Chapter 71: Killing One's Master Is a Hokage Tradition, You Must Try It
Shaking off their pursuers along the way had been anything but easy.
Even with the Second Hokage holding the rear, they had still been repeatedly surrounded by shinobi from the Land of Lightning. There were no deaths yet, but injuries had piled up on nearly everyone.
At this point, the only one who could still maintain anything close to full combat strength was the strongest among them, Hiruzen.
"I'll go take a look over there."
Hearing Koharu's words, Hiruzen slowly stood and spoke in a steady voice. "There should be clean water and prey in that direction. I'll bring some back."
"Koharu, watch Kagami and the others. Don't let anything happen to them."
After giving his instructions, he headed into the forest alone.
Finding food and water went smoothly.
With Hiruzen's strength, securing enough prey and filling water supplies was easy.
For him, tracking and concealment mattered far more than gathering.
"It's about time to head back."
He stored the supplies and turned around, the thought just passing through his mind.
Then, without warning, a sharp sense of danger surged up his spine.
It was the instinct honed through countless brushes with death, an intuition that had saved him on battlefields more times than he could count.
He did not hesitate for even a heartbeat. He twisted and retreated at once.
Thud!
A kunai shot in from the distance and slammed into the ground right where he had been standing.
It looked like an ordinary kunai, but the force behind it was anything but. Wind natured chakra clung to the blade like a razor edge.
If it had pierced flesh, it would have been enough to tear a body apart.
"As expected of you…"
A voice drifted from ahead, calm and unhurried.
"Sarutobi sensei…"
Hiruzen froze, as if struck by lightning.
"You… you are…"
He stared into the depths of the forest, his expression turning grave.
A moment later, under his watchful gaze, the figure stepped into view.
It was a youth.
Fifteen or sixteen at most, wearing a white robe. He stood tall and straight, carrying a presence that made him impossible to ignore.
Thin sunlight filtered down through the canopy, casting soft light across a handsome, sharply defined face. It was the kind of appearance that lingered in the mind, as if the heavens themselves had carved it with care, carrying an indescribable beauty.
With just one look, it was hard to forget him.
Disbelief flashed across Hiruzen's face.
"Key…"
He stared at the youth, emotions twisting in his eyes.
"How could it be you…"
The person before him was none other than Uchiha Kei.
Meeting Hiruzen's gaze, Kei stepped forward slowly. His face remained calm as he spoke in a low voice.
"I left a Flying Thunder God mark on you."
"Whenever I want, I can appear at your side at any time."
"A Flying Thunder God mark?"
Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock. "You actually know Sensei's technique…"
Then he immediately shook his head, forcing himself to stay rational.
"No."
"Even with the Flying Thunder God Technique, you shouldn't be able to teleport across such long distances."
Times changed. Even though both were Flying Thunder God, there was a world of difference between Tobirama's version and the one Minato would perfect in the future.
The original Flying Thunder God was suited for combat, mainly short range shifts.
Tobirama could not do what Minato later would, freely crossing vast distances at will, or even teleporting away a Tailed Beast Ball.
As Tobirama's student, Hiruzen knew the technique's limitations well, and he pointed it out without hesitation.
"I improved the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Kei shook his head, offering no further explanation.
"Why are you doing this?"
Hiruzen's gaze locked onto Kei. "If you had this kind of power, why didn't you present it openly?"
"What do you want?"
"If I have to say it, it's probably for the position of Hokage."
Kei's voice stayed soft and even. "I'm doing this to seize the title of Hokage."
"You don't seem like someone who would covet the Hokage's seat."
Hiruzen shook his head, unconvinced.
They had spent years together. He knew Kei well.
There were people who would do anything for that position, like Danzo. But Hiruzen firmly believed Kei was not that sort of person.
He trusted his judgment. Kei did not look like a man driven by hunger for power.
Besides, even if Kei wanted it, there was no need for this.
With his ability, and as Hiruzen's own student, the position would eventually be his as long as nothing went wrong. There was no reason to be so impatient.
"If I must say, there are other reasons."
Kei nodded, not denying it. "But to do those things, to achieve those goals, I still need to hold the title of Hokage."
"That is the purpose of what I'm doing."
Under normal circumstances, Kei could have waited, quietly managing everything until Hiruzen stepped down.
But his time in this world was limited. There was a constraint.
Once fifty years passed, he would have to leave.
