socalfunplaces Chapter 12 A Tribute to Legends
Chapter 12 A Tribute to Legends
Chapter 12 A Tribute to Legends
Shiba Kiyokawa looked at Kakashi with a meaningful smile on his lips.
"Young man from Konoha, your name is Kakashi, right? I'd like to ask why you're so obsessed with ninja missions?"
Shiba Kiyokawa's polite question immediately interrupted the imminent battle between Uchiha Obito and Kakashi.
They probably understood that it was foolish and shameful to fight in front of enemies they had recently clashed with.
Therefore, Kakashi turned his head away, deliberately avoiding looking at Obito's clenched teeth expression, and instead met Shiba Kiyokawa's gaze, answering coldly.
"Completing missions is a ninja's duty. The ironclad rule of the ninja world: those who cannot complete missions are useless!"
Shiba Kiyokawa laughed, his laughter growing ever more joyful, as if he had seen a seed that had been suppressed for a long time, ready to burst into a dazzling display of light at any moment.
All he wants to do now is detonate this seed. He doesn't care who gets hit, since it won't affect him anyway.
"Do you truly believe in this ironclad rule? Are you acting in this way because you genuinely agree with it from the bottom of your heart?"
Kakashi's chin, hidden beneath his mask, opened and closed slightly, as if he wanted to speak, but Shiba Kiyokawa pressed him for an answer before he could.
"If you truly believe in the paramount importance of the mission, then why did you recklessly rush in to try and rescue your companion before your teacher arrived? Your actions at that time do not align with your current explanation."
Young man, ask yourself honestly, do you truly agree with the words you keep saying? Or... are you just running away from it all?
To escape facing the loss of loved ones, to escape facing the darkness of this world, to escape facing the almost impossible quest for justice, to escape facing... the revenge you, as a son, should have taken?
Shiba Kiyokawa's words were like a poison, piercing Kakashi's heart unexpectedly. The pain caused his eyes to instantly turn bloodshot, his breathing to become rapid, and one hand to unconsciously grip the hilt of his sword, his knuckles trembling uncontrollably.
"What...what do you know?!" Kakashi stepped forward and questioned, almost breaking free from Minato Namikaze's grasp.
Obito Uchiha, who was standing nearby, was also startled.
This was the first time he had ever seen Kakashi with such a terrifying expression; he looked like a trapped beast with bloodshot eyes, cornered in a desperate situation.
Minato Namikaze also showed displeasure at this moment, and said in a deep voice, "Rain Ninja, I've told you, don't say strange things to my disciples anymore!"
Shiba Kiyokawa quickly raised his hands in front of him to indicate that he was innocent.
"Alright, Lord Minato, no problem, I'll stop here."
Provoking Kakashi wasn't his primary goal at the moment; he did these things merely for pleasure, saying them because he found it amusing.
He simply enjoys watching rivers of blood flow.
When conflict arises with the main objective, he will naturally abandon this instigation without hesitation.
"Lord Minato, please don't mind, let's set off now."
How could seeds that have already been buried in the soil be so easily blown away by the wind?
Minato Namikaze glanced at Kakashi, whose expression was still very strange; it was obvious that Kakashi's mind was in turmoil.
He tried to comfort him, "Kakashi, don't overthink it. I'll explain the mission to the village later."
He then looked up at Shiba Kiyokawa, a strong sense of vigilance rising in his heart once again.
He had just momentarily thought the other person was actually quite nice.
How could this boy, who lives in the Land of Rain, have such a deep understanding of Konoha?!
Minato Namikaze doesn't understand.
But he could no longer regard Shiba Kiyokawa as an ordinary teenager.
He always had a premonition: this boy would definitely become a source of immense trouble for Konoha in the future!
However, Lin is still in their hands, so he has no choice but to act in accordance with their conditions.
The kind-hearted Minato Namikaze couldn't easily give up on his disciple.
The group then arrived at a forest on the border of the Land of Rain.
Almost simultaneously, Yahiko and Nagato arrived with nearly half of the current Akatsuki's combat personnel.
Upon arriving at the scene, Yahiko anxiously asked, "Minami, what exactly happened?"
In the past, Xiao Nan rarely used paper butterflies for rescue.
Moreover, the entire Akatsuki organization knows that Nagato is in poor health, so Konan would never easily trouble Nagato for help.
When Yahiko and Nagato, who were staying at the base, suddenly received the paper butterfly sent by Konan, they were startled, thinking that Konan had encountered some terrible danger!
When everyone arrived at the scene, they discovered that things weren't as bad as they had imagined.
Xiao Nan even took the initiative to comfort them.
"It's alright, Yahiko. The situation is still under Shiba Kiyokawa's control. Everyone, please don't act rashly."
Yahiko first breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Shiba Kiyokawa with some suspicion.
Why is this guy being so well-behaved this time?
Moreover, after arriving, Yahiko had a vague feeling that the trust Konan showed when mentioning Shiba Kiyokawa was a little too natural.
Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze also showed a moment of surprise when he saw Yahiko and Nagato arrive later.
He had a guess when he first saw Konan's blue hair, and now that he saw Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato together, he was certain of his guess.
"You three are Jiraiya-sensei's disciples, right?"
Yahiko turned around in surprise and looked at Minato Namikaze. "Do you know Jiraiya-sensei?"
Minato Namikaze nodded, but ultimately did not reveal that he was also Jiraiya's student.
He was already somewhat frightened by Shiba Kiyokawa's "intelligence capabilities" and instinctively did not want to reveal any more things related to Konoha.
Yahiko thus missed a golden opportunity to reunite with his senior brother, though he himself was unaware of it.
"When you return to Konoha, please convey our gratitude to Jiraiya-sensei and tell him that the disciples of the Land of Rain have always been striving to realize his ideals!"
At this time, Yahiko still felt grateful to Jiraiya, which was completely different from the Pain who would later be controlled by the corrupted Nagato and become a patriarch.
Minato Namikaze silently nodded in agreement.
But they didn't make any additional promises.
If it weren't for the dangerous boy, Shiba Kiyokawa, standing in his way, he thought he might have been more willing to communicate with his junior brother in front of him.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".
Because of Shiba Kiyokawa's presence, the two sides only exchanged a few words before the prisoners were released in a formulaic manner.
It wasn't until Minato Namikaze quickly left with the released Rin Nohara that Yahiko and Nagato finally had a chance to question Konan.
"Who was that person just now? Why were you so eager to call for help?"
Konan simply replied, "Shiba Kiyokawa said that he is the future Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent; for a moment, you could hear a pin drop.
Many of the Akatsuki members who had come along showed expressions of lingering fear, wiping away the cold sweat that had broken out in their brows.
"Wait...we were just confronting the Hokage?"
"Oh my god, was I too loud just now?!"
"That was close! I felt like I was about to die!"
Then, they all turned their gazes to Shiba Kiyokawa, who was the most composed person on the scene, their admiration evident in their eyes.
"Qinghe, you...you're going this far? You dare to kidnap a Hokage's disciple?"
"You actually escaped unscathed from the Hokage?!"
At that moment, Shiba Kiyokawa couldn't help but think of a talented member of the future Akatsuki team.
That person also fought against a Hokage and escaped unscathed, thus becoming famous throughout the ninja world.
So, could this be considered a tribute to the legend of Kakuzu?
(End of this chapter)