Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Apologizing Uchihas
'This is truly unbelievable.'
"Hey, demon fox, hurry up and hand over the scroll to m…", Mizuki, who had arrived here together with Naruto, had not even finished saying the word "me" when he realized that the situation in front of him seemed very wrong.
Besides Naruto, who was carrying the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll on his back, there were actually three more unexpected guests.
A masked female ninja, most likely an ANBU ninja.
A ninja surrounded by floating black insects, seemingly a member of the ROOT organization.
And finally, a student from their class—Uchiha Kage. This one wasn't worth paying attention to.
But the pressure from the first two people was just too overwhelming.
Mizuki touched the large shuriken on his back. With his half-baked Chūnin-level strength, trying to deal with elite ninjas from ANBU and Root was nothing short of a joke.
'Damn it…'
'Why are so many people here?'
'Could it be that my plan to use Naruto to steal the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll had already been exposed to the Hokage?'
"ANBU ninja… and the Nine-Tails…", After having his attack interrupted, Aburame Ryoma suddenly sobered up a lot.
Seeing Naruto carrying the scroll and the ANBU ninja who had chased him all the way here, he realized that today's situation was getting out of control.
But to just retreat and give up? That was something he was unwilling to accept.
'Is this the reinforcement sent by the Hokage?'
Not long after, Iruka, who had been following behind Mizuki, also arrived near the group.
Looking at the purple-haired kunoichi wearing an ANBU mask, he thought she had been sent by the Hokage to stop Mizuki and Naruto.
But neither Aburame Ryoma nor Uzuki Yugao had the time to deal with these two huskies who had wandered into a pack of wolves.
Only Uchiha Kage was secretly watching the drama unfold.
Even though the current chaotic situation was largely his doing, that didn't stop him from enjoying the show as a bystander.
'The Third Hokage probably never expected that someone else would mess up his carefully arranged plan for Naruto, right?'
'Heh, I really want to see what kind of expression that old man has right now.'
———
'Ninjas from the Root organization have fallen so low that they won't even spare a newly graduated Genin?', Uzuki Yugao couldn't understand why the Root ninja was so obsessed with Uchiha Kage's actions.
'This is pure nonsense.'
"A mere Genin fresh out of the academy managed to injure me, a Jōnin, to this extent. I have every reason to suspect that he's a spy sent by another village," With a shifting expression, Aburame Ryoma decided to first label Uchiha Kage's identity.
"Speak! What is your true purpose for hiding your strength?"
"I didn't hide my strength. You were just stupid enough to fall into my trap and get yourself injured."
Uchiha Kage bluntly exposed Aburame Ryoma's embarrassment.
All he needed to do now was keep provoking the other party, forcing him to continue attacking, and that would be a win.
"And someone as weak as you is actually a Jōnin? I think you're the real spy sent by another village, with the purpose of lowering the overall quality of Konoha's Jōnin."
"You… You're courting death!", Enraged to the point of losing control, Aburame Ryoma immediately commanded his insects to swarm toward Uchiha Kage.
"Don't hurt Kage!", Naruto, although still unclear about the situation, saw Uchiha Kage being repeatedly attacked by this bug-using ninja. As someone who considered Kage a friend, he quickly stood in front of him.
"Don't worry! I've learned a really powerful jutsu. I'll definitely defeat this bad guy," As Naruto formed hand seals, he confidently stared at the hooded ninja in front of him.
The only one who knew he was the demon fox yet still treated him as a friend was probably just Uchiha Kage. Sasuke and the others could count as half a friend, maybe.
"So… I will never let anyone hurt my friends!"
"Naruto…", Uchiha Kage looked at the figure standing in front of him, holding the scroll defensively. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
'Damn it, I came too early. Did I just steal Iruka's big moment?'
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!", Naruto created a large number of shadow clones and charged at Aburame Ryoma with his fists clenched.
'The Nine-Tails actually managed to master this kind of forbidden jutsu…', Aburame Ryoma glanced at Mizuki, who was already trying to run away in the distance, then at Naruto, who was surrounding him with his clones. He finally realized that he might have gotten himself caught up in some real trouble.
But now, there was no time to think about that.
"Hmph, this kind of jutsu is useless against me."
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The swarm of insects in front of Aburame Ryoma was like a raincloud. Each time they made contact with Naruto's attacking shadow clones, the clones instantly disappeared into thin air.
Naruto's real body was also trapped by the insect swarm, unable to move.
"What are you trying to do?", Seeing Naruto trapped by the insects, and the Aburame ninja about to make a move on Uchiha Kage, Iruka quickly ran over to stand between them.
"What exactly is happening here?"
He no longer had time to care about Mizuki, who had seemingly escaped. While enduring the overwhelming pressure from Aburame Ryoma, Iruka turned to look at Uchiha Kage and the ANBU ninja who had retrieved her long sword.