And Hiruzen was in his prime, with decades of peak years ahead of him. If Kei waited until Hiruzen retired, there would be little time left before he was forced to depart.
Practically speaking, acting now was the more realistic choice.
The Hiruzen standing before him was the successor personally chosen by Tobirama. As long as he remained, seizing the Hokage's seat would be extremely difficult.
Only if this ideal successor disappeared would Kei have a chance to take the position, as Hiruzen's disciple.
"Let's begin."
Kei spoke quietly. "In the end, shinobi matters must be decided the shinobi way."
"That's the principle you taught me, Sensei."
"Fine!"
Hiruzen took a deep breath. He stared at Kei, resolve filling his face.
"No matter what happened to you, Kei, I won't let you have your way."
"Once I capture you, I will make you correct your mistakes!"
His hands moved in a rapid blur, signs forming in an instant as a surge of chakra erupted.
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
A massive wave of fire roared forward, but just as it was about to strike Kei, it vanished without a trace.
In the next instant, the same fire attack erupted again, but this time it hurtled straight toward Hiruzen himself.
"What?"
Shock flashed across Hiruzen's face, but his body reacted faster than his thoughts.
He dodged to the side without hesitation.
Boom!
The fire slammed into the earth, erupting in a violent explosion.
"What is this?"
Hiruzen's expression darkened as he stared at Kei.
"Flying Thunder God Formation."
Kei's voice remained calm. "Just as I can teleport people, I can also shift and redirect another person's ninjutsu."
"To think it can be used like that… what a terrifying ability."
Hiruzen's face turned grim. "Your mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique has surpassed Tobirama sensei's…"
"If that's the case, then many ninjutsu will lose their effect…"
The thought flashed through his mind, and he moved at once, switching tactics.
Summoning Jutsu: Enma!
A burst of smoke exploded beside him as Enma appeared, then immediately transformed under Hiruzen's command into an Adamantine Staff.
In the next moment, Hiruzen leaped forward.
Boom!
The ground trembled as the staff smashed down, carving out a crater.
It was proof of what Hiruzen in his prime truly was, a top tier powerhouse.
Even without relying on ninjutsu, even with taijutsu alone, his strength was overwhelming and impossible to ignore.
In pure taijutsu, there likely were not many in all of Konoha who could claim to be stronger than him.
Unfortunately, even with that strength, his reaction speed was still a step too slow.
No matter how fiercely he attacked, he could not land a hit on Kei.
In the end, Flying Thunder God was simply too powerful. As long as the user's reaction was sharp enough, being struck was almost impossible.
Hiruzen's overall ability was undeniably high.
Whether ninjutsu or taijutsu, he was formidable, well rounded in every category, like a perfect hexagon.
But against a space time technique like Flying Thunder God, he was still forced into a passive position with no easy answer.
"This won't do…"
After a flurry of attacks, Hiruzen's breathing grew heavy. "I need a way to catch him…"
Compared to the old man he would become in the future, Hiruzen now was in his prime, with much stronger stamina.
Even so, he was still human. He could not fight without end.
After so many exchanges, fatigue was beginning to creep into his body.
If this continued, he would be worn down and killed.
So he hardened his heart, gritted his teeth, and charged forward again.
Seals suddenly flickered from all directions, flaring at once.
Sealing Jutsu!
A massive sealing technique spread across the area, covering everything, leaving no angle to evade.
Even with Flying Thunder God, one still needed a fulcrum, a coordinate to jump to.
Hiruzen's intent was clear. He wanted to destroy all possible anchors, cutting off Kei's ability to keep teleporting.
But in the end, he was disappointed.
When the sealing technique faded, Kei's figure vanished once more.
"Damn it… where exactly is his mark?"
Hiruzen's mind raced.
In the next instant, pain exploded through his chest.
Hiruzen stiffened and looked down.
A kunai had pierced straight through his chest at some point he had not even sensed.
Crimson blood spilled down, splattering the ground.
Yet Hiruzen did not panic.
Instead, a smile appeared on his face.
"Got you!"
He grabbed Kei's hand, and the technique he had prepared long ago activated instantly.
Genjutsu: Nightfall Jutsu!
Powerful chakra surged through the kunai and poured into Kei's body.
This was the opportunity Hiruzen had deliberately created.
Only now, at this distance, with direct contact, could he finally cast a genjutsu that had a chance of taking effect.
.....
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