"We can't let Uchiha Chizumi keep growing like this!"
"Even though I've already set Yakushi Kabuto to work researching Impure World Reincarnation, at Kabuto's current pace, it'll probably take years before he can truly perfect that forbidden technique."
"And during those years, not only do I need the Akatsuki and Uchiha Chizumi to clash, Obito also has to obtain the Tenseigan!"
"And beyond that, I need to make the other three great nations find a way to declare war on the Land of Fire!"
Black Zetsu stared toward distant Konoha. If, before, he had still felt that letting Uchiha Chizumi be wouldn't necessarily interfere with the Eye of the Moon Plan, then now he had completely changed his mind—Uchiha Chizumi had become someone who absolutely had to be dealt with.
Because Black Zetsu was genuinely afraid: what if that guy Uchiha Chizumi somehow stumbled into creating a kekkei mōra?
No one knew what Black Zetsu was really thinking, but over in Konoha, everything had already exploded into chaos.
Hyūga Neji and Hyūga Hinata both stood there blankly, staring at Uchiha Chizumi descending from the sky. If Neji had once believed that one day Hinata might awaken the Tenseigan and stand on equal footing with Chizumi, then now a huge question mark had been stamped across that thought. Even if Hinata did awaken the Tenseigan… could she really beat Uchiha Chizumi?
As for Jiraiya, Shima had already dispelled her summoning and returned to Mount Myōboku. The shinobi world was becoming harder and harder to understand, and she had to wake the Great Toad Sage and ask whether there was some new prophecy. At this point, she was starting to worry that Uchiha Chizumi might one day come knocking on Mount Myōboku's door.
Meanwhile, at Tsunade's house, Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly wanted to say something, but after a long silence, all he could manage was a sigh.
What was there even left to say?
A new sun had appeared over Konoha, and he had already handed the Hokage's seat over to Tsunade. Perhaps that new sun carried another meaning too—like Konoha stepping into a new order.
"A new kekkei tōta…?"
Elsewhere, at Kakashi's home, the rarely seen Kakashi stood looking toward the Uchiha district, and there was an unmistakable note of anticipation in his eyes.
With the strength Uchiha Chizumi now possessed, and that terrifying kekkei tōta… the shinobi world really might become a better place.
"Senior! Senior! What was that just now?"
Back in the Uchiha district, the other Uchiha clan members only dared linger near Uchiha Chizumi's home, but Uchiha Izumi had no such hesitation and walked straight up to him the moment he landed.
Kitsujiro was perched on her shoulder again.
Chizumi had been worried that experimenting with the power of a kekkei mōra might cause some sort of accident, so he had sent Kitsujiro over to Izumi's house beforehand. Otherwise, with the heat radiating from Radiance Release alone, Kitsujiro would have been ten-percent cooked.
"Radiance Release."
"I fused the power of Lava Release and Explosion Release, and the result was a new kekkei tōta."
"If you want to learn it, you'll need to master Lava Release first."
Chizumi didn't hide anything from Izumi. She had already proven the sincerity of her justice, and if she really had the talent for it, he had no issue teaching her Radiance Release.
"Teacher, Teacher, I want to learn it too! I want to learn it too!"
Sasuke came rushing over from the other side. After witnessing how powerful Radiance Release was, he suddenly felt like the Uchiha clan's traditional Fire Release techniques weren't all that appealing anymore.
Compared to Radiance Release, Fire Release barely seemed worth mentioning.
"You have Fire and Lightning chakra natures. Once you finish mastering Earth-nature transformation, you can start with Lava Release first, and then try for Explosion Release."
"Only by creating those two kekkei genkai can you have a chance at obtaining Radiance Release."
Chizumi didn't reject Sasuke either. Or rather, as long as it was one of the techniques or powers he had mastered, anyone who followed justice and wanted to learn would not find him stingy.
That said, he didn't think either Izumi or Sasuke could truly obtain Radiance Release at their current level.
Even with his guidance, Izumi would probably only manage to grasp Lava Release and Explosion Release as separate kekkei genkai. Pushing the two of them one step further into a kekkei tōta would be extremely difficult for her.
Or rather, throughout the entire shinobi world, only a tiny handful of people could ever hope to master the power of a kekkei tōta.
If kekkei tōta were that easy to master, Onoki would never have spent his whole life only to find one student—Deidara—who might have had the potential to use Dust Release, only for that student to go completely off the rails.
Sasuke, on the other hand, might actually have a shot at gaining Radiance Release one day—if he could obtain Yin Release as well.
After all, Sasuke was still a reincarnation of Indra's chakra. There was already a portion of Six Paths power in him.
"Lord Chizumi, the Third Hokage is summoning you to the Hokage Building."
"The Uchiha jōnin will also need to head there shortly. Today is the jōnin election for Hokage."
Just as Uchiha Chizumi was talking with Izumi and Sasuke, an ANBU ninja appeared.
It was obvious from the way he carried himself that his attitude toward Uchiha Chizumi was extremely respectful.
In truth, the ANBU had previously been resentful not only toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, but toward Uchiha Chizumi as well. After all, Chizumi had played a major role in driving a wedge between ANBU and Hiruzen.
But after witnessing the power of Chizumi's Radiance Release today, all that resentment had been replaced by pure awe.
And really, how could they not be in awe?
Radiance Release had risen high enough to illuminate more than half the Land of Fire. It had raised the temperature in the surrounding area by nearly ten degrees. If Chizumi had stayed in the sky any longer, the Land of Fire would have truly become the Land of Fire in every sense of the word—a country of burning flame.
Faced with that sun-like power, even the ANBU who had once resented him had started to think differently.
After all, Hiruzen was about to retire anyway. The ANBU had only grown distant from him—there was still plenty of time to build a relationship with Tsunade, Konoha's future Hokage.
And with a shinobi as powerful as Uchiha Chizumi in the village, Konoha's security was practically off the charts.
"That works out. I needed to go see the Third anyway."
"But the jōnin election is starting this quickly?"
Uchiha Chizumi plucked the drowsy Kitsujiro off Izumi's shoulder. He hadn't forgotten that he still needed to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. Without Flying Thunder God, carrying out justice on Uchiha Obito would be far more difficult than it should be.
Inside the Hokage office building, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Uchiha Chizumi with a deeply complicated expression.
Chizumi was obviously still the same person as before, but maybe because of the aftereffects of that Radiance Release, Hiruzen now felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from him.
In truth, it was just an illusion.
Or rather, with the Hokage's seat about to leave his hands, Hiruzen had finally started asking himself a question he had long avoided—
under Uchiha Chizumi's Absolute Justice…
was he himself going to die too?
~~~
No Advanced Chapters! Thank you for reading!