Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 159: Sister Izumi, Should I Also Call You "Lady"?

"You actually made it here. Ambitious young Uchihas, do you seek greater power? Do you want revenge for the Uchiha clan? Come before me, and I shall grant you—"

Before the Nine-Tails could finish its tempting words, a slender hand clamped over its mouth. Uchiha Izumi interrupted it, her expression uncharacteristically cold:

"Nine-Tails, I remember that night vividly."

On the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage, Uchiha Izumi witnessed many of her friends and family perish under the beast's claws. She held no goodwill towards this monster and had no interest in hearing anything it had to say.

"My mother also died that night!"

Uchiha Kei joined in, forcefully holding the fox's mouth shut, his eyes full of murderous intent. The night of the Nine-Tails' rampage not only resulted in heavy casualties among the villagers of Konoha but also saw the destruction of the Uchiha clan's area at the village center, leading to significant losses.

Sasuke, who was just a baby back then and had been held all night by Uchiha Itachi, had no memory of the events. But this did not stop him from sharing the hatred.

Sasuke glanced at the bewildered Naruto and said, "Tailed beasts cannot die. The best punishment is to keep it sealed within a jinchūriki forever, never to see the light of day."

After speaking, Sasuke also placed his hand on the fox's mouth.

"Evil Uchihas…"

The enraged Nine-Tails didn't have time to respond. The three Uchihas—Sasuke, Izumi, and Kei—tightened their grips.

Boom!

The giant fox head in front of them shattered into foam and completely dissipated.

In an instant, everyone's figures vanished.

In the real world, Sasuke, Izumi, and Kei looked away as Yamato's Wood Release, arriving a bit late, tightly bound Naruto, who had already calmed down and retracted the Tailed Beast Chakra.

Naruto's crisis subsided. Yamato, though relieved, did not completely relax. He glanced at Sasuke and his companions, preparing to act again.

With three three-tomoe Sharingan users and another equally powerful ninja, the configuration seemed small in number but formidable. During their brief confrontation, some of his team had already been injured or lost their combat capability. Continuing the fight would lead to unfavorable results.

After a quick decision, Yamato planned to retreat. He swiftly brought the bound Naruto back to his side.

Before Sasuke and his team could advance, Yamato clapped his hands, intertwining his fingers, and shouted:

"Wood Release: Birth of the Sea of Trees!"

A large number of trees sprouted from the ground. Though not as vast and powerful as the Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, it was enough to envelop the battlefield.

Fearing the Wood Release, Sasuke and his team immediately retreated outside its range.

Taking advantage of the situation, Yamato called for his team to quickly withdraw.

"Naruto…"

Naruto wanted to say something, but seeing the unconscious Sai, the injured Yamato, and the others, he understood that they weren't strong enough. The decision made by Captain Yamato was correct, so he lowered his head and, with Sakura, took one last look at the direction where Sasuke had been, now covered by the spreading vines and trees, until they could see no more.

"Training! I need to train even harder!"

Naruto clenched his fists. He had thought that after two years of training with Pervy Sage, he would be strong enough to handle anything. But now he realized it was far from enough.

Sakura felt the same. As Tsunade's disciple, besides medical ninjutsu and monstrous strength, she had been training the Yin Seal for the past two years, though she had yet to master it.

"After we get back, I need to work even harder! I don't want to experience the helplessness of seeing Sasuke right in front of me and being unable to do anything again," Sakura vowed silently.

Sasuke, unlike the two of them, was not prone to sentimental thoughts. Seeing the sea of trees completely block the path, Uchiha Kei asked if they should pursue, but Hagoromo Anki shook his head, indicating that their priority was to keep moving. Sasuke then sheathed his sword, took one last calm look in Naruto and Sakura's direction, and turned to leave with the others.

During their journey, Uchiha Izumi suddenly brought up a topic.

"Sasuke, that girl named Sakura just now—is she the one you like?"

Crack.

The sudden question startled Sasuke, causing the branch he was stepping on to crack. If not for his quick reflexes, he would have fallen.

Hearing this, Uchiha Kei turned his head with a look of surprise, eager to join in:

"Oh? Sasuke, do you actually have someone you like?"

Seeing the usually cool Sasuke caught off guard, he quickly regained his composure and denied it:

"No! I don't like anyone!"

"Really? But I saw that girl named Sakura seems to like you a lot," Uchiha Izumi teased, winking.

"I don't need a woman!" Sasuke said firmly and quickly.

"True enough. Sasuke, you don't need a woman at this stage," Hagoromo Anki interjected, then added with a shift in tone, "But as you grow older, you will. Sasuke, when the time comes, I'll give you some suggestions."

"I have plenty of sisters!" Hagoromo Anki said proudly.

Sasuke: "..."

Uchiha Kei: "If that's the case, Sasuke would become my brother-in-law!"

Uchiha Izumi: "Sasuke is so outstanding, he can have several."

Feeling that he would be "shredded" by these adults if the conversation continued, Sasuke quickly changed the subject:

"Captain, Kei, Izumi, do you know where the new Locking Front Village will be located?"

Hagoromo Anki and Uchiha Kei didn't know and wanted to continue teasing Sasuke, but Uchiha Izumi, seeing his discomfort, answered:

"If nothing changes, it should be in the Land of Waves."

"The Land of Waves?" Sasuke's expression shifted slightly.

Hagoromo Anki and Uchiha Kei also focused their attention on Uchiha Izumi, puzzled.

"The Land of Waves? Never heard of it. What kind of country is it?"

"Izumi, how do you know?"

Only a few high-ranking officials knew the new location of Locking Front Village. Izumi wasn't supposed to know.

Uchiha Izumi explained, "Once, in Lord Hagoromo's office, I overheard him muttering about setting up the new Locking Front Village in the Land of Waves."

"Once?"

"Lord Hagoromo?"

"Office?"

Hagoromo Anki and Uchiha Kei looked at Uchiha Izumi as if they had heard something incredible, their eyes burning with curiosity.

Even Sasuke became interested and asked, "Izumi, why were you in Lord Hagoromo's office?"

Hagoromo Anki and Uchiha Kei immediately followed up.

"Once or multiple times?"

"With a purpose or without?"

"Were there others?"

"How far have things progressed?"

"Izumi, should I also call you 'Lady'?"

Uchiha Izumi's smile froze. What had been a straightforward answer had suddenly turned her into the center of attention.

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