"I don't know either. He just started chasing me through the village for no reason, saying that the Uchiha Clan should be completely wiped out," After using his Byakugan to notice a certain spectator nearby, Uchiha Kage quickly added more fuel to the fire by making Aburame Ryoma's crimes sound even worse.
"Hmph, the Uchiha Clan was always an evil clan. You hiding your strength must be because…", Completely oblivious to the current situation, Aburame Ryoma never even considered refuting Uchiha Kage's claims.
Right now, he just wanted to capture this Uchiha brat and get out of here as soon as possible.
"ABURAME RYOMA!"
Before Aburame Ryoma could make another move, a deep, aged voice echoed in everyone's ears.
"L-Lord Hokage?"
The moment Aburame Ryoma heard this voice, all the strength drained from his body.
"Stand down immediately!"
Wearing his Hokage robe, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with two ANBU members—and the just-recaptured Mizuki.
"Yes, sir."
Aburame Ryoma obediently stepped back, though his heart was still full of unwillingness.
"But Lord Hokage, this Uchiha Kage…"
"That's enough. Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? A Jōnin getting taught a lesson by a Genin using jutsu and traps, and now trying to frame him with conspiracy theories, even saying such…"
'Words harm the unity of the village.'
Hiruzen Sarutobi had seen the remnants of the battle traps left behind.
With his experience, he immediately understood how the fight between Uchiha Kage and Aburame Ryoma had played out.
"The Uchiha Clan are heroes of the village. This is an undeniable fact. If you still acknowledge me as Hokage, then apologize to Uchiha, and to Uchiha Kage right now!"
"I…", Aburame Ryoma wanted to argue, but he had indeed been tricked into saying some unpleasant things earlier. There was no way for him to refute it now.
"…I'm sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn't have doubted you, and I definitely shouldn't have… slandered the Uchiha Clan," Gritting his teeth, Aburame Ryoma bowed his head and apologized with frustration.
Clenching his teeth, Aburame Ryoma, full of grievance, lowered his head and apologized in the direction of Uchiha Kage.
"It doesn't matter. After all, there are only two people left in the Uchiha clan now. Even if you kill me, probably no one would take it seriously," Uchiha Kage continued to add fuel to Aburame Ryoma's wound, "So, you can totally come and kill me next time. Maybe next time, you won't even need to apologize."
"You...", Aburame Ryoma originally wanted to say, "Stop putting on an act," but seeing the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's increasingly darkening expression, he quickly lowered his head and bent his waist even further.
"I swear on the name of the Aburame clan that I will never make a move against you again."
'Damn brat! Just don't let me find another opportunity!'
"Alright, I can be at ease for now," Uchiha Kage thought that if this guy came again next time, it wouldn't just be a shoulder injury.
"That's more like it," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction.
"Kage, you performed very well today. And Naruto, even though you stole the scroll, you stood your ground against a formidable enemy for the sake of friendship and bonds without backing down. The future of Konoha depends on new leaves like you..."
After giving a long speech about the 'Will of Fire,' Sarutobi Hiruzen then had Iruka announce the good news that Naruto had passed the graduation exam. Only then did he lead everyone out of the Forest of Death.
Obviously, due to Aburame Ryoma and Uchiha Kage's interference, he was a bit unsure of how to wrap things up, so he could only awkwardly praise Naruto.
———
"That Danzo! I told him to send someone to contact Orochimaru, and yet he pulled a stunt like this instead?"
As soon as he returned to the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen started scolding Danzo.
"Apologies, Lord Hokage. It was my failure in supervision that allowed Root's people to—", Uzuki Yugao, while blaming Gekko Hayate in her heart for stopping her, anxiously waited for the Hokage's punishment for her failure.
"Today's incident is not your fault. You may leave," However, Sarutobi Hiruzen simply waved his hand expressionlessly and did not hold her accountable.
Because he knew that with Uzuki Yugao's strength, she was likely not a match for Aburame Ryoma either.
"Yes."
Although she was not punished, Uzuki Yugao still left the Hokage's office with a heavy heart.
"Still, I really didn't expect that he could actually injure Aburame Ryoma."
'Uchiha Kage… He hasn't even awakened his Sharingan yet, but he might not be a talent to overlook.'
After Uzuki Yugao left, Sarutobi Hiruzen smoked his pipe while studying the 'Future Notebook' he had obtained not long ago.
"If everything written here is true, I wonder if the future has already begun to change from this moment?"
Anyone, especially someone like Sarutobi Hiruzen who had lived for so many years, could not possibly remain indifferent to the fact that he had only a few months left to live.
———
"The Uchiha clan never lacked geniuses. It seems I misjudged."
[Meanwhile, at Root]
After listening to Aburame Ryoma's report, Danzo showed no significant reaction.
The situation regarding Uchiha Kage had already escalated to this extent, so there was no need to continue.
However…
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