Heart-Slaying

Under the pretext of searching for Hyuga Hanabi, Ning Qi openly appeared all over Konoha. His self-exposure as the culprit, coupled with his deliberate provocations, did not escape Sarutobi and the others' notice.

His objective had become very clear.

"He's driving a wedge between us within Konoha."

"If those victims attack him, he'll have every justification to press the detonation button..."

Ning Qi's purpose in pressing the button was not to cause explosions, but to sow division.

No matter who lost control and attacked him, the people whose interests were harmed by the explosions would not only hate Ning Qi—they would certainly hate the person who had made Ning Qi press the button.

This was murder.

And it was an attack on the heart.

He was creating conflict and division within an already battered Konoha.

"Only ten minutes. Do your best to keep things under control. Don't let him succeed."

Orders from Konoha's upper ranks began to spread downward.

Yet because of Ning Qi's brazen actions, the news could not be suppressed. In an extremely short time, the vast majority of Konoha's residents learned that Ning Qi of the Hyuga clan was the true culprit behind the three bombings.

Agitated emotions spread rapidly. There were many like Iruka—because of the deaths and injuries of friends and family, some shinobi decisively turned their grief into rage upon hearing the news, nearly unable to restrain themselves from seeking revenge on Ning Qi.

"Don't stop me!" ANBU shinobi Uzuki Yugao coldly stared at Kakashi, who stood in her path.

Her boyfriend, Gekko Hayate, had been seriously injured during the Uchiha Rebellion today. He had narrowly survived, only to be blown to death inside Konoha's Ninja Hospital.

When Yugao arrived, all she found on the ruined hospital bed was a charred corpse.

No matter what, she could not swallow this anger.

"Calm down!" Kakashi frowned.

"I'm very calm right now!" Yugao said in a low voice.

"He still holds the switches for at least three more explosions. If you go after him now, many people in Konoha will die." Kakashi took a deep breath before speaking.

And they would be civilians.

Yugao fell silent for a moment.

"What deal did you make with him? Can you guarantee he won't press the switches?"

"We can't guarantee it, so we're urgently evacuating the villagers while investigating where the Explosive Tags have been planted. We can only make a move against him after we've finished those things!" Kakashi explained the response plan of Konoha's upper ranks.

"Creating division in Konoha is Ning Qi's plan. If you seek revenge on him, he'll have a reason to press the detonation button. I believe that if Hayate knows anything in the Pure Land, he wouldn't want to see this happen either."

"I can hardly bear to admit it..." Hearing Kakashi mention her boyfriend's name, Yugao covered her face and shook her head repeatedly.

"Admit what?" Kakashi asked.

"Admit that this is the Konoha of today." Tears spilled from Yugao's eyes.

They had dealt with the Uchiha Rebellion, dealt with the Nine-Tails Rebellion, and now they were being held hostage by a branch family boy from the Hyuga clan using civilians' lives... How had Konoha become like this?

"Things should... get better afterward." Kakashi could only console her like this.

"So... once Konoha finishes evacuating people and searching for the Explosive Tags, we can kill him, right?" Yugao raised her head and asked.

"I don't know." Kakashi did not want to lie to Yugao.

The truth was that Ning Qi would only remain in Konoha for ten minutes, while evacuating the population and locating the Explosive Tags would take longer than that. He did not think Yugao would get the chance to kill Ning Qi and avenge herself.

Faced with a prepared Ning Qi and the forces behind him, Konoha, with its weakness seized, did not have much right to choose.

Perhaps understanding the helplessness behind Kakashi's "I don't know," Yugao sighed. In the end, she sheathed her standard-issue long sword and ended the standoff between them.

"I'll kill him sooner or later." After making that vow, Yugao turned and went to help evacuate the crowd.

What stopped her from acting now was not Kakashi's persuasion, but the possibility that Ning Qi might trigger Explosive Tags elsewhere after she attacked, causing massive civilian casualties in Konoha.

Konoha's "Will of Fire" was like a heavy set of shackles, preventing her from taking revenge to her heart's content.

After hearing that their clan grounds had been bombed, Tsume Inuzuka, head of the Inuzuka Clan, hurried back from the front lines where she had been pursuing the remaining Uchiha forces. Now, standing at the entrance to her clan grounds, which had already become ruins, she ground her teeth.

The Inuzuka Clan did not have many members. In this bombing, the greatest casualties had been the more than one hundred ninja dogs raised within the clan grounds.

