's expression. It was true. Though he seemed open-minded on the surface, as a student of the Second Hokage, he'd inherited the Second Hokage's hostility toward the Uchiha Clan—or, more accurately, his wariness of them. He simply wasn't as extreme as Danzo, nor did he show his feelings as openly. After all, as Hokage, he had to at least treat everyone equally on the surface.
It was no big deal if the Uchiha had one or two geniuses, or even a large number of Three-Tomoe Jonin.
There were plenty of geniuses and powerful shinobi in the village. Even after White Fang took his own life, Hiruzen was still absolutely confident that he could keep the Uchiha Clan in check.
But if someone as powerful as the First Hokage or Madara emerged, the situation would become uncontrollable.
That was why he needed to meet Suifeng personally, find out what the boy thought, and learn how he felt about the village before making a decision.
"Hiruzen, your approach won't work against the Uchiha. Hand him over to me. I'll train him into the perfect tool!"
"Hand him over to you? Go talk to the Uchiha and see if they'll hand Suifeng over to Root!"
"You know that's not what I meant!"
"Hmph!" The Third Hokage scoffed and turned to leave.
Of course, that wasn't what Danzo meant. He didn't need to negotiate with the Uchiha Clan. He needed the Third Hokage to help shoulder the pressure from them. If Danzo succeeded in controlling Suifeng, he'd inevitably become the Uchiha Clan's sworn enemy. He knew how terrifying a Uchiha gone mad could be, and he couldn't bear that pressure alone. That was why he needed the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage represented more than just himself; he represented all of Konoha. Only under the Third Hokage's pressure would the Uchiha submit. Of course, they'd resent it. Then Danzo could use a few more tricks to provoke them into rebelling and wipe them out in one fell swoop. That would eliminate Konoha's greatest source of instability.
That was his true objective. The Third Hokage knew it, too. But he was far too indecisive, constantly hesitating and letting too many opportunities slip away.
"There isn't much time left!" Danzo cast a long look at the field of lava, his resolve regarding Suifeng growing ever firmer.
He couldn't wait any longer. Uchiha Suifeng's potential was too frightening. In another year or two, once he'd truly matured, who would be able to stop him? Then Konoha would have another Madara Uchiha, and the village couldn't withstand that kind of upheaval again. Yes, it definitely couldn't.
Everything I do is for Konoha.
As if he'd made up his mind, he took one last look at the lava field and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.
Uchiha Clan Compound, Great Elder's residence
Suifeng sat cross-legged opposite the Great Elder, his expression grave.
"We've reached a conclusion about what happened at the Chunin Ninja Exams. Spies from another village disguised themselves as Anbu and tried to sabotage the exams. You foiled their plan and saved all the examinees. The village has raised the mission rank to A. In addition to the usual rewards, you've been given one chance to read the Scroll of Seals."
"The Scroll of Seals?!" Suifeng's eyes lit up. He didn't question the village's conclusion. He'd already decided Danzo was behind this; no matter how much the village insisted otherwise, he wouldn't believe them. There was no point arguing. He only cared about the reward, and a chance to read the Scroll of Seals was an excellent one.
He couldn't possibly master every forbidden technique in the Scroll of Seals after reading it once, and he didn't intend to. He had his eye on three techniques: Flying Thunder God, Dark Walking, and the Eight Inner Gates.
Of course, he wasn't sure whether the Eight Inner Gates had been recorded in the Scroll of Seals yet. Might Duy was still alive, after all, and the Eight Inner Gates hadn't yet shown how fearsome they could be.
But Flying Thunder God and Dark Walking were definitely in there.
There was no need to explain Flying Thunder God. Even if the original story had hyped it up somewhat, it was an extraordinary ninjutsu—one of the few involving space-time.
Dark Walking was the same. It was a genjutsu that didn't seem particularly impressive, but if it really were so unimpressive, why would it have been recorded as a forbidden technique in the Scroll of Seals? What's more, this genjutsu was a prerequisite for another genjutsu he'd envisioned. So, compared to Flying Thunder God, Dark Walking was the technique he absolutely had to obtain!
Before you continue