Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 24 Distorted Justice

The black-robed, masked man grabbed Zruid by the collar with one hand and turned him toward the caravan like a tattered doll. The sunlight dyed the entire plain blood-red, reflecting a scene of utter despair.

"Take a good look. This is reality." The voice from behind the mask was icy cold, devoid of any warmth. "Even so, will you still resist?"

Zruid's body trembled violently. In his vision, the nine terrifying summoned beasts were wreaking havoc on the Cloud Village ninja—

The Southern and Northern Dipper Sages hovered in mid-air, one hand holding a staff and the other forming a hand seal. A purple array appeared on the ground, trapping the Cloud Village ninjas within, rendering them unable to move. As the phantom of the Grim Reaper's scythe swept past, their chakra rapidly depleted like a drained spring, and they collapsed to the ground, limp and lifeless.

"stop!!"

A Cloud Village Jonin roared and rushed forward to save the person, but was caught by the celestial maiden's fluttering ribbons around his neck and slammed heavily to the ground. After a muffled "bang," his body plowed a deep furrow in the dirt road, and the blood spurting from his mouth drew a dazzling arc in the air.

The remaining survivors were completely immobilized – the golden snake's body coiled around them, the white tiger's claws pressed against their chests, the vermilion bird's shadow swirled around them, the azure dragon's body imprisoned them, and the black tortoise's gravity made their bones creak.

"Before I take your life..."

The man in black robes dragged Zruid in front of him. "One last question—obediently hand over the White Eye."

A chilling chakra flowed between them, an aura of death filling the air. "Otherwise, my next move will wipe you all out here."

"You...you're dreaming!"

Zruid forced a hoarse roar from deep in his throat, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. Even with his vital organs choked, his bloodshot eyes still burned with a mad obsession.

"How could someone like you possibly understand?!"

He gasped for breath, each word laced with the stench of blood, "Once we obtain the Byakugan... Kumogakure will be able to wield the power to detect chakra! Everything we've done... is for the greater good of the nation!"

His voice rose, almost hysterical. "Come on! Kill me! But remember—for every Cloud Village ninja you kill, the Raikage's rage will grow! You and those behind you will pay the price for what you've done today!"

In an instant, Zruid felt the fingers gripping his throat tighten slightly. Even more terrifying, the chakra emanating from beneath the mask suddenly turned chillingly cold, as if the surrounding air itself began to freeze.

"National righteousness..."

The black-robed man's voice was as deep and resonant as an echo from hell. "So this so-called righteousness—"

"So, it's kidnapping a three-year-old child?"

"Is it forcing others to voluntarily die?"

"Is this world just a place where innocent people are being devoured alive?!"

Each question struck like a hammer blow. Suddenly, the man in black grabbed Zruid by the hair, forcing him to look directly at his men being ravaged by the Nine-Faced Beast. The celestial maiden's ribbons were hoisting a rebel into the air, the Southern Dipper's scythe already pressed against his throat.

"Don't think that... just because I've said a few high-sounding words..."

"That way, they can portray themselves as righteous!"

Zruid's body convulsed uncontrollably. He felt a sinister force corroding his body, and under the shadow of death, he suddenly recalled the terrifyingly calm smile of the branch family ninja as Hyuga Hizashi was being led onto the prison cart.

"but..."

The man in black robes suddenly became calm, "Is my heart and actions as clear as a mirror, and all my deeds truly righteous?"

"I admire your awareness..."

Goodbye.

"Click."

The crisp sound of bones cracking echoed across the battlefield. The man in black robes deftly snapped Zruid's neck, tossing his body aside like a rag doll. Almost simultaneously, the Nine-Faced Beast's slaughter reached its climax—blood splattered in eerie arcs, screams and wails rising and falling.

As the last Cloud Village ninja collapsed to the ground, the man in black robes suddenly raised his hand: "Leave one alive."

The ribbon that the celestial maiden was about to stab suddenly stopped, hovering less than an inch in front of the young ninja's terrified, wide-open eyes.

The black-robed man's footsteps traversed the blood-stained plain. He arrived at the specially made prison cart at the end of the convoy, where the heavy iron door still bore the seal of the Hidden Clouds.

"boom--!"

A straight punch landed squarely on the door lock. The steel lock shattered like paper, and the iron door twisted and deformed under the force of the impact, bursting open with a crash.

Inside the prison van, Hyuga Hizashi remained kneeling, a black blindfold obscuring his vision, and rough ropes digging deep into the flesh of his wrists. The sudden sunlight stung his eyes, which had been deprived of light for so long; even through the fabric, he could feel the change in external light.

What happened?

The sounds of fighting and screams gradually subsided, replaced by an eerie silence. Hizashi's heart pounded uncontrollably—the convoy had clearly been attacked, but it couldn't possibly have been reinforcements sent by Konoha.

If Konoha is willing to help...

He thought bitterly, how could he have been forced to the point of voluntarily going to his death?

Could it be that other ninja villages had learned of the news and come to vie for the Byakugan? The thought had barely crossed his mind when Hizashi felt his wrist lighten—the ropes that had bound him for so long were cleanly severed. Immediately afterward, his collar tightened, and he was lifted up by an irresistible force, staggering as he was dragged off the prison cart.

As his feet touched the soft ground, a strong stench of blood assaulted his nostrils. Even without seeing, Hijiri could tell from the pungent smell that a massacre had just taken place here.

The surviving Cloud Village ninja collapsed to the ground, his short sword trembling uncontrollably. His gaze swept across the battlefield: the Grim Reaper's scythe dripped with the blood of his comrades, the Celestial Maiden's ribbons laid down twisted corpses, and the remaining summoned beasts trampled on shattered carcasses...

Why... did you leave me behind?

The answer was quickly revealed.

The man in black robes dragged Hyuga Hizashi slowly forward, surrounded by nine terrifying summoning beasts like guards. The surviving ninja looked up and met the gaze of the fox mask looking down at him.

"Eye roll..."

A deep voice came from beneath the mask.

"I'll accept it."

The man in black robes turned slightly to the side, allowing the trembling ninja to see the "spoils of war" in his hand.

"Go back and tell the Raikage... if he wants revenge and to reclaim the Byakugan... come find me in the Land of Fire. I'll be waiting for that brute."

Before the words were even finished, a sudden gust of wind arose from the ground! The survivor instinctively closed his eyes, and when he opened them again—

Only corpses remained on the desolate plain. The black-robed man, the summoned beast, the Hyuga captives... all had vanished without a trace, leaving only the stench of blood and deep drag marks on the ground. These testified to the reality of what had just happened.

The surviving ninja stood frozen for a long time, then suddenly went berserk and ran wildly toward the direction of Kumogakure, like a wild dog fleeing for its life.