Kuromaru twitched his nose and rushed into the still-collapsing buildings. He returned carrying the corpse of a ninja dog pup in his mouth, licking it repeatedly as mournful whimpers escaped his throat.

"Kuromaru..." Tsume Inuzuka stroked his head.

The Inuzuka Clan regarded ninja dogs as comrades with whom they could entrust their lives. Ninja dogs were important members of the Inuzuka Clan. The sight of dead dogs strewn across the clan grounds and surviving dogs outside with severed limbs nearly made Tsume Inuzuka unable to suppress her rage.

Her fangs began to grow, a sign of beastification brought on by overwhelming anger. Tsume Inuzuka glanced at Kō Inuzuka beside her.

"It was the Nara Clan..." Kō Inuzuka was the Inuzuka Clan shinobi who had personally witnessed the entire incident in the forest. He told his clan head what had happened, his tone filled with irrepressible indignation and resentment.

"Our clan grounds were bombed, while the other clan grounds are still fine." Kō Inuzuka said indignantly.

"What are you trying to say?" Tsume Inuzuka's voice turned cold.

"Nothing. I just think we must take revenge." Kō Inuzuka took a deep breath and said tactfully.

They had already been bombed, after all. Whether they took revenge now and dragged several other shinobi clans down with them, or waited for another chance to take revenge later while accepting the Inuzuka Clan's inevitable decline—there was a vast difference between the two.

The evening breeze swept through the streets, and the flames among the ruins suddenly surged higher.

Smack!

A crisp sound rang out.

Three bloody marks appeared on Kō Inuzuka's face.

His clan head had slapped him hard.

Kō Inuzuka froze. The grievance and unwillingness in his heart suddenly surged up. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but when he saw the grim expression on his clan head's face, he seemed to realize something. His expression changed.

"Of course we will take revenge, but our enemy is only that Hyuga Ning Qi!" Tsume Inuzuka growled at him.

"Yes." Kō Inuzuka struggled to keep himself from looking in a certain direction.

Tsume Inuzuka said nothing more. After a while, as she treated an injured ninja dog, she turned to glance at the darkness behind her and spoke casually.

"Are you satisfied with that answer?"

After a moment of silence, several figures emerged from the darkness. Kō Inuzuka's expression immediately darkened.

These bastards...

It was the head of the Nara Clan—Shikaku—leading several fully armed ANBU shinobi.

Shikaku, at the front, wore a somewhat guilty expression, as if he had not come to monitor the Inuzuka Clan.

Shikaku said:

"I'm very sorry. Regarding the future reconstruction of the Inuzuka Clan's grounds, the Nara Clan will certainly provide compensation..."

His attitude was sincere. Tsume Inuzuka stared at him for a moment, and her expression at least softened on the surface.

To be honest, in that situation, no one knew where in Konoha would explode after Ning Qi pressed his button. Shikaku had instructed Nara Clan shinobi to try to restrain Ning Qi, which had been a routine action tacitly approved by Lord Hokage.

It was simply that the Inuzuka Clan had been unlucky.

"So, you brought people here because you were afraid I'd act impulsively?"

Tsume Inuzuka glanced at the ANBU beside Shikaku and continued with a sneer.

"Having other shinobi clans suffer disasters won't recover the Inuzuka Clan's losses."

"No matter what, as the head of the Inuzuka Clan, I still have that much sense of the bigger picture."

She stopped there. The meaning she wanted to convey was obvious—she would not seek revenge on Ning Qi for the time being.

But Konoha's upper ranks apparently did not trust her.

Shikaku and these ANBU were clearly staying nearby to prevent her from doing anything reckless.

In response to Tsume Inuzuka's honesty, Shikaku could only say, "Sorry."

Tsume Inuzuka stared at him for a moment, then gave a derisive laugh and impatiently waved her hand.

"Fine, I understand. I accept your apology. But I'm annoyed just looking at you right now, so do me a favor and get the hell out of here."

"Right now... I can't."

"...What do you mean?" Tsume Inuzuka was briefly stunned, then narrowed her eyes. Her fangs and claws quietly began to grow.

She, the head of the Inuzuka Clan, had already made herself so clear. Did he think she would go back on her word?

This Shikaku actually still had the nerve to stay here. Did he really think she would not attack him?

Shikaku knew Tsume Inuzuka had misunderstood. Just as he was about to speak, nearby footsteps approached, followed by a lazy voice.

"How come only a few dogs died